LouMana'Pacific

Thc Merchenl llagazine

Publisher Emeritus A. D. Bell. Jr.

Editor-Publisher David Cutler

Contributing Editor Dwight Curran

Advertising ?roduction Mgr.

Ms. D. Hamil

Ail Director Martha EmerY

Staff Artist Terry Wilson Circulation MarshaKelley

The Merchant Magazine is published monthly at 4flX) tampus Dr., suite 476, Newport Beach, Ca.92660, Phone (714) 549-8393 or (714) 549-8394 b;*

The Merchant Maeazine. lnc. Secondclass Dostage ratei naid at Newport Beach. Cu..ind addiiional offices.'Advertising rates upon request.

ADVERTISING OFFICES

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA & PACIFIC NORTHWEST 4500 Campus Dr., suite 476. Newport Beach, Ca. 92660. Phone (714) 5498393.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Carl Vann. 1385 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles. Ca. 90024. Phone (213) 477-7593 or (714) 549-8393.

Subscriptions

Change of AddressSend subscriPtion orders and address changes to Circulation Dept.. The Merchant Magazine. 4500 Campus Dr.. suite 476. Newnort Beach. Ca. 92660. Include address label from recent issue if possible, plus new address and zip code.

Subscriotion RatesU.S.. Canada, Mexico and Latin Ame rica: $5-one year: $8-two years: $ll-three years. buerseas: $7-o'ne year: Sl l-two years. Single copies $1.00. Back copies $1.50 whdn avaiilable.

The Merchant Magazine serves the members of the: Aiizona Lumber & Builders Supply Assn., Phoenix: Lumber Merch'aht! Assn. of Northern California, Los Altos; Montana Buildine Material Dealers Assn., Helenal Mo-untain States Lumber Dealers Assn.. Salt Lake City and Denver; Lumber Assn. of S6uthern California, Los Angeles: Western Building Material Assni. Olympia. Wa.

THE MERCHANT MAGAZINE is an indenendent ,tnga:ine for the retail, v'holesale and tli.strihtion lerel.s of the lunber and huilding nnteriol.r and honte inDrorenrcnl industrt in the l3 We.stern .\tArcs, concentmtini on nterchandising, ilnnogenrcnl ond acerate, lactual nevs reporting ond inlerprelalion.

Io*-to" "F.?S11:

LAM-LOC TIMBERS

Just one number to dial and you have a team of specialists who can give you immediate answers on price, delivery, building codes, certifications and dozens of other technical questions that can affect your quote on laminated timbers. We can get you the best combination of price and delivery. Once your order is placed, it becomes our problem to follow-up on shipping dates, handle transportation and assure proper certification. For the fastest, most economical way to sell laminated timbers, call Fountain first!

:lM_,LOC

A t

Pecky Cedar

f,ii;f :?.*::rati ve and durab re with arrng value ano resistincl

,*:o:nPYt " n"u"i'r'"f""t.;;;;;::Ij:3lds,with overal peck _.v, qI pg(]K

1,,"1,1::Y:"J,i;;il$'":,1;,3,".,"r".I-

",ir":,:::: Ilgvi di ns vo u assu rance

"-,; "":j,jll:r l9u set fuil peckiness

;: ::::j:l :19.rio,,. s,Iipri"o in

,1,"r""1'YjT,!P_lo 16'. You can order l1^.,1g riniri"-*".r""1 ordl 'n notes due to patented pro""aa.

Western Red Cedar

Lumber for decking, siding, cabinets, millwork and paneling, material for fences, patio decks and planters. any application where the superior characteristics of Western Red Cedar are demanded can be supplied from our 172 million loot i Standard stock includes 1 x 6,8, 10,12" and 2 x 6,8, 10, 12". lt is supplied in specified widths and lengths with many patterns, clear or knottv. sawsize or rorrah

The 2x4 Gets Some ComPetltlon

fl NE of the safer predictions we can make in l\J this Annual Business Forecast Issue is that the traditional 2x4s and other structural lumber items are going to be in for some competition from new productsl and those products are mostly made ofwood.

All those millions of dollars spent for research over recent decades by the Forest Service and the federal government's Forest Products Lab are beginning to pay off with new products that not only stretch the supply of wood available but, in some cases. offer features that can be merchandised to the greater profitability of those in the industry.

Press Lam is a good example of the species (if you'll pardon the expression). It is produced by having logs peeled into thick veneer with a knife in a rotary process: veneers up to lL" can be pro duced. It is then clipped into sheets, dried under heat and pressure, coated with adhesive and the sheets assembled in overlapping fashion with all the grain pointing in the same direction. The sheets then go through a continuous laminator and the adhesive cures under pressure and the residual heat from drying. The resulting panel can be up to 8' wide, the same thickness as standard dimension lumber, and of infinite length. Then it can be cross cut or ripped into any size desired. Incredible, yes?

Advantages to the trade include reducing the need to carry a large inventory, the ability to obtain lumber of practically any width or length, including ending up with lumber larger than the tree from which it was produced (!) and uniformity in product strength not always found in sawn lumber.

Other new wood based products include ComPly, which is essentially a particleboard/veneer sandwich (see The Merchant, Feb., p. 30) and, "Mini Lams," smaller versions of glue lam beams that have been used successfully in framing (see The Merchant, Apr., p. 31 ).

While some are too new to be adequately field tested, these new products none the less are clear evidence of man's genius of invention and his ability to improve most anything under the sun. These may not turn out to be the actual method or product that supplants the traditional 2x4, but if they are not, it doesn't appear it will be long until such a new product/device/system, etc. does so to some degree.

Goodby 1975, Hello 1984.

Ouer the yearc wete carued a name for ourcelues in lumben

It takes hard work and long years of dependable service to earn a good reputation. Just like you specify top quality lumber for aesthetic and structural applications, you choose a firm for continuing business relations because of its record of dependability, service and inventory.

Higgins Lumber has been delivering service and quality since 1883. Our three convenient locations and acres of ready-for-delivery lumber makes Higgins Northern Californias leading wholesale distri"birtor of hardwoods. We can also supply all of your needs for kiln- dried and air-dried softwoods, as wellas plywood. Hiooins distribution vards are located in San Francisco. SEcramento and Union Citv.This lets us oive our customers throuqhout Northern (alifornia fast 5nd efficient service.

At Higgins, lumber is our business-and over the vears weve carved a name ior ourselves in it.

Between a rock and a hard place

lagHEN nry t u good lr icnd [)lve ['u t lu'r' asks nre to plol'rdc ltirn a lbrccast 1'or thc lollor"'ing vcar. I alr', ar, s go back trr see u'hut I prognosliertccl the prcviotrs l,ear.

I nrust adnrit thut I did far br-ttcr in n.r-v lirrccast for 197-1 than I did firr 1975. I siniply missed thc mark orr rvltat I felt thc'govenilltcnt rvas likely to do, and I did not forcscc the clrange in buyirrg lrabits thlt Invc' occulrcd out in tlre firrest producls rnarketplace.

Thr- "light at 1hc t'rrd oi'the tr-rnrrcl" that I prcdicted tor thr'last half of lc)75 prove'd to bc sinrpll a "rvirrdorv" in the nriddle ol r vcr.v lorg lrurrel.

Havrng confesscd. lct's takc r crack at 1 9 7{r.

Thc pcrvasivc nltLu c of oul t'cdcral govcilrile nt has 1o bc' e onsidcr .'cl ir any' busirrcss ftrrccrst tlrcsc dlys. l()76 is an tlce tion vclrr. lrnd hislolv indicatcs tltat ottr solorts $'ill do rr'ltutcvcr necessaly lo see oLlf cct)nonl\'9oln.!l st1'ollg bv ncxt August and Septcrnbcr. \\rcll. I rlori't think lhis rvill hlppcrr in oirr indltstn' irr l()7(r. ('ongr.r'ss is diviclccl rnd has provcn itseli'incpt throughout tlris vear- Prcsidcnt Ford sccnrs eclepl i.rt nc\\'pIoposuls thlt kccp tlte legislutor s rr1'f buluncc'. Th!' rcsult is thlt rrothirg is ue complishcd. lnd most of llre tinrc )i'u irtc g.1u,l it rt.r.rr'1. Will ('orrgrcss tlrrorv u l'ew goodics t or','ards th c Iro,,r srng indust rv? Probu[r Iy. -l-he1' rvill hr' offsct bv disirttcrnrcdiltion in tlrc moltgugc nrarkct. r'isirig

Story at a Glance

Slight but continued improvement in the coming months . . frequent shortages could lead to severe inventory problems at all levels in some key items . . 1.35 million conventional starts.

I3y Pete Niebling

Western Manager \orth American \Vl'rolesale I.umber Assn prinrc rates and continued inl'lr1ionar-"pre sslrrds. The rc'cent successl'r-rl attcrnpt by' l ('llifornia slvings and toart to sell mortglgc-backcd bonds nrlv provide a new crcdit sourcc lirr honrc i'inancing. I hopc so.

\olth Arnclican predictcd 1.2 milliorr conventional housirtg starts lirr l()75 rn Novcnrbcr of l')7+. .A. recent (Pleuse !.urn to l)tq.( 15 )