DVEW PR@DUGTS g;n;d selected sales aid"s

Stairing Into Space

An engineered stair stringer system from Building Components Manufacturing, Inc. replaces notched 2xl2 construction stairways.

The EasyRiser Stair Stringer system has scale-marked rise/tread measurements and fastens to a 2x6 to make a stairway that is fully adjustable to accommodate changes in flooring systems. Tread measurements range from 9" to ll" and can be adjusted to wider treads.

ing and varying the length of optic fibers that extend from 2'x2' and 2'x4' 3/16"-thick black, reflective acrylic panels.

Circle No. 702

Lightweight MDF Product

A lightweight MDF product thar reportedly weighs one-third less than its Premier MDF product is new from Willamette Industries.

Designed for use as a substitute for lumber and regular MDF in applications such as interior doors. millwork. mouldings and high-end kitchen cabinets, Premier Lite is made from southern pine fiber, making it smoother and more machinable than other substrates and allowins it to handle a wide variety of profil-es and edge treatments.

Circle No. 703

Rock Around The Clock

A Photo Finish

A new line of easy-to-use stains and clears with a full line of sundries have been introduced by PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.

Olympic Interior Wood Finishing System includes oil-based stains with an absorption control formula that helps provide even color absorption, and water- and oil-based polyurethanes that are designed to create a smooth, even surface application.

Designed not to sag, warp or need additional bracing, it comes in OSB and treated versions for either interior or exterior applications.

It is packaged in boxes containing 36 pieces.

Circle No. 701

Star Struck

A fiber optic system that enables users to create an interior constellation or a glowing sign or message is new from Outwater Plastics.

Featuring 160 1.0 mm 4'-or 12'long acrylic optic fibers mounted in a hamess attached to a 35-watt, 12-volt halogen light, Galaxy Fiber Optic System can be customized by insert-

A shop clock made of a genuine 10" circular saw blade is new from Wolfcraft, Inc.

Available in self-merchandisins stackable trays that hold six clamshel'i packed clocks, the Saw Blade Shop

The polyurethanes can be applied over stained, sealed or bare wood of all types and are reportedly ideal for floors, tables, doors, countertops, trim and furniture. They come in three sheens: gloss, semi-gloss and satin.

The finishing system also includes a fast-setting wood filler to repair damaged or rotted wood filler to repair color blending pencils to fix nail holes and scratches.

Circle No. 705

Quality Stained Doors

Five new designer stain colors have been added to Weyerhaeuser's line of factory-finished architectural doors.

With the addition of nutmeg, seafoam, raisin, cane and earth, Weyerhaeuser now offers l7 stain colors, as well as a range of custom colors.

The doors, which reportedly meet or exceed environmental requirements, arrive on site, ready to install.

Circle No. 706

Easy Estimating Software

Professional construction estimating software with a bonus deck estimator has been released by E-ZLegal Forms, Inc.

Clock's blade is cut and polished, but not sharpened, and not designed for power tools. It has large Roman numerals and a quartz movement that operates on one AA battery.

Circle No. 704

Designed to calculate and print proposals, materials, labor and item cost lists, Windows-compatible E-Z Construction Estimator and E-Z Deck Estimator come pre-loaded with cost figures that can be adjusted for local rates and standards.

E-Z Construction covers foundations, plumbing, electrical, roofing, walls and more.

Circle No. 707

Plastic Wainscoting Paneling

Plastic wainscoting that replicates traditional wood paneling is available from Outwater Plastics Industries, Inc.

Patterned after fine oak woodgrain, the Plastic Wainscoting panel is made of polystyrene and can be painted or stained. It is available in l/16"-thick unfinished pecan-colored 1 2"x36" and 18"x36" panels and a 9"x36" filler panel. A special lip on each panel overlaps adjacent panels for a seamless installation.

Made of Steel

Stainless steel fasteners from Elco Consumer Products, Inc. are reportedly superior to other corrosion-resistant fastening products.

UltraPlus fasteners are used for home exterior maintenance, marine, bath, spa, appliance and machinery repair, and swing sets.

The fasteners come in blister card packaging.

Circle No.710

Also available is a plastic wainscoting outlet bezel for one or two outlets.

Circle No. 708

Stick lt To'Em

A grout sealer applicator has been developed by Groutstick, Inc.

Designed to seal grout four times faster than with a brush, Groutstick reportedly can seal 150 sq. ft. per hour.

Streaking Not Allowed

A stain-removing agent that reportedly won't streak or leave a residue on any solid or stone surface or lami-

Skin-Tight Gloves

A lotion that rapidly absorbs into the outer layer of skin forming a matrix between the dead skin cells is new from Gloves In A Bottle.

Designed to protect hands against most irritants and toxins, including grease. solvents, thinners, paint. industrial detergents and disinfectants, epoxies and glues, cement and lime, gasoline and diesel, Gloves In A Bottle allows skin to breathe and perspire naturally, while it increases the retention of the skin's natural moisturizers. It reportedly leaves no greasy or tacky residue and is non toxic and hypoallergenic.

It cannot be washed off and comes off throush the skin's natural exfoliation prociss, which takes about four hours.

Circle N0.712

The Prying Game

A powerful line of nail pullers with a specially designed flat claw that enables each tool to slip under nail heads without marring the surface is available from Vaughan and Bushnell Mfg. Co.

For use with acrylic or silicone sealers, the applicator comes with one hardened nozzle and two hardened adapters (114" and 3/8" diameters) that will seal up to 10,000 sq. ft. of 8"x8" tile.

Circle No. 709 nate has been developed by Stone Care International, Inc.

Desisned to remove food oils and fingerfrints, Clean Encounters degreases and requires no rinsing after application.

It comes in a pop-up display box containing 24 bottles.

Circle No. 711

Made of tempered steel, Bear Claw nail pullers can be hammered onto a sunken nail and locked onto a headless nail for extraction.

The nail pullers comes in seven sizes from 6-114" to 14-1/4" and weigh from l0 oz. to 2O-3/4 oz.

Circle N0.713

Engineered Hardwood Floor

GenuWood II engineered hardwood flooring has been introduced by PermaGrain Products, Inc.

Available in l4 colors. the flooring's extra-thin veneers are sand-

Featuring a searchable and customizable database of over 300 sources and buyers of (and organizations involved with) certified wood products, version 2.5 has export-analyzed data, improved printing of comparative data, faster criteria searches, more stability, a new system for showing help messages, and variable and user-controllable display of wood species/graphics on the command screen.

Circle No. 715

Snappy Profile

A vinyl window and door profile has been introduced by Alum-A-Pole Corp.

The Pro-Trim 908 brick mold snaps onto J-channels or existing wooden 908 windows and doors.

wiched between a tough 20 mil wear layer of clear textured vinyl and a core offiberglass and vinyl.

Circle N0.714

Revised Wood CD-ROM

A revised Woods of the World CD-ROM has been released by Tree Talk,Inc.

Circle No.716

Audio Internet Advertising

A retail-store audio computer system that produces a continuous program of music and ads that are distributed via an Internet connection to each store has been introduced by TriAd Audio.

The system allows stores to target audio ads to shoppers in selected stores at specified times. Local news and announcements for communitv events are included and each audio system can operate in conjunction with an existing music service or it can receive its music programming via the Internet.

The audio computer allows the play log at each store to be retrieved daily for proof of advertising performance.

Circle No. 717

Complete range of

Regular deliveries from the Bay Area to Reno

We specialize in pre-priming

We operate an Olympic prestain machine which prestains siding, trim and decking packages with clear, semitransparent and solid stain. We provide a quality-controlled product and prompt service. We prestain four sides which aids durability. The back side is sealed against moisture, creating a longer lasting exterior product.

Ladder Leveler

A ladder stabilizer that has been introduced by W. Taylor Products Co. reportedly attaches to the bottom of any type or brand of extension or straight ladder constructed of metal or fiberglass.

Constructed of heavy-duty aluminum, the Shur-Foot provides a selfleveling, four-point, non-ski footprint that will secure the ladder on unstable surfaces.

It also enables one person to "walk" the ladder to an upright and stable position without any assistance, while the base remains in its original position.

The standard-duty ladder stabilizer is capable of holding up to 2,900 lbs. and weighs 2 lbs. A heavy-duty or commercial version is designed with a capacity up to 7,900 lbs. and weighs 6 lbs.

Coping With Your Hang-ups

A convenient hanger that mounts into a door's hinges has been developed by Hinge-It.

Designed to swing independently of the dooq Hinge-It installs in the adjustable brackets of a door without drilling and hides behind the open door.

iHinge-Itproduct line comes ln many styles and colors for all areas of the home.

Circle N0.719

Hardcore Garage Door

A fiberglass-composite garage door that has the look of wood is new from Clopay Building Products Co. Series 7000 doors have a unique raised-panel, stile and rail design and embossed wood grain. Their fiberglass composite skins reportedly provide remarkable strength that can withstand impacts from baseballs hurled at 80 mph.

Style 7200 has three-layer construction with 2"-thick polystyrene insulation sandwiched between an exterior sheet offiberglass and an interior sheet of steel with an R-value of 9.1. Model 7400 has three-layer construction with 1-3l4" polyurethane insulation injected betwein iwo sheets of fiberglass with a R-value of 12.2. The fiberglass can be painted or stained to match all types of wood.

Circle No. 720

Bronze Flux

A high temperature flux for brazing brass, bronze, copper, steel and malleable iron has been introduced by Superior Flux & Mfg. Co.

EDO RAM,4.3 GB Ultra Wide SCSI hard drive, 4 MB video card, 33.6 kps fax modem with voice, MS Windows 4.0 and a 17" flat screen monitor.

Titana ll 233XLA has 32 MB EDO RAM,4.3 GB hard drive,4 MB video card, 33.6 fax modem with voice, MS Windows 95 and a 15" flat screen monitor.

Circle No. 722

Two Sides To The Story

An enhanced reversible floor mat from Rubber Queen has carPeting on one side and rubber on the other.

Wrap Music

An EZ-Wrap Stretch WraPPer from Air Technical Industries has a 4,000-lb. load capacity, 68" diameter turntable and72" vertical travel which makes it easy to securely wrap any load.

Anti-Borax No. 2 promotes deeP penetration of the filler metal in the joints, producing high bond strength. The flux is active at temperatures of 1400"-2200"F.

Circle No. 721

Computer Jargon

A line of personal computers with Pentium II processors has been introduced by Unicent Technologies.

Titana II 233XLS has a 64 MB

The Reversible II includes a dense pile carpet and a redesigned rubber side with a more contemporary, lower profile channeled design. The mat has been made larger to fit most automobiles.

It comes in two-piece and fourpiece sets in five colors.

Circle No. 723

The 3-hp motor enables users to wrap a load every half-width, fullwidth or double wrap.

Equipped with preprogrammed controls, the device reportedly is easy to operate and allows for customization Tor specific wrapping needs.

Circle No. 724 r Slender shank and blunt diamond Point r Diamond oattern head blends with wood texture. Small head diameter permits face nailing and blind nailing r Annular ring threads preclude nail alloy.

-- o SelFcounter sinking bugle and trim heads . Square drive recess eliminates driver bit cam-out o Sharp point for quick penetration with minimal pressure o Self-tapping coarse threads . Coated with non-stick, dry lubricating film r Solid nickel/ chrome stainless steel for superior corrosion resistance o 6 lengths: l" through 3"

Unloading

Nine-car SP/UP spur for flats, boxcars or A-frames Truck & trailer Vans or piggybacks Dock-high

Lip Service

Decorative full lip strikes that are new from M.A.G. Securitv reolace scratched, worn-out and painted-over strikes.

Available in three finishes, the Full Lip Strike has an adjustable tang that eliminates door rattle and assures proper lock operations and a tight door fit.

The strikes are packed with 200 individually polybagged strikes in a counter display or carded (two per card) in full color packaging with a strike selector chard and instructions on the back. They also come clip stripped for cross merchandising.

Circle N0.725

Milling

Full service facility: 3 resaws, 10 cut-off saws, gang rip saws at your disposal

C/L Timbers Header packages

Built-up loads/ pull to length Trim & fascia loads. Details & corbels. Custom mfo.

The Sky's The Limit

A new ventilating skylight has been introduced by Velux-America Inc.

Featuring a removable sash for easy installation from inside the room, VSC ventilating skylights have premounted brackets for frame adjustment without shims or accessories, high- or low-profile roofing materials, and a finish groove on the interior wood frame for perfect alignment of drywall.

The skylight comes with three glazing options: tempered clear, Low-E and Low-E laminated.

Circle No. 726

Held Under The Surface

Hidden fasteners from Supreme Decking Inc. create nail/screw free decking surfaces.

Reportedly easy to install, Lshaped Deck Straps provide smoother, better looking surfaces, allow for easy replacement of deck boards, and help eliminate split boards, splinters, hidden pockets of water damage and rot, and nails and screws popping or rustlng.

Circle No. 727

CALIFORNIA and NEVADA DISTRIBUTION from two facilities strategically located to serve your needs -

Delivery to your business within 48 hours

Rivbrside

7145 Arlington Ave., Riverside, CA92503

(909) 343-3000 FAX 909-352-06s2

15.2 acres, l32K sq. ft. covered

Products Distributed At

* SYP/DF Plywood

Sheathing, Flqoring, Sanded, Struc l@, Sidings, Ply-Form

* Engineered lVood Products

I-Joist (residential and commercial), Laminated

VeneerLumber, Billet Beam, Rim Board, Glulam (industrial and architectural)

* SmartStart Sidingru

Panel, Lap, Soffit, EZPanel*

* Nafure Guard@ Insulation

Cellulose Fiber made from Recycled Paper

* Easyriser*

The Engineered Stair Stringer System

* Additional Products at Riverside:

MDF, G.D.F. Studs, Redwood Products, Treated Hem-fr

Rocklin

4385 Pacific St., Rocklin, CA.95677

(916) 624-4s2s FAX 916-624-9293 l4.J acres, 100K sq. ft. covered

BOTH L-P TACILITIES:

* Oriented Strand Board

Sheathing, Flooring, Struc 10

* Fiberbond*

Wallboard, Sheathing, Underlayment

* Particleboard

Underlayment, Industrial, Stepping

* Kool PlYo

The Radiant Barrier Sheathing

* Additional Products at Rocklin: Socomi-Lam, Breckenridge Siding* fire-prone areas of Southern Califomia;

HE 1920s were prosperous times for many in the West, and the lumber industry was no exception. Powered by a robust California housing market, lumber production reached higher and higher levels.

But one skill the lumber industry has typically lacked is self promotion. That, though, was no problem for the charismatic Jack Dionne. In 1913, the young journalist started The Gulf Coast Lumberman in Houston, Tx., providing lumber merchants with news, features, and pep talks layered with homespun humor.

Dionne's reputation as an inspirational storyteller put him in great demand as a public speaker. And, whenever he had a speaking engagement in California, local lumbermen urged him to start a journal for the West.

Looking for a way to escape the summer heat and humidity of Houston, Dionne was receptive to the idea. And he realized that especially in booming, post-World War I California, lumber merchants needed a voice.

Promising to communicate news and ideas to every division of the lumber industry, to encourage industry cooperation, to show lumbermen how to create markets for their products, and generally to invest the industry with enthusiasm, The California Lumber Merchant distributed its first biweekly issue from Los Angeles on July l, 1922. Dionne's first editorial promised to help demolish the "painful modesty that seems to mark the gentle lumber dealer for its own."

Dionne initially opened offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Ca., and soon in Portland, Or.

July 1, 1922, Vol. 1, No. 1: Cornell Wood Products Co. of Chicago, ll., makers of Cornell fibre board, seeing an announcement of lhe new California paper in the Gulf Coast Lumberman, wired a request to buy the front cover. Nolhing less. They did, and the tradition continues to this dav.

. Cries to make retail yards more inviting to female customers;

. Advice on cross-selling lumber with companion products and on merchandising millwork and other products by displaying them in attractive room settings; Coverage on the importance of reforestation and harvesting "second growth" redwood;

The "bigger is better" success stories of such mammoth, superstore-sized retail operations as Hammond Lumber Co. in Los Angeles and Wm. Cameron & Co. in Fort Worth, Tx.

Times, some say, grew too prosperous. Early in 1928, the stock market began a meteoric rise providing big, quick profits that captured the attention. imaginations and incomes of millions.

Despite the Califurnia narne, the magazine also covered news from the Pacific Northwest, Arizona and beyond.

The magazine, like the lumber industry itself, enjoyed fast growing success through the '20s. Supply and demand often were checked only by distribution. "The California market now is absorbing all the lumber that the steamship lines and railroads are physically able to bring-and crying for more," Dionne wrote in 1922.

The topics discussed in the first issues. indeed. seem timeless:

Efforts to ban wooden shinsles in

So many people playing the stock market on margin and retiring completely from other investment activities put a drag on the lumber business. Dionne saw the stock craze as gambling and in the fall of 1929, commended those who put their savings in bonds: "It means a stout disposition to save rather than waste, and in time those bonds can be used to buy homes."

Then came the crash. "The recession of recent weeks had to come," Dionne wrote. "It isn't the law of economics. It's simply the law of gravity."

He warned a national house cleaning would be painful, but was unavoidable. Noted Dionne, on Dec. 1, 1929: "The liquidation of the stock market continues. The world watches, agape, at the thing that is happening. And naturally, while the world watches. the world does not build."

It'lnHROUGH the early Thirties, the pages of The Merchant, as The California Lumber Merchant soon became nicknamed, were filled with one expert after another claiming an economic turnaround was in sight. Then, several issues later, came the shock of realizing yet another prophecy failed, as business sunk Iower and lower.

The Great Depression struck the lumber industry as hard as any, since nearly 60Vo of all lumber went into construction. As money became tighter, fewer people could afford homes. With supply heavy, lumber companies began cutting production and laying off workers. West Coast mills, which in 1929 operated at 72Vo capacity, ran at 54Vo capacity in 1930,

MORGAN CREEK FOREST PRODUCTS. INC

546E Skylane Blvd., Stc. "E"

P.O.Box 55EE, Santa Rca, CA9 2

(800) arr'rffir AW s2&16m

FAX (7(I7) s2&1gn

Congratuletions to ilhe Merchant Magnzinei on 25 years of exceptional journaliml

January 1,1938, Vol.16, N0.13: The 1930s saw the inlroduction of a revolutionary new product: pressure treated lumber, such as "clean, odorless, paintable, termite and decay resistanl, fire retardant" Baxco CZC from J.H. Baxter & Co., 8an Francisco, Ca.

36.5Vo in 1931, and under 2O7o in 1932. National lumber production, which reached the typical 37 billion board feet in 1929, hit a Depression low of l0 billion feet in 1932-about the same level as in 1869.

Rising unemployment meant even fewer people could buy a home. Housing starts, which had reached to the hundreds of thousands during the 1920s, averaged 26,000 single family residences in 1932,1933 and 1934. "The price of lumber has gone back to levels of 25 years ago," Dionne moaned in April of 1932. "Twenty-five years of taxbearing, carrying charges, interest charges, protection and care costs, and now-the market prices of 25 years ago; and with nothing like the volume of demand of those olden days." lT- ucts to their customers. Then there were additional restrictions on trucks and delivery, and shortages of gasoline, manpower and lumber itself.

To get any part of the few jobs still out there, mills had to slash thet prices, even below their cost. Many companies, including giants founded in the 1800s which had enjoyed record profits just a few years earlier, closed their doors.

Layoffs mounted, and with high unemplcyment among skilled laborers, producers slashed their wages. Yet the situation worsened, since aow even fevter with jobs could afford a home.

The Merchanl suffered every bit as hard as the lumber industry and the entire nation, In l925,1he twicemonthly magazine had 162 pages; by 1935, it was down to 24 pages. But Dionne was determined to keep both The Merchant and the Gulf Coast Lumberman afloat despite the fact that so many of his advertisers were going out of business. He decided to no longer pay himself a salary. While continuing to shoulder his responsibilities as editor-publisher of both journals, he supported his family by working as a lobbyist for a group of Houston oil firms.

Recovery came slowly, after Franklin D. Roosevelt became presidrlnt and initiated a series of aggressive programs to put the country back to work. Some worked (valuable public works projects), others didn't (a minimum lumber price code eventually was interpreted as price fixing and ruled unconstitutional). But through it all, an industry and a country survived.

L HE dav the U.S. entered World War II, 700 miles off San Francisco, Japan sunk a 2,140-ton freighter carrying a cargo of lumber for the U.S. Transport Service. During the next lwo weeks, three other lumber ships were attacked but made their way to port, including McCormick Steamship Co.'s freighter Absaroka with a cargo of 5 million feet of lumber. Torpedoed off the California coast on December 24. 1941. it was towed into port by two Navy tugs.

January 15, 1943, Vol.21, No. 14: During the War, several lumber companies, such as Wendlino Nathan, E.J. Stanton and Macklanburg-Du-ncan, regularly advertised that they coLildn't sell readtrs their products becausir all production was going into defense.