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Title: Keeping Down the Cost of Your Woodwork
Author: Anonymous
Language: English
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WOODWORK ***
Transcriber's Notes
1. Typographical errors and hyphenation inconsistencies were
silently corrected.
2. The text version is coded for italics and other mark-ups i.e.,
(a) Italics are indicated thus _italic_;
(b) Smallcaps thus +CAPS+; and
(c) Images are indicated as [Illustration: (with narration...)]
* * * * *
Keeping
Down _the_ Cost
_of_ Your
Woodwork
[Illustration: _The woodwork of your home is one of the most
important parts of its very structure_]
Copyright, 1923
Curtis Companies Service Bureau
Clinton, Iowa
[Illustration:
_To fireside happiness, to hours of ease
Blest with that charm, the certainty to please._
--Samuel Rogers]
Keeping Down the Cost of
Your Woodwork
_The common problem, yours, mine, everyone’s, is not to fancy
what were fair in life provided it could be--but finding
first what may be, then find how to make it fair up to our
means._--+BROWNING+
Not so many years ago, home-builders of good taste who wished to have
in their homes a background of beautiful woodwork with architectural
value found it almost impossible to obtain such woodwork except by
special order, at necessarily great cost. The Curtis Companies have
done much to change this--to make this one thing that is “fair in
life,” “fair up to our means.” The object of this booklet is to tell
you how it is possible for you now to obtain woodwork of excellent
design and guaranteed construction at lower cost than you could have
done a few years ago.
What is meant by “lower costs?” Curtis Woodwork is not the lowest
priced woodwork on the market, but it is the greatest value, dollar
for dollar. You may be able to buy, for less money, woodwork that
looks something like Curtis material. Cheaper material cannot, of
course, have the same quality as Curtis Woodwork all the way through.
We do not claim to make the _cheapest_ woodwork on the market, but
only the _best_. You will find that woodwork bearing the Curtis
trademark represents better value, rather than lower first cost.
+DESIGN+
The first element of its greater value, perhaps, is superior design.
Along with a higher standard of living in general, and education in
better homes and interior furnishing, there has come an increasing
demand for woodwork of better proportions and pattern than are
found in ordinary “stock millwork.” The Curtis Companies, led by
this demand, re-designed Curtis Woodwork to make it harmonize with
the newer furnishings. In this work, the authoritative help of the
architectural profession was sought. The present beautiful and
authentic designs of Curtis Woodwork are the work of Trowbridge &
Ackerman, architects, of New York City, who are acknowledged experts
in interior details of homes.
This quality of good design adds nothing to the cost, for it is just
as cheap to make a good design as a poor one, and often involves less
material rather than more, and simpler forms rather than more ornate
ones.
Your architect will not hesitate to recommend Curtis Woodwork for
your home, because it is correct in every detail, and will save him
and you the labor and expense and delay of specially designed items.
“But how,” you ask, “can Curtis Woodwork be beautiful and be well
made without increasing the cost?” Briefly, because it has been
standardized and is produced in quantities.
+STANDARDIZATION+
By standardization, we mean that production has been limited
to those designs, sizes and kinds of wood indicated in Curtis
literature. These are of sufficient number and variety to cover
all needs and all types of houses, but eliminate those sizes and
patterns not in demand. Thus waste is eliminated by not producing
and keeping in stock material that is little called for.
The woodwork items pictured in most “millwork” catalogs as _stock_
are seldom actually on hand; they are a collection of suggested
designs which have been detailed and which will be made up upon
receipt of your order. The items shown in the Curtis catalog,
“Architectural Interior and Exterior Woodwork, Standardized,” are
made up in quantities, and an effort is made to keep a supply on hand
ready for shipment upon receipt of your order.
+QUANTITY PRODUCTION+
These standardized items of Curtis Woodwork are produced in large
quantities. It is easily understood that a hundred sideboards, for
instance, can be produced at a much lower proportionate cost than a
single one. Accurate “details” must be prepared and if these can be
used again and again, a large factor in the cost of production is
eliminated. In making a sideboard, no less than 19 operations are
necessary. For these, intricate machines must be set and adjusted,
and material prepared. This can be done in practically the same time
for 100 to be run through as for 1, thus distributing the cost.
+CONSTRUCTION+
Wood is the only building material that grows. For that reason it is
seldom perfect and is more subject to the action of heat or moisture
than any other building material. It must be protected against damage
from these elements from the time the tree is felled--during the time
it is being made into woodwork in the factory, while in storage,
in transit, in the hands of your painter and finisher, and even
during the years that it is in your home. The construction of Curtis
Woodwork takes account of these factors and minimizes the chances of
your woodwork “going wrong” after it leaves our hands.
There is not space here to tell about the special construction
features which distinguish Curtis Woodwork from ordinary “millwork.”
Some of them are shown, however, on the following pages, in diagrams
showing details of Curtis stairs, cabinet work and doors.
Workmen making more than one piece of a kind at a time soon find
better ways of doing the work, and therefore make a product of better
quality. Many of the special Curtis construction features have been
worked out by the men in the Curtis factories because they were
interested in making Curtis Woodwork the best you can buy. If they
made each piece but once, the purchaser could not profit from their
experience.
+DELIVERIES+
Curtis Woodwork is made in quantities and kept in stock, not only by
the various Curtis factories, but by Curtis dealers throughout the
East and Middle West. With this wide distribution, your order can be
delivered promptly, so that your workmen need not be held up waiting
for your woodwork to be made at the mill.
+GUARANTEE+
Every piece of Curtis Woodwork that you buy carries, as a final
pledge of its better value, the guarantee: “The makers of Curtis
Woodwork guarantee complete satisfaction to its users. ‘We’re
not satisfied unless you are.’” If you believe with us that
economy does not refer to money hoarded, but to money _wisely_
spent, ask your lumber dealer to furnish Curtis Woodwork for your
house, and look for the Curtis trademark upon it.
Restful Rooms
Home is a place of rest. We seek for comfort in our homes. We mean
something more than bodily ease when we speak of comfort--we must
have _mental_ rest too. And there can be no mental rest without
beauty.
Beauty in the home is of two kinds, architectural and decorative.
They are supplementary, and neither can be successful without the
other. Rugs, lamps, furniture, pictures--these are decorative
elements. Much can be done with them to make a room homelike; but
to make a room truly restful it is necessary to have, also, good
architectural details to form a background or setting for the
decorative features. These architectural details are, in the main,
articles of woodwork.
Naturally, the best source of information on the design of interior
woodwork is the architectural profession. It was for that reason that
the Curtis Companies sought the help of Trowbridge & Ackerman, a firm
of architects nationally known for their work in interior details.
They re-designed the entire line of Curtis Woodwork, giving it the
benefit of their knowledge of design. The Curtis Companies give to it
their six decades’ experience in the construction of good woodwork.
By manufacturing it in quantities, the Curtis Companies are now
able to supply the builder with woodwork of architectural character
at less cost than made-to-order woodwork of indifferent design and
ordinary quality.
The use of standardized forms produced in quantities does not mean
in any sense the sacrifice of individuality, because there are many
designs from which to choose. Individuality, as one writer puts it,
is nothing more than “the best expression of one’s sense of beauty
and the fitness of things, and when it is guided by the laws of
harmony and proportion, the result is usually one of great charm,
convenience and comfort.”
On the following pages, each of the important rooms in the
average house is considered separately. These pages are commended
to your careful consideration, for you will find in them many
suggestions that will help you to build comfort, convenience and
beauty into your home--and this means restful rooms.
[Illustration]
Where First Impressions Count
The exterior of every house, however simple or elaborate, is nothing
more than a wall punctured with openings. If it is well proportioned,
and if the openings are well spaced and well proportioned, it will
create a favorable impression.
Windows having small panes with the division bars between them
painted white make interesting openings. Curtis sash are ovolo-molded
to match the molding of the doors and woodwork on the interior. Check
rails are rabbeted, and so resist seven times as much wind pressure
as ordinary check rails.
Blinds contribute color and contrast to the exterior of the house,
and they make the rooms within more restful because they enable you
to shut out the glaring sun without shutting out the breezes.
The construction of Curtis standard frames for windows and doors
reduces coal bills and makes more comfortable rooms.
[Illustration: _Entrance C-101_]
[Illustration: _Entrance C-109_
_Good proportions, dignity, simplicity, are characteristic of all
stock Curtis entrances, for large home or small one._]
[Illustration: _Entrance C-111_]
[Illustration: _Stair C-900_]
[Illustration:
_Starting newels and balusters on Curtis stairs like C-900 are
dowel-pinned to the solid, built-up starting tread. On stairs like
C-913, the newel is tenoned to fit into a mortise in the tread. The
result of such forms of construction is balustrades that are strong
and stable._]
[Illustration: _Stair C-913_]
As the entrance is usually the focal center of the main elevation,
it should be selected with care and due regard to the type of home
in which it is to be used. There are more than thirty designs in the
Curtis catalog.
Strangers judge your home only by those things which are seen from
the outside. But you and your family have to live with the things
inside. While you are pleased by favorable comment on the beauty of
the exterior, you are thrilled with greater pleasure at admiration of
the restful rooms within.
First impressions of the interior are usually made by the hall.
In the two-story house the stair may make or mar these first
impressions. On account of its size, its utility, its construction
as a part of the house, and its possibilities for beauty, the
stairway is of both structural and architectural importance. Beauty
depends not upon large-sized members, but upon graceful lines, good
proportions and finely molded parts. In the entrance hall, French
doors also add to the favorable impression which your home makes.
They keep out sounds and drafts but do not shut out light between
rooms.
[Illustration:
_A feature of Curtis stair construction which saves time for the
carpenter is the “housing” of the wall stringers. The treads and
risers, which are tongued-and-grooved together as shown above, on
the right, are WEDGED into the housing, not nailed. This is the
most satisfactory stair construction that has so far been devised
to eliminate creaking and “giving.” This picture is taken from the
under side of the stair._]
[Illustration: _Inter-Room Opening C-535_]
[Illustration:
_Face stringers (top picture) are tenoned to fit into mortises in
corner and angle newels, and are secured on the inside by means
of cleats. Balusters (bottom pictures) are dovetailed to the
treads, then the nosing and molding are applied._]
[Illustration]
The Living Room That Deserves Its Name
With such Curtis Woodwork as mantels, bookcases, inter-room openings,
wall paneling and ceiling beams as a background for the living room,
its furnishing is greatly simplified and it is easy to make it a room
deserving of its name.
Don’t consider for a minute doing without a fireplace. The cheer it
brings to the family circle, especially at Christmas time, is in
itself quite worth its cost. A hearth fire takes the dampness out of
the atmosphere in early spring and late fall, when the furnace is
not going, and so saves coal bills. The fireplace is valuable as a
means of ventilation, too. It is the center of interest in the living
room, and should be dignified and beautiful. Many beautiful mantels
of architectural merit are shown in the Curtis catalog, for houses of
all types.
Bookcases in the living room and library combine both architectural
and decorative value to a greater degree, perhaps, than does any
other one detail. The decorative value of books can hardly be
overstated. Curtis bookcases are designed as an integral part of the
house. They may be had in various sizes to fit your needs. There
are some with beautifully fluted pilasters and others of plainer
design but fine proportions. Either type may be had with or without a
drawer-pedestal.
Sometimes bookcases are used in combination with a permanent seat,
as for example around a window, and the recess thus produced can
be made very alluring. Permanent seats also utilize many otherwise
unused corners and nooks. They have hinged tops and so can be
used for storing miscellaneous household articles.
[Illustration]
Paneling is an attractive wall treatment for many homes. The wall
may be entirely covered with well proportioned and carefully molded
wood panels, or it may be marked off into rectangles with a simple
molding--which is known as “French paneling.” Paneling may be used
in other rooms of the house also. Often it is accompanied by beamed
ceiling, but ceiling beams can also be used without paneling, if you
wish, and give character to a room. They can be used to modify the
proportions of the room. They lend an interest to the interior that
it might not otherwise have. The Curtis catalog shows wall panelings
and ceiling beams of various designs.
In a small house, the rooms can be given the appearance of greater
size if inter-room openings are used instead of doors. These wide
portals throw the rooms together and permit larger vistas. They may
have simple paneled buttresses, or they may contain bookcases, desks,
or cabinets that take up very little more floor space than would the
partition. In either case the newest and best Curtis designs have
columns extending all the way from floor to ceiling.
[Illustration:
_In permanent furniture the tongue-and-groove mitred joint is used
wherever practical. Note the differences between this construction
and the common butt joint. With the former, no nails are used that
mar the finished surface of the cabinet, and there is no incongruous
contrast between edge and flat grain wood at the corners. Such a
joint cannot open up as a result of humidity and temperature changes
in the rooms._]
[Illustration:
_The mortise-and-tenon joint is used in the face of cabinet work and
in the stiles and rails of doors._]
[Illustration:
_All but the smallest drawers in Curtis permanent furniture are made
with dovetailed corners that cannot pull apart. They operate on
slides (A), which prevent wobbling and binding. The laminated drawer
bottoms are set into grooves in the sides and ends of the drawers.
The bottoms cannot shift about._]
[Illustration]
Making the Dining Room Inviting
In no room of the well-planned home is there greater opportunity for
good taste in woodwork than in the dining room. The room itself may
be attractive before furniture or drapery or carpet has been put in
place.
There must be, of course, a sideboard or buffet or perhaps a corner
china closet or a pair of them, in which to keep the china and silver
and linens. All of these may be had in Curtis built-in furniture of
excellent design and proportions, decorative in themselves and as a
display of handsome table-ware. They may be built into a recess,
or set out into the room. They come in different woods, suitable
for the finish that will best harmonize with your other woodwork or
furniture. There is a wide variety of sizes and types.
[Illustration: _Sideboard C-710_]
[Illustration:
“_Built-in furniture is very good in a small room,
because it takes and keeps its place as a part of the wall and
increases the floor space. It is advantageous in a room of great
size, because it then becomes of architectural importance, and may be
of great decorative value in mass and color._”
--_The Honest House_]
[Illustration: _China Closet C-703_]
[Illustration: _Buffet C-717_]
[Illustration:
_Curtis veneered doors have stiles and rails built-up as shown in
the section above. “C” are blocks of California white pine which
are tongued-and-grooved and glued together. They will not warp and
they are light. “B” are strips of hardwood which form the edges of
the stiles and rails and into which the molding is cut on Curtis
ovolo-molded doors. “A” are strips of veneer which are secured to
the white pine core by means of waterproof glue. Thus a door is
produced with all the beauty of grain of hardwood, combined with
the lightness, non-warping, non-checking characteristics of solid
softwood doors._]
[Illustration: _Curtis Standard Trim C-1620_]
A fireplace here is less essential than in the living room, but if
you can include one, it contributes to the spirit of hospitality and
cheerfulness which should characterize the room. Choose for it, from
among the Curtis standard designs, a simpler mantel than that in the
living room.
In a large room, beamed ceiling and wall paneling are impressive.
In a dining room of any size, wainscoting is always appropriate and
effective, and when you consider how easy it is to clean, and the
fact that it never needs renewal, it is an economical wall treatment
as well.
One of the important things about the background of the dining
room--as of every other room in the house--is the choice of doors,
windows and trim. These you must have, and on account of their
number, they may do much to improve or to destroy the effect of the
whole interior scheme. If you choose Curtis doors--whether they be
veneered or solid, whether with raised panels or flat ones, whether
with delicate moldings or of Puritanical simplicity--you will have
doors of correct proportions and guaranteed construction. The same
is true of Curtis windows and casements. The trim around windows and
doors offers a splendid opportunity for a choice between molded or
plainer Curtis patterns.
[Illustration: _Interior Door C-300_]
[Illustration:
_Above are shown the two different kinds and patterns of standard
moldings on Curtis doors, the “ovolo” and the “flush”. The former
is cut on the stile or rail; the latter is a separate piece that
is applied, being nailed to a spline, not to the panel, with the
result that when the panel shrinks the molding will not be pulled
away from the stile or rail. Note the panel thicknesses, too. Solid
raised panels are shown. In doors 1-3/4-inch thick these panels are
1-1/8-inch thick, while on 1-3/8-inch thick doors the solid raised
panels are 9/16-inch thick. The same depth of “reveal” is therefore
presented in every door. Solid flat panels in 1-3/4-inch doors are
7/16-inch thick; in 1-3/8-inch doors, 5/16-inch thick. Laminated or
3-ply panels are always 5/16-inch thick._]
[Illustration: _Interior Door C-305_]
[Illustration: _Combination Kitchen Dresser and Worktable C-760_]
Lightening Kitchen Burdens
Much can be done toward lightening kitchen burdens by proper placing
of the furniture and equipment. The character and location of
dresser, worktable and ironing board must be carefully considered. In
the illustration above, one end of the kitchen is so arranged that
most of the work can be done there, within a few steps. Regardless
of the width of the kitchen, there are units of Curtis permanent
furniture for this room that can be employed to form a similar
arrangement. Some Curtis dressers are two doors wide, others three;
some have a top section extending clear to the ceiling; others do
not. Any cabinet can be supplied with either glass or panel doors in
C-718, shown here, the kitchen dresser is combined with the dining
room sideboard, with sliding doors between.
[Illustration: _Kitchen Worktable C-763 (at left)_
_Hingeless, removable flour bins are used in Curtis kitchen
dressers and worktables. They will not fall out. Beneath the
front lower edge of worktables space is left for the toes of
the person working at the table, enabling one to get up close
without discomfort or scuffing the shoes._]
[Illustration: _Combination Sideboard_]
[Illustration: _and Kitchen Dresser C-718_]
[Illustration:
_Sliding doors separate the countershelves in design
C-718. The doors slide on rollers and are guided by a pin which
operates in a groove in the bottom edge._]
There are several different types of worktables in the Curtis
catalog. One of them is shown in the large illustration on page
12; another is shown at the bottom of that page. Bins, drawers
and cabinets utilize the space beneath the table top. Like Curtis
dressers, they are made with “toe-room” for the convenience of the
worker. Perhaps a corner of your kitchen can be used for a dining
alcove, or a breakfast table that folds into a wall cabinet when not
in use, such as are shown on page 15.
There should be a built-in ironing board in every kitchen. It is
protected from dust, is completely out of the way and is always ready
for use. This board is as easily installed in an old home as it is in
a new house.
Any item of Curtis permanent furniture can be installed in a house
already built with practically as little trouble as in a new house.
Curtis permanent furniture in the kitchen does much to shorten the
working hours of the women of the household. It saves time, steps and
a great deal of hard work, leaving the housewife better able to enjoy
her family than when she is tired out from heavy kitchen burdens.
[Illustration:
_Ironing Board C-770. Above you see the construction of the Curtis
built-in ironing board, which makes it adjustable in height. At the
extreme left is the board in place; at the immediate left, the board
in use; at the right the board is shown sustaining a weight of 365
pounds. The sturdy construction of the board and its leg makes a
stable ironing board. The above construction is such that the board
cannot shift endwise with the motion of the iron._]
[Illustration]
Where You Spend Over One-third of Your Life
Did you ever stop to realize that you spend more than one-third of
your life in your bedroom? This, indeed, should be a restful room!
Curtis hanging closets, dressing tables, window seats, tray cases
afford compact, accessible places to put away personal belongings,
and economize floor space, making even a small bedroom spacious.
There are dressing tables of two sizes, both with adjustable side
mirrors and a fascinating little bench. The tray cases have sliding,
open-end trays of various sizes and are enclosed by one of the
regular interior doors, so that the room may always be neat. The
hanging closet includes shelf, hanger-rod and shoe rack, and has a
raised floor that makes it unusually easy to clean. The dressing
table, tray case and hanging closet may be used in any combination,
and may be installed in a house already built, if you wish.
Bedroom slat doors are invaluable, especially in warm weather, to
increase ventilation while maintaining strict privacy.
Near the bedrooms and bathroom, a Curtis linen case is indispensable.
[Illustration: _Bedroom Slat Door C-330_]
[Illustration: _Dressing Table C-810, with Hanging
Closet and Tray Case_]
[Illustration: _Linen Case C-813_]
[Illustration:
_Dining Alcove C-740. If you are planning a small house, a dining
alcove will save you the space of a larger dining room; or it can
serve as the family dining room in the larger house, when it will
save housework and make the serving of simple meals a great deal
easier._]
Here and There About the House
Many an old house can be made more livable and many a new one insured
greater appreciation by adding one or two features here and there
that may perhaps not be necessities, but which will make the home
more beautiful, cheerful or convenient--make it more of a home. Such
things as a bay window, a dormer, a dining alcove, built-in tables,
radiator enclosures, hanging china closets, and medicine cabinets are
among these.
A bay window is a delightful addition to any room. It affords a view
up and down the street that an ordinary window does not allow, and
also takes advantage of sunlight and breezes from three directions.
A dormer may supply light and air for some unused space in the attic
and add interest to the roof lines.
Curtis radiator enclosures with iron grills solve a perplexing
problem in an attractive manner. A hanging china closet takes up no
floor space, and is more appropriate and decorative than a picture.
[Illustration: _Medicine Cabinet C-816_]
[Illustration: _Hanging China Closet C-731_
_A built-in table (shown in the two middle pictures) is the very
thing for the apartment kitchenette, because it affords a table for
dining and so leaves the regular living room table undisturbed. A
table such as this will also make an excellent supplementary work
place in the larger kitchen._]
[Illustration: _Built-in Table C-741_]
[Illustration: _Radiator Enclosure C-819_]
How You Can Obtain Restful Rooms
Not long ago, the only way the builder of the small house could
obtain such things of beauty and comfort as those described on the
foregoing pages was to have his lumber dealer order them from his
manufacturer, made to the architect’s special details. This was a
very expensive process, so expensive, in fact, that as a result of
it architects’ services were largely slighted, and consequently,
builders obtained uninteresting, ill-proportioned woodwork that could
not possibly produce restful rooms.
The Curtis Companies have changed all this. Architectural authorities
have designed practically every item of Curtis Woodwork. You can
buy this architectural woodwork for what you would have to pay for
mediocre designs made-to-order.
Go to your dealer and ask him to show you his Curtis catalog. It will
give you specific information concerning sizes and other details.
Selecting your designs of woodwork from the Curtis catalog is one of
the safest steps you can take toward obtaining restful rooms. Look
for this trademark
+CURTIS+
It identifies every genuine piece of Curtis Woodwork. You will find
many imitations of Curtis designs and some that are claimed to be
just as good. But without this trademark you do not receive Curtis
quality--an intrinsic value that unites appearance, utility and
Curtis intent.
CURTIS COMPANIES SERVICE BUREAU
CLINTON, IOWA
_Representing the following manufacturing and distributing plants_:
+CURTIS BROS. & CO+. +CLINTON, IOWA+
+CURTIS & YALE CO.+ +WAUSAU, WIS.+
+CURTIS-YALE-HOLLAND CO.+ +MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.+
+CURTIS SASH & DOOR CO.+ +SIOUX CITY, IOWA+
+CURTIS, TOWLE & PAINE CO.+ +LINCOLN, NEB.+
+CURTIS, TOWLE & PAINE CO.+ +TOPEKA, KANS.+
+CURTIS DOOR & SASH CO.+ +CHICAGO, ILL.+
+CURTIS DETROIT CO.+ +DETROIT, MICH.+
+CURTIS COMPANIES INCORPORATED+ +CLINTON, IOWA+
_Sales offices of_ +CURTIS COMPANIES INCORPORATED+ _located in_
+PITTSBURGH, PA.+ +NEW YORK, N. Y.+ +BALTIMORE, MD.+
Rogers & Company, Chicago and New York
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