Ife St ,lze ,n pilgER yeRO oRo€Rg

Douglos Fir ond Redwood Kiln Dried Gleors

. Douglos Fir Gommons

.

.

Gentrol Golifornio Dry Kiln Club Visits Mill, Kilns or Meering

__The_third-regular meeting of the Central California Dry Kiln Club of the year was held at the Forest Hill operation of the Stockton Box Company, July 12. Forty-two members and friends registered for the all-day meeting.

During the morning progra.m, planned by Ray Brown, kiln superintendent at Forest Hill, everyone had an op- portunity to see the mill, the kilns and yard. Of particular interest was Ray's battery of eight Moore side-loading kilns which hold a total of 260 M cu. ft., using five lx2-inch stickers per course. They are changing over to the use of only three nominal Zx4-inch stickers per course, supposedly to reduce warping. This is a doubtful result of the chapgC, which will also reduce the holding capacity of the kilns considerably. The thicker stickers may also have a pronounced effect on checking of Douglas fir and white fir lumber on the air-drying yard, particular during dry summer weather.

After a fine steak dinner at the Forest House hotel, as guests of the Stockton Box Company, Past-President Gene Krueger presidqd at the technical and business meetings in the absence of Elmer Johnson, the new President, recently hospitalized for surgery

Lee Moffett, supervisor of grades and manufacturing for American Forest Products Corporation, Stockton, talked on the importance and effect of kiln drying on the finished product. He reported the results of a study to learn the effect of placing three or four 1x12-inch pine boards per course, when using 4&inch stickers on the occurrence- of planes splitting. When four boards were piled per course, the edges of the outside boards projected beyond the stickers. This was believed to result in more warping (cupping) than when the lumber was piled with only three pieCes per course. The results of the itudy showed no difierence'in the occurrence of planes splitting. The effect of low moisture content was pronounced, however, with more splitting occurring in boards that had been dried to a low moisture content. The number of boards per course affected the final moisture content of the lumber.

Mr. Moffett also presented figures from Doug Skrimager's operation at North Fork which showed that a wide variation of final moisture content may result, even when the lumber is dried by the same schedule.

These differences of final moisture content show that time schedules cannot be used without an occasional check with kiln samples, and close control of the lumber going into the kiln. One charge that has had considerable air--dry-- ing while the lumber ii on kiln trucks waiting to go inio the kiln will dry differently from a charge that is made up of lumber right from the green-chain.

Differences in drying rate because of sticker thickness were also studied. When using 1-3/8-inch or ll/16-inch thick stickers, the rate of drying was the same in the single-track kilns at North Fork. The holding capacity \:as alm--ost l5/o greater with the thinner stickers.

Future 'Mietings of the club includeSeptember- 6, Michioan Califoriia Lumber Companv, Camino, Califor- Michigan Company, nia; ldovember 11, Ivory Pine Company, Dinuba, Califor- nla; Il, Ivory rlne LomParly, lJrlruud' \,dururnia, and January lb, t958, Winton Lumber Company, Marc^^,^!^--- T-^^^..-^- tell, California- (tentative), reports Secretary-TreasLlrer Harvey H. Smith.

Hollow Tree Fromofes Stegemqn

William M. Moores, president of Hollow Tree Lumber Company, Ukiah, and Cloverdale Redwood Company, ?nnoun-ces'the promotion of John Stegeman to plant superintendent of Cloverdale Redwood Company. In addition to his other duties, Stegeman will also handle Cloverdale Redwood's sugar pine iales. All redwood production is sold through tt-ottoiv Tree's sales company, Hollow Tree Redwood"Company, of which Max R. Barnette is president and general sales-manager. "

Stegeman, a native of Humboldt county, trained-i-n the lumbJr business r,vith Hammond (now Hammond-California Redwood Co.) for over 10 years and then served as a captain rvith the 101st paratroopet. during WWII. After the rvar, Stegeman established his own redwood mill-Stegeman Lumber Company-at Myers Flat, California. He contintted to operate thii mill until i951, when he joined Hollorv Tree.

Boy Plywood Consolidotes

Bav Plvwood. formerlv operating warehouses both in San Frandisco and Oakland, has closed its Oakland branch and consolidated all operations in the San Francisco headquarters of the firm of the past several yeals. The com.pany will continue to stock tomplete lines. Bob Leonard. iormerly managing both warehoules, will continue to head the organization at San Francisco.