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)
Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." Plywood is being attached to the exterior of the beams to form the curved roof of the chicken house. The entrance area and a ventilation window can be seen. This is the back of the house. This is possibly the Fife farm of the Guy Conine family. The family raised poultry in three chicken houses, one conventional and two of the quonset hut design. They raised Van Tress hybrid crosses, Washington Whites and Lancaster Whites. The laminated beam construction of the two quonset hut variety eliminated the need for posts for support. All feeding and watering was automatic. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg. B-6)
Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." Plywood is being attached to the exterior of the beams to form the curved roof of the chicken house. The laminated beam construction eliminated the need for posts for support. This is possibly the West Side Dairy Road poultry farm of the Guy Conine family in Fife. They operated one conventional chicken house and two of the quonset hut design. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg. B-6)
Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." These curved beams will support the plywood roof. The metal "lids" lying on the ground are possibly part of the incubators, or brooders. This mammoth house will hold many chickens, a far cry from a Mom and Pop operation. This is possibly the operation belonging to the Guy Conine family of Fife. Located on West Side Dairy Road south of Fife, the family raised 31,000 chickens in 3 fryer houses. The 3 year old operation was one of the largest in Western Washington. The newest poultry house was 250 x 50 feet and built for $6,000. Its laminated beams eliminated the need for posts and natural sawdust covered the ground floor. It had 16 gas warmed brooders. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg. B-6)
Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." The huge curved roof structure is followed by another just like it, indicating the size of this poultry company. This is possibly the Fife farm of the Guy Conine family. They had three chicken houses, one of the conventional type and two of the quonset hut variety. The first quonset was 180 x 50 feet. The most recently built one was 250 ft x 50 ft. Mrs. Conine went into the poultry business when her growing family required her to go to work. At her husband's suggestion, rather than working in an office or store, she decided to stay home and raise chickens. The 3 year old operation is now one of the largest in Western Washington. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg B-6)
Aerial view of the Cheney Lumber Co. at the Port of Tacoma. Lumber is stacked for shipment in the railroad cars at the back of the picture. Log booms float in the water. Ben Cheney started in the lumber business with the production of railroad ties. Soon Cheney was concerned with the waste of the side cut slabs, often 2/3 of the log. His solution was to provide the housing industry with standard 8 ft studding, the same length as railroad ties. Production took off and the new product soon established the standard room height in residential construction in the U.S. by using formerly wasted timber. The 8 ft pieces, formerly known as "shorts" in the lumber trade, were now "Cheney Studs" emblazoned with the logo of a silhouette of a Belgian stud horse Cheney had seen at the Puyallup Fair. ("The Sou'wester" Fall, 2000; Volume xxxv, Number 3) TPL-6329
Interior views of U.S. Plywood plant. Full sheets of plywood are being roughly sanded at the Seattle plant of U.S. Plywood in early January, 1956. One man carefully turns the wheels controlling the machine as the second man, standing at one end, removes the smoother sheet. See also D95927-3 for additional view. Photograph ordered by U.S. Plywood Corporation.
Plywood; Lumber industry--Seattle--1950-1960; United States Plywood Corp. (Seattle);
Two employees of the U.S. Plywood Corporation examine sheets of plywood in their Seattle plant on January 6, 1956. They were manufacturers of the "Weldwood" brand of Douglas fir plywood. U.S. Plywood had two locations in Seattle including a lumber division on E. Marginal Way. It also had plants in Mapleton, Oregon, and a 60 million foot capacity mill in Anderson, California. By 1954, with the addition of Associated Plywood Mills' two holdings, U.S. Plywood was capable of 342 million feet annually. (Cour: Plywood Age, p. 158-59)
Plywood; Lumber industry--Seattle--1950-1960; United States Plywood Corp. (Seattle);
ca. 1955. Photograph ordered by the Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. Men sit around a boardroom table, with others seated at the back of the room. The chart in the back of the room reads "Fire Chart."
Interior views of Anacortes hardboard plant. An Anacortes Veneer, Inc., worker appears almost dwarfed by the enormous machinery before him as he inspects gauges in the plywood plant on December 29, 1955. Anacortes Veneer was only the second worker-owned venture in the industry, following the example of Olympia Veneer. More workers would become owners in the near future. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Machinery; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Interiors hardboard plant in Anacortes. Sheets of veneer are stacked upright at the Anacortes Veneer plant on December 29, 1955. The plywood on carts would then be easily transported via tracks. Anacortes Veneer was the second worker-owned in the lumber industry, after Olympia Veneer in 1927, and after much trial and tribulation, peeled its first log on November 27, 1939. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (Cour: The Plywood Age, p. 123-127)
Plywood; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
An employee of the Anacortes Veneer, Inc., plant seems to have the responsibility of monitoring the gauges on the large piece of machinery. He may have to report his findings on the piece of paper in front of him. It is possible that this giant machine might be a hot press; the heat and pressure would seal in adhesive, making the plywood panels tougher and perhaps waterproof. The plywood then could be used for the exteriors of boats and other outdoor usage. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Machinery; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Interior of veneer plant. One man is all that is apparently needed to monitor operations at this stage of manufacturing at the Anacortes Veneer, Inc., plywood plant in December, 1955. Anacortes Veneer was one of the first co-ops in the industry as it first commenced operations in 1939. Charles Carlson was elected president on April 8, 1939. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Machinery; Plywood; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Exterior Cheney Lumber. Neatly stacked piles of logs are separated from sections of plywood by railroad tracks at the Cheney Lumber Co. lumberyard at the Port of Tacoma. The Cheney Lumber Co. was owned and operated by Ben Cheney. Founded in 1936, the company was established originally to manufacture railroad ties. Cheney developed the 8' Cheney Studs which were heavily in demand in the building industry. His logo of a horse was stamped on each stud produced. Photograph ordered by Cheney Lumber Co.
Cheney Lumber Co. Midget Baseball League. Summer was baseball time and the Metropolitan Parks offered many leagues based on the age of the players. Each team had a commercial sponsor and many of the different age teams bore the name of Tacoma philanthropist and sports enthusiast Ben Cheney. Ben Cheney made it possible for athletes of many different ages to experience the joys of competitive sports.
Circus trucks used to transport the travelling exhibit "Fir Plywood Golden Jubilee Show." Photo series ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. 1955 marked the 50th anniversary of the plywood industry. As part of the year long celebration, the travelling display toured the West Coast regions where plywood was manufactured. The free show included something for everyone. It featured a plywood menagerie, a color movie showing how plywood is manufactured and some new ideas for modern living, "Fifty Golden Ideas" by prominent designers. (TNT 7/19/1955, pg. C-17)
A model of a plywood mill, part of the travelling exhibition "Fir Plywood Golden Jubilee Show." 1955 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the first plywood panel. As part of the celebration, a mobile exhibit toured the West Coast regions where plywood is manufactured. This model recreation of a plywood mill was part of the show. In the model, cutting and barking of the log is shown as well as the peeling of the log. The wood is cut into lengths and placed in the drying racks to dry. In the rear, the lengths are having glue applied in preparation to being laid in plys to form the multi-layer plywood. The panels are then heated to form a solid bond.
Advertising set up for plywood, the building material of 1,000 uses. Photograph ordered by the Condon Co. for an ad in Life magazine for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The year of 1955 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of plywood panels. The DFPA used this opportunity to further promote their product. Plywood is shown being used left to right as woodworking materials, in flooring, as furniture, in boats, as house siding, playground building materials, a doghouse for a real pig and in traffic signs. This surrealistic overview would be sure to catch the readers eye in the magazine.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products;
Wallace E. (W.E.) Difford, managing director, addresses the Douglas Fir Plywood Association's (DFPA) annual meeting. The Golden Jubilee Convention was held in Portland, Oregon, June 19-21, 1955; celebrating 50 years of the plywood industry from its inception in 1905 to 1955. Difford advised the group of the need for research and product improvement to fuel industry growth. He also warned that the future of industry management depended on talented young people being advanced on the career path, not shuttled into dead end jobs. Difford was selected at the meeting as one of the top 3 plywood salesmen in the industry's history. The highlights of the Jubilee were a Broadway type musical pageant, the presentation of Arlene Francis's televised "Home Show" and the unveiling of a giant exposition containing 50 golden ideas designed by 5 nationally leading architects.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland; Plywood; Difford, Wallace E.;
The Douglas Fir Plywood Association's (DFPA) annual meeting in 1955. The Golden Jubilee Convention was held in Portland, Oregon, celebrating 50 years of the plywood industry from its inception in 1905 to 1955. Over 12,000 plywood manufacturers and distributers attended the meeting. One of the highlights was the unveiling of the Plywood Memorial at the Forestry building in Portland. The Memorial was designed around the original sheet of plywood manufactured in 1905 for display at the Lewis and Clark International Exposition in Portland.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland; Plywood;
Douglas Fir Plywood Association's (DFPA) annual meeting. The Golden Jubilee Convention was held in Portland, Oregon June 19-21, 1955, celebrating 50 years of the plywood industry from its inception in 1905 to 1955. One of the highlights was the unveiling of an exposition. This appears to be the wives of delegates posing at the entrance of the exhibit hall.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland; Plywood;
Two blonde models and a casually attired unidentified man pose on the barrier around the Douglas Fir Plywood Association's Plywood Memorial at the Forestry Building in Portland, Oregon. On display is the first plywood panel ever made from Douglas Fir. Early in 1905, Portland was getting ready for a World's Fair as part of the centennial observance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Portland Manufacturing Co. was asked to prepare an exhibit featuring something new and unusual. N.J. Bailey and Gustav Carlson and a crew of about six men constructed by trial and error the first plywood panels. This was the birth of the plywood industry that became one of the backbones of the economy of the Pacific Northwest. ("The Plywood Age" by Robert M. Cour)
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland--1950-1960;
The Douglas Fir Plywood Association's Plywood Memorial at the Forestry Building in Portland, Oregon. On display is the first plywood panel ever made from Douglas Fir. It was produced by the Portland Manufacturing Company for display at the Lewis and Clark International Exposition in Portland in 1905. Its production marked the birth of an industry that fueled the economy and development of the Pacific Northwest. The unveiling of the memorial was one of the highlights of the DFPA's Golden Jubilee, June 19-21, 1955, held in Portland.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland--1950-1960;
Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The word "Moke' " has been carved into a piece of fir plywood. The final swoop of the "M" has been lifted up to give a 3D effect. Moke panels were popular in the 1950s as backdrops in department store window displays and as decorative art in homes. For the same carving illuminated from the back, see image #7. (Additional information provided by a reader)
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;
Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A design has been cut into fir plywood with a saw. Dowel rods hold some portions of the design raised from the main board; other portions are bent back from the main design. The end result is a 3D look. A wooden finished knob in the center also lends a dimensional feel.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;
Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A design has been cut into fir plywood with a saw. The design is raised in some places and bent the other direction in others. The design has been illuminated from behind, accenting the detail. For the same design without the backlighting, see image #51.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;
Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A cabinet is viewed from above topped with an assortment of power tools, hand tools and plywood trim pieces. These are the materials and tools used in a woolworking display captured in this photographic series (D89928.) This cabinet would be perfect for the home handyman to store his tools and small materials or for the hardware store to shelve small items. The DFPA, located in the Fuller building in Tacoma, was constantly promoting its product and its myriad uses. The plywood industry exploded in the Northwest thanks to this dedicated self promotion.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Drills (Equipment); Hammers; Woodworking--Tacoma;
Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A man does detailed and intricate cutting with a skill saw. A completed decorative woodwork piece can be seen in the background.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Saws; Woodworking--Tacoma;
Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A man poses with decorative woodwork pieces cut from fir plywood. The wood has been cut in intricate patterns with a skill saw. Dowel rods have then been inserted to hold some of the pieces out from the main piece, giving the design a 3D look.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;
Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. In this photograph, a piece of 3D woodworking has been backlighted. The result looks almost like neon.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;
