Exposure of logging operation at St. Paul & Tacoma and St. Regis Paper Co.; photographs ordered by Malcolm McGhie. In a typical landing, a truck is being loaded with logs yarded from the surrounding area by the high lead system, using a "spar tree." St. Regis and St. Paul & Tacoma merged in 1957 with St. Regis becoming the parent company.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cutover lands; Logs; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery;
Exposure of logging operation at St. Paul & Tacoma and St. Regis Paper Co.; photographs ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A crane machine with a grappling arm is being used to load a logging truck. In the background is a "spar tree," also used for moving timber. TPL-8292
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cutover lands; Logs; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery;
A man, possibly Don Jaenicke, gives his shoes a high glossy shine as he has one foot on a plywood step containing an Esquire shoe shine kit. Cans of polish and a towel can be tucked away inside the plywood container and the container itself be stored in a closet. A convenient shoe rack is already in this Sylvan Park closet and space could be found for the shoe shine device as well. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Shoe shining--Tacoma; Shoes; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Members of Douglas Fir Plywood Association chuckle over results of the golf tournament held as part of their 22nd annual meeting in June, 1958. It may be that one player has lost a wager; he is shown with a dollar bill in his hand. The D.F.P.A. met in Gearhart, Oregon, that year. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Golf--Oregon--Gearhart;
Plywood is being laid on this large roof in a May 16, 1958, photograph. One worker is observed with his back to the camera; he is standing on a portion of the roof which has a plywood sheet partially covering it. Long planks of wood are placed horizontally over the roofline. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Building construction; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Two members of Douglas Fir Plywood Association appear to be discussing the merits of a golf club in early June, 1958. The Association was holding its 22nd annual meeting, that year in Gearhart, Oregon, with a golf tournament as part of the activities. New officers of the association would be elected during the three-day conference. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Golf--Oregon--Gearhart; Golfers--Oregon--Gearhart;
Timber! A logger watches as a tall tree makes its slow descent to the ground in a September, 1958, photograph. Limbs may already have been pruned before the tree was toppled. Stumps and tree debris indicate that logging has already occurred in this area. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant. TPL-9430
Improved machinery helped workers in more efficient harvesting of designated logs. Cable lines attached to the rear of a bulldozer haul away two smaller logs. Another log waits its turn to be removed. The bulldozer would also serve as an earth remover to clear paths in the forest. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant. TPL-9429
The figure of a logger is starkly outlined in black as he descends a spar pole. His steel tipped shoes assist in keeping himself steady. The belt circling the pole is used to keep him from falling. The spar pole has multiple cables that are used for yarding logs from surrounding strands of trees. This photograph was taken on September 12, 1958, in Port McNeil, British Columbia. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant.
A Pettibone Cary-Lift does its job effectively in grabbing and carrying individual logs to be stacked in piles. These large logs were harvested from forests near North Bend. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie.
A gully is carved out of the North Bend countryside and filled nearly to capacity with timber in an August 12, 1957, photograph. Two men can barely be spotted surveying the logs. The massive logs appear to be piled several times the height of the men. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie.
Piles of logs are scattered around a logging camp at the foothills of a forest near North Bend. Moving and lifting equipment are motionless in this August 12, 1957, photograph. The tall pole with intricate wiring spraying from its top is used to lift and maneuver logs. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie.
Additional view of men surveying mass of logs. Two men in hard hats examine the enormous amount of harvested timber on August 12, 1957. These logs were cut from forests near North Bend. The logs are of varying sizes; all dwarf the men. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie.
View of new hangar at South Tacoma Airport on January 10, 1958, shows how plywood was heavily utilized. The narrow, slightly bent pieces of plywood above the plywood forms are box beams. They were probably put together at Weber Lumber Co. a few days before. These are believed to be some of the ten new "T" hangars built by C.E. Munson, contractor. Planes would be hangared five to a side. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (TNT 2-2-58, A-14)
Plywood; Hangars--Tacoma; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Box beams are being erected in the new hangar at South Tacoma Airport on January 10, 1958. These plywood products were probably constructed at Weber Lumber Co. A small lifting machine has hoisted a box beam while three workers maneuver it into place. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Hoisting machinery; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
A series of photographs were taken on January 8, 1958, of workers at the Weber Lumber Co., 1744 N. 30th St. They appear to be nailing together box beams. Stacks of plywood are in the background. Weber Lumber is absent in the 1958 City Directory; at its site remained the Timber Fabrication Co. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Weber Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Only a craftman's hands can be seen carefully using a Skilsaw on plywood boards at Weber Lumber Co. Bits of wood shavings are scattered close by. The portable table saw cuts the plywood into the desired length. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Saws; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Weber Lumber Co., on January 8, 1958, was the site of a series of photographs taken on behalf of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association on the usage of plywood for a variety of products. Here an employee appears to be measuring a long sheet of plywood against a box beam. The sheet of plywood may have eventually covered the open box beam. These box beams may have been especially constructed to be used at the South Tacoma Airport.
Plywood; Weber Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
An employee of Puget Sound Plywood is measuring an exceptionally large log on a log deck at the company's East "F" St. plant on February 20, 1958. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cooperatives--Tacoma;
It appears that a giant log is carefully being barked by hand in a February 20, 1958, photograph. The Puget Sound Plywood employee is apparently using a long tool to lift the exposed layer. It is possible that this peeler will be used in the production of plywood. In that case, after barking, the peeler will be rotated in a lathe, removing strips of veneer. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cooperatives--Tacoma;
A peeler block appears to be emerging from this machine; it has apparently been barked. A technician, on an slightly elevated platform, monitors the proceedings in front of his control panel. He has his hand on a lever. Photograph ordered by Merchandising Factors, Seattle.
The hands of a craftsman, possibly Panther Woodworking owner George Panther, carefully screw on a small piece of wood to a long rod in a May 3, 1957, photograph. The rod is being held steady between the fingers of one hand while the other hand is simultaneously using the screwdriver. Other screws and rubber rings are close by on the table. Photograph ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Panther Woodworking (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma--1950-1960; Screws;
In April of 1956, workers at the Cheney Lumber Co. prepared packages of two by four "Cheney Studs" for shipment in the railroad cars behind. In the late 1930's, as timber became more difficult to obtain cheaply, Ben Cheney became concerned over the side-cut slab wastage, often 2/3 of the log, in the production of railroad ties. He came up with the idea of supplying the housing market with standard 8 foot studding, the same length as railroad ties were cut. At that time, ceilings were often 8 1/2 - 12 feet. A skilled marketer, Cheney renamed the "shorts," as these 8 foot pieces had been called, "Cheney Studs." The horse logo was based on a Belgian stud horse he had seen at the Puyallup Fair and the 2x4 ends were painted with bright red wax for instant identification. Cheney is credited with standardizing the room height in US residential construction. ("The Sou'wester" Volume xxxv, Number 3, Fall 2000)
The busy mail room of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A large mailer is being prepared. Some women fold the materials to be mailed and others stuff the envelopes. One of the jobs of the association was the promotion of the plywood product and the industry itself. One of the association's main sources of self promotion was the U.S. mail and the company maintained a large mail room to meet its demands.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Correspondence;
Cheney Lumber Co.; packages of two by four "Cheney Studs" being readied for shipment in the railroad cars behind. Ben Cheney got his start in the lumber business in 1936 during the depression. By the late 1930's, he was supplying railroad ties nationally and internationally. Cheney was wholesaling the production of 140 portable mills throughout the northwest, selling their ties on a commission basis. As timber became more difficult to obtain cheaply, he became concerned over the side-cut slab wastage, often 2/3 of the log. He came up with the idea of supplying the housing market with standard 8 foot studding, the same length as railroad ties were cut. He even obtained a lower transportation cost from the Interstate Commerce Commission, making production even more economical. Cheney renamed the "shorts," as these 8 foot pieces had been called, "Cheney Studs." Studs became the standard in the building trade and Cheney is credited with standardizing the roof height in US residential construction. ("The Sou'wester" Volume xxxv, Number 3, Fall 2000)
Cheney Lumber Company's booth at the 1956 Home Show. Each year the Greater Tacoma Home Show filled the College of Puget Sound fieldhouse with company sponsored booths, highlighting topics of interest to home owners. Hung behind this booth is a photo collage of the lumber industry. Below the collage is a model of one of Cheney's lumberyards. (See D99015 image 1 for a closer view of the model.) To the left of the booth is a display of Cheney sponsored sports teams for kids, utilizing photographs and trophies. A young Cheney midget league footballer watches the demonstration. Each year, Ben Cheney sponsored amateur athletic teams; keeping money from being an obstacle between kids and sports. Cheney teams played football, baseball and basketball.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma);
Cheney Lumber Company's booth at the 1956 Greater Tacoma Home Show. A young Cheney Studs football player poses in uniform with one of the trophies. His uniform features the Cheney "stud" horse logo on the chest. "Studs" were what Cheney renamed the 8 foot 2 x 4 lumber "shorts" that revolutionized the building materials industry. On the back wall are photos of the young man's football team mates, as well as other Cheney teams. One sign points out that the amateur Cheney Studs baseball team was the national runnerup in the 1955 American Baseball Congress.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Awards; Football players--Tacoma--1950-1960;
A model of one of Ben Cheney's lumberyards is displayed at the Cheney booth at the 1956 Greater Tacoma Home Show. Miniature stacks of Cheney "studs" dot the landscape. The Tacoma Home Show was held May 11-20, 1956 at the College of Puget Sound Fieldhouse. Over 100 local and national companies set up exhibit booths emphasizing products for the home. Cheney "studs" were 8 foot lengths of 2x4 timber that established the residential ceiling height in America.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Models;
Douglas Fir Plywood Association, 20th annual meeting. The Plywood and Veneer safety award is being presented to Williard Burrell of Weyerhauser by A.P. Stinchfield. Weyerhauser Timber's branch in Springfield Oregon was being presented the 1955 award for its low incidence of accidents. The trophy resembling a roller perched on a block of wood is the Carleton L. Smith Memorial Safety Award.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Springfield, Ore.); Burrell, Williard; Stinchfield, A.P.; Awards;
Retail lumber dealers meeting; photographs ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The group of men, in coats and ties, are looking at a model of a new home. One man is removing the roof on the model. The men are surrounded by artists' renderings of new homes and press and customer information regarding "Signature Homes." The covering on the table and walls has the logo for the Fir Plywood Golden Jubilee 1905-1955.
