All kinds of woods have been used in the manufacturing of furniture, viz.. pine, ash, elm. oak, mahogany, gum, walnut, beech, maple, birch, hickory. etc.

In the sixteenth century the principal woods used in furniture were walnut, beech, and oak.The best authority tells us that mahogany was introduced in the eighteenth century about 1710,because of the liability of the other woods to decay by being bored by small worms.

The principal woods used in making furniture today are oak. mahogany, walnut, birch, maple, elm and ash.

There are many varieties of mahogany and the natural characteristics indicate the country from which it comes. Some mahogany is stronger than others and this variety would be used, for instance, in that part of the chair that would necessitate the greatest need of strength, as in the legs. Other varieties can he used for the backs and seats of the chairs.

It is said that fully sixty-five per cent of all the furniture shown at the great furniture exposition city of the world is in this wood, in its various finishes, notwithstanding the fact that the cost is gradually on the increase.

Birch

Birch is a hard, white, close grained wood and is remarkably suited to take a mahogany finish, and when so finished is sometimes hard to distinguish from mahogany. It is made up into the less expensive furniture.

Walnut

Walnut is now used a great deal; especially is there an increasing demand for the Circassian walnut. Circassian walnut is rather expensive. The high cost of converting it into furniture is due to the remote regions in which it is found. It has a very hard, smooth grain and on this account is used in the manufacturing of fine furniture. In this, as in all woods, there is a substitute in the "gum" wood, which can hardly be detected. This is soft and porous, but serves as a very good furniture material.

Satin Wood

Satin Wood is another beautiful wood that goes into furniture, but it is used very little, as it is far more costly than any wood known to American manufacturers.

Mahogany

Mahogany, when finished in its natural color is light, as also is birch, and the dark finish that is so often seen is made by the use of stains, and is not the natural color of the wood, as most people think.

Before the stain is applied, the piece of furniture is spoken of by the manufacturer as being in the "white" finish.

Plain Oak

The term "plain oak" is used to distinguish the wood from quartered sawed oak. Some salesman call it "flat grain oak," which merely sig-nifies that it is NOT quartered oak.

Quartered Oak

This gets it name from the proc-ess a log goes through when being sawed. The log is cut in four quarters and each quarter is sawed in such a way as to show the beautiful flaking of the wood on the surface of each slab that is cut therefrom.

Glue

The average person would be surprised to learn how big a part glue is taking in holding together the furniture in the home. Owing to the great strain that furniture is subjected to, the glue joints are the vital points, Glue experts claim that a glue joint is Stronger than the wood itself, and whether this he so or not, glue is a most important factor in all fine furniture, and is used almost to the entire exclusion of nails, screws or pins, and the care with which the gluing is done and the grade of glue used, generally indicates the quality of the furniture.

The Effects Of Dry Air On Furniture

Much of the trouble with furniture glue joints spreading or pulling apart is caused by the extremely dry atmosphere in the house. This may he overcome to a great extent by placing vessels containing water on the radiator or heater. In houses where furnaces are used a small bucket, about four inches in diameter by five or inches deep, can he suspended under the register in the floor. By lifting the iron register the bucket can be filled when empty.