Two workmen monitor testing on a piece of plywood at the Douglas Fir Plywood Association's test lab at 1214 A St in Tacoma. The DFPA had two labs, one in Tacoma and one in Eugene, to test and improve the plywood product. The machinery doing the testing is 8 feet wide and 15 feet high and is being operated by two men. It appears to be measuring the pressure on the plywood.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Testing--Tacoma--1950-1960; Product inspection--Tacoma--1950-1960;
In February of 1947, the Tacoma Ice Palace at 3801 South Union Avenue was being prepared for a boxing bout. Plywood flooring was placed over the Ice Palace's skating rink. A boxing ring and a heating system with 12 large blowers was brought in. The main event, organized by Raleigh Sliger, was between the Canadian welterweight Hal Robbins and Chuck "Kid" Brown from Klamath Falls, Oregon. View of plywood floor being placed over Tacoma Ice Palace's skating rink, photo ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (T. Times, 2/10/47, p. 10).
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Floors--Tacoma; Ice skating rinks--Tacoma; Tacoma Ice Palace (Tacoma); Boxing--Tacoma;
Interior view of Coast Sash & Door Company showing men building church windows. Coast Sash & Door had been in business on the Tideflats since 1924. Photograph ordered by the Plywood Association. (filed with Argentum)
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Coast Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma); Windows;
The Plywood Research Foundation was supported by all fir plywood manufacturers and devoted to the development of new products that could be manufactured from parts of the tree not already being utilized. View of plywood products being tested and tool being used for testing at the Plywood Research Foundation.
Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laboratories--Tacoma--1940-1950; Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Two students play ping-pong in the Chapter Room at Kappa Sigma House. The walls have been covered with knotty-pine paneling. This fraternity became the first at the College of Puget Sound to employ a permanent house mother in 1950. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Tom Sias.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Table tennis--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1950-1960; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Kappa Sigma (Tacoma);
The exterior of the Georgia Pacific Plywood Company building in Olympia, Washington. The two-story building with a flat roof reflects 1950's styling and architecture. A smoke stack with the letters "GP" on it can be seen on the left.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Georgia Pacific Plywood Co. (Olympia);
One of the offices in the Georgia Pacific Plywood Company building in Olympia is shown with a desk with only an ash tray and an organizer on top, with a side-arm for the telephone and typewriter. A machine with a roll-type cover under the windows may be a dictaphone. Venetian blinds and patterned draperies have bee added at the windows.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Georgia Pacific Plywood Co. (Olympia); Offices--Olympia;
A stark office in the Georgia Pacific Plywood Company building in Olympia provides desks and equipment for fourteen people. Each desk has been provided with a calculator in the middle of the desk with a waste can to catch the tape as it runs from the machine. Telephones are seen on a few of the desks and most of them also have a typewriter on a pull-out shelf on the left. Florescent lighting provides a bright overhead light. Companies were attempting to apply assembly-line techniques to office work.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Georgia Pacific Plywood Co. (Olympia); Offices--Olympia;
The main entrance to the Georgia Pacific Plywood Company building in Olympia is shown on a dark afternoon with the interior lit from several angles. The smooth lines of the exterior of the building are carried into the entry way with a flat covering over the exterior walkway and the interior plywood paneling. The square panes of glass in the door match the geometric shapes of the larger windows and create a rythym with the louvers over the door and the steps inside.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Georgia Pacific Plywood Co. (Olympia); Office buildings--Olympia;
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);
New DFPA offices in the Fuller Building as pictured on September 18, 1953. This appears to be the mailroom. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association's headquarters in Tacoma was the center of the industry's national promotion of fir plywood. The cost of this promotion was over 2.5 million a year, much of it spent in postage. The DFPA was the highest volume customer of the Tacoma Post Office. TPL-8393
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Interiors of new DFPA office in Fuller building. Originally the home of W.P. Fuller & Co., the Douglas Fir Plywood Association leased and remodeled this office building in 1953. They remained here until the 80's. From this location, the DFPA directed their national program of promotion, research and quality control. Around 1983, the building was remodeled by Bantz Trace Associates and renamed the Commencement Bay building. It houses office space and the Cliff Street Lofts. TPL-8394
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Interiors of new DFPA office in Fuller building. Switchboard operator & a man waiting with a briefcase for an appointment. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association was originated and financially supported by member and subscriber mills. Its purpose was threefold; to aggressively promote plywood as a building material, to fund research on improving and diversifying the product and for quality control of the product. This self regulation sparked the biggest industry growth in the Northwest of all times. TPL-8395
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Interiors of new DFPA office in Fuller building. Office workers at desk and counter, "Mr. Ritchie's" office in the background. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association began in 1938 when the original member mills banded together to promote and standardize their product. Under the able guidance of W.E. ("Diff") Difford, the handful of mills became an industry. By the forties, plywood boomed in housing and became the handiest building material ever devised. The Association later changed its name to the American Plywood Association, as more types of wood came to be used in the production of plywood. TPL-8396
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Interiors of new DFPA office in Fuller building. Originally the home of W.P. Fuller & Co., the building was leased by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association in 1953 and remodeled for their headquarters. Plywood, the building material made of sheets of veneer glued together in multi plys, was the favored building material of the construction industry. This was mostly due to the self promotion of the Association, which was supported by member mills. The Association also sponsored research at its lab at 1214 A St. and standardized plywood and graded it for quality. TPL-8397
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960;
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;
Retail lumber dealers meeting; photographs ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A group of men in coats and ties stand or sit in front of a newly constructed home listening to another man speak. These are possibly lumber dealers discussing new home markets for their wares.
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.
Construction process for a life size lawn Santa Claus Christmas decoration, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The Santa pattern has been glued to the plywood and the design cut out so that it has a plywood back. Now the craftsman is applying lacquer so that the image will stand up to all weather conditions. Santa's head and arm are still unattached and will be glued on where the dotted lines indicate. (see also image #6 & 9 and C101278-1 for the finished product)
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;
The fifties were the height of the "do it yourself" age. In this photograph ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association, a man demonstrates how to construct your own life size lawn Christmas decorations. Here he glues the Santa Claus cut out to a sheet of plywood. The purpose of the DFPA was to introduce the public to new uses for their product. As such, patterns and demonstrations were always available at the hardware stores for the home handyman. (see also image #9 & 10 and C101278-1 for the finished product)
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;
Construction process for a life size lawn Santa Claus Christmas decoration, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. After gluing the pattern to the plywood, the handyman cuts the Santa out with a hand held saw. The dotted lines on the pattern indicated where another piece will be glued on top. (see also image #6 & 10 and C101278-1 for the finished product)
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;
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;
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);
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 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);
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);
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;
