Page:Cassells' Carpentry and Joinery.djvu/70

52 white spruce deal may be used as being the cheapest.

Window-sills.—Oak or teak for best work; occasionally pitchpine is used, but it is not so durable as either of the former.

Simple Explanation.—A few brands and marks have already been illustrated, but the subject needs special explanation, there being a very general ignorance as to the reasons for, and meanings of, the great number of marks found on imported timber. The difficulty of identifying parcels of timber consigned in the same freight, or stored in the same place, but belonging to different owners, was no doubt the original reason for the introduction of a marking system; the extension of the system to marks that indicate quality was the natural sequel to the marks of ownership. There is nothing of a mysterious or cryptic nature in this system of timber marks, nor should the various marks be regarded in the light of a secret code; the great increase in the number of manufacturers and the consequent multiplication of brands are the only causes that have brought about any obscurity that may be thought to exist. There is also generally an entire want of organisation, each new manufacturer being absolutely at liberty to adopt any brand or mark that he may think fit to adopt; and though, in most cases, respect is paid to old-established marks, plenty of examples of repetition and overlapping exist. Reduced to simple terms, the system (if system it can be called) resolves itself into a parallel of the imaginary case described below. John Brown is a sawmill proprietor and forest owner in Sweden. He manufactures sawn wood goods for the English market, and in order to distinguish the goods produced at his mills from the goods of other sawmillers he stamps or stencils on the end of each piece a more or less abbreviated form of his own name; and, at the same time, uses variation in the arrangement of the lettering in order to indicate differences in quality. Thus he may export six grades or qualities of material:—

or if, instead of firsts and seconds, a mixed grade is substituted (consisting of mixed firsts and seconds), the mark will probably be J ♛ B. John Brown makes no secret of these marks, and would gladly inform any inquirer of the significance (as to quality) of any given brand. In fact, he is at much pains to advertise the fact that these classes of material are manufactured by him, and that the above arrangement of initials is to be taken as an indication of the comparative qualities of the stuff. The two real examples given below will show how the matter works out in practice.

Holmsunds Marks.—The Holmsunds Aktiebolag (Holmsunds Share Company) manufacture and export sawn goods and planed goods from Holmsunds, Sweden, and the following is their advertised quality code:—

Here, obviously, the word Holmsunds has been made use of as the base for quality variations.

Wifsta Warfs Marks.—The Wifsta Warfs Bolag, a sawmilling firm in the Sundswall district of Sweden, exports under the following marks (also, very clearly, derived from the name):—