Did You Know?

[cabinetman]

Henry Ford was into lumber big time.
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[Uncle Cracker]

I did not know that... But it makes sense that, with need for 200 million board-feet per year, Ford might have been induced to cut out the middle man.

[germdoc]

That is very interesting. Here's another unusual sideline he got into, from Wikipedia:

"Ford was instrumental in developing charcoal briquets, under the brand name "Kingsford". His brother in law, E.G. Kingsford, used wood scraps from the Ford factory to make the briquets."

He also worked with George Washington Carver on plastics made from soybeans: "He cultivated a relationship with George Washington Carver for this purpose. Soybean-based plastics were used in Ford automobiles throughout the 1930s in plastic parts such as car horns, in paint, etc. This project culminated in 1942, when Ford patented an automobile made almost entirely of plastic, attached to a tubular welded frame. It weighed 30% less than a steel car and was said to be able to withstand blows ten times greater than could steel. Furthermore, it ran on grain alcohol (ethanol) instead of gasoline. The design never caught on." Wonder why...

Henry Ford is one of the most fascinating figures in the 20th Century, not least because of his history of antisemitism and proGerman sympathy to the point he opposed America's entry into WWI and WWII. He later recanted his earlier views and criticized Hitler, although some questioned how sincere he was. During the Nuremburg trials some of the indictees actually wrote to Ford trying to get his support.

[Rob25]

I acutally went by the Alberta saw mill over the weekend. Looks the same as it does in the picture.

And, the Kingsford High School maskot is the Fliver...

The Alberta camp is used by the university I went to for their forestry program. They spend three months living there doing outdoor classes.

[Bruce Cohen]

Do you know that the "Morgan" sports car from the UK has a wooden chassis.

Bruce

[crokett]

A fascinating thread. Thanks for the link.

[cabinetman]

Do you know that the "Morgan" sports car from the UK has a wooden chassis.

Bruce

Bruce...what ya smokin'. From Wiki: n 2000, the Morgan Aero 8 was introduced and, as always, the wooden body substructure was ash. (Contrary to popular myth, however, the chassis is metal; aluminium for the Aero 8).
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[scmhogg]

Even the ignition coil in the Model T was installed in a wood box. With box joints yet.



Steve

[eccentrictinkerer]

'Nother bit of trivia - Henry had his parts suppliers use wooden crates made to his specs. When they arrived at the assembly plant, the crates were dissembled and the slats were used as floorboards in the Model T's!

I've been told the that this tale is apocryphal, but I have seen the floorboards in a friend's "T" that has been in his family since new. You can clearly see a stencil of the shipping info on the board. Henry even had the suppliers cut the openings for clutch and brake arms, so they could go directly into the cars!