Old Wood Samples
 

I came across a box full of wood samples at an estate auction, each
piece is 2 1/4 x 5" x 5/8 and they have a label something like this:
WILLOW
( Salix nigra)

SOURCE: Lower Mississippi Valley
PROPERTIES: Light in weight, soft, easily worked, shrinks and swells
but little, light brown in color. Weight, air dry: 26 lbs per cu. ft.
USES: Boxes and crates, furniture, fixtures, artificial limbs, backets

Sample Furnished by
NATIONAL LUMBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Washington, D.C.

All told I have 51 different samples. they are all numbered with a
stamp into the endgrain.

I'm figuring they might be from the 20s as one of the uses mentioned is
car bodies.

Anybody know about these or have a guess to their age? I'm thinking of
buliding a small "bookcase to hold and display the samples. They are
all very dusty and shop worn, any concerns if I take my plane and clean
them up a bit? I don't plan on putting a finish on them and they'll
receive light handling.

Thanks

Old Wood Samples
 

brandom11 wrote:
snip: They are
all very dusty and shop worn, any concerns if I take my plane and clean
them up a bit? I don't plan on putting a finish on them and they'll
receive light handling.

The only concern is that you will pretty much destroy any value they
might have as antiques or collectors items if you take a plane to them.
Those collectors are funny about that kind of stuff. But if you just
want to hold on to them and want them to look nicer, go right ahead.

Old Wood Samples
 

brandom11 wrote:
Anybody know about these or have a guess to their age? I'm thinking of
buliding a small "bookcase to hold and display the samples. They are
all very dusty and shop worn, any concerns if I take my plane and clean
them up a bit? I don't plan on putting a finish on them and they'll
receive light handling.

Thanks

I can't see these being that collectable (but you never know).. I'd do
whatever you wanted with them. I'd be tempted to turn them into
slimline pens.

Old Wood Samples
 

"brandom11" wrote in message
ups.com...
I came across a box full of wood samples at an estate auction, each
piece is 2 1/4 x 5" x 5/8 and they have a label something like this:
WILLOW
( Salix nigra)

SOURCE: Lower Mississippi Valley
PROPERTIES: Light in weight, soft, easily worked, shrinks and swells
but little, light brown in color. Weight, air dry: 26 lbs per cu. ft.
USES: Boxes and crates, furniture, fixtures, artificial limbs, backets

Sample Furnished by
NATIONAL LUMBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Washington, D.C.

All told I have 51 different samples. they are all numbered with a
stamp into the endgrain.

I'm figuring they might be from the 20s as one of the uses mentioned is
car bodies.

Anybody know about these or have a guess to their age? I'm thinking of
buliding a small "bookcase to hold and display the samples. They are
all very dusty and shop worn, any concerns if I take my plane and clean
them up a bit? I don't plan on putting a finish on them and they'll
receive light handling.

NLMA doesn't seem to be around anymore, at least not under that
name--there's one online reference to a paper dated 1929, so your guess is
probably pretty close. I think that the main historical interest would be
to someone researching that organization but I'd be surprised if they didn't
already have all the sample kits they needed. If there's anybody conducting
such research I have no idea how to find them.

What you've got is the start of a wood collection. Currently the "standard"
sample size seems to be 6x3x1/2, so planing 1/8 off the thickness shouldn't
make a lot of difference in terms of utility as wood samples.

There's another NLMA set being advertised in the classifieds on the
International Wood Collectors Society site
http://www.woodcollectors.org/listings.html--that one also includes a
brochure, but no price. Might be worth contacting him to see what it went
for. He says he's had it since the late '40s.

The going price for individual samples is 75 cents up to 6 bucks or so
depending on species.

Before you build a case for it you might want to google "wood collecting"
and decide whether it is something you want to get into. If so you might
want to design your case accordingly.

Old Wood Samples
 

Thanks all, the link to the international wood collectors society was
interesting. Not a hobby i'm likely to pursue ( too busy making
sawdust and shavings) but I can see how it could suck some people in.
Since it appears other. more complete, sets exist, per the list
reference. I'm thinking I'll have a nice way to test my hand planes
and take a pass or two off of each to clean up the surface. I'm not
worried about value as I don't plan on selling this set and it was just
part of a larger box of hardwood scrapps i paid $2.00 for. I
appreciate the info J. Clarke wrote:
"brandom11" wrote in message
ups.com...
I came across a box full of wood samples at an estate auction, each
piece is 2 1/4 x 5" x 5/8 and they have a label something like this:
WILLOW
( Salix nigra)

SOURCE: Lower Mississippi Valley
PROPERTIES: Light in weight, soft, easily worked, shrinks and swells
but little, light brown in color. Weight, air dry: 26 lbs per cu. ft.
USES: Boxes and crates, furniture, fixtures, artificial limbs, backets

Sample Furnished by
NATIONAL LUMBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Washington, D.C.

All told I have 51 different samples. they are all numbered with a
stamp into the endgrain.

I'm figuring they might be from the 20s as one of the uses mentioned is
car bodies.

Anybody know about these or have a guess to their age? I'm thinking of
buliding a small "bookcase to hold and display the samples. They are
all very dusty and shop worn, any concerns if I take my plane and clean
them up a bit? I don't plan on putting a finish on them and they'll
receive light handling.

NLMA doesn't seem to be around anymore, at least not under that
name--there's one online reference to a paper dated 1929, so your guess is
probably pretty close. I think that the main historical interest would be
to someone researching that organization but I'd be surprised if they didn't
already have all the sample kits they needed. If there's anybody conducting
such research I have no idea how to find them.

What you've got is the start of a wood collection. Currently the "standard"
sample size seems to be 6x3x1/2, so planing 1/8 off the thickness shouldn't
make a lot of difference in terms of utility as wood samples.

There's another NLMA set being advertised in the classifieds on the
International Wood Collectors Society site
http://www.woodcollectors.org/listings.html--that one also includes a
brochure, but no price. Might be worth contacting him to see what it went
for. He says he's had it since the late '40s.

The going price for individual samples is 75 cents up to 6 bucks or so
depending on species.

Before you build a case for it you might want to google "wood collecting"
and decide whether it is something you want to get into. If so you might
want to design your case accordingly.

Old Wood Samples
 

replying to brandom11, Rascal2515 wrote:
Do you have number 17 and 19 , also do you have the cover for the box , if so
are you interested in selling these items. What would you ask for these?

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...es-347654-.htm

Old Wood Samples
 

On Saturday, July 8, 2017 at 8:14:07 PM UTC-5, Rascal2515 wrote:
replying to brandom11, Rascal2515 wrote:
Do you have number 17 and 19 , also do you have the cover for the box , if so
are you interested in selling these items. What would you ask for these?

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...es-347654-.htm

Rascal, you've replied to a 10 yr old post.

Long ago, I was given a set of wood samples, on two large "key rings", not in a box. Each sample was paper-labeled, on the backside, and I don't recall if they were numbered. Some labels were missing. I don't know/recall if these were a dedicated set, by some organization (as per the labeling?).

I don't know if I still have them. I may have tossed them, as every few years, I declutter.... or try to!

Sonny