Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/164

136 work, the veneers are too thin at more than 60 to the inch. The thinner veneering is used for wall-hangings, as a substitute for paper, and is so thin as to be transparent.

A new and valuable invention cuts a veneer by a This method of cutting in and out of the side of a plain striped log, makes a most beautiful wavy veneer, and not only adds to the beauty of the wood, but secures great economy, in the use of fine woods, as an elegant, natural, grain-figure is produced from a plain log. Properly to appreciate the advantage of this great invention, we must understand that not one tree in a thousand is good enough for veneers, if cut by the old process; but, by the corrugated knife, the plainest wood is made handsome. Walnut wood should never be kiln-dried, if intended for furniture, or interior work in dwellings. When steamed, and afterwards dried in a kiln, the wood loses its vitality and beauty of grain, and is rendered much more susceptible to the changes in the atmosphere of this climate. Experience has demonstrated that, when the tree is felled at the time the- sap is down, that is, in the fall and winter, and the wood well air-seasoned, it makes the best furniture.

Well-polished walnut will compare favorably with any other wood, both in appearance and durability. Walnut, well oiled, with sculpture-carving, in appearance makes a near approach to bronze, and shows more effectively than any other wood. The old oak carvings, preserved from the destruction of ancient palaces, and other buildings of note, have become, from age, of the same color as our walnut. This fact led to the introduction of oil for finishing walnut, as the same tone produced on oak, in Europe, by extreme age, or through staining with nut-galls, considered so essential for effect in what is called by the French, "Style Renaissance," or revival of the old style, or in true antique furniture, is obtained in walnut by simply oiling with linseed oil. There is no doubt, that the oil finish is good for richly-carved work, where varnish or French-polish destroys the effect of sculpture. On the other hand, oil is, assuredly, a rather unsightly and unsatisfactory finish on plain furniture, and, as such, will soon run its race.

In this country, the cabinet-maker is driven to his wits' end to make furniture that will not shrink. If the wood is well varnished, it is protected from the winter's stove, furnace, and other heat; from the dry March wind, and the summer sun; and the tenacity of the glue is never impaired by the atmosphere, penetrating through the wood: from the fact, that the polish reflects the heat, the wood being, as it were, protected by a coat of glass, excluding the atmosphere. If finished in oil, the wood absorbs the heat; and the air, penetrating to the glue, destroys its tenacity. Before the introduction of oil-finish, it was a rare thing for the mouldings on first-class furniture to be falling off. But now it does not matter how dry the wood, nor how skilful the workman, the adhesive quality of the glue is destroyed; and mouldings are continually dropping off, to the annoyance of the housekeeper, and the serious detriment of the workman; though, to be sure, the mouldings can be glued, nailed, or screwed on again; and, after a while, the cabinet-maker regains his reputation, for the interim so unwittingly and undeservedly lost.

The use of walnut in the interior of dwellings is daily growing in favor. Although very beautiful, when employed in moderation and with good taste, there is danger of inordinate recourse to it, as it has a very gloomy look, particularly if oiled, as is usually done, with dark red oil, and placed in contrast with light-colored frescoing. The best finish is the natural color of the wood, toned to a nut brown by the material used in finishing it. The grain of the wood