- Home
- Michigan Artisan; 1909-01-10
Michigan Artisan; 1909-01-10
- Notes:
- Issue of a furniture trade magazine published in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was published twice monthly, beginning in 1880. and Twenty-Ninth Year-No. 13 JANUARY 10, 1909 Semi-Monthly
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THROW OUT
All Disk, Drum and Spindle Sanders are money wasters.
There is not a piece of sanding that our
PATENTED SAND BELTS WILL NOT POLISH BETTER AND FASTER
400 machinesalready in operation. Why give your competitor an advantage over you in this department?
No. 171 SAND BELT MACHINE.
PATENTED
Jonu"')' 12th, 1897
May 17th, 1904
November 14th. 1905
February 13th. 1906
October 2nd. 1906
Will sand and polish flat surfaces, all irregular work in your sanding department. Ask for catalogue E.
WYSONG « MILES CO., Cedar St. and Son. R. R., GREENSBORO, N. C.
~ The Best Truck--The Strongest Truck
..... - E,
This is the famous Gillette Roller Bearing Factory
Truck-the truck on which it is said, "One man
can move a load of 3000 pounds whlle with
the other trucks it takes three men,"
This is the truck that is strong where others are
weak-the truck that has an unbreakable
malleable iron fork.
This is the truck YOU are looking for if you wish
to Invest In rather than waste money on factor.r
trucks.
Gillette Roller Bearing CO.
ORAND RAPIDS, MICHIOAN
The Lightest Running,
Longee. La.ting Truck
11
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..A8c" Vertical Self-Oiling Engines are
Arranged for Direct Connection to
Any Make of Generator
"The highest quality of material,
workmanship and finish ever
embodied in steam engine con~
.tnJ.ction."
"ABC" Questions on Lighting
If you need a boiler to run your engine and you use Ex-haust
Steam for heating and drying, how in the world can any-one
sell you electric current for lighting your mill, factory and
yard as cheaply as you can generate your own?
Can you afford to belt a generator from your line shaft,
or can you direct connect a dynamo to any ordinary steam engine
when an "ABC" VERTICAL ENCLOSED SELF-OILING
ENGINE WILL PAY FOR ITSELF IN ONE YEAR IN
SAVINGS OF OIL AND FUEL?
You can afford an "ABC" ENGINE and we can
prove it.
Write us number of lights or kilo-watts wanted, together
with steam pressure carried-for proposition. Get catalog
232 M. A. anyway.
AMERICAN BLOWER CaMP ANY, Detroit, Mich.
MANUFACTURERS "ABC" ~~Tk~5~~R1Kf9L'rJ~.GENGINES. "DETROIT" ~~pr-x~tYrf~rRAPS.
. HEATING AND VENTILATING APPARATUS. AUTOMATIC RETURN TRAPS.
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SLIDING SHOE FOR USE ON DESK LEGS
Tbis sboe does tbe work of a caster yet
allows tbe desk legs to set close to floor.
Fastened with flat head wood screw and furn-ished
in three sizes.
SEND FOR SAMPLES AND PRICES.
No. 1493 PULL
A very fine handle for desks in tbe square effect.
Something different from tbe regular bar pulls.
GRAND RAPIDS BRASS CO. GRAND RAPIDS,
MICHIGAN
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MICHIGA'i ARTISAN
Veneer Prellllel, different kinds and ahe._ (Pa~Dted)
.:::
Veneer Presses
Glup Spreaders
Glue Heaters
Trucks, Etc., Etc.
These Specialties are used all
Over the World
Power Feed Glue Spreading Machine, Single,
Double and Combination. (Patented)
(Si2es12 in. to 84 in wide.)
----1
Hand Feed Clueing Machine (Patent
pendiull'.) Many styles and sizes.
Wood-Working
Machinery
and Supplies
LET us KNOW
YOUR WANTS
-
No. 20 Glue Heater.
h. __ CHAS. Eo FRANCIS COMPANY, Main Office and Works, Rushville, Ind. No.• GIu.H ....... -----------_.~
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A practica0~
and Perfect Stain
~---- -------------------------------
I D1SGRIMINf\TlNG
I FUMED OAK
EARLY
ENGLIS"
Here aga\n we have been
able to produce the correct
shade and the one most in favor
by manufacturers. It is the
most perfect stain of this char-act~
r,on the market. III
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Mf\NUff\GTUKGRS
OUf Fumed Oak Acid Stain pro-duces
a perfect match for the color
produced by the old-fashioned fum-ing
process where the wood is
fumed in a fuming chamber. The
color is not only correct, but it is
more uniform and has more depth.
Being an acid stain it is more per-manent
while it is also practical
and inexpensive in application.
THE MARIETTA
PAINT and COLOR CO.
MARIETTA. 0"'0
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ff\VOK Mf\KIETTf\
-----.--- .__ ----0
/ / Should
~ Be in Every
fiNISHING ROOM
MARIETTA
SOLVENT
A perfect Solvent for Oil
Stains, Fillers and Varnishes.
Invaluable for Golden Oak
Stains. Write for sample and
try it out for yourself.
WHITE PRINTING CO.
I I GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. I I
HIGH GRADE CATALOGS COrlPLETE
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2 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
aran~Da~i~sDlow Pi~e
an~Dust Arrester (om~anl
THE LATEST de7!ice for handling
shavings and dust from all wood-
''UJorking n'Wchines. Our nineteen years
experience in this class of work has
bronght it uearer perfection than any
other system on the market today. It
is no experiment, but a demonstrated
scientific fact, as 'we have sez-'eral hun-dred
of these systeuls in use, and not a
poor one Gl1wng thern. Our Automatic
Furnace Feed Systenr, as sho7.f!1Zin this
cut, is the most perfect working device
of anything in this line. Write for our
prices for equipments.
WE MAKE PLANS AKD DO ALL
DETAIL WORK WITHOUT EX-PENSE
TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
EXHAUST FANS AND PRES-SURE
BI"OWERS ALWAYS IN
STOCK.
Office and Fa.ctory:
208-210 Canal Street
Gl\..AND l\..APIDS, MICH.
CUI:zena Phone 121a Bell. M..ln 1804
._--_.O_UR A-UT-OMATIO FURNACE FEED SYSTEM II •I
29th Year-No. 13.
~~==========-=-----=-
GRAND RAPIDS. MICH.. JANUARY 10. 1908. $1.00 per Year.
CLASSIFYING VENEEl<.
There has been quite a problem before tbe veneer 1l1en
and the railway freight departments over the proper classi-fication
of veneer products for shipment. Sometimes the ve-neer
men have thought the railroads ·were ratl1er arbitrary
and unfair, but it is probably not so much inte1l(led unfair-ness
as it was confusion and misundersbtnding. \Vhen it
comes to examining the matter tboroughly it is easy to see
how one may grow confused in trying to fannulate some
basis on ..v..hich to classify veneer on the freight list. There
is SOIne veneer that undoubtedly belong"s to l;Nhat is termed
the morc valuahle wood product and should pay a higher
rate of freight than ordinary lumber On the other hand,
there is some veneer prOd1.1ct which, though it may be cut
up in smaller pieces than standard lumber, is not really any
smaller than lath, staves and heading. This is probably en-titled
to an equa.l rate of freight The trouble is that neither
thickne!:is nor dimension give a true indication of tbe relative
value of veneer, nor of the care necessary for transportation
companies to exercise to prevent its being damaged in tran-sit.
S0111eveneer is nothing more nor less than box shooks
and as such it comes under lumber classification. There is
other veneer of select quality sometimes put up in bundles
with a protecting sheet of inferior veneer on the outside,
and other kinds put up in crates for shipment, 'vhich is en-titled
to pay a higher rate of freight than the cheaper kinds.
because it is more liable to be damaged; and. wht;':n damaged,
thcrc is more value lost tha,n if the same damage were done
to the clle<lper veneer.
Leaky car roofs and dirt and various other things inci-dent
to transporting and handling may damage fine {ace ve-neer.
The same conditions or mishaps ".'ouldl of course, de-preciate
tlk quality of box shooks or of the common veneer
for dralver bottoms and things l.ike th8t, but the damage
would not he anything ill proporti0l1 to that of face veneer.
It seems now that the railroads and the yeneer men are
about to get together on the basis of classing all veneer 1-16
of an inch and Oller in thickness as thin lumbcr, and that
cut thinner than 1-16 as veneer in a higher classification-i.
e., paying a hiKher rate of freight. Tllis, thongh admittedly
imperfect, will lTe1pa bit :J.nd is a decided step in clearing IIp
the confusion incident to handling veneer. It is probable that
quite a large majority of the cheaper veneer is cut thicker
than 1-16. The 1-16 thickness used to be the recognized
standard for quarter-sawed oak veneer, and und{'r tbis c1a:ssi~
fication it would probably be included under the thin lumber
head, whereas oak veneer cut 1-UJ and 1-20 or 1-28 ,,,ould
not be classed as thin lumber, but would have to take the
higher rate of Vl.'.neer. Quite a lot of the oak veneer too
eyen of the sa\ved veneer, is made as thin as 1-18 and 1-20
and the cut veneer, that is, the quartered oak veneer cut with
a slicer, rum largely to 1-20 in thickness and frequently as
thin a,s 1-28, The 1-20 thickness, however, seems to now be
to the veneer trade practicaIly what the 1-16 ,.v~sformerly. so
that m1..1chof the fine fa,ce veneer ,,,"'auld come below the 1-16.
The majority of mahogany i:o, cut thinner than that, and also
most of the fine walnut, though some walnut is cut a." thick
as 1-8-and in that case the thick veneer would go in as thill
lumber, though it would likely be qualified because of the
\vaillut namc and be put into the hig{l pt"iced wood class
This ,vould be fair, too. nut here is also something on the
other side, n()twithstru-.dil~g. There is quite a lot of rotary
cut veneer made as thin as 1-20 in gum and popular, bit"ch
and various otber native woods, among them oak, and then
there is being developed more or less trade in basket stock
and light package material, which would come in this thin
class, though it really is not entitled to be classed, at the
higher rate. Basket splints are cut as thin as 1-28, and it
seems unfair to make basket and light package stock and
va,1'ious other kinds of thin veneer from inexpensive ..v..oo<1s
pay a higher rate of freight than quarter-sawed oak veneer
1-16 of an inch. It is probable that the specifications may be
qualified by naming the wood and the p1..1rposefor which :::ilE:
veneer is cut to take care of thcse things; and, anyway, a de-cided
step has been made in the right direction by the ve-ne.
er men and the railway traffic men working together, and
tllls problem of classifying veneer for railway shipment is
being reduced to a much more satisfactory basis than it has
been in the past.-St. Louis Lumberman.
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Furniture Books in the Ryerson Library.
During- the month of January the semi-annual showing
of the latest additions to the collection of books on furniture
has .been made at the Ryerson Public Library, Grand Rapids~
Beslde.s the books which includc a new volume by Esther
Singleton on the subject of Dutch and Flemish furniture,
and othe.rs, ther~ is a collection of photographs presented by
::V1. L. Fltch, wlllch "vere used by him for thirty years in his
[ravej~ for the ~elson-Matter Furniture Company.:~ is in-terestl1lg
to note the evolution of the styles from the first
book ca.rried by him in 1876 up to Ole. present time. The
\vulls of the historical room of the Ryerson Library were
ht/ng with illustrations of interiors, styles of ornamcnt, wood
carving, etc .. taken from tbe art llwgazines. The Renais-sance
and Colonial styles were g.iven the most prominence.
The plates of ""'ood carving are so natural one imagines at
-first that they are the original drawings.
The illustrations of French and German styles in inter-iors
arc interesting for co'mpa.rison. TllOse of the German
lean more to heavy substantial furniture, large patterned
carpets, draperies and Upl101stery and gaudy colors. Tbe
general effect is not restful but "stuffy" wllereas the French
is light, graceful, artistic, the colors a.re delicate and the
patterns in Hoor coverings a.nd draperies jnconspicuous.
Late additions to the collection include books of plates
in French and German st:.r1es, the "Art Industry, Upholstery"
with 12(10 engravings by G. \Y. Yapp. "Illustratjolls of
Furniture from Great Exhibitions of London and Paris with
Examples of Similar Articles from Royal Palaces and Noble
I\lansiolls,"by J. Bra.und.
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Portland, Oregon, has attained considerable prominence
as a furniture manufacturing center and will soon claim the
distinction of "the. Grand Rapids of the We st.;'
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Lawn, SUlnmer home and porch furniture form important
features in the mid-winter furniture expositions.
MICHIGAN
Great Progress is Power~Producing Methods.
Economic reforms in the developme11t of power keep
coming in such rapid succession that One almost treads upon
the heets of its predecessor. The chief aim is simple enough,
but the accomplishment is by no means easy. Looking
bac,~' to the early days of steam, we find that as latc as the
beg.inl1illg of the nineteenth century invention had just
achieved the return tlue construction in boilers, and the use
of a steam jet to quicken the draft. Richard Trevithick, a
Cornish engine builder and boiler maker, did this, and he
bujlt the first steam tram using smooth~faced wheels on a
smooth track. It was a good boiler at that time that would
be trusted with a pressure ot 10 pounds of steam, and that
weakness decided failure tor John Fitch as a steamhoat in-ventor,
and improved bOllers made Robert F\llton's success.
Both with the best modern boilers automatically stoked to
save the cost of labor, and with quadrupte expansion engiu(',s
to utilize the steam until pressure has almost heen ex-hausted,
it remained a disheartening fact that the greater
part the energy of every pound of coal is still wasted, be-cause
it can not be utilized in the best allparatus.
Method is now rapidly changing from the combustion
of coal in an ordinary firebox, ~here only a portion of the
hot gases are hrougth into _contact with the boiler surface
and \..,.here lUuch heat goes up the chimney, to a retort sys~
tern where the coal is subjected to destructive distillation
and everything but the residual ash and other incombustible
elements <Lreconverted into what is known as producer gas.
Instead of burning gas in a comparatively -ineffectual process
of developing steam in a boiler. the gas is utilized in an ex-ternal
combustion engine by compressing it with a proper
proportion of air to afford comlepte and insta.ntaneous
combustion, and utilizing the explosive force of the mixture.
to drive the piston of the engine. Instead of a battcry of
b.oilers fed wlth tons of coal ('.very day, there is a small~
FOR SALE-FUlly Equipped Woodworking Pianl I Suitable for pla.ninj; mill, box factory, furniture manu-facturin~
or any kind of woodworking business. Splendidly
located m Michigan. Better than a bonus. Investigation
solicited. Addre88 L. M. M" care Michigan Artisan.
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producer plaut occupying much less space which generates
gas pure enough for engine use. There is ItO high pressure
except in the engine cylinder::> at the moment of each ex-plosion,
and there is <J. great economy of space and machinery
as well as of -boiler equipment.
In a producer plant the coal is slowly distilled, and such
residue CIS may be formed is generally utilized as fuel to keep
the generator hot enough to expel the gas from the coal.
The a.pparattls is almost automatic when Ollce u11der \'vay.
Althoug-h tbis system of power generation may be said to
be stilt in its infancy, it is apparent that for most large
plants it is bound to supersede the present costly steam
equipment.
Hardly is this economic reform well under way before
imaginative inventors prepare for another exploitation. Their
present aim is to eliminate all the cost between the coal
'r,ilH'''- ::lrcl the developed power. The ultimate hope is. to
merely raise the coal to the surface, and there. without ex-pensive
handling, long railway hauls, payment of' commissions
to wholesale and retail dealers and storage in yards~ to con~ .
vert it into producer gas, and utilize the g:;:tsfor develop-
ARTISAN
mcnt of high voltage electric current, which can be delivered
over an area of hundreds of square "miles by cOll)parat\vely
inexpepsive wiring, and turned on and off at every power
plant 'within a radius of 100 miles. This would eliminate
the smoke nuisance in cities, relieve manufacturers of the
detail of power generation, and reduce the cost of power to
a fraction of the best achievement of the present day. It
may sound like a dream just now, but it is something that
maybe looked for with as sure a hope as the development of
the gas engine.
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A HANDY
MACHINE.
This cut il-lustrates
a corn-bimitioll
mach-ine
that is of
unusual merit,
viz; an arm
swing or radial
sander and
borer, made by
the Cordes-man
- Rechtin
Co., Pearl and
Butler streets,
Cincinnati. It
is made of the
best material,
and by thor-ough
machin-ists.
This ma-chine
is sim-ple,
easily un-derstood
and
handled, saves
a great deal of
labor and is
i n e x pensive.
yVhere a larg- Cordes.man~Rechtin's Arm Swing Qr Radial
er and more Sander and Borer,
cxpensive san~
der can not be had, this little machine will be found to fill
the requirements, viz; a flat surface polisher, and borer.
Nearly every wood-working factory can use this machiue
to advantage. A card to the Cordcsman-Rechti.n people will
give you full information in regard to it.
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The Greater Profit.
An experienced manufacturer of furniture declared re-cently
that a larger margin of profit is yielded to the manu-facturer
of medi-um than to the manufacturer of high priced
goods. He explained that this was owing to the larger out-put.
Sales of one hundred high priced bedroom suites in
the course of a year were not common, where there were
sales of five hundred of medium price. The difference lay in
one hundred items of profit in the first instance. and 500 in
the latter.
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Some people. couldn't even crac.k a joke without hitting
their fingers.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 5
HAND SCREWS
Hickory 5pindles~-Genuir.e.
Saw r.ut threads-true, smooth, even ones.
lI1ichigan l]ard lVfaple J<:1WS.
That's the combination of the best, strongest ~l11d
mo~t durable Hand Screw on the market.
The kind of a Hand Sere, .-.. you need in your bU5-
luess.
The kind that brings satisfaction and repeat
orders.
The kind that we guarantee to stand the severest
tests.
OUf stock is up~ah\'ays.
'Ve call ship promptly in any size.
Our catalog describes them, and other things we
make such as Cabinet ~':Ja.kcrs, Carvers, Chair
and Pattern 1\.Jakers Benches, Benedict
Clamps, Factory Trucks, etc.
It-'s a catalog you should have and .it's a catalog
that you'H order from.
\Vc'rc anxious to send it-because \ve want your
order.
Just rip out this ~d., sign your /lame and .address
and band to Uncle Sam.
He'll bring catalog and particulars return mail.
.Putting things off "never done nobody no good."
Do it no"v,
Ha
Address ..
GRAND RAPIDS HAND SCREW CO.
918 JEFFERSON AVENUE
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
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If your DESIGNS are right, people want the Goods.
That makes PRICES right.
<ClarencelR. bills
163 Madison Avenue-Citizens Phone 1983. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. :• h ~
DOES IT
.....--------
lB. WALTER & CO.
M.nof"Mm"'o T ABLE SLIDES Exclusively
WRITE FOR PRICES AND DISCOUNT
WABASH
INDIAN.A
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~~fI~~~~~r We can help you. Time
saved and when done
I leavesare boundt Y(lUI- I ",If) and mdexed Hoot.
or departments. ! BARLOW BROS.•
Grand Rapids, Mich-
I Write Right Now. ~.--------_. II
I Wesl Side 36 Ineb Band Saw MaChine,l
Gleason Palent Sectional Feed Roll,
-=---"----MA"lUF/tCTQRED BY=~~~
WEST SIDE IRON WORKS
CRAND RAPIDS, MICH., U. S. A.
AGENTS: Chicago Machinery Exchange; Eby
MachineryCo., 3:'-41 Main St .• SaD Francisco. I Cal.; H. W. Petrie, allffit for Cllllad~-o6icei., I Toronto. Montrealand Vanoollver. ~------------ --~
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~--====-SEE=====
West Michigan Machine & Tool Co" ltd.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
for "IG" GRADI: PlJNC"ES and DIES ~-------
I...-- ---------~ WANTED
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CABINET MAKERS; at least one who can do carving,
MACHINE MEN. and CUTTER.
STEADY WORK.
Write O. W-. U-HR-ICH-,A-lcbi-son-, K-ans-as. I ...
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IMPROVED. EASY 'NO EL EVAT 0 RS I QUICK RAISINQ
B~lt, Electric alld Hand Power. ! Thl! Best Hand Power for Furnitu. re Stores
Selld for Catalogue and Pri~e5.
KIMBAll BROS. CO., 1067 Ninth "C. Council Bluffs, la.!
Kimball Elevator Co., 323Prosped St., Cleveland,O.;
10811lh St., Omaha, Neb,; l~ Cedar St •• New York City. 10---___ __ _ __ .....
6 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
LANDSCAPE ART INDOORS.
Evergreens Now a Part of Decorative Schemes.
Landscape gardening in city houes is no longer confinecl
to the facade, stoop and vestibule. It has entered the houses
and modern decorators rely on the assistance of growing
green planb as well as all the colors on the vvaJls or in the
hangings. The clusters of living leaves are often the dots
on the i's in the decorative scheme of the room.
That they are different from the greenery formerly used
is apparent at a glanc.e. The day of the sheltering palm is
past and the rubber plant, in spite of its immunity from steam
heat and lack of air, is 110 longer seen even in that part of
Flatbush, Brookl"·' that is in the know.
Entrance Hall With a Summer Bower in White and Green.
Plants for decoration indoors have followed the fashion of
those formerly used only in the open. Closely cropped box,
bay and arbor vitae are the varieties that appeal to the taste
of the up to date decorator. Be no longer considers the pos-sibility
of placi.ng a graceful young palm near a white carved
Renaissance mantel even if a crimson tapestry forms a back-ground
of complementary color for the plant. His bosom
would swell with pride, however, ..v..c.re he to place a drawf
laurel in a way that gave the necessary a,ccent to the picture.
In a certain great hallway in a certain great house on the
Hudson River the central points arc marked by four stand-ard
bay trees that catch the eye and give the aspect a char-acter
it would otherwise never possess. This hallway, which
serves as a specie5 of gigantic living room, is not restful in
line or color.
It contains many pieces of furniture and they are of
varied colors and sizes. This lack of dominating scheme is
less noticeable because the four round halls of dark green
bay form decorative points that set the eye at rest, at least
more at rest tt~an it would otherwise be.
This is the purpose of the dwarf bay trees, the box and the
arboT vitae that come now in triangular, oval and natural
shapes. In a yellow room with no dark tones beyond the
furniture coverings and the rugs on the floor stand two
massive pots ,painted in the prevaiHng tone of the room and
~ontail1ing ivy trained to grow in a triangular shape, The
dark green Icaves flanking the open fireplace, which is never
used but contains logs that nobody thinks of lighting, give
point and contrast to the light colored room.
A hallway in a house done throughout in a sha.de of rather
cold gray welcomes the traveller that enters by the invita-tion
to rest under a bower of ivy growing from a pot over a
circular frame of lattice work, and two trim box plants stand
at the ends of this indoor gardcn seat. For the sa,lne color
scheme upstairs the gray walls and the white woodwork are
relieved by green arbor vitae plants that stand in pots on the
landings.
A Pompeii<l-n room
of too va.ried colors
was found to need
some sort of toning
down. The decorator
had so few hangings in
the room that they
could not be relied on
to do that for the
overcolored apartment.
Four standards of bay,
however, accomplished
the purpose and the
green fitted in well
with the red and yellow
color scheme.
A dining room on Madison avenue w<:!s painted through
the combined freakishness of the woman who owned the
house and the decorator in a pale shade of green finished
with gold. Proud. as she was of it in the beginning the green
and goid got as much on the hostess"s nt'-rves after a while
as it did on her guests.' That green was too insistent, but
it was not possible in the middle of the season to do the
room all ove,-.
It was then that the
decorator placed four
pots O'f gl"owing wy
about the walls. Each
was trained on a heart
shaped screen turned
upside down. In the
corners were f 0 U I"
dwarf bay tree~. The
effect had just the tone
of subdued green that
the hostess and the
decorator had previous- I
ly struggled for in vain. •(
The paler green formed
a beautiful b~ckground
for the tree~ and the
ivy drew out the pale
green of the walls.
F:.:>Ur pointed arbor
vitae trees, trimmed so
that their triangular
shaped dsidhes wer.e1 flat 'Potted Cedars to GI.ve Color to Gray
crnove t:- ,gans lness and WhIte Hall.
from a dmmg room
done in Delft blue, white and yellow. As the ceilillg.3 had
painted rafters of the same color it was found that toning
down was necessary, The foliage did it.
Hallways large enough to have room for the tubs are now
deliberately painted in colors that are suitable for the box
or bay. One example of this kind of decoration is a hall
panelled in white and carpeted in red. The wooden mantel
is also painted white that it may SCl·ve a.s a background for
the two beautiful grown standard bays that give the can.
trasting touch of color.
A particularly daring use of growing pbnts for the sake
of added color was the work of a. decorator who finished a
Pompian Dining Room; Plants In-dispensable
Detail.
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~~_._---------- NIICUIGAN ARTISAN
"GOING SOME"
But whether going or coming, or staying at home,
the young man with brains and ambition may take our
course of practical Furniture Designing, that will be of
inestimable value to him. Our course (which may be
taken at home if desired) is thorough, embracing the
the principles as laid down by all of the old masters and
best authorities on furniture designing.
The Grand Rapids School of Furniture Design
ARTHUR KIRKPATRICK, Irntructor and Designer
542-545 Houseman Bldg., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
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hallway in ·white and black and a small addition of lavender.
It was not until he had put srna.ll arbor vitae trees in the
hall that the color scheme had its just '\-'alue, Only the fact
that the hall "\vas a flood of sunlight all day excused such a
funereal color scheme, >'"hieh was relieved by the grmving
green.
"The demand for the
greens in various geO-metrical
[onns, ovals
and similar designs,
came froLl their suc-cess
in beautifying the
fronts of houses. De<::-
orators saw how well
they looked there and
etermined to try the
aesthetic effect of a
transfer to the .interior
of the hotlses. "The
time was especially well
suited to the introduc-tion
of the new style,
as palms 8.11d rubber
plants had gone wholly
out of fashiotl.
"The dwarf plant!:.
had already been grown
for the \vindow decora-tiol15..
which are this
year composed almost
entirely of box, The
regular design is a row
of low plants with two
at ea<:h end rising
somewhat higher than
the others. This is
varied in some cases by
having two box phlllts in the middle of the row as .vell as
at the ends.
"These same plants have been adopted now for indoor
Use a,l1din addition to the box "ve have bay and arbor vitae as
well as the ivy sta.ndards. "\Vc make them ill the design
required by the decorator. In very fe\v cases are fancy pots
used. vVe usually paint ordinary pots the required color and
do the same \""ith the basins :n which they sit.
Entrance Hall in White, Violet and
Black, With Only Green Cedar
to Vary This Scheme.
Write tiS for full particull/rs.
II:
"vVhile these new greens are hardier than palms or ferns,
they are not equal to the rubber plants of other days.
Sometimes we rent the plants, gua.ranteeing to keep them in
good condition. In any case we keep them under our care
that they may not lose their freshness."-SUI1.
@ * @
Why the Trust Plan Failed.
Roger W. Butterfield, the president of the Grand Rapids
Chair Company, has been interested in the furniture manu-iacturing
business many years. His first savings acquired
shortly after graduating from the law department of the
1lichigan University. amounting to $500.00 was invested in
the stock of a furniture manufacturing company, and he has
long held stock in the Grand Rapids Chair Company and the
\Viddicomb Furniture Company. In a reminiscent mood re-cently
he recalled the effort of the late Charles R. Flint to
organize a trust to control the manufacture of furniture in
the United States. AIr. Flint ca.me to Grand Rapids and
tendered Air. Butterfield a retailler after stating briefly the
object of his visit. lIT. Butterfield stated that his firm re-presented
a number of furniture manufacturing corporations
and asked for time in which to consult his clients. A hurried
investigation of the affairs of the local manufacturing cor-porations
Mr. Flint had proposed to include in the trust
showed an aggregate indebtedness of $600,000. Under the
trust plan this indebtedness would be increased $l~OOO,OOaOnd
upon the: whole it was proposed to provide for the payment
of an annual interest of six per cent. The business of the
interests illvo1ved was not paying six per cent and Mr.
Butterfield was unable to see how it would be able to do so
with an addition of $1,000,000 to the indebtedness.
E. H. Foote of the Grand Rapids Chair Company de-clared
that the trust would kill Grand Rapids as a furniture
center; that the business would be conducted in New York
and that a considerable number of the factories would be
closed for all time.
!vlr. Butterfield advised his clients to reject the plan,
vl-·bich was [l1lally done through the refusal of the Grand
Rapids Chair Company a.nd the ~riddi<:omb Furniture Com-pany
to enter the combination.
@ * @
The holding of the Yukon exposition in Seattle next sum-mer
will call for considerable outlays for furniture to accom-modate
the many thousands of visitors who wi-ll attend it.
8 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
Table Legs and Pedestals
Round. Square. Octagon or any Polygonal Shape
•II
tI Turned on the Mattison Leg Machine at a fral;:\ioD at
what it costs by hand. Every pie<:c COlJles out smooth,
true and exac.dyalike in me and shape, no maller how
deJicate Ihe pattern.
c.n It is sold on the condition that if after it has been lun
in yOUI own facIDry. you do not find it to .be'tn every
way as repre$ented. we will lake it bade and pay
(r~ht chafge3both waY8~
f1/ Belter send for a copy of our large circular and let us
tell you what the mac~~~ wil(~o'~ryou.
C. Mattison MatIUne Works
________ . . 863 5th S-t..,.cB. eloit;Wi.e. -' __ -: .
Factory Dining Rooms.
During the exposition season the manufacturers outside
of the local business center of the city serve meals to the
buyers who may be in the warerooms at the noon hour. All
of these factories arc located within fifteen minutes ride of
the leading hotds, and in other furniture centers would be
considered within easy walkh1g distance, but in Grand Rapids
the time of the buyer is considered valuable, and by providing
carriages, automobiles and dinners the manufacturers enable
him to utilize every minute at no expense to himself. A locat
newspaper described the factory dining rOoms in detail re-cently.
from which the following is condensed:
Among the elaborate factory dining rooms of the city is
that of the Grand Rapids Chair company, with its massive
oak furnishings, which are changed every year, That is to
say, the chairs, buffet, china cabinet, etc., a.re changed. The
dining room table is 8!1 feet in diameter, its size having re-quired
that it be practically built in the dining room. It is
a large round oak table, and brings forcibly to memory, as
16 or 18 of the factory's customers congregate around it for
the noon, refreshment, the tales of King Arthur's famed
round table.
Over this ele.gant table. at the Chair company hangs a
beautiful large canopy lamp of many colored glass, some
three and a half feet square, while the walls are delica.tely
tinted as far as the moulding and prettily papered above
that. In the room is also a.11exquisitely finished buffet and
a china cabinet to match the mission style of the rest of the
furniture. On the walls are mugs and steins of various ages
and degrees of beauty. Like the other lunch rooms. the
cooking in this cosy room is dOlle entirely with electricity
in the most up-to-date manner, by a young lady.
At the LUl:e Furniture company's plant the lunch room,
to put it in the society editor's langua.ge is "a perfect dear
of a little room." It combines that so often forgotten ele-ment
of extreme coziness that seems to welcome every comer
and bids him partake of the refrcshment there offered, both
solid and liqUefacient. For it must not be forgotten that
each of these lunch rooms also has a modern buffet.
The Luce uining room is a small denlike affair, finished in
oak. It's very size, however, adds to its charm and makes
of it <t' cosy little lounging roOHl as wel( as a mere eating
place. ,It has seating capacit.y for about eight hungry buyers
at a time, but feeding capacity for all the furniture men in
town. The kitchen is larger than some of the others and
modern in every respect, while a colored chef presides at
chafing dish and oven. The walls arc handsomely oak
paneled to within two feet of the ceiling, exquisite china-ware
decorating the walls from the top of the paneling to
the ceiling. Four beautifully shaded lamps hang from the
·ceiling on heavy chain. pendants, and the furniture is oak and
of a most pronounced mission style. making in all a lunch
room calculated to delight the heart of a discriminating c1ub-mao.
..
Perhaps the most pretentious dining room of all the
factories, and that which lays most claim to beillg a dining
room as compared to a lunch ro.om, is· the tang dining hall
of the Michigan Chair comp;lllY. Here the kitchen ap-proaches
that of a hotel in size, and the service is of the
best. The long hall will accommodate a large number of
customers, and the furniture is picked from the best designs
of the factory. A feature of this room is the art work on
the walls, which shows rare ta.'He in the selection, and ranges
from famous paintings to popular subjects. One piece 011
which the company prides itself is a panoramic view of
Niagara Falls taken in one eight-foot photograph, one of
the only three extant.
The long table when set will accommodate 25 or 30 din-ers,
and tbe company keeps a colored chef in tbe kitchen all
day, from 8 in the morning until 6 at night, to serve light
lunches and drinks.
Stickley Brothers' dining room will seat from 15 to 22
around its large round mission table, and is finished in oak
and German tiling, with electric lamps hanging from the
ceiling. and heavy curtains in the windows .. Two colored
chefs are here employed to keep down the hunger of the
buyers.
The C. S. Paine company feeds its visitors in its office,
having a table set apart for that purpose, and hiring a young
woman to preside in the kitchen during the noon hour. Here,
of course, where the preparations are not so elaborate, mere-ly
a light buffet luncheon is served.
Berkey & Gay have fitted up their cosy little dining room
with one of their own Flemish oak dining suites, the chairs
of which are high-backed and elegantly hand carved. The
table is a long narrow one seating over a dozen people, and
the kitchen, as in all the dining rooms, is operated by elec-tricity
and modern in every respect.
The Sligh Furniture cornapny conducts its lunch room on
a somewhat different plan in combining with it a reading and
lounging r00m. The room is paneled in mahogany and oak.
and the furniture is massive and after the mission style. In
one corner is a large lounging davenport, in another a writ-ing
desk and a few easy chairs, and against one wall is a
reading table littered with furniture and ~ther magazines,
In the center is the large round dining table. The Sligh
plant, like most of the others, serves just the noon meal,
but the dining room is open to tired buyers for a few min-utes
of lounging and smoking at ail hours.
- • I- .
GRAND RAPIOSc.Oc...•....MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 9
.,;..----------------------------------., I I,,II
The mark if ~~o:n:~~!
your Engraving and
Printing bears the same
relation to quality as
TiJfan] tojewelry, Rogers
on cutlery, or Sterling
on silver.
Every furniture catalog plannc=d
and executed by us last season
has been ca.lked about-In a.
class by themsehres-Something
better-Something new.
The finest equipped plant in existf!IlCe doing Engraving,
Printing and Binding under one roof and managemmt
Write us at once about your requirements, and allow us to suggest improvements~and to
quote you. Drop down to our plant when in Grand Rapids. It win be to your, interest,
THE CARGILL COMPANY (GRAND RAPIDS ENGRAVING COMPANY)
Wealthy Avenue. just west of Division Street, Grand Rapids Michigan. r'"------_--._------------------------~------------
• VVood I
I, Forming I' , I
I We offer exceptional valne in Rev~~et~n~rs II One-Way Cutters for Single and Double Spin- I'
dIe Shapers. Largest lists with lowest prices.
Greatest variety to select from. Book free. I
I Address I
I!SAMUEL J. SHIMER& SONS! MILTON. PENNSYLVANIA, U. S. A. I
~....---------- ------"
..----- i SfiIiIiIiIiIi/iJ I
II Spiral Grooved and Bevel Pointe~
DOWEL PINS
I
---------------- .
Notehow the glue in the SPiral
Groove forms Thread like it; Screw.
Be... el Pointe". easy to drh'8.
Straight 50 will not split the
frames. Prices and discounts. on
application.
,I
--------- STEPHs~~~y~EN~C.~O~.,~.I .._-- ----"'"
ROLLS
The "RELIABLE" Kind.
THE FEllWOCK AUTO & MFG. CO.
EVANSVILLE, IND.
II
I,!!
II
:,
,
j
10 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
STYLE LOUIS XVI.
By A. Kirkpatrick, Director Grand Rapids School of
Furniture Designing.
The people were so disgusted with the pomp and ex-travagance
of the Louis XV period and the shameful misuse
of the money that it caused them to revolt, and a new phil-osophy
bega.n to make itself felt. It wa.s quiet evident to
them that the system of government was WI"Ong and that they
should have more
power in the af-iairs
of statE:,
Louis XVI, a
nlaTI of good in-tentions,
but weak
in character, suc-ceeded
his grand-father,
Louis XV,
and was crowned
king of France
in 1774 under dis-couraging
and
ominous circum-stances.
He was
ma.rried shortly
before this to the
young and beau-tiful
Marie An-toinette,
Arch-duchess
of Aus-tria.
He ruled
for eighteen years, Arthur Kirkpatrick.
and 'in 1792 was
tr,ied for conspiracy and beheaded in 1793. The young queen
preferred simplicity and truth to polite deceit, and her char-acter
was one of the chief influences of the coming style.
Gradually under the new rule, the architecture and furni-ture
designs became more simple. Straight and geometri-catty
curved lines took the place of the excessive curves
used in the preceeding reign. In fact all kinds of decoration
took a decided turn toward the Classical, which was partly
due to the recent discoveries of Herculaneum and Pompeii.
Their rich store of long hidden art treasurers offered many
suggestions for the new style.
Columns and pilasters with Roman capitals reappea,red
in both architecture and furniture designs. Instead of the
irregular panels of the Louis XV period, we find the rectan-gular
and oval shaped panels surrounded by carved mould-ings.,
The corners of these panels formed an important part,
and were generally of a geometric pattern, centered with a
rosette, \\lreaths and festoons of delicately carved and
undercut flowers draped and adorned the richly finished furn-iture,
Chair and table legs tapered toward the feet and were
either spiral or fluted. The flutings were often filled with a
td-Teaf or husk patterll for some dista.nce down from the top
or up from the base and sometimes from both top and base,
leaving a plain fluted space in the centet'. Very often both
the base and cap were richly ornamented. Much of the furn-iture
was painted in delicate colors and decorated with gilded
carvings and metal mounts of dainty bowknots of ribbon,
bows and arrows, torches, clusters of war trophies and shields
with wreaths of laurel leaves and roses. The Louis XVI
scroll took thc form of the oval or ettipse instead of the
·circle as used by the Greeks.
The decorations on the painted panels and the tapestry
coverings seem to have been suggested by both the Grecian
and Louis XV styles. The Greeks' used painted panels de-cora.
ted with figures from mythoiogy and herding scen-es with
half naked, hide clad sheperds as central figures, Th('. de-signers
of the Louis XV time Ilsed nymphs. cupids and alle-gorical
figures while those of the Louis XVI period retained
l
the light and dainty treatment of the previous reign, but used
the Greek's suggestion as to subject, and placed figures of
full dressed shepherds and shepherdesses in their scenes in the
little bopeep effect.
The leading designer of this period was Jean Henry Ries-ener,
who was born in Gladback, Germany in 1735. When
quite yOung, he went to Paris, and became an apprentice
to the ebonist, Jean Francois OebeIl. and remained in his
employ until the master's death. Riesener's work must have
been an important part in the business because in 1767,
Oeben's widow married the pupil, Riesener. It is not known
just what pieces were designed by Gebcn and what by Ries-ener,
because in many cases we find that they both worked
on the same piece. The "Grand Bureau du Roi" was begun
in the workshop of Oebcn in 1760 but was not finished until
1769, a little over two years after the death of Oeben, and
was signed by Riesencr, who was noted for his fine mar-quetry
work, inlaid in deep tones on mahogany .. His first
work shows that he followed the ideas of Crescent and
Coffein, but he soon changed his mode of omamentation and
construction to meet the developments of a new line of
taste which demanded a radical change from the happy rov-ing
decoralion and curved outlines of the previous reigns.
He became so proficient that his work was noticed and ad-mired
by Marie Antoinette for whom he worked as chief
designer and cabinet maker for twenty years. The Louis
XVI style is considered one of the most refined of the period
styles. The student should notice this difference that when
a style is almost a copy of a classic period, it is an effort on
the part of the people to apply an ancient design to a new
character and mode of Jiving, but this ftyle will never be
as strong and full of meaning as the style that is an out-growth
of the period in which it was invented.
The accompanying cut shows a number of examples of the
Louis XVI style. Number 1 is a design of a bed, showing
the straight, square construction, carved mouldings and fluted
columns. The flutings are crosscd by a spiral shaped wreath
and the post is crowned with a carved knob. The center-piece
on the head of. the bed is a design of a carved torch
and quiver with ribbons. On the whole this bed is an ex-
~ .
Standard Uniform Colors I
We are producing the standard uniform colors recently
adopted by the Manufacturers' Association of Grand Rapids.
These cQIQrs are produced with our
Golden Oak -Oil StaiD No. 1909 and Filler No, 736.
Earl,. Euli8h--Qil Stain No. 55 and Filler No. 36.
Maholfany-Powder No. 9 and Fillet' No. 14.
W~therod Oak-Oil Stain No. 281.
Fumed Oak-Acid Stain No. 45-
Place your orders with us and get the correct shades.
GRAND RAPIDS WOOD FINISHING CO.
S5-59 Ell-worth Ave., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. •
ccllent example of the Louis XVI style. Example number
2 shows the Louis XVI treatment of the acanthus leaf in
combination with mouldings. Figure 3 shows a number of
carved mouldings with the finished ends_ and corners. Num-ber
4 is an example of an oval shaped shield in combination
with the acanthus leaf and a laurel' festoon. Figure 5 is an
example: of a shield with the upper corners terminating in
ribbons and combined with mouldings and a wreath of roses
and a spray of laurel. All of the effects on this plale are
strong Louis. XVI features.
@ * @
Revenge is sweet, when it isn't an instance of sour
grapes.
@ * @
It is better to swallow your pride than to chew the rag.
~1I CHI G A N ART I SAN
---------------_._---- ---
11
.._-----..,
l EXAMPLES OF LOUIS XVI STYLE.
12 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
T
I
--- ------------------------
Rotary Cut Drawer Bottoms
Write us for Prices on
in BASSWOOD, BIRCH, POPLAR or GUM
Walter Clarh Veneer Company
535 Michigan Trust Building, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
BllRLAP DEMAND VERY DllLL
•
Lightweights Show Slight Improvement.
Business in the burlap market continues very quiet, with
little doi'ng on spot goods or for future delivery. Buyers are
not inclined to purchase, as they have seen prices slowly de-cline,
and goods purchased early in the week, lower before
the week has dosed. No actual price. changes have been
made in the open market, but buyers claim that were they
willing to place fair-sized orders, concessions could be se-cured
from sellers. Lightweight Calcutta goods have shown
a slight improvement in the demand. and, as stocks are short,
prices are being maintained on a firmer basis, Heavyweight
goods are dull, however, and prices are weak. There is
little doubt that buyers could pick up some very cheap sup-plies
if they cared to operate in the market at the present
time. The prices at which heavyweights stand today repre-sent
less t)1an the landing cost of the goods, according to
importers.
Various reports have b~en received from Calcutta during
the past few days. In most of the cables received, a better
demand is reported for nearby shipments, with more buyers
in the market. Some bullish reports have been put out on the
slight improvement in Calcutta, but conservative houses in
this market are of the opinion that there will not be any
large movement in goods, and that prices will not show any
marked a,dvances at an early date, South American buyers
have been out of the market since last November so that no
support is being received from that quarter. Buying for
American account is not heavy, and will not, it is -believed,
be sufficient to create any advances.
The short-time schedule which went into effect last year
in the Calcutta mills is still in force, but has not been sutli-dent
to keep stock fro'm a,ccumulating. ]\,{any manufacturers
wished to make a working schedule for all mills of four
days a week, but, as some of the mills had orders booked
ahead into June, they were not willing to adopt this schedule.
The other mills decided that, as some plants were to rUn on
practically a full schedule, they would also continue on the
sa.me working time. As a result of this policy, stocks have
continued to a.ccumulate in the Calcutta market.
Toward the last of the ·week jute dropped sharply, going
down as low as £13 175 6d per ton. Prices slowly regained
some of the loss, however, and the market closed at £14
per ton. Reports from Cakutta st.:!.Tethat new hltC i" com-ing
!n very slowly from th~ ,ariou5 districts, and the re.ceirts
have. begun to fall off considerably. Importers here cla.im
that if the mills would get together and agree to keep down
the burlap production, the market would shortly right itseif.
Under present conditions, very little of improvement is ex-pected
in the next month or two.
Cables from Dundee report the market there as dull at
present. as some mills still have orders ahead sufficient to
keep their plants in operation. Manufacturers of common
goods are badly in need of orders, and efforts to get business
are serving to keep prices on an ullcerta.in basis. Weakness
in the raw material market has to be contended with, and
it is proving a difficult matter for burlap manufacturers to
hold prices all anything like a steady basis.-N. Y. Commer-cial.
@ * @
Gum and Mahogany Dried- in Seven Days.
The Hawks Furniture Company of Goshen, Ind., installed
one of the Grand Rapids Veneer \\forks' dry kilns a few
months ago, and as an experiment dried a lot of gum and a
lot of mahogal1y, in seven days. In writing the Cable Piano
Company in regard to their experiences with the. kiln:, the
Hawks Company said:
"Our foreman reports the lumber comes from the kiln in
very much better condition than formerly (we have a series
• •
1Lou{ebabn
DESIGNS AND DETAILS
OF FURNITURE
154 Livingston St.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Citizens' Telephone l'i02.
of common-sense dry kilns, which have been in Use for
twenty years and have done good service), it 'is very much
softer and easier to work. We are very greatly pleased with the
kiln, thus £ar, and certainly would consider no other, if we
needed additional kiln capacity. We consider gum among
the most difficult of all kinds of lumber to properly kiln-dry,
and we cannot ask anything more successful in drying this
lumber than the Grand Ra-pids Veneer V-lorks system. After
we have become' more accustomed to handling it, we expect
better results than the above, Of course you understand that
we could have dried 1" in less time, the above figures being
on the 2". For our own use we expect to dry all Ottr stock
by the use of exha.ust steam only.
From our experience, we think this a most remarkable
process, and are glad to recommend it:'
@ * @
The ideal man only ·exists in the mind of a woman before.
she marries him.
@ * @
The matt who is long-headed is seldom short-sighted.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN
RESAWINO BEFORE AND AFTER.
13
it i,:; piled for drying at all. This is, admittedly, the best
There afe many interesting problems arising in connection ·way to treat any wood-resaw it while it is fresh. Yet it
with the different practices in regard to resawing lumber involves extra handling; tha.t is, the handling of two boards
for various pnrposes, To begin \vith, there is a fine theory, instead of one and the piling on the yards and the piling in
well supported by good loglc, that the proper time aDd place kilns. And for this reason and other incidental troubles that
to 1'e5a\',' lumber is at the saw mill immediately after it is ari"e, milln::en, as a rule, don't look with favor on the making
made. That is, to resaw it green and then dry the thin of the thin stock. They prefer to make it thick and then re~
:.;to('k Yet, llotwith:.;b.nding this theory and all the good saw it when it is ready to use.
logic supporting it, there is ri10re lumber rcsawed after dry- Not'withstanding- the fa.ults that develop from rcsawing
ing it than before. Sometime,:,; there is one reason for this plain oak after it is dry, there is quite a lot of it done in
and sometimes another. T 11 the manufacture at bevel siding certain branches of the work, one nota-ble example beillg in
it is important to dry the lumber before resawing for the the mallufacture of thin oak flooring, both in regular tongue
sake of getting it into condition to dress. It would be rather and groove strips a.nd in parquetry or square-edge strips.
difficult to dres:, bevel siding after it has been resa\'"ed, and ?v10st manufacturers of this product which, as is.well,known,
it would take twice the time as the regular v·,:ay of manll- requires exeellent material and fine workmanship, dry their
facturing, w]:ere <~ board j.s dressed two sides 2nd t}len re- stock before resawing. Then, some resaw it in stock widths
sawed, \vhich givb two pieces at weather boarding, wherea"i as it comes through the kiln, others rip it into flooring strips
jf the resa wj(:g- were dOilC first the two piece." both have to of a variety of widths from J % up to 2% inches, or possibly
be surfaced. 3 inches. and then resaw it on a small circular: or splitting
In box factory "'iork, ..v..here th~re is more resawing done saw. In each c:u;e there is seemingly no difficulty of defects
than anywhere else. prolnbly, opinions differ materially arising from the stock having been dried before rcsawing.
about just when to do the rcsawing. Tt seems that the ma- It is dry, too, thoroughly dry. In fact, is made so dry that
jority of box (actory stock is resa.wed after it is dry. S0111e- if, on being tested with samples by baking, a certain amount
times a.fter it is dressed, also sometimes before, but generally of moisturc call be found in the lot. it is sent back to the
always after it has been tl1rough the dry kiln or stood on the kiln. Of course, there is quite a difference between using
yard untll thoroughly dried. There arc some notable ex- oak in narrow strips and in wide panels, and it is very likely
ceptiorJs. Some Df tJie Jnost up-to-date box factorjes jn the th(\t if this stuff were so thoroughly dried and then resawed
country rcOlaw their stock be (ore it goes to the dry kiln. for panels it would warp and check and develop objec:tion-
Sometimes it is rcsawed as it is unloaded from tIle car .)nd ahle [eatllres, while in the'llarrow stt-ips of flooring it docs
other times as it is taken from the yard, so there arc realty very well.
different stages of dryness \vben it comes to the resav.r. Some Xow, right here develops. a peculia,r problem, and one that
may be nearly green and other stock may be practically dry. some of these flooritlg l"l:.amtfacturers are wrestling with and
All of it, however, is resawed before going to the dry kiln experimenting on right now. And that is whether stock; that
to facilitate the drying. is, half-dry stock that has been air-dried for quite a while
In the making of hardwood panel stock for furniture, de., and is ready to go in a kiln, can be resawed before putting
recourse is frequently had to resav',lillg dry stock, as in oak. it through the kiln at the factory, or is it better in this case
This is not always satisfactory, though, and sometimcs leads to hnish the drying before the resawing? It is admitted tl13t
to trouhle thl"ongh warping-And checking. In fact .. ~() much if stock is resawed while it is green it can be put tJlroug-h
trouble has developed frolll resawing'plain cak lumber after a dry kiln or dried in any other manner, and it will turu
it is dried to get thin stock that the seC1'etary of the I-I<trd~:~,out all right. But some claim that if it has become, say
wood Manufacturers' Association One time, after investiga-ting
alld exan;ining some stock that had been sent to Eu- hair-seasoned, and is then resawed and put into the kiln. it
rope, took trouble to warn all the members against this prac- will \-varp and check considerably. The theory is that the
tl.ce and to ac1vI.se that where they wanted to rcsaw standard the outside is dried and there is still moisture OJ} the inside
thickness in .oak to get thin panel stock they should do the and \-vhcn it is opened up by resawing there is an unbalanced
resawing· while the stuff is green. Realty the bulk of the Cbjl~itiott in each half of the board that causes it to warp and
thin oak panel stock, both in plain oak a,nd in quartered, is chcJ.:k in going through the kiln even if it takes longer, and
cut to thickness either by resawing or by thin boards ori- thoroughly dry it clear thrOUgh before resawing.-St. Louis
gillalJy as the stuff is' nJimtlfaetnred in tbe mills alld before Lumherman. .,.--------_._-- -------------- --_._-----------,
The Universal Automatic
cARVINa MACHINE
l"ERFQRMS THE WORK OF ==== 25 HAND I
CARVERS I
Anddoes the Work Better than it can DeDone by Hand t
MADE BY I
Union fnuosslno M,(Hlnt (0. I
IndianapoUa. India .....
Write for Inlormation, Price. Etc.
- --- -----------
14 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
NO MORE HAND SANDING. sanding and polishing large flat surfaces as well as all ir-regular
shaped pieces.
The design and equipments of this new machine are such
that aIr sanding is done strict1y~with the grain, in a practical
and rapid manner, which are most valuable features and are
advantages, which no other machine ever pos::;cssed. The
upright portion of this machine carries. sand belts any width
When This Machir.e Goes in, nor Disks, Drums or Spindles.
After once going through the Wysong & ~'i1itesCO.'5 fac-tory
where they make nothing but patented sand belt mach-ines,
one would naturally think that it had been made possible
to sand every piece in the construction of furniture regard-less
of shape and with the grain by macuinery, avoiding
hand sanding and cleaning, and to a great extent, this it true.
The accompanying cut represents a new machine, which
they have recently perfected, and in which all furniture, chair,
piano and coffin manufacturers will be interested, as it has
recently proven the greatest success in the sanding line for
up to ten inches in width and can be thrown in any position
in order to get at the work and for the convenience of the
operator. The horizonaal side carries a sanc1 tJelt up to six
inches in width and two men may work on this portion of
the machine without conflicting and without interfering with
the other half of the machine, on which a third operator may
be at work. Sometimes as, many as {our men are found at
r THE 6-FINISHES YOU-WANT I THE GRAND RAPIDS STANDARD SHADES , . ,III
II
~IIC[lICAN
WE HAVE
GOLDEN OAK·--No. 1919 Stain and No. 1702 Filler.
EARLY ENGUSH··.No. 1652 Stain and No. 506 Filler.
WEATHERED OAK---No. 1649 S'.;n.
ARTISAN 15 ----_.~
MATCHED THEM
FUMED OAK •••No. 547·8 Sta;n.
MAHOGANY ••·No. l017-D Stain and No. 29 FilIel".
TOONA MAHOGANY -.No. 1658 S,";n and No. 1564 Fill ....
NOTE: We will send you working samples with fun instructions for use.
Also finished piece&which will show you the correct shades. Write for samples.
II
~_._---
The Lawrence-McFadden Company PHILADELPHIA, PA. ._-----_._----------------------.1
work on this machine at one and tJ1C ~ame time without
conflicting with each other.
It is no longer necessary to do sanding by hand nor to
contend with the old disks, drum or spindles; these methods
were all right in their time, but their time bas passed,
The sanding problem that may be costing manufacturers
dollars daily, could be saved by the use of this new machine.
One would be astonished in what a short time a manufacturer
actually loses the cost of this machine withQut its services,
therefore, with this data before your eyes and before laying
it aside with good intention to investigate the matter later,
do it now by ·writing the manufacturers for their catalog .E.
The vVysong & 11ile5 Company, l\'Ianufacturers of patented
sand belt machines and mortising machines, Gn"ensboro, N.
C.
@ * @
Piano Prizes Never Drawn.
Y cars ago, it n~atters cot how many, when gift enterprises
were more numerous Own temperaTlt:e dn1g stores, a pt·jze
was given with every purchase. No cheap goods were car-ried
in stock and the manager of the enterprise could \ve11
afford to distribute valuable prizes among the CllstOtnCiS.
Envelopes containing $lips, upon which the number of gifts
offered were written, were placed in a box, and when a cus-tomer
had made a purcha~e he or she was allowed to draw
one of the envelopes, open it and give orders for the delivery
of tile prize. There were no blanks. Usually the main
prize was a piano, but it was never drawn. Owing to this
fact many people were impressed with the belief that the box
did not contain an envelope ".·.i.th the number of the prize.
The lucky number was in the box, but the envelope contain-ing
it was laid flat in the hottom of the box., while those con-taining
prizes of ordinary value \vere placed in the box in
the usual way. The business was broken up by the legal
authorities because it was considered a lottery.
•
Veneer Cutters in Buoyant Spirits.
Reports from the veneer cutters indicate a lively season
of tra,de. Kot only was the industry characterized by great
activity dnring the closing months of the past year, but
current demands call for the full operation of the plants.
This is especially true of the mahogany branch. The im-port.
atlons of mahogany the past year were unusually low
causing a reduction in stocks on hand considerably because
the demand for mahogany throughout the year was better,
comparatively, than the demand for any other veneer. The
mahogany people, therefore, feel that with the comparative .--._---------------_._---_.~ ! I
i Crawfordsville. India.na. ~------------------:.
Montgomery Uardwood Lumber Co.
Manufacturers of all kinds of
NATIVE FURNITURE LUMBER
E. S. STERZIK. Prell. • scarcity of stock and the revival in furniture and cabinet
work. which calls for more mahogany as welt as for more
veneer, toat the mahogany trade has before it what wnI be
the biggest and best year on record. Indeed, some of the
mahogany people talked with are more enthusiastic over the
outlook now than they cv'er have been over the mahogany
business.
@ * @
The Brower Studio.
The Browers -(they might be called the two Johns. but
J oho and "Jack" will answer the purpose)-have fitted up a
very comfortable studio in the Shepa.rd building in front of
the elevator. The Browers are artists of experience, and wilt
be pleased to meet merchants needing designs for special pur-poses
or decorations for interiors. A royal welcome awaits
callers upOn the two J ohos.
16 MICHIGAN
.II!!:STABLISH~P 1880
,"U.L.lsrtIi:D IlIT
MICHIGAN ARTISAN CO.
ON THe: IOTIoj AND 25TH OF EACH MONTH
OPFICt::-l0B,110.112 NORTH DIVISION ST., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
I!NTERlOD IN THE PDSTOFFICE ...r I3lll<ND RAPIDS, MICH" "8 SECOND CL...SS MATTER.
The ever increasing scarcity of figured domestic wood has
compelled manufacturers of furniture to use gum wood of
the south more extensively year by year. Formerly it was not
considered fit for use by cabinet rr.akers, but by thorouf{hly
seasoning 3.11d quartering the timber it has been rendered
quite tractable. The wood has many names, the states in
which it grows contributing to the list. However Tupelo is
generally consldered all approprlate and satisfadory name,
and its general adoption will follow_ In addition to several
latin names it is known as sltin vl"alnut, and Caucasian wal-nut,
because it has he en the white man's burden and ever
will be unless he has learned how to make it t:ike its proper
place and stay there. 1Tr. Crissey 'of the Sta.r Furniture
Company refused to adopt the title Caucasian walnut. "The
wood does not grow in the Caucasus, it is oat walnut and
the name docs not honestly designate the nature of the tim-ber."
It may have occurred to !'vir. Crissey that to call the
timber "white ma.n's ,valnut" would retard the sale of his
goods in Porto Rico, the Phillippines aod other sections of the
United States not inhabited to any considerable extent by
white men.
Of' Of'
The furniture manufacturers of Grand Rapids are con-ducting
their business on lines not far removed from that
of the hotel keepers. Spacious rooms fitted up especially
for the purpose in the factories are used for serving meals
to sojourning buyers and a number have i.nc\.ltI"ed the ex-pense
of fitting up very elaborate bedrooms. These are not
as yet used for sleeping purposes, but as furnished they
might be made ready for occupancy with very tittle expense.
The manufacturers are noted for their hospitality and in the
effort to please their guests it would not be surprising if the
factory of the future (not far distant perhaps) were equipped
with the necessary conveniences to entertain customers dur-ing
their stay in the city without expense.
"to "t"
John Mowatt, the superintendellt of the Grand Rapids
Chair Company, recently recalled the fact that thirty years
ago, when furniture wa.'i sold and shipped unfinished, the
111anu{acturers, on account of their ability to turn over their
capital every sixty days, realized brger profits than they
do today. The delays, annoyances and losses attending the
processes of finishing goods were sustained by the retailers.
The goods were not well finished, the average retailer not
having at his command the shop room and facilities deemed
necessary hy the trade of today for finishing furniture as it
should be. Mr. Mowatt recalled one firm which em-ployed
$50,000' capital, realizing a profit of $85,000 on its out-put,
of twelvE'. months, thirty years ago.
"Arts and crafts is a. modification of the mission style,"
remarked a young man \\lho knows all about styles in furn-iture.
"But" he added, "the mission cabinet work of today
is so superior to that of the monkish workers in wood of past
centuries, that they would be ashamed of their lack of skill
if given an opportunity. to inspect a twentieth century sample
of mission work.
ARTISAN
Beds of wood are steadily returning to the favor of the
public. Brass and iron beds have had a long run, but the
tall post and Napoleon styles in wood are stndily crowding
the metal bed into the back ground. For hospitals, asylums
and houses of detention the metal bed naturally is preferred,
but so long as furniture is made of wood the beds of the
saqtematerial should be considered the most desirable.
"t"
Sales of mahogany finished light arc not so strong as in
the past. It may have had its day.
@ * @
IDLE CARS INCREASE.
Railway Association Reports 332,513 Now Out of Use on
Various Lines.
The largest increase in the number of idle cars which
the ra.ilroadshave reported since tJ--:eturn in the tide of traffic
which came last May, was revealed in the statement of the
Committee on Car Efficiency of the American Railway Assoc-iation
for the fortnight ended Jan. 6, made public yesterday,
Dming the last week of December and the first week oJ
January the number of idle cars increased by over 111,000
cars, bringing the total idle equipment in this country and
Canada up to 332,513 cars.
This is the largest .number of cars which have been re-ported
idle since June 10, last. It is within about 80,000 of
the number of cars reported idle on April 29, last, when the
maximum was reached, but on that date there was also an ab-normal
number of cars undergoing repairs estimated author-itatively
at about 200;000 cars, making a total idle list of about
600,000 cars at that time. Kow. on the other hand, the num-her
of shop cars is nearer normal, say about 100,000 cars, so
that the actual number of idle cars is perhaps 175,000 less
than it was at the end of last April.
The let-up in traffic due to the holiday season is adva.nced
as one of the factors which contributed to the large increase
in idle cars at the close of last year and the beginning of
this. Railroad men said yesterday that conditions have im-proved
somewhat since the da.te of this report and that there
are now fewer idle cars than there were on Jan. 6.
@ * @
POE'S DESK UNEARTHED.
Writing Case Once Used by the Poet Now in a Book Store.
A desk that ':ias once owned by Edgar Allen Poe has
been on exhibition for several days in the windows of a Wall
Street book store. The desk is a small portable affair of a
fashion long out of use.. It is neatly made of mahogany,
wi.th brass mountings. That the desk was Poe's there is said
to be no question, for its history has been carefully traced.
The desk ,was for several years, after the poet's death, the
property afMr,;. Clemm, Poe's mother-in-law. From her it
passed into the hands of Amos Bardwell Bayvl'-ard, who, with
his wife. were intimate friends of Mrs. Ctemm, The desk
was sold for the first time at auction, with several other ar~
tides and books of Poe's, in this city on April 17, 1906.
bringing about $100.
In the desk originally was a volume of George P. ).1:orris's
poems and ballads, a presentation from the author to Edgar
Allan Poe, bearing 1\'lr. 'j,1:orris's autograph. This book was
sold separately at the same time with the old desk, and
brought $25, and eventually found its way into Henry "'tAr.
Poor's library, which is nOw being sold a.t the Anderson
book salesrooms. At the sale of the third p<trt of the Poor
library last week this identical book was sold, with a few
first editions of roe's works, but. following the vagarie&
of book auction prices, only brought $6,~N.y, Times.
@ * @.l
Even the money stringency doesn't seem to interfere with
the wages of sin.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 17
...-- ------....
I I
List of BuyersI
Do you want it?
List of Buyers ..----------------_ ..... IW~~~el 1
Do you want it? I R~,~e~'~a~c;:~f
I II Ho::n~~:~~~nning water and long dia-tanee
'phone3 in all
roomll. !
" 200 ,~=.100 m>h
bath. Single or en suite.
R ..tes$I·OO aad upwards
I list of BuyersI l~~~~ -1
Do you want it?
If so send in your order
with 25 cents at once.
List of Buyers
Michigan Artisan CO. I
. II D N. Division SI., Gra_n_d_R_a_pi_ds, Mich. 1I
•
..-- ---------_._--_.--..,
I WIlBN IN DBTROIT
STOP ~T
I~~~~~~I;;~~;~~ En the Centerof the Thealre. Shop~ I pini. and Busin&lS District.
A Ja Cute Cafe
Newest and Fine.t Grill
I Roorn in the City.
dubBreakfast _ ~ _ 40c up I Luncheon - - • • 50c I Tabk d'hote Dinners - 75c
Music flom 6 P. M. 10 12 P. M. I I Every room haa II. privlJ.te bl\th.
: EUROPEAN PLAN ! ' Ratell: $1.50 per day and up. ....
I L. W. TULLER, Prop.
M. A. SHAW, Me:1" ....---------------_._-_.
r pai6r'S patRnt ijlUino ()JafflDS~ I -
II
I I i I I I ! I
Mr. Manufacturer: Do yoU ever consider what joint gluing costs1 The
separators and wooden wedges. if YOIl use them and man? do, life a large ilem of
expense accounts; but this is Wl811oornpared 10 wage account. of workuren who wear
!hem out with a hammer, and then a large per cenl <;If the joinb are failures by the
irn;eeulity of this means. RESULT, it hll6 10 be doac Oller ae-ain, if posibJe. If you
U!Ie independent ~crew clamps the result is better. but slower. allogether too slow. Let
us tell you of i<Jmethini' betlec. PALMER'S CLAMPS. All 6ted a'nd iron. No
wedges. no separalors~ adjust to any width. damp instantly Yet lIeClirely, rdeaaell even I
faster. P06itively ODe-third more work with one·third leSi helP. In seven sizes up to
60 inches. any lhicknes! up to 2 inches, 200 facmes in 1906. Wby nol you in
1908;> Althoullh sold by dealers evel'Ywhere lei us $l!:DdyOU palbculat1.
ft. E. Palffi6r & Sons, Owosso. MiGh.
FORElGN AGENTS: Proietl& Co., LmJCJon.~,
Schuchardt &: Schu\te., Berlin. German)'.
~ .
18 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
•
[ ROYAL WHITE MAPLE POLISHING VARNISH I
White-the Emblem of Purity--our White Maple Polishing Varnish is Pure-and the
WHITEST GOODS on the market. It dries to recoat every other day; can be rubbed
and polished in four to five days. Ask (or testing sample.
VARNISH COMPANY
TOLEDO, OHIO
•
I
l
Golden Age of Varnish.
Varnish may be said to have reached its golden age-its
age of finest quality and supreme virtuc-:--whcn, after having
been confined in the ageing tank by the maker and finally
received by the- fmishcr and shelved for a time sufficient to
settle it out and give it the proper degree of mellowness" it
goes upon thc"surface rich in the elemental pro-perties that
make it at once the most delicate and the most indispensable
articles used 'iirf\hc economy of wood finishing.
That a great quantity of varnish fmds consumption in the
finishing shop 'which in no mentionable degree measures
up to the above specifications goes without saying, and this
fact contributes directly and substantiaJIy to the inferior re-sults
credited in all quarters of the country to the finisher.
Varnish should not be used-indeed, need not be used-until
it approximates a fairly perfect article, if such a thing
be possible,. even· in the advanced science of varnish making.
The golden age of varnish, if we rightly understand it, is
an age in its life before use when, like the butter from
Orange County, it is "prime"-that is to say, of proper age
and uniformly balanced throughout. In the matter of giving
it age as well as in the science of 'imparting to the varnish
all those qualities and functions vitally essential to its com-position,
the varnish maker is, of course, responsible. For
all of these things together with the cost of the raw mater-ial,
the manufacturer is duly and, we may be sure, fairly
rewarded.
After reteption of the varinsh by the finisher, the golden
age of the. preaious material is affected for good or ill, for
better or for W;.:>'h5'e, :,t,.y the method of curing, housing and
handling it practiced bY'.the user or craftsman in charge of it.
If he places, ~tin stora,ge, as he avowedly should, upon shelf
room half V\7;\ji'::' or more -between floor and ceiling in an
apartment heated; when heat is required, to a standard tem-perature
of 70 degrees Fahr., and is used directly from such
shelves without chilling, shaking or mixing it, he should,
other things. being equal, be able to get satisfactory results.
It is scarcely necessary here to state that the most superb
varnish-the varnish not only of the golden age, but of the
priceless virtues-may, after having been groomed and fitted
for the surface with consummate skill, be utterly ruined by
rough usage, neglect of necessary precautions, or by mixing
with another varnish. Varnish should not, like the unpalata-ble
medicine, be' shaken up before use. There is sufficient
temper in varnish to "stir' it up"-make it cantankerous, in
fact-if gripped with two strong hands and shaken vigor-ously,
as, some finishers have a habit of doing.
And the mixing of varnish has, been denounced by the
most competent authorities-the varnish - makers. It is a
practice opposed to the chemical and scientific principles in-volved
in the manufacture of varnish, and it introduces an
element of uncertainty into the product with which, in this
age of competition, no self-respecting finisher can afford to
deal.
If varnish has rea.ched its golden age, then, vedly, after
all the care and coddling lavished Upon it, the surroundings
in which it is flowed upon the surface should be of a char~
acter to assist directly in giving it a clean body and an un~
challenged lustre.
At best, the v<lrnish room is hardly on a par with the
character of the varnish used within it. Readers of this
article may travel far and wide without, finding an adequately
suitable varnish room-one in which all the conditions an
perfected; Ventilation and light and cleanliness and heat
are far too often neglected and obsolete factors, whereas the
very opposite of all these should prevail, and in good truth
must·prevail, if the golden age of varnish would be respec-ted
and its highest development made secure.
Certainly the· varnish maker has played well his partin
the drama of varnish evolution, and the wonderfully fash-ioned
material speaks eloquently of his attainments. It
remains for the painter to play his part eqnally well, secur-ing
so far as possible those conditions of greatest advantage
to the development of varnish. Thus will its golden age
prOve an imperishable age.-Ex.
@ * @
Slow in Posting Tariffs.
Some railroads have been unable to comply with an order
issued last June by the interstate commission relative to the
posting of ta,riffs, owing to their inability to obtain the
tariffs of other lines in which they are participants, and to
some extent, to complete all their own files owing to their
supply of schedules having been exhausted.
This matter having been brought to the attention of the
commission, it has been ordere.d that any carrier requiring
an extension of time, prior to Feb. 15; may file formal app(i-cation,
but good cause must be shown for modification of the
original order, au·d that it has been complied with in all other
respects.
The order is not to apply to express or shipping car
companies that are amenable to the law, separate orders
covering them having been iSStlCd. The commissioner does
not favor an extension beyond July 1 next.
@ * @
Screw Hole Plugs and Buttons.
In addition to several patterns and sizes of spiral grooved
and bevel pointed dowel pins, beaded legs and stretchers
for chair makers, beaded and rope chair spindles, the Steph-enson
l'vIanufacturing company, of South Bend, Ind., manu-facture
screw hole plugs and buttons in many sizes and
shapes. Thoroughly dry stock is used and the tenons are
uniform in size and guaranteed to fit standard bits. Turned
drawer stops and drawer pulls are important features of the
company's manUfacture.
MICHIGAN ENGRAVING CO., Grand Rapids, Mich.;
ENCRAVERS BY ALL PROCESSES.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 19
1'\
G U M
0 R I E D F L A T
"The Veneer \Vorks Process is the only system in our €x-pedenee
that '''ill dry gum box boards without \'larping."
JOI-:/N A. BAIN, Pres. Bajn Wagon Co.,
Dated 9-11-'08. 'Voodstock, Onto
"\Ve consider gum among the most difficuIt of all kinds- of
lumber to kiln dry, and we cannot ask i'wything more successful
in drying this lumber Ulan the Gt-and Rapids Veneer \Vorks Pro-cess."
HA,-VKS FCRNITURE CO..
Dated 9-15-'08. Goshen, Ind.
By drying gum flat and plump we have given wood-workers an enormous supply
of inexpensive raw material. Get your share of the resulting profit by installing a
Veneer Works Dry Kiln
Grand Rapids Veneer Worh.s
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
WHY THIS FIRM WON.
Answered Questions Without Blowing Its Own Horn.
Out in ~he middle west there is a huge manufacturing
company, the largest in the world in that lilW, it is said, but
it 'has numerous enterprising competitors, all of whom ad-vet'tise
liberally.
But this company advertises too, and for yea.rs its appro-priation
has been made on an unusual plan. The rule gen-erally
'with such expenditures is to set aside a stated sUIll
each ycar--sometimes all arb.itr<1ry amount, sometimes a per-centage
of profits for the last twelvemonth.
This concern, however, recognizes that publicity money is
to be spent to influence next year's business-not last year's,
So the gross amount of next year's trade is estimated as
closely as possible, 311d then a certain percentage of that con-stitutes
the advertising appropriation.
Before the depression of 1907-08 developed, says the
critic, this company's business had grown at such a rate that
the annual percentage y.ielded more money than could be
spent to advantage along the established lines of the hOllse.
,"l\"ow, had we better reduce our percentage;" asked the
directors. "Or sball we seek new channels for spending the
surplus of the same percentage? T i so, what channels are
best?"
They wanted information-honest advice.
A dozen questions calculated to bring it out were drawn
upatid submitted to every advertising tlrm in the country.
Si:)lllC did not give any opinion. 1Iost of them replied, how-ever,
and usually at considerable lcngth.
Among the latter was just one, it is said, that gave fnll
replies to the questions and said nothing about itself. Other
advertising firms saw an opportunity to get profitable new
business. They therefore gave full particulars about them-selves,
and in some cases sent salesmen to see the manu-facturing
concern's directors. A few were so intent on ex-plaining
who they were that they neglected the (luestions.
In the end it t\ras decided to spend the surplus, not reduce
the percentage. The firm that said nothing about itself got
the account.
@ * @
Makes the Strong Man Wise.
Genius, th;lt power which dnzzles mortal eyes,
Is oft but perseverance in disguise.
Continuous effort of itself implies,
In !'ipite of countless falls, the pm",·er to rise.
'Twixt failure and success the print's so fine,
11en sometimes know not when they touch the line;
Just \vllCtl the pearl is waiting one more pl1tllge.
How many a struggler has thrown up the sponge!
As the tide goes dear out, it comes clear in;
In business 'tis at turns the wisest w.in;
And, oh, how true when shades of doubt dismay,
"'Tis often darkest just before the day."
A little morc pcrsistallce, courage, vim,
Success will dawn o'er failure's cloudy rim.
Then take this honey ior the bitterest cup;
Tllere is no failure save in giving up,
1\0 real fall as long as one still tries,
For seeming set-backs make the strong man "\\'Ise,
There'" no defeat in truth save from within;
Unless you're beaten there, you're bound to ·win.
@ * @
Varnish Specialties.
The Acme \'Vhite Lead and Color \;Vorks of Detroit,
Mich., are offering to the trade "three winners in varnisn."
"Paradox rubbing," a high grade, quick rubbing varnish;
"Furniture Coach," described as ';thc kind you will buy
again," and "Ti-Ki Lac," '·'the best first and second coater,"
The varnish department of this organi;,:ation will furnish full
information regarding these superior goods.
20 MICHIGAN
An "Old Saw" -Amended.
George Frederic Stratton, a writer for the Saturday Even-ing
Post, proposes an amendment to the old saw, "Mon~y
makes the mare go," or in language more ornate but seldom
used by sensible people, "the coin of the realm induces the
equine of the female gender to proceed." Mr. Stratton em-ploys
a number of instances in the history of business to sup-port
the amendment offered by himself, in which he declares
that "man" in these buoyant and better days, "makes the
mare go." In his presentation of the proposition Mr, ·Strat-ton
recalls a once famous merchant, C. R .i\Jabley, of Detroit,
now occupying his final home. th. Stratton discusses Mr.
Mabley's venture in the furniture trade a.s follows:
Twenty-five years Charles R. Mabley was known as the
clothing king of the middle west. He hatf stores in Cleve-land,
Toledo, Detroit, and one or two smaller towns. He
was' a pioneer in sensational advertising methods, a splen-did
business man, a.nd had made a fortune before he was
forty. To employ some idle capital he dec.ided to exploit
furniture, and stocked up an elaborate store with the finest
line ever seen in Detroit. Eighteen months a.ftcrward he
stretched a canvas across the front of that store, inscrihed in
the following characteristic style:
**************** I Know the Clothing Business Up and >I<
* Down and Through the Middle, *
* BUT *
* I Don't Know a-'Blamed Thing About *
* Furniture, and I'm Not Going to *
* Sink Any More Money in *
* Learning. *
* This Entire Stock Will be Sold at Auc- *
* tion, Commencing Next Monday and >I<
* ContinUing Daily Until Even the Pack- *
* ing Cascs are Closed Out! *
***************
The stock was sold and the key turned in the lock, when a
quiet, unassuming man from Kalamazoo came along amI ar-ranged
to take the unexpired lease. He brought in a moder-ate
stock of furniture, hired one of the fanner clerks and in-stalled
his wife at the desk. In three years he was carrying
as fine a stock as Mabley had carried, and doing a larJt.':,
profitable business-a striking illustration, again, that the
money is in the m.an rather than in the business.
Mr, Stratton also gives a brief history of the development
of the ferry and pleasure boat business in Detroit, one of the
best paying enterprises in the middle west. No one paying
a visit to Detroit in the summer time fails to take one of the
pleasure steamers to Belle Isle Park, Grosse Isle, Sandwich
or Walkerville and return. It is a delightful experience.
Mr. Stratton proceeds as follows: "At about the same per-iod
in the history of Detroit the ferryboats running across to
the Canadian town of \Vindsor were owned by an English-man
named Horn, who also ran a somewhat noted saloon on
the wharf, The boats were tw~ in number, small side-wheelers,
unattractive and uncomfortable, with twelve-inch
plank seats affixed to the sides and in odd corneTS. As
the boats were proving unprofitable, Horn, after trying for
two years to sell out, declared that he would take them--off the
tun and surrender his franchise. His eldest son who had
been a lake tug-captain for two or three years, ca~e home at
the close of navigation and persuaded his fa.ther to put in
more money and build a new boat. The old man consented
only when his son, who was his idol, agreed to stay at home
and manage the line. The boat was built from the young
captain's plans, and nearly paid for itself in the first season.
"The upper deck was absolutely dear from stem to stern
with the exception of the cased-in smokestack. On the deck
were seats for four hundred people, everyone being a com-
ARTISAN
fortable rocker or folding armchair. Not a plank scat or
campstool -was allowed on that boat.
"The regular ferry fare was five cents, and Captain Horn
issued ten-cent return tickets which gave the privilege of
staying on board as long as one wished. Every :fine after-noon,
from early summer tmtil la,te fall, that upper deck was
filled with women who brought their sewing or their books,
and often their babies in carriages-for which no extra
charge was made-and rode back and forth on the mile run
across the beautiful river. A man was stationed at the stair-case
to run those baby~carriages up and down. In the even-ings
the boat was crowded with young people, enjoying, for
ten cents, a river ride lasting until eleven o'clock.
"Two hundred and fifty passengers was the afternoon av-erage,
and twice that number for the evenings. The income,
at ten cents each,' was dear profit, for the regular ferry pas-sengers
and teams paid the expenses. The young captain
had seen what no other man had then seen, that the combina-tion
of ferry business with excursions had splendid possibili-ties.
"During the five following years four new boats of the
same type ,,,ere added, and there was scarcely a day through
the summer when one Or two of them were not chartered for
all-day picnics. The type of boat which Captain Horn d~-
signed a11dhis method of managing them are in USe today by
the company which succeeded him, and which owns the finest
fleet of local excursion steamers on the Great Lakes,"
Two brothers, partners in the insurance business in Buf-falo,
had advanced some money to a manufacturer of bed-springs.
The business went wrong and, in order to pro-tcct
themselves, the insurance men had to take it Over and
dose it 11p. One of the brothers handled the matter, and,
although he knew so little of manufacturing that, as he said,
a "line shaff' and a "buzz saw" were synOnomOllS terms to
him, before he had proceeded far with the closing-up proce".,;
he told his brother that be thought he would try a little build-ing-
up. He hired a good shop foreman and devoted himself
to the office work, with the result that in a few months he
was making some ,veIl-advised changes and improvements in
his equipment. And the business was gratifyingly successful
from that time on. '
@ * @
Grand Ra.pids will rank hereafter as the leading market
in upholstered furniture. In addition to the seven strong
local lines, there will be found on sale in January the 'best
products of the best upholsterers in New York, Brooklyn,
Milwaukee, Toledo, Jamestown and other furniture centers.
In the number and the quality of lines exhibited Grand Rap-ids
will be pre-eminent hereafter.
" ALHOlCOM5&CO@
MANUFACTURERS 1')'10 DEALERS
IN HIGH GRADE BAND AND SCROLL
SA~S REFAmING-5ATI5fACTION GUARANTEED
CITIZE:NSPHONE.1239 27 N MARKE:T Sf
~. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
II
MICHTGAN j\RTISAN 21
------._------_. -------------~
Cabinet Makers
In these days of close competition, need the best
possible equipment, and this they can have in
BARNES'
== HAND and FOOT POWER ===
MACHINERY
Send for Our New Catalogue.
w. P. & John Barnes Co.
-------------,----------
II
I ___ , -1
.!.. ---------------~ MANUFACTURERS OF
II HARDWOOD VLUENMEBEERRS&.
IIIII
I•
SPECIALTIES:
~1.'Y!fETIQUAR. OAK VENEERS
MAHOGANY VENEERS
HOFFMAN
BROTHERS COMPANY
804 W. MaiR St., FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
....-_. ----'"
I I I Morton House: ! (AmericanPlan) Rates $2.50 and Up. !
I ff 0!u~'!Plan)~~n/!d.~!!: I I GRAND RAPIDS. MICH. I : I
I J. BOYD PANTLIND, Prop. .--------,--------------~I I....._-----------,-------'
OUr'New Hand and Foot Power Circular Saw No.4.
The sllOllpest, most powerful, and in every way the best
ma~hitle of its Jdn.d ever made, for lipping, cross--cutting,
bonng and grOOVlIlg.
The Noon Dinner Served at the Pal:1t~ndfor 506 is
THE FINEST IN THE WORLD .
------....
These saws are t
made from No. 1 I
Steel and we war-l
rant every blade.!
We also carry a
full stock of Bev- t
eled Back. Scroll I'
Saws, any length
and gauge.
I-----'"I
'''rUe us for
Price List
aud dlHOunt
31-33 S. FRONT ST". GRAND RAPIDS
~~-------------------
MACHINE. KNIVES ,
PROMPT SERVICE I AS,SOLUTE GUARANTEE I
I•
PERFECT QUALITY
RIGHT PRICES
Dado or Grooving Heads. Miter Machines.
UniVIt'rsa1 :WoodTrimmers.
Borlng Machines. Et,.;:.
22
- - -- -- ------------
MICHIGAN ARTISAN
•
ALL OF THE ABOVE MACHINES ARE IN FINE ORDER.
C. C. WORMER MACHINERY CO., 98 Woodbridge St.! Defroif, Mich.
"Clement" Double End Tenoning Machine.
"Clement" No, 4 ~. 30 Incb Cabinet Planer,
"Berlin" Cabinet Makers Double Cut-off Saw.
"Royal Invincible" 36 Inch Triple Drum Sander,
"Invincible" 36 Inch Triple Drum Sander.
"Fay" 24 Incb Drum Sander! mg~f:te'{s,AND
"Clement" Double Bell Sand Belt Macbine.
"Fay" . Two SpJndle Dowel Borer,
LABOR LAW VIOLATIONS ON DECLINE.
Employment of Children Falls off 21 Per Cent.
Alba.ny, Jan. 19-That he is fair to both sides in the en-forcement
of the state labor laws, is the statement made by
John 'Villiams, state commissioner of labor, in his annual
report to the legislature. During the year ending Sept. 30,
1908, there were 50,396 regular inspections as compared with
46,816 in 1907. Persecutions for violation of the law in5titu-tued
during the year numbered 743, showing a greater, ac-tivity
in connection with prosecutions than in any other
corresponding period in the history of the department. "There
is no disposition on our part," says the report, ;;to extend
unduly the rigid requirements of our statutes; on the other
hand, we are not allowing the question of the money cost of
an improvement to outweigh the right of men, women and
children whose conditions of employment arc affected by the
eviJ of danger to be remedied. In other words we conceive
it to be our duty to administer the factory laws so as to ac-complish
the end sought in their enactment, namely: to safe-guard
the moral and physical welfare of all factory employes.
Every other interest must be subordinate to that central
thought, \\'here there is room for an honcst diffcrence of
opinion we seek the fullest measure of information obtain-able,
recognized the right of progressive manufacturers to be
heard and. that it would be against public policy to unduly
hamper the development of industry."
Upon the departments orders 1,633 children found iilegally
employed were discharged. In 414 cases employers were
prosecnted for such illegal employment. The falling off in
child labor generally from the figures of 1907 was 21 pcr
cent while illegal child labor fell off 34 pet ceni.
The commission reports serions difficulty, however, in en-forcing
the law in the canning industry (fruit and vegetables).
Prosecutions in this industry for a number of glaring viola-tions
of the law relating to "V omen and children proved "al-most
a waste of time," says the commissioner, owing either
to the local prejudice of court or jury in favor of the canner,
or to the effect of the opinion of former Attorney-General
Mayer, that the employment of young children in "sheds"
connected with canneries is not illegal.
The last legislature established a state official known as
medical inspector of factories. and, his efforts the past year
were mainly devoted to determining conditKllls as to venti-lation
in various factories by measurement of the proportion
of carbonic acid gas in the air. In" all 430 tests of air in 136
different workrooms were made. Twelve parts of carbonic
acid gas in 10,000 volumes of air is regarded as the maxi-mum
if air is to be wholesome for breathing. Btlt a ta.bula-tion
of the medical inspector's tests shows proportions fre-quently
two or three times greater than this, and in some
cases five or six times grea.ter. The· commis'sibncr urges the
need of a ventilating engineer to supplement the work of the
medical inspector.
@ * @
Some Generations Hence.
"Why are the trees all chopped away?" The little fellow
said:
"vVhy do the streams go dry "...hiJe sunshine's bea.ting over-head?"
His father said: "It is because the 111mbermen sO gay
Each had an ax to grind and WelS a cutup in his way!"
@ * @
To Manufacture Musical Instruments.
The Greene Music company was organized recently at
Somerville, N. J., by Arthur H. Greene and others for the'
purpose of engaging in the manufacture of pianos and organS:
The company's capital is $10.000.
IY; y;1 BARRETT'S PRIME SHELLAC VARNISH I y; 1!:Fi
y;
made from strictly pure Shellac Gum cut in Specially Denatured or
y;
y; Wood Alcohol. The results of 25 years' experience in the importa- y; tion of gums, in the use of solvents, and in the manufacture of varnish
y; embodied in "Barrett's Prime." Ask for samples and prices. !:fi
Y; y;1 M. L. BARRETT &. CO., y; !:Fi 219 LAKE ST•• CHICAGO
MICHIGAN ARTISAN
r,-.-.---------------·--------
II
23
THIS MACHINE MAKES THE MONEY
It makes a perfect imitation of any open grain because it uses the wood itself to print from, and one operator and a couple of
boys can do more work with it than a dozen men with any other 50-called machine or pads on the market.
That's Why It's a Money Maker. It Imitates Perfectly.
50
Machines
Sold
last Year
50
More
Satisfied
Manufacturers
Plain or Quartered Oak, Mahogany, Walnut. Elm. Aah or any other wood with open grain.
Posselius Bros. Furniture Manufacturing Co.
For Prices and Full Particulars. Mention the Mic::higanArtisan.
Write the
Detroit,
Mich.
Questions of Importance.
Is it prolltable ior U1C owner of a [neto!"y "\viLh a capa,city
amounting to $150,000 per annum to make a diversil1ed line?
\i\,Tbat importance is bis .competition ..v..ith a line of 200
pieces against a ma,llufactueer with a capacity of $500,000 per
annum, making a line of 1,000 pieces?
If a manufacturer of a divcrsitlccl line offers to the COll-sideration
of buyers thirty patterns of dressers, 110W much
trade should he reasonn,hly ex.pect \vben a competitor plac:es
on the market ninety dressers equally as "\-"ell made and
with a greater variety of styles?
\Vould it be profitable for the o\vner of a moderate: sized
factory to operate the same in the production of a line of
dressers of a single style-say sixty patterns of colonial
dressers and chiffoniers, or tall post bcdsteads?
Kat m(lny years ago "Ed" 1torley gained his 110m de
plume. "carload," hy selling the products of a factory locatcd
in Rochester, N. Y" making chamber suites in one style.
A factory in Memphis, Tenn" earned a Jot of profit for its
o"vncr, '.vhen it was operated in the production of a single
C,heap dresser. It suited the requiremcnts of a certain c1a~~s
of trade, which bought it in carload lots.
A few years ago a manufacturer located in Chicago, man-ufactured
music cabinets in one pattern and sold them in
thousand lots. The profits he gained v,'ere squandered in the
wheat pit and caused his r('tircment from tIle furnitun', busi-ness.
The above facts suggest that small the manufacturer call--
not operatc profitably in th~ pt'odtlcing of extensive lines, ;wet
that, as in other branches of business, the hig fellow has de-cided
ndvantagcs when he enters the markets.
@ * @
Not Considered Suitable for Crating.
Clarence R. Hills, the well known dcsig'llCl" of furniture
recalls a trip he made through tltC southern states a few
1
years ago when his attention was called to gum or Tupelo
lumber. "It was not considered fit for crating," Mr. Hills ex-plained,
"and was sold so cheap tbat it was hardly worth
while for any olle to handle it. During the past two years
it has been used moderately by the furniture makers of the
northern states for drawee work and cheap furniture, but
whjje the lumber is very handsome, the trade has not taken
it up with confidence. Two years ago I made the design
for a fine dining room suite in Tupelo 'for a prominent man-tliadurec,
but after it had been made ready for the market
he did not have confidence in the wood that would .varrant
his offering it to the-trade. ';\\lith a solution of the problem
of properly drying the lumber Mr. Hills predicts that there
would be a growing demand for Tupelo furniture,
@ * @)
It Will Always he a Sheraton.
Charley \Vcst, of Des 1\1nines, Iowa, ~topped in his tour
through one of the big furniture exhibition buildings in GnUlc1
Rapids to admire a chamber suite,. constructed in the style
of ShCl'atoll. "\Vhen I move to my new store I shall buy a
Sheraton suite. r shall not carc whether I find a buyer for
it or not for I admire Sheraton. If it fails to sell T shall have
the pleasure of looking at it frequently, It will :dways ha\'e
the expressjon of Sheraton and if it should stay in the store
ten years it will never become (t, sticker in my mind. It
will always please me, because I shall never Jose my love
for the art of Sheraton.
@ * @
The maturing of plans for the erection of additional furn-iture
cxpo,sition buildings iJ1 Gr<lIld Rapids annoy the ma.na-gel's
of exposition enterprises in otber furnitttr'e centers, The
drift toward Grand Rapids is steadily growing stronger and
the prestige gained gives the Michigan city the leading posi-tion
in the marketing of furniture.
24 MICHIGAN
A TAME LION.
An Experience of the New Man.
Whew! \-Vhat do you know about this?
Left Abbington late last night, and say I was scared stiff
when I hit that town-so stiff my hair broke when I took
my hat off. I won't need a haircut for six weeks.
They all told me what a terrible man that big merchant
was, and I was some ·worried when I found myself on the
depot platform. Right ahead pf me I could see a big store and
across the front of that store I could see the sign:
***********
*
*
JAMES Q. PEERS.
*********
**
I looked about for some other store to tackle first, but
didn't see any. I wanted to get limbered up before I went
into action with a terror, But there was nothing to do but
buck Up. trust in providence and shut my eyes.
\rVhen I got to the door I set my grips down and wiped
my perspiring forehead. I was cold and clammy, all right.
Finally I mustered up what I have always referred to as my
courage and walked inside. It was a big store and no mis·
take, and there were not very many people in just then.
Fact is, I was hoping there'd be a few, so I could have a dis-traction
for the old gentleman if he should get too much
enraged and try to chew my ear off. I looked around cau-tiously.
There he stood talking to a farmer's wife. He was
not very tall, but qf good heft-had shoulders like the circus
strong man. His hair was grizzled; his beard was heavy
and unkempt. His eyes looked out from under his shaggy
brows, and it seetnedto me that they shot fire and that his
nostrils dilated as he got a scent that reminded him of a sales-man.
The evening before, some of the choice spirits on the roa,d,
that I met on the train, had regaled me with tales of what
this particular town held in store for me. They had told me
of one fellow that had been thrown out bodily, another that
had been kicked out and of still another who had run for his
life. I took it all with a little salt, of course, because I
thought they'd try to get me scared. In spite of the sodium
chloride they had succe.eded very well, though.
After a while the farmeress moved on and I felt those
cold, sharp eyes hit me like a dipperful of icy water. I of-fered
up four silent but earnest prayers, and faltered for-ward.
"What'll ye have?"- he growled, sizing me up, I thought,
ferociously, picking out the places where a crack with a
wagon spoke would hurt worst;
I managed to stammer out that I was traveling for The
House, and that I thought maybe he'd be in line for some
goods. Before I could say any more, he snapped his teeth
and told me gruffly to come baek again at 1 o'clock, when
there wouldn't be anybody around.
I thanked him and told him I'd be there. But, honest, I
didn't intend to show up. I thought, what's the use of tempt-ing
fate. Pm out and still sound in wind and limb. Will I
go back? Not on your tintype!
I found two more stores in town and got one for a,n order,
but not a very big one. As noon passed I got more and
more anxious. Should I at' should I not? At last, I worked
myself up to hero size and went back atld walked in just as
the clock struck one,
He looked up from the paper he was reading, and grunted.
"Thought you wasn't eomin' back," he said,
"Why, I said I would, didn't I?"
"Yes, you said it, but you didn't look it."
That seemed so mild that I started in about some of thr.
goods, and to keep my upper lip stiff, I opened Up, keeping
l
ARTISAN
up a shower of gab all the time for fear I'd lose my nerve
and bolt for it. He sat still, eyeing me and never said .a
word till I ran down, Then he shrugged his shoulders and
said:
"Set down."
There was a chair there and I sat down, waiting for the
torture to commence.
i<Got yer pencil an' paper ready?" he snarled.
In a daze I produced 'em.
Then he reeled off one of the best orders I've taken yet.
I wrote and wrote and wrote, and finally he snapped out
that that was all. I scrambled to my feet, packed my grips
and started out. He called out to me before I got to the
door. "Come back here, you," and back I went,
«Hev a seegar," he said, producing a black one about :)
foot long. I took it and poked it into the corner of my
mouth.
"What's the matter with ye?" he queried. i<Takill' down
with grip? You look sorter peekish. Got any quinine:"
I found my tongue again after a while and told him I
was all right and thanked him for the order.' He showed all
his teeth and he had two httndred, it looked bke.
"Some of the fresh guys must a been stttffin' ye about me,"
he hazarded. I acknowledged that he was correct.
"Come on back on' set awhile an' I'll ten ye how about,"
he volunteered, so we squatted by the side of the stove and
he told me.
He said that about four years before a real sassy drummer
marched into his store when it was full of customers. It was
a busy time and he had just stocked up pretty heavily. Be-sides
which he had the toothache combined with a dose of
cramps and one of his feet had chilblains. A smooth chap
had worked a bogus dollar on him the day before, and the
house this man traveled for had loaded him up with goods
he could not sell. The j'drummcr" stayed by him and would
not take no for an answer, and at last, in desperation, he had
ordered him out of the store, emphasizing what he said with
violent gestures.
And that story had grown and grown until it was the side
of the mountain back of us. That and his surly appearanc~.
He felt sort of bad about it, he said. Said his neighbors
knew he was good at heart and that he wouldn't hurt a living
soul. Declared that, while his looks were fierce, he wasn't
altogether to blame, but he said that, while he didn't minJ
cutting the wing feathers of a few of the real sassy boys, he
felt it wasn't hardly right to have that kind of a reptttatiol1,
and when he saw I was ready to dodge every time he moved
he decided to set himself right for once. The old man had
a streak of humor in him somewhere, or he remarked that
the situation was not without his compensation sometimes
Why, before I got through there, he was calling me Bob
and I was calling him Jim. Went out for supperl "supper,"
mind you. this time, and We had a regular love feast. He is
all right, is Jim, and he told me never to pass him out. W-~
cottoned to each other from the word go.
On the train out I met up with another traveler. He
grinned when he saw me and asked me what I got. I told
him offhand that I 'got a good order out of Jim. He grinnect
and said I was a cheerful one, but he was glad to see me still
ut1crippled. I had an impulse to show him the order, but on
second thoughts I didn't. It isn't good policy and besides
why not have Jim keep his reputation? Won't the boys at
The House open their peepers when they see that order,
though I
Well, I've learned one lesson, and thafs not to believ~
everything I hear. Also, I l1ave discovered that retail mer-chants
<'Iregood hearted folk:s down at the bottom. Further_
more, I am convinced that freshness does not pay a knight of
the grip. Two more towns and then I'm headed for home
and, it seems to me, a few words of commendation from the
Big Noise of The House.-The Oregon Tradesman.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 25
.- ------ ---., ...------------- -----.,
~~!~;;}!¥!.1~~:~~\!I;~lc~~S.
They cut a clean perfect joint always. Never burn ow-ing
to the gradual clearance (made this way only by us),
require little grinding, saving time and cutters. No time
wasted setting up and cost no more than other makes.
Try a pair anrl be CQnBinced.
Catalogue 1',To.10 and ]J'rices on aplJliration. I I M02~~~~w~2eq.?Ch~g~8NS, ! .._------ ------- ---_...
1,1,-----~ 10 SPINDLE MACHINE
ALSO MADE \VlTH 12, 15,20 AND 2ii SPINDLES.
DODDS' NEW
DOVETAILING
GEAR
MACIiINE
This little machine has clone more to perfect the nrawer work of
furniture manufacturers than anything else in the funliture trade.
For fifteen years it hllS made perfect-filting-, vermin-proof, dove-tailed
stock a possibility. This has been accomplished at reduced
cost, as the machill~ cuts dove-tails in gangs or from 9 to 24 at
one operation.
ALEXANDER DODDS. Grand Rapids. Michigan.
Reprelented by Scbuchart & Scbulte, at Berlin, Vienna .....Stockholm and St.
Petersbu~. Representative by Alfred H. Schutte at Cologne, I:5russels,Liege, Paris,
Milan /lnd Bilboa. Represented in Great Bntian and Ireland by the Oliver Machinery
Ca" F. S. TbompsOD, Mil'" 201.203 DeallSi3te. Maneld:er, Endand.
B0YNT0N ex. C0.
Manufadurenof
Embosl~d and I Turned Mould-
;.g., Embo.~ I ed and Spindle
Carvinh, and
Automatic
Turnina-I.
We also manu-fadure
a latlle line I
of Emboued f
Ot._me.'. £ot I Couch Work.
,•
419-421 W. fifteenth St., C"ICAGO.ILL
"Rotary Style" lor Drop Ca.rvlngs. Embossed Mouldlnp. Panels.
l\lacblnes for aU purpose~. aud at prices within the reach of
1111. Every machine has OQI' guarantee p.galnst breakage lor one
year.
"LRteral Style" for large eupaclty heavy Carvlo&"s and Deep
Emt...osslngs.
We have the Machine YOU ''lillot at II satisfactory prl~e. Write
for deiWriptive circulars. Al80 make dles fof' all makes 01 Ma.-
('bloes.
UNION EMBOSSING M4C"INE CO.. Indianapolis. Ind.
26 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
U you do not know the "Oliver" wood working ·Iools, you ·had' beller give
us your address and have us tell you all ahouttheQl. We make nothing but
Quality tools, the first coSt 01 which is considerable, but which will make
more profit lor each dollar invested than any 01 the cheap machines flood.
ing the counlry.
Oliver Tools
"OLIVER"
No. 16. Band Saw
36 1nclJe••
Made with oJ without
IJlOIor drive Meta I
!able 36"x 3{)'1. 'Will
take 18" uDder t be
aeride- tilb 45 delUees
one way and 7 ~
,he oIher way. Car.
Res a saw up tQ 1Mil
w .... O....,. ...... to Iowel whed dNJi:
w~ bOt motor dmren.
Weidm 1600lb- wRen
ready 10 ship.
II!II••
"Oliver' New Variety Saw Table No. 11.
Will lake a saw up to 20' diameter. Arbor belt 'is 0' wide.
Send for Catalog "8" fordata on Hand Jointera. Saw Tables, Wood
Lathes, Sanders. Tenoners. Martisers, Trimmers, Grindera. Work
Benchea, Vises, Ciampa, Glue Heater ... etc., etc.
OLIVER MACHINERY CO.
Worn and GeDel'alOffice. at 1 to 51 Clancy St.
GRAND RAPIDS. MICH., U. S. A.
BRANCH OFFICES -Oliver Mllcrunery Co'l Hudson Terminal. 50 ChurehSt .• New York.
Oli"eF Machinery Co .• Finll: NaliQUai Banlt Building. Chicago, 111.;OIM Machiery Co.'
, Pacific Building. Seat11e. Wuh.; Olive!" Machinery Co .201-203 Deanqate, Manchester. En~:
The Grand ~apids Shades.
Since the adoption by the 'Grand Rapids Furniture Manu-facturers'
Association of certain fixed standa.rds of shades it
has becn developed that this action did not bring out any
new shade. It simply fixed upon one shade in each of the
various finishes which are in popular use and demand today.
vVhen the adopted shades had been given out the ~arietta
Paint & Color company, of Madetta, Ohio, who daim sUIHcm-aey
in the making of wood stains, found that it was not
necessary to change its sh;ldcs to meet the new order. This
company's shades have been correct at all times. Two of
the most popular of the Marietta stains arc the Fumed Oak
and Early English. The Fumed Oak is an acid stain, and
contrary to other stains of this character it will stain red
oak as well as white oak, making it possible for the manu-facturer
to produce a finish on a piece of furniture, such as
a chair, for illustration, where sometimes both red and white
oak is used in the same piece, and still get a perfectly uni-form
color. This stain raises the grain so little, and pene-trates
so deepl).., that the work can be sanded perfectly
smooth without. cutting through the stain. It is made to
produce the gre~nish brown tint adopted at Grand Rapids,
while it is allO,\lla.de to match any special shade desired.
To the manufacturers using a fuming chamber this stain will
be a revelation.
Another stain made by the Marietta Paint & Color com-pany
that meets the requirements of the discriminating man-ufacturer
is its Early English, and those who have not yet
been in touch with the adopted shade can put themselves
right by securing a small sample from this house. vVith the
:\1arietta Early EngliSh stain you can get results without
the nece!isity of glazing_
@ * @
Death of Jacob Van Putten.
Early io January the furniture trade suffered an HTe-paT-able
loss by the death of Hon. Jacob Van Putten, president
Save Labor
Time
of Tempers
.. Cost
of the Holland (Mkh.,) Furniture company. Mr. Van Putten
had been engaged in the business of manufacturing furniture
more tha,n ten years and was noted for his strict integrity,
his enterprise and a kindly disposition exercised toward all.
During his life he served the people of Holland a!i ppstmaster,
mayor, police commissioner and school trustee, and in all his
public acts he was ever guided by lofty principles. Possessed
of excellent judgment, fairness and kindly consideration for
men not so menta.lly strong as himself, he was ever a leader
in his community and a tower of strength in civic righteous-ness.
His funeral was largely attended.
@ * @
His Thirteenth Year.
William S. Findlatcx, a pra.ctical wood finisher, but lor
many years engaged in selling supplies for the finishing room,
has renewed his contract with the Adams & Elting company
for the thirteenth time. Me Findl~ter is widely and favor-ably
known but his acquaint,ances are'·m.ost intimate in the
states of Michigal1. and vVisconsin., JJe has aided materially
in developing the business of the Adab1's & Elting company by
the employment of legitimate practices in salesmanship.
@ * @
Why Does a Hen Cross the Street?
In answer to· the CJuery: "How can you tell a female
chicken from a. male when newly hatched?" a farmer says:
"Place a lighted lamp on a table, also some bread crumbs,
and if he eats it it is a male; -if she eats it, it is a female."
The same farmer being asked how to tell a bad egg says:
"\\Then you want to tell a bad egg, break it gently_"
@ * @
Finance.
"1 have some money, but 1 don't know whether to buy a
home or an automobile." "1 na,,'e itl Buy the home and mort-gage
it to get the machine. Then you will have both.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 27
fII III.uTWO WINNERS IN VARNISH
This is the verdict of the furniture manufacturer who KNOWS THE EMBLEM OF SUPERIORITY
Paradox Rubbing
Is the best high-grade, quick-rubbing varnish ever produced.
every day and last coat rubbed safely in three days.
Can be re-coated
Ti- Ki- Lac
Is our high-grade first or second coat varnish. Dries hard
night. Last coat can be rubbed in twenty-four hours.
to sandpaper over
The man who KNOWS is the man who WINS II
I
VARNISH DEPARTMENT,
Acme White Lead and
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Color Works
a.-- ~--_- .......----------.-----------------..1.
Siberian Timber Supply.
The aCCOllllt of the foresb of the A1TlltTregion and the
prospects of their commerc.i.al devC'1opment is of, substantial
interest. as the 'world isnow beginning to realize the threat-ened
inadequacy of its' timber supply, and to take careful
stock of the chief productive areas remaining. C0l11parati\,'c1r
little attention has so far been paid to the utiliztltioll oi the
forests in lhc Russian far east, though concessions lwve been
sporadically worked, and· an Australian and a Briti:,sh com-pany
have lately b~cn included .1l11011g those which have ac-quired
concessions from the Russian Goverllrnent. Accord-ing
to the estimate of the forest department, the Amur and
maritime provinces contain 509,000,000 acres of forest land:
It lS by ]10 means so densely timbered, however, as the for-ests
of ),Jotth America, Both hard and soft woods arc founel
in considerable variety; the latter include ,,,,hite cedar, pine,
larch, nr, and spruce, a.nd the fonner walnut. ash, and oak.
The right to cut timber on a large scale may he obtained
either by 'way of conee:,ssion for a ter111 of years or by con-tract.
Recent concessiol1s have been granted for a term of
four years only (this being the maximum that the governor-genera!
can accord), with all extra year for taking a·way the
timber felled. Though this period ean be extended on appli-catioo,
yet it .is gCllel'ally recogniz('d that it is too short, and
efforts, ,,,,hieh appear likely to prove successfuL arc llfnV
being made to have the regulations on the subject altered
and a longer term allmvcd. Areas whieh the (;'ov<.:rnme111 de-sires
to sell aTe from time to time put up to auction either at
Vladivostok or at Khabaro"sk, the terms and conditions
heing published beforehand. They are adjudged to the highe!it
bidder, who is reqnired to pay down the equivalent of the
royalty tOT one year on the number of trees put up 10 ;1l1ctioll.
a certain portion of the forest being a.llotted for each year
of the cuneney of the tigreement. J\iforeover. in the c.ase of
felling rights obtuinecl by al1l~tioll as well as those obtained
in the form of a concession. some money deposit 'will gener·
ally be insisted upon, Felling tickets may also be obtained
from tl,C loc;1I officials: giving the right to cut small quanti-ties
of tjmber on payment of the GovernmQ:nt royalty,
At present the Russian authorities insert a clause in all
contracts stipulating that Russian labor shall alone be em~
ployed. As they are actively encoura.ging immigration, how-'
ever, the resultant hindrance to industry may be expected
to <liminish. The report includes full schedules of the rov-alty
levied on timber of different classes and ill the differe;1t
areas. It also describes the existing facilities for transport
and :,sbipping, \-vhich are still in a predominantly undeveloped
state, Other miscellaneolls information includes the terms
of the forest regulations and the scale of export duty, There
is also an outline 1ll<lp,
@ * @
Sure.
His proper place.
Ts on the shelf
\i\Tho only lives
To doubt himself.
@ * @
A Unique Work Record.
A mannfacturing concern in which only one-half of the
employes ,\"ork in the day time ba,s a 24-hour clock in the
timeke~pcrs' office, hy ·which the work record is noted. The
business day begins at 1 o'clock in the morning,' and when
other clocks indicate midnight this factory timepiece shows
that it is 24 o'clock. The men who go to work at the time
ordinarily known as 6 p. In., arc recorded as having started
at 18 o'clock. The people in charge of the work say that this
chang0. in the timekeeping method has prevented many e1rots,
an<l although it took the men a little while to become accus-tomed
to it they now sveak of 14 o'clock and 16 o'clock in
a matter of fact way and without the smile which this at fjr~t
provoked.
28
•
MICHIGAN ARTISAN ------_._--------------_._--~
l-._:.-. • ~
•II
~nCHIGAl\ ARTISAN
II
I~_._-_._-----_. ..----~---------_._--_._-----------....,•
PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY
LARGEST .JOBeERS ANO MANUFACTURERS OF
GLASS IN THE WORLD·
Mirrors, Bent Glass, leaded Arl 6lass, Ornamental Figured Glass, Polished and Rough Plale Glass, Window Glass
WIRE GLASS
Plale Glass for Shelyes, Desks and Tables Tops, Carrara Glass more beaulifulthan white marble.
CENERAL DiSTRIBUTORS OF PATTON'S SUN PROO-=-PAINTS.
fJ For anything in Builders' Glass. or anything in Paints, Varnishes, Brushes or Painters' Sundries, addre55 any of our branch
warehouses, a list of which is given below:
NEW YORK-Hudson a.DdVandam Sts.
BOSTON-41-49 Sudbury St •• 1.9 Bowker St.
CHICAGO - 442 ..452 Wabaah Ave.
CINCINNATI-Broadway and Court 8ts.
ST. LOUIS-Cor'. Tenth and Spruce 8ts.
MINNEAPOLIS-SOO~S16 S. Third St.
D&TROrr-53.S9 Larned St., E.
GRAND RAPIDS, M]CH.-39~41 N. Division St. I PITTSaURGH-lOt-I03 Wood St.
MILWAUKEE, WIS.-492·494 Market St.
ROCH E.STER.. N. y. -Wilder Bldli.•Ma.inGlExchange Sta.
BALTIMORE-310-12~14 w. Pratt -St.-----------------------------
CL~VELAND-1430-1434 West Third St.
OWAHA-IIOI-]IO"l Howard St.
ST· PAUL-4S9-461 Jackson St.
ATLANTA. GA.-30-32-34 S. Pr~or St.
SAVANNAH. GA·-"I45~749 Wheaton .st.
KANSAS CITY -P'lfth and Wy ..ndott. 51s.
BIRMINGHAM. ALA.-2nd Ave. and 19th St.
BUFFALO, N. Y.-372-74-16.78 Pearl St.
BROOKLYN-63S-631 Fulton St.
PHILADE.LPHIA-Pltcalrn Bldg•• Arch and 11th St•.
DAVENPORT-410-416 Scott St.
rII
--_._------ --~
I OFFICES:
CINCINNATI-Piekel'ina Building. NEW YORK--346 Broadwa.y.
BOSTON-~I8 Tremont St. CIUCAGG)~-134Van Buren St.
GRAND RAPIDS--Houseman Bldg. JAMESTOWN. N. Y.--Cha.d ..koln Bldg.
HIGH POINT. N. C.--Stanton~Weh;:h Block.
The most satisfactory and up-to-date Credit Service covering the
FURNITURE, CARPET, COFFIN and ALLIED LINES.
The most accurate and reliable Reference Book Published.
Originators of the "'Tracer and Clearing House S)'siem:'
--- ----- ---- -------------
CollectionService Unsurpassed-Send for Book of Red Drafts.
H. J. DANHOF. Michigan Manager.
347-348 Houeetnal:l SuUdin,. Grand Rapids, Mich. ~_._---_._-------------- r-------------·-----------------· ---..,. I THE CREDIT BUREAU OF THE FURNITURE TRADE
Grand Rapids Office, 412-413 Houseman
c. C. NEVERS, Manager
CLAPPERTON &: OWEN, Counsel
•I Bldg. The LYON
Agency THE STANDARD REFERENCE BOOK
CAPITAL, CREDIT AND PAY RATINGS
CLEARING HOUSE OF TRADE EXPERIENCE
THE MOST RELIABLE CREDIT REPORTS
COLLECTIONS MADE EVERYWHERE
PROMPTLY-REUABLY
Furniture
ROBERT P. LYON, General Manager
CREDITS and
COLLECTIONS
29
30 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
"ere are the Exact Shades Adopted by the
Qran~ Rapi~s furniture Manufacturers' Ass'n
II
III
!I
IIIIIII
I
IIL.~_. ~-,--____
Their "Golden Oak Oil Stain" is our No. 3424.
Their "Early English Stain" is our No. 3425 Oil Stain.
Their "Weathered Oak Stain" is our No. 3426 Oil Stain.
Their "fumed Oak" is our No. 3427 New Process fuming Liquid.
Their "Light Mahogany Stain" is our No. 3428 Dry Mahogany Stain soluble in water.
Their" Dark Mahogany Stain" is our No. 3429 Dry Mahogany Stain soluble in water.
Send for Samples and Information.
WE SUPPLY EVERYTtllNG NEEDED IN Ttlf fll\llStlll\lG ROOM.
NEW YORK
THE AC-EL..-ITE F'EOF'L.E
HE BUYS A NEW CLOCK.
And Shows what False Economy It Was to Keep the Old
One.
"At last," said Mr. Quillback) "we have bought a new
clock, and goodness knows we needed it.
"The old clock was a small, round, nickel plated time-keeper
that we had had for some years, and in the course
of time-as alas! all clock owners do too---it began to show
signs of wear. But we hated to go to the expense of a new
clock as long as we could make that one do, so we kept it,
shaking her up 'most every day for something like a year
until finally it got to be so tiresome that we mustered up
courage and bought a new clock.
Then I did a little figuring. In the course of a year T
had spent an average of five minutes a day shaking up that
old clock on, say, 300 days, ma.king, to save the cost of a·
new clock, a gross total of time spent amounting to 1,500
minutes. You divide th·s by 60 and you find that I had spent
in shaking that blessed old clock a little matter of twenty-five
hoursl
"Kow, in the way of income, you know, I don't pretend to
class up with the Rockefellers and Carnegies and that sort
of folks, but figuring my earning capacity on the modest
basis of 50 cents an hour I find that I have spent in shaking
up that miserable old ticker time worth $12.50. The new
dock cost 69 cents!
"Of course buying the new. clock when we did instead of
a year sooner we !>avcd the wear on it during tha.t period, and
if we count the life of such a clock at say ten years we find
that we have thus saved about seven cents worth of wear
on the new clock, amI this, properly. of course, should be
deducted from the $12.50, but even at that on the best sho ..v-ing
possible we find that to save 69 cents we have met with
a. net loss of $12.43, to say llOthing of the wear and tear on
us caused by the aggravation of having to shake the old
clock up every day to make it go!
"VIle had been, as in so many ways we are prone to be,
penny wise and pound foolish, but we arc learning wisdom
and we haven't got to shake the old clock up any more, any-way.
-"-Sun.
@) * @)
Six Indispensable Finishes.
The Lawrence-McFadden Company, of Philadelphia, ad-dresses
the trade on another page of this issue, calling at-tention
to the following stains: Go!den oak, Early English,
weathered aRk, fumed oak, mahogany and toona mahogany.
The company sends working samples, with full instructions
for use, also finished pieces which show the correct shades.
Samples will be J)romptly furnished on application. It may
be superfluous to remark that the Lawrence-McFadden com-pany
is one of the best known and most popular manufactur-ers
of wood finishing goods in the whole country. and whose
superb product is backed uP, by a corps of most capable and
energetic, salesmen. The effect, quality and prices of the
Lawrence-::\lcFadden goods should enter into the calculations
of furniture manufacturers generally in settling their finishing
room problems;
@ * @
Glassware Smashin g at Funerals.
A custom which would improve the condition of the glass
industry if it were more widely adopted prevails among the
natives of a certain district in \VestAfrica. When a chief
dies, his neighbors meet at his palace and partake of a fun-eral
feast served in the deceased monarch's bowls and dishes.
At the end of the meal the presiding chief rises and, raising
his stick high above his head, with one gre<tt stroke smashes
to fragments the glass bowl and other dishes before him.
This is the 5ignal. The chiefs a11 rise, and with their sticks
destroy all that remains of the dead man's glass and crock-ery.
•
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 31
r USEfUL TOOLS fORWOODWORKINGPUNTS :::::::::.~.:::::: •.:::':::: -----l
I Black Bros. Single Chzt.inClamp. Black Bros. Double Chain Clamp or Ven~er Pre ...
Black Brol. Column Clamp.
BlkCk Bros. Power Veneer Pren.
Ih . _ Up·to.Date Cabinet Clamp. -------..--_.. ------_ ...
New and Practical Methods.
There is a general current of unrest among woodworkers
who are keenly watchful for new and practical methods to
take them <:\'\vayfrom the beaten paths of their forefathers.
The demand for better machines~bettcr tools or applia.llces
is greater tOd4}' than it has ever been.
Desiring to assist any worthy ambition. it has ahv<tys been
the practice o[ this paper to sbO\v neVI' ideas, from tirne to
time, in the hope of being of greater service to its readers.
To this end we herewith illustratc and describe the Shimer
Blac.k BrQa. Piline: Clamp •.
Full information can be had regarding the
ab01.'eand o[ltermoney making tools. AddreM
BLACK BROS. MACHINERY CO,
Ninth Ave. and Fourth St .• MENDOTA. ILL.
Illustrations and prices furnished.
ers, which fit s11ugly 111 grooves made in the cylinder, enab-ling
the blades to withstand th~ strains to which they are
subject during operation. The knife holders are made of
tool steel and form part of the chip-break, which when worn
or injmed may be replaced without discarding the cutter
head or causing delay and inconvenience.
These blade's cylinders have superior advantages in point
of simplicity, durability and efficiency. The blades may be
kept in good working shape ··with less grinding, less trouble
in -setting .a.net fastening to the hea.d, They are also less
It
I,I
II1
I
blade's cylinder, ;'L practical tool for surfacing, heading and
~icling, lately put on the market by Samuel J. Shimcr & Sons,
iHiltOll, Penllsylvania.
This ne\",· cylinder provides for the use of tllin blades of
high specd steel, which when properly temperee! and treated
serve for one or two days of work on hard maple, oak or
hickory. Knives made of this material in tbe old, heavy
slotted fashion w01l1d be too costly to use owing to the tlrst
cost of the steel a,nd the trouble in working it, yet the ex-pense
for the thill blades docs not exceed that of thc ordin-ary
machine knife.
By rderence to the illustration it will he noticed that the
thin blades of this head are rc-inforced by special knife hold-liable
to get oHt of balance, owing to the lighter weight of
the knives used.
The ease by which the chip-breakers can be renewed, and
the absolute securit.y of the thin blades when re-inforced with
the holding clamps, ,together with the many other advantages
vdlich will be apparent to the wide awake woodworker, makes
it seem certain that this is going to be a favorite tool wher-ever
good work is desired.
Further information can be secured from the makers, who
\vill gladly rnail their latest book of cylinders to anyone
making the request. Address Samuel J Sbimer & Sons, Mil,
tOll, Pellllsylv<:lnia.
- - -- ---------------
32 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
ARTISTIC andINEXPENSIVE
CATALOGUE COVERS
LET US FIGURE ON YOUR PHOTOGRAPHING
ENGRAVING and PRINTING
at
Right Prices
PROMPT
DELIVERIES
COMPLETE
CATALOGS
PERFECT-WORK
MICHIGAN ENGRAVING CO.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
MICHIGAl\' ARTISAN 33
r------'--
IBIRD'lri{YELMAPLE ( Made and dried right, and white. Samples furnished on application.)
500,000 ft. 1-20 inch Quarter Sawed Oak carried in stock, Come in and see it. Birch and Poplar
cross banding and rotary cut Oak. Birch, Maple. Basswood. Poplar and Gnm Drawer Bottoms,
PROMPT DELIVERY. ALL PRIME STOCK.
FIGURED WOODS. MAHOGANY. WALNUT. QTR. SAWED OAK. BIRCH. I IHEN R~__l!!SCllNg.!T..I?~o~'P,y'.~,E!:E:IRe 0J
MAY CUT DUTY ON FILES,
S. M. Nicholson, Head of Largest File Company, Reluctant
Witness, Admits Goods Sell Cheaper Abroad-Imports
$80,000, Consumption $7,000,000.
Material reduction in the duty 011 files seems certain if the
trend of sentiment of the ''''ays and means committee of the
house really was displayed ill \Vashington 011 J~lIl. 15. Only
one "\vitness was examined Samuel 1\1. KicholsOll, president
of the Nicholson File Co., of Providence, R 1. This concern
is creditpd with $4,000,-
000 of the $7,000,00
- Date Created:
- 1909-01-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Collection:
- 29:13
- Subject Topic:
- Periodicals and Furniture Industry
- Language:
- English
- Rights:
- © Grand Rapids Public Library. All Rights Reserved.
- URL:
- http://cdm16055.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16055coll20/id/141