=83. Molding.=—Molded work that goes through the mill is usually
charged for by the square inch of section per foot in length. Thus, if
the price is 1 cent per square inch of section per foot in length, a
molding ⅞ in. × 4¾ in. and 12 feet long will cost 60 cents, because the
section in the rough is 1 in. × 5 in., or 5 square inches. Therefore,
1 foot of this molding will cost 5 cents, and 12 feet will cost 60
cents. This method of charging for molding, however, is not altogether
satisfactory, because it requires as much time to put a narrow piece of
molding through the molding machine as it does a wide piece, and a wide
piece, since it will have a larger sectional area, will bring a higher
price.
A molding machine operates at different speeds, being run at a slow
speed when cutting hard woods and at a high speed when cutting soft
woods. A machine will turn out from 900 to 4,800 linear feet of molding
of any width per hour, the 900 feet representing the amount of very
hard wood run through the machine, and the 4,800 feet the amount
of soft wood run through when the machine is speeded up to its full
capacity. The average output of a machine, however, is about 3,000 feet
per hour.
The cost of the machine with a man to operate it may be considered
as 70 cents an hour on an average, the man getting 30 cents per hour
and the machine being charged for at the rate of 40 cents per hour.
Therefore, according to these figures, the cost of machining per linear
foot is only ⁷⁰₃3₀₀₀, or .023 of 1 cent. It will thus be seen that the
actual cost of putting molding through the machine, especially in large
quantities, does not amount to much.
For this reason, especially in the eastern cities, it is cheaper to
buy molding direct from the lumber mill than to buy the rough material
and then run it through the mill at its destination. In nearly every
instance the saving effected in putting the rough material through the
machine at its destination is more than counterbalanced by the extra
cost of freight rates due to the extra weight. For the same reason, in
the eastern market today planed boards are really as cheap as rough
ones, because the planed boards are lighter and thus cost less freight.
The cost of molding is governed almost entirely by the cost of the
raw material, and is always reckoned from a base price of 1 cent per
square inch of section 1 foot long. On this price a discount is given,
depending on the kind of wood and the finish desired. At present an
average discount for soft woods, such as white pine, spruce, cypress,
etc., is about 35 per cent. Thus, the actual cost of pine molding 1
foot long and 1 square inch in cross-section is
35 65
1 - ---- = ---- of 1 cent.
100 100
No discount is given on hard woods in many of the large eastern
cities at present—oak, birch, and the like being figured net. For
walnut, mahogany, and other high-priced woods, a special price is set,
depending on the market and the local prices.
=84. Cost of Window Frames and Windows.=—The following is approximately
the cost of a window frame with two 28" × 28" lights, where all mill
work is priced at ₆₅/₁₀₀ cent per square inch per foot: