File:Canadian forest industries July-December 1922 (1922) (19909606214).jpg

Title: Canadian forest industries July-December 1922
Identifier: canadianforjuldec1922donm (find matches)
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors:
Subjects: Lumbering; Forests and forestry; Forest products; Wood-pulp industry; Wood-using industries
Publisher: Don Mills, Ont. : Southam Business Publications
Contributing Library: Fisher - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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C A N A ft A L DM 15 E R M A N 11!. Where Lumbermen May Learn Everything About the Wood They Cut By A. F. Roberts, Vancouver There exists in Vancouver—though this fact is not as widely known among the lumbermen of British Columbia as it might be —an organization that is at the disposal of the lumber industry generally for the securing of accurate information and data con- cerning B. C. woods. The Vancouver station of the Forest Products Laboratory, which is the organization referred to, is the only branch station in Canada established by the Department of the Interior. The main station at Montreal has been a potent factor in the development of the Canadian timber industry for a number of years and there is no doubt that the new branch will bear worthy fruit in the years to come. It is situated at the temporary site of the University of British Columbia where it was established in the summer of 1918 by the Imperial Munitions Board in order that experiments might be car- ried out in regard to the strength and endurance qualities of Sitka spruce which was then coming into prominence for airplane use. Reliable data on the properties of this wood were badly needed and experiments along that line were carried on until the summer of 1920 when the Dominion Forestry Branch took over the station. The results of these experiments not only proved that the British Columbia spruce was the finest obtainable for the particular purposes of aviation but also established the value of this wood for sounding boards and musical instruments. The work of the station at present consists of experiments and tests in regard to the qualities and strength of various British Colum- bia woods, of which little accurate data is available. The industry in the past has been more or less de- pendent on information supplied by United States laboratories where different species of woods are test- ed. This has not proved entirely satisfactory, however, as the Brit- ish Columbia woods differ in many properties to those tested in the American institutions. How Different Woods are Tested Western hemlock, western yel- low pine, western larch and Engle- mann spruce, therefore, are among the woods in which experiments are carried on. Specimens for test are selected in the woods by mem- bers of the forestry service and fel- led and cut under their direction. They are graded and cut at the mill under the supervision of officials of the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau and are forwarded to the Vancouver station. On arrival specimens of the test wood are tested while green, when they have been air-dried for two years and when 'kiln dried. Photo- graphs of the trees, logs, lumber, etc., from which the test specimens come are kept whenever possible and as much data as possible gath- ered. Small specimens of each wood are tested with regard to wood conditioning", uses and pro- perties, moisture content and other qualities. The equipment of the station is sufficient to carry on all experi- mental activity of this nature which includes timber testing, timber physics, wood preservation and pulp and paper experiments. There
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Large testing machine recently installed in the Forest Products Laboratory at Vancouver is a staff of five under the direction of Captain W. P. Dunbar, A.M.I.C.F., a graduate of the University of Edinburgh. The full complement of the station is eight men and it is expected that ad- ditional men will be taken on at a later date. The staff has the co-operation of the Timber Industries Council of B. C. The most recent addition to the equipment of the station is a large Olsen universal testing machine which can handle columns up to 16 feet in length in 12 by 12 size. It is used for testing safe loads for columns and stringers and has a capacity for compression and tension tests up to 200,000 pounds. No other machine of this capacity has been built to take such long columns and members of the station staff are very proud of it. It is operated by a five-horsepower direct current motor, which with various controllers, gears and clutches can be operated at nearly any speed. The main screws of the machine are imbedded in con- crete twenty feet under the ground and the columns are more than twenty feet in height. Co-operating With the Station With this machine tests will be carried out in structural size specimens of the British Columbia woods, including Douglas fir and western hemlock. The British Columbia Lumber and Shingle Manu- facturers Association will co-operate with the station by sending in specimens for tests and it is expected that much valuable data, hith- erto unavailable will be secured. Students of the University of British Columbia, who are engaged in the work of the department of forestry or other sections of the faculty of applied science make use of the laboratory for vari- ous tests in connection with their studies. The staff of the station assist in demonstrations and tests of this nature. The services of the station, ac- cording to Captain Dunbar, are entirely at the disposal of the lum- ber industry generally and experi- ments will be gladly undertaken upon request. If a lumberman des- ires to know the qualities of certain wood, its strength, methods of pres- ervation, etc., these will be deter- mined. Although the station is not as completely equipped as it will some day t)e all information pos- sible will be secured if the request is forwarded to Captain Dunbar. Another helpful feature is that by the use of the institution, all guesswork and speculation may be eliminated and 'forest products manufacturers are able to learn definitely from reliable sources all about any wood, its strength, qual- ity, adaptability, etc., before em- barking upon its production in a large way or even acquiring ex- tensive timber limits. This is the day of specialization, and in this the Forest Products Laboratory is pjaying a highly important !part. Its worth and work will no doubt increase in appreciation as the years go by and knowledge of our great basic industries continues to widen. The establishment of the station in Vancouver is a recogni- tion of the premier importance of the province as a great local and ex- porting timber centre with a future that is promising anel permanent.

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