HOW TO BUY TIMBER.
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Points of Importance to the Buying Department of the Coachbuilder and Repairer in Selecting and Ordering Hardwoods and in Checking Deliveries.
DESPITE the fad: that almost every business to-day has to hear enormous overhead expenses, whilst the costs of labour and material are at their highest, many firms in all trades where wood is consumed waste a huge amount of money annually on timber through not purchasing it in the most economical way.
Timber is one of the most expensive commodities, and, owing to the grave nature of the Mississippi floods, causing the closing of many mills in the stricken area, hardwoods, at least,. are likely to advance in price to an even higher level than that at which they now stand.
That so much money is wasted when buying timber is due partly to the slip-shod methods of purchasing departments, but chiefly to ignorance on the part of the buyers. Because of this a little inside information may be helpful.
Hardwoods are sold at so much per foot super of 1 in, thickness, but it must be remembered that widtlt and thickness govern the price. The wider and thicker the planks the higher the price per foot super will have to be paid, so that great care should be taken in ordering. Should one require, say, 10 strips of 1 in. by 2 in. mahogany it would be wasteful to ask for a board about 21 ins, wide with the idea of cutting them out of it. If one did that nearly double as much would be paid for the strips as would be the case if narrow boards were bought. It is the same with regard to thickness. For instance, ash over 2 ins. thick is considerably dearer per foot super than 1-in. boards. It is priced at a higher rate. The practice applies to all hardwoods.
Identifying Each Plank.
Each board or plank (it is a " plank " if over 1 in. in thickness) of hardwood, such as ash, mahogany, teak, walnut, birch, whitewood, etc., should have its face' measure in feet super marked upon it, and this should always be checked. To do this one must measure the length and width, multiply them together and divide the answer by 12. Also, when one is buying a load at a time, the timber merchant should be asked to number each plank, so that it can be identified in the ease of a dispute in the measurement. Having obtained the total face measure, if the planks are over 1 in. in thickness, one must add on a proportionate number of feet according to the thickness. If the planks are 14 in. one-half of the total face measure will he taken and added on, If 2 ins, in thickness, one will double the face measure, and so on. The number of feet super as 1 in. will then be shown, and this figure should appear. on the invoice as the quantity which will have to be paid for. Supposing one is buying 3-in, mahogany at is. .per foot super, and there is only half a foot difference on some planks, it means either a loss or gain of is. 6d. on each plank. Checking timber is a long and tedious job, but the time entailed is well spent,
In buying niatehings it is much cheaper to buy by the "square ":(100 feet super) than by the foot run. This fact is generally known by house builders, but the course is seldom followed by motor bodybuilders, and through ignorance of this many firms pay through the nose for their timber.
In the same way it is cheaper to buy plywood by the 100 feet super than at so much per panel. The grading of plywood varies greatly, and that which one merchant may call second quality another will call his first quality. Therefore, these goods should, always be inspected before being purchased, and quotations should be obtained from different merchants.
Price and Quality of Timber.
It is always advisable to inquire the price of timber before purchasing. It is not that timber merchants " stick on" the price more than Other traders, but, as there are so many different qualities of wood, if one buys indiscriminately one may find, after the wood has been cut up, that first quality stuff has been supplied, whereas third or fourth quality would have been suited to your requirements. Apart from that, timber lends itself easily to artistic description, and unless the buyer be very expert on the subject he may find it difficult to detect one quality from another.
Another way in which motor bodybuilders are able to waste money on timber is in the matter of the size of Material used. In the timber trade, with the exception of American whitewood, all planed timber is reckoned to be of nominal size. A 1-in. planed board will actually be only 4 in. in thickness. Planed quartering, 2 in. by 2 in., will only hold up 14 in. by 14 in., and so on. It is only a small matter when buying cheap • softwoods, hut orders are frequently received for some expensive hardwood, such as mahogany, teak or ash, planed to finish some regular size, perhaps 2 ins by 2 ins, or 1 in. by .4 ins. It means that 2 ins: by 2 ins, would have to be planed out of 21-in. by 24-in., and the 1-in. by 4-in. from 11-in. by 44-in., entailing a loss of 4 in all round—whicb is considerable in hardwood. Of course, the purchaser has to pay for this, which then becomes sheer waste. No doubt, in some cases, it is necessary that the wood should be the full size, hut designers could effect a great saving if they 'weuld bear this point in mind.
Ordering Closely to Requirements.
When purchasing over the telephone, time should not he wasted in asking the timber merchant what lengths he has. He should be told at once the actual lengths to which the boards are to be cut. The work's foreman should be instructed to give to the buying department the fullest details for which the timber'is required. To the timber merchant should he passed as much of this -info/nation as is desirablez and many pounds will be saved,