Two men observing mechanical equipment in humidity chamber of plywood laboratory at Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Line in upper left is deteriorating diacetate negative damage.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Testing--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma);

The Douglas Fir Plywood Association presented a display showing how plywood was used by several industries in the Northwest in the Washington Hall in Portland, Oregon. Washington Hall was part of an earlier exposition in Portland. The hall where the display was housed has been built with columns the look like the trunks of trees. Sky lights in the roof allow plenty of natural light into the interior of the large hall.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland;

The Douglas Fir Plywood Association presented a display showing how plywood was used by several industries in the Northwest including the boat and ship industry, heavy construction, home building and on farms.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland;

The Douglas Fir Plywood Association presented a display showing how plywood was made and some of its many uses in the Washington Hall in Portland, Oregon.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland;

One of the final stages in plywood manufacture is setting the glued and layered sheets of wood veneers in a hot press as shown at Anacortes Veneer, Inc., Anacortes, Washington. A sheet of plywood is placed on each layer of the press and the stacks are placed under pressure for differing lengths of time depending on the type of plywood being manufactured. This produces an irreversible bond between the plys stronger than the wood itself. The press is open in this view showing the sheets of plywood. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (The Plywood Age, Robert M. Cour)

Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

A hanging, mobile sign promoting Douglas Fir Plywood. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

A young man is building a cabinet or desk. Legs that look like pipes are sticking straight up as he tightens a screw in one of the supporting members.

Plywood; Woodworking--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Exposure of "concentrated load test" at DFPA lab. Scientists measure results as several 50 pound weights, totaling 500 lb., are place on top of a circle of plywood. Random testing of the plywood produced in all mills provided quality control. Two laboratories, one in Tacoma and another in Eugene, conducted a continuing program of testing and research funded and supported by the industry itself.

Plywood industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Testing; Experiments; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Testing hardwood at the Plywood Research Foundation. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma); Plywood; Research facilities--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Laboratories--Tacoma--1950-1960; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma;

A workman moves a stack of cartons of Wesco's sweet peas using a forklift in a large warehouse. The pallet supporting the cartons has been made using plywood. Cartons of StarKist tuna are stacked on the other side of the doorway. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Sales Grange Baseball Team, 1938 Pierce County Champions. Saxton Lumber Company baseball team c/o Paul Froman. 12 men in uniform, man center back in suit, equipment in front; posed on wooden bleacher steps.

Saxton Lumber Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Fallen piles of wood - 2x4, 2x6, etc.

Lumber;

This photograph of the Mountain Lumber Company, located at 919 East F Street on the Tacoma tideflats, was taken on February 3, 1939. Paul Billings, born in Lyndon, Kansas, moved to Tacoma in 1920 and opened the Mountain Lumber Co. in 1924. The mill was rebuilt after it burned in a spectacular fire in 1931. In January of 1950 Mountain Lumber was purchased by the Dickman Lumber Company.

Mountain Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Mountain Lumber Co. Stacks of lumber with large crane in between them.

Mountain Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

On May 22, 1939, employees at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. mill walked out, halting operations in support of their fellow striking employees at the logging camps. The workers at the camps had ceased work on May 15th. Employees at the mill walked out and filed formal charges of unfair labor practices against the company when they found out that officials planned to keep the mill running, processing logs from other sources. (T. Times 5/23/1939, pg. 3-article only)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940;

On the evening of June 15, 1942, the sawmill at the Henry Mill & Timber Co. was fully engulfed in flames. The fire department managed to save the planer plant, warehouse and offices, but the sawmill was a complete loss. The owners swore to rebuild immediately. However, after the fire, the company's business began to consist mostly of prefabricated items for the military. (T. Times 6/16/1942, pg. 1)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950;

On April 4, 1942, after several aborted attempts, the Northwest Hauling Company successfully raised a 150 foot smokestack at the new plant of Puget Sound Plywood located at 230 E. "F" Street. The huge steel stack weighed 13 tons and was constructed by Seattle Boiler Company. Once lifted into place on its 30 foot tall base, it jutted 180 feet into the air over the tideflats. The plant was expected to be fully operational in 30 days. The erection of the stack required several days of planning by the hauling company owned by Dan Cooney. Puget Sound Plywood, the first cooperative plywood plant in Tacoma, opened June 1, 1942. It had 298 members who each contributed $1,000 and received the same hourly pay and percentage of the company's profits. It was built on 3 1/2 acres at the mouth of the City Waterway. (T. Times 4/6/1942, pg. 2)

Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Northwest Hauling Co. (Tacoma); Smokestacks; Cooperatives--Tacoma;

Ben Cheney and an unidentified woman sit at the back of a convertible on the dock next to the "Oregon." Richard Studio notes state that this picture was taken in Oregon. The cargo ship was built by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. in Tacoma and was launched as the Cape Cleare.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971; Cargo ships; Convertible automobiles--1940-1950;

On February 17,1941, a log from a great fir tree has been delivered to St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. where it has been loaded on the carriage in the mill. The slab cut has been taken off and the saw is going into the log for the second cut. (T. Times 2/26/1941, pg. 13)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Logs; Saws;

Renton housing project showing use of "Cheney Studding". Ordered by Cheney Lumber Company. [Also dated 06-09-1942]

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Housing developments--Renton;

Renton housing project showing the use of standardized Cheney studding. Construction is the Highlands Development, east of I-405. Photographs made for Cheney Lumber Co.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Housing developments--Renton; Construction--Renton;

Renton housing project showing use of "Cheney Studding". Ordered by Cheney Lumber Company. [Also dated 06-09-1942]

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Housing developments--Renton; Construction--Renton;

Henry Mill, construction of trusses. Henry Mill was located at 3001 No. Starr, the former site of the old Tacoma Mill Co. The mill was operated by John F. Buchanan, pres., and William F. Buchanan, VP. During the second World War, they became active in lumber prefabrication. Large buildings, such as hangars, were prebuilt in pieces and reassembled on arrival at their destination.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trusses--Tacoma; Structural frames--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);

The exterior of the St. Paul Restaurant was located in one corner of the St. Paul Lumber Company building. A public pay telephone stands at the corner under a sign for the restaurant that slants away from the building. This photograph was taken on a cold day when snow still lay on the ground and covered the limbs of the trees and the top of the telephone booth. The restaurant was owned by S.R. and Mrs. E.J. Hull.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); St. Paul Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma; Telephone booths--Tacoma--1950-1960; Snow--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A worker at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. retail yard walks on top of a large piece of timber, preparing to hook up the hoisting machinery to it, and move it from the truck to a stack of lumber. St Paul's three mile long lumber yard was believed to be the largest in the world by the 1940's. St. Paul was a pioneer in the plywood industry, and also in reforestation.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery;

Several Rucker Bros. trucks loaded with lumber at the St. Paul & Tacoma retail yard. The retail yard was the largest in the Northwest. Rucker Brothers Trucking was located at the retail yard, facilitating the delivery of the wood throughout the Northwest.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Rucker Brothers (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;

St. Regis mills can be found in 23 locations across the United States, they have six plants in Canada, and one in Belgium, Brazil and Argentina. View of the St. Regis Paper Company's crew at Camp #2, located in Mineral, Washington; logs have been loaded onto trucks and will be transported to the Tacoma plant.

Loggers--1940-1950; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs; Firs; Forests--Mineral; Cutover lands--Mineral--1940-1950; Woodcutting--Mineral; Trucks--Mineral; St. Regis Paper Co. (Mineral);

Modular Structures, Incorporated was a structural engineering business firm, they worked on residential and commercial contracts. The company officers were: Win E. Wilson, President; James E. Dallas, Vice-President; and Mabel Wilson, Secretary-Treasurer. View of unidentified laborers working on prefabricated plywood panels that will be used for prefabricated grain bins; photo ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Construction industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Modular Structures, Inc. (Tacoma);

Interior of Oregon Washington plywood plant at Garibaldi, Oregon. Stacks of odds and ends of wood dot the floor of this mostly empty warehouse. The warehouse seems to echo emptily with its exposed beams and hanging fluorescent lighting. Some strips of veneer are less than four feet wide. These are also dried and then edge-glued together into a continuous sheet and cut to panel size. ("The Challenge of Wood" BCFP's 1979 Annual Report)

Lumber industry--Oregon; Plywood; Oregon-Washington Plywood Co. (Garibaldi);

A workman is fitting doors into a large cabinet built using plywood. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);