Advanced Milling Equipment Highlights Updating

MacBeath Hardwood Company, Berkeley and San Francisco, recently made a major capital investment in milling equipment at its San Francisco branch, the former Davis Hardwood Company.

The company has installed a brand-new Olivor Strat-o-Plane which faces and surfaees lumber on both sides simultaneously at a rate up to 80 feet per minute. The only machine of its type on the West Coast, the Oliver Strat-o-Plane assures straight, flat lumber with a perfect finish on both sides. Other equipment includes a new straight line gang rip and a new sawdust collector. Since purchasing the 50 year old Davis

Hardwood firm at 2150 Oakdale Ave. in San Franciscoo December 1961, MacBeath Hardwood has invested a considerable sum in new equipment and in updating existing facilities. Joe Cortese, vice-president and manager of the San Francisco yard, points out that facilities now offer over 30,000 sq. ft. of undercover storage, nearly three times the space available at MacBeath's Berkeley headquarters.

The president of MacBeath Hardwood is a man who needs little introduction. K. E. "Mac" MacBeath is one of the Nation's most knowledgeable hardwood lumbermen, having spent his entire life in the business.

Symposium Seeks Exponded Forest Products Uses

Nondestructive tests that evaluate every piece of lumber, sheet of plywood, or other wood product accurately for quality without damage hold the key to expanding the uses of wood as a refined engineering material.

That conclusion highlighted a 3-day Symposium on Nondestructive Testing, October 7-9 at the U.S. Forest Products Labora' tory, Madison, Wisconsin, at which some I00 scientists, engineers, and industrv leaders heard and discussed 22 papers describing research and development in the field. Cosponsor was the National Lumber Manufacturers Association.

Consensus of the meeting was that it brought into focus for the first time the possibilities of a wide range of scientific means for testing wood nondestructively-that is, without impairing the usefulness of the piece tested. Most previous methods of determining strength and other physical properties have been based on the direct testing of samples under damaging loads to permit general conclusions statistically suitable for determining working stresses, grade, and other quality indicators.

After many years with J. E. Higgins Lumber Co., Mac and the late Alex Gordon formed Gordon-MacBeath Hardwood Company in Oakland during 1944. Nine years later, on January l, 1955, ooMac" sold his interest in Gordorr-MacBeath and teamed up with his son, Bill, to start MacBeath Hardwood. In the ensuing eight years, MacBeath Hardwood has demonstrated remarkable growth due to capable leadership and an extremely competent sales force, Today, the firm has over 30 employees and 5 outside salesmen covering northern California and the central Pacific Coast area for complete customer coverage.

Main purpose of the symposium, according to Dr. Edward G. Locke, director of the host laboratory, was to bring research and industry leaders together to examine what is being done and discuss its applications to the wood products industries.

In welcoming the group, Dr. Locke cautioned them to o'remember that our purpose here is essentially a highly practical oneto find ways of making more efficient use of wood."

Dr. A. S. Gregory, director of research of the Weyerhaeuser Co., Tacoma, Wash., keynote speaker, Iisted five categories of potential use for such tests: establishing better product specifications, providing better methods of use and markets, control of manufacturing processes and quality, utilization of raw materials.

703 Mo rket Street

Sqn Froncisco 3

Phone: YUkon 2'4375

Teletype: SF 57