From the lathe, the veneer is passed
to the cutting table, where it is cut to
lengths and widths as desired. It is
then conveyed to the second story,
where it is placed in largely dry rooms,
air tight, except as the air reaches them
through the proper channels. The
veneer is here placed in crates, each
piece separate and standing on edge. The
hot air is then turned on. This comes
from the sheet iron furnace attached to
the boiler in the engine room below.and
is conveyed through large pipes regula
ted by dampers for putting on or taking
off the heat There is also a blower
attached which keeps the hot air in the
dry rooms in constant motion, the air as
it cools passing off through an escape
pipe in the roof, while the freshly heated
air takes its place from below. These
rooms are also provided with a net-work
of hot air pipes near the floor. The tem
perature is kept at alxmt 1G5 dg. and so
rapid is the drying process that in the
short space of four hours the green log
from the steam box is shaved, cnt, dried,
packed and ready for shipment
After leaving the dry rooms it is as
sorted, counted and put in packages of
one hundred each, and tied with cords
like lath, when it is ready for shipment
Birds-eye maple veneer is much more
valuable and requires more care than al
most any other, and this is packed in
cases instead of tied in bundles. The
drying process ia usually a slow one, and
conducted in open sheds simply exposed
to the air.
