Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/482

388 Sloans Architectural Review and Builders' Journal. [Doc, green in the centre, and from all appear- ances would have remained so for as many years to come. And here we find the cause of a great many apparently poor pieces of work- manship in Walnut doors, shutters and even furniture ; — the Lumber, so far as can be seen, is dry when bought, and being afterwards cut into smaller thick- nesses, the inside surface — which is green — shrinks, while the outer side re- mains firm, the consequence being a gaping joint. Jn such instances, the me- chanic receives the blame for that, which of right should be laid to the charge of Nature, inasmuch as she hides her realities under so specious an exterior. White Pink Lumber of the finest grades, such as manufactured from Michigan logs, should invariably be stripped at the mill, for at least six weeks to two months after being sawed, as its shipment, either by railroad or vessel, before that time, results inju- riously, not only to its appearance, but also to its quality. The contact of the wet surfaces of the boards produces a permanent green (in some cases, black) stain, or mildew, which cannot be re- moved^ except by planing deep enough to get below it : and frequently passes into decay, before the lumber is suffi- ciently seasoned for use. After it has reached its destination and has been sorted, much care is re- quired in its piling. Foundations should be laid at least 12 inches high, composed of blocking laid on 3-inch joists, and with the blocks say 8 inches apart, having two thick- nesses of joists placed on top of them, in such manner as to "break joints" and give the whole a firm and equal support. There should be one bearing for every four feet in length of the boards or plank ; otherwise the distance intervening between the supports, to- gether with the great weight, which the lower courses of the pile have to sustain, causes them to give downwards ; and ruins their straightness and elasticity. The piles, moreover, should be built with a pitch, backwards and downwards, of half an inch to the foot, and a slant forwards and upwards of one foot to every six feet in height. An observance of these rules — if the pile is properly covered — insures the preservation of the Lumber from the effects of rain, the pitch throwing off the water, and the upward slant making- each course the protector of its next neighbor below. In stripping, the following regulations should be adopted : 1. Strip with as narrow pieces as will suffice to give the boards a firm bearing. 2. Let the strip correspond in thick- ness to that of the board or plank. 3. Be very particular to place each strip at the same angle from the one under it, as that indicated by the slant of the pile, so that, upon casting your eye up the side of the pile, the ends of the several rows of strips shall form so many parallel and undeviating lines. 4. Allow the front strips to proje t nearly half their width out from the pile. 5. Never crowd a course, for the sake of getting in an extra board ; and alwajs take care, that the sides of the courses are " plumb." 6. Cover the pile with old or culling boards, taking care that they lap at the joints. The object of the first of these rules is to bring as small a portion of the board in contact with another surface as possible. Green Lumber should never be stripped with boards out of the lot, as the juxtaposition of the two wet faces is certain to cause a stain. The object of the second rule is to give the wood a fair chance to dry, the amount of air required to season a piece, being in geometrical proportion to the thickness of that piece. In some in- stances, however, want of space renders carrying out of this rule impracticable. The object of the third rule is to give the entire pile a proper support and render the pressure equal.