DOMESTIC and IMPC]RTED HARDWOODS SO FTWO O DS

DOUGLAS FIR CLEARS . VERTICAL & MIXED GRAIN

vides clear explanations of all changes necessitated by the new standard. The resulting publications are listed at the end of this article.

The standard is thc first of a new series of standards by the U.S. Commurce Department. The new standard includes plywood manufactured from 30 specics in 16 states. It provides a new, uniform and simplified basis for specifying plywood that will make the material easier and more profitable to sell than ever before. Creation of the new standard was broupJht about by several factors, including the need for recognition of new wood species and changing log quality in order to improve new raw material trtilization.

Dealers once had to allow for a number of complicated species alternates in order confirmations. The new standard reduces all those possibilities to just one, greatly simplifying selling and ordering.

The changes in grade specificatiorrs are more substantial for unsanded sheathing grades. Three lrasic grades have been t-'stablished to meet more closely the need-" of constructiorr and industrial buyers.

The lengths to which the American Plywood Association has gonc in dcxrumenting the validity of rer:ornrnendatiorrs th$t went into the standard are indicated by seven months of floor and roof pl1'wood dia' phrapp tests c.onducted by association re' search specialists. This one small part of the development program represents 3500 man-hours o{ meticulous efiort. Total re" search time li-v various forest products groups is estimated at more than 190.000 man-hours since 1959. The cash outlay is nearly $2 million.

Publication of the new product stantlard for plywood has made necessary revision of all key association publications and the addition of new ones. Publications avail' able from the American Ply'wood Asso' ciation, lllg A Street. Tacoma, Washington 98401. include:

How 'fc' Sell Plywood. Form 66'400.

Pocket and file-size cditions of Product Standard PS l-66 for Softwood PIy' wood-Construction and Industrial. Forms 66-470 and 66-480.

Cuide to Plywood Grades. Forrn 66'390. Pocket Guide to Plywood Grades Under Product Standard PS 1-66. Form 66'420.

How To Buy and Specify Plywood. Form 66.410.

Plywood Construction Guide For Resi' dential Building. Form 66-450.

Guide to Ply"wood For Concrete Forms. Form 66-490.

Guide to Plywood For Industrv' Form 66-500.

Plywood Design Specilications (basic properties and technical data for enginers and architects). Form 66-510.

Lqtest on the Lumber Stqndqrds

Despite the U.S. Department of Commerce's promise-to quickly mail tle lumber standards ballots, they still had not done so by late October. Names of those to receive the ballot are being selected by a Washington, D.C. firm.

Wayne Gardner, executive vice president of the lumber Asso' ciation of Southern California and a member of the American Lumber Standards Committee, appeared before a Department of Commerce hearing committee to protest the 1V{' size proposed on the ballot due to be mailed. Gardner alledged that the pro' posal contained a number of technical inadequacies.

Redwood Recreqlion Areqs PoPulor

More than 20,000 hunters, anglers and hikers have visited Red' wood Industry Recreation Areas in three California North Coast counties since lumber companies laid out the welcome mat a year ago.

California Redwood Association, sponsor of the 260,000-acre pro' gram, said the informal opening of the gates took- place on I965's Memorial Day weekend. No charge is made for public use.

As a group, deer hunters accounted for the largest share of out' door fun-seekers. The tally for the second hunting, season only, which began Sept. 18, shows 9,373 hunters took 9M 'bucks. A kill of 18 bears was reported.

WCLIB Reolly Trovels

One of the longest trips for the inspection of a shipment of timbers has been made by the West Coast Lumber' lnspection Bureau.

Carl Ramstrom, bureau area manager, left Los Angeles at I0 a.m. September 15, via Scandinavian Air Service, and arrived at Son' drestrom Air Base at Sondrestrom, Greenland after a six'hour flight.

the timbers inspected will replace those at the Dewline radar station, 170 miles northeast of the air base at the 9,000 foot level of the Greenland Ice Cap. Thme timbers are approximately sixty feet below the surface of the ice cap and are showing signs of failure from horizontal pressure caused by the ice. Larger timbers with higher stresses will be used to withstand the movement of the packed ice.

Ramstrom returned three days later and laconically described the flight as t'a very interesting experienec."