34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



turned around in the woods. The upper bunk has grooves in the 

 ends or sides above the runner and these fit around pins, called 

 ' ' starts, ' ' which are fastened in the lower bunk. Kve large logs 

 or seven or eight small ones with one end supported on the bunk, 

 the other dragging on the ground, can be hauled at a time. 



There are various other kinds of sleds in use, depending upon 

 the length of haul, kind of road, section of the country, etc. In 

 the Lake States and Adirondacks, where yarding sleds are not 

 used, a "bob" performs similar work. In some places logs are 

 transported considerable distances on heavy sleds variously known 

 as "two-sleds," "twin-sleds" and "wagon-sleds." They are made 

 from well-seasoned oak, maple or birch. The woodwork lasts from 

 three to four seasons, but the runner shoes must be removed every 

 year. The cost of making a two-sled in a camp blacksmith shop, 

 including labor and materials, is between $50 and $75. Dealers in 

 logging supplies quote them at prices ranging from $100 to $150 

 each. 



A low truck, called a ' ' bummer ' ' or self-loading skidder, has 

 come into extensive use in the flat and rolling hardwood and yel- 

 low pine forests of the South, particularly in Arkansas and Louis- 

 iana. While those for sale by manufacturers have skeleton wheels 

 24 inches in diameter, with a 6-inch tire, many operators prefer to 

 make their own out of black gum. In the latter case the wheels 

 are solid, with a 14-inch face and a diameter varying from 18 to 

 SI inches, and possess the advantage of a greater bearing surface 

 C/n soft ground. Heavy steel axles support a wooden bunk 2% 

 to 314 feet long and slightlj' concave on its upper surface. A 

 tongue 5% feet in length is attached to the bunk and serves not 

 only as a tongue but also as a loading lever. Small logs are held 



on the bunk with chains and large ones with tongs. A log is 

 loaded by placing the bummer, tongue up, alongside and 3 or 4 

 feet from one end, attaching the tongs and then pulling the tongue 

 down into a horizontal position. This places the log on the wheels 

 and by squaring the truck around it drops on the bunk and is 

 ready to start for the skidway. Bummers can be built by the camp 

 blacksmith for from $12 to $15 each, while the dealer 's price 

 is about $40 . 



In railroad logging stringer roads are sometimes built if suitable 

 hardwoods are available for the rails. Crossties from 8 to 12 inches 

 iu diameter and 7 feet long are cut along the track and spaced 

 from 18 to 24 inches on main lines and from 24 to 30 inches on 

 spurs. On these are placed 6x6-inch wooden rails made up of two 

 sawed pieces, 3x6 inches, one jjlaeed on top of the other and fast- 

 ened together and to the ties by heavy wire spikes. The top rail 

 is made of beech, birch or sugar maple and is sometimes covered 

 with strap iron. For the lower rail any strong wood of little value, 

 such as wormy oak, will do. The cost of maintenance of a stringer 

 road is heavy as the rails sliver badly and break, requiring so 

 much repairing after the first six months that the road is prac- 

 tically rebuilt in a couple of years. The cost of building stringer 

 roads is from $800 to $1,200 a mile, exclusive of material, though 

 this may be greatly increased where numerous bridges are neces- 

 sary. 



These instances not only show a number of convenient uses of 

 hardwoods in logging operations, but also indicate the great saving 

 in the cost of equipment which may be effected through the in- 

 genuity and skill of a good camp blacksmith, and a little forethought 

 in planning equipment. 



v c«ogc>aas^>;a^tu«:»rKND^atTOtf;^^ 



Facts About Some Precious Woods A 



COCOBOLO 



The best known grade of cocobolo grows in Central America 

 and is shipped from Panama. This is a slow-growing, very hard, 

 bright red wood, one of the brightest woods of commerce. The 

 sapwood is yellow and quite heavy, an average sized log having 

 about two inches. After being cut in the forests, the logs are 

 chopped into short lengths, usually not over three or four feet, 

 presumably to facilitate handling, as the wood will sink in water, 

 making it impossible to float the logs down the rivers to the 

 seaport. Many of the pieces become split and wormy, and a lot 

 of this wood on being received is made up of billets of all shapes, 

 weighing from thirty to four hundred pounds each. 



EBONY 



Ebony is well known as a precious wood. It is one of the 

 hardest woods in existence and very heavy, sinking quickly in 

 water; but unlike cocobolo, which has large pores and is of a 

 tough, fibrous nature, ebony has very dense, close pores, and is of 

 a brittle hardness, and consequently takes a high polish. 



The best grade, known as Madagascar ebony, is jet black, and 

 comes from the west coast of Madagascar. The end of a freshly 

 cut log makes a striking appearance, as the sapwood is white and 

 sharply defined against the jet black heartwood. This sapwood 

 is nearly all adzed off before the wood is shipped, giving the 

 logs somewhat the appearance of charred pieces. As the wood is 

 received, the logs are from four to ten inches in diameter, by from 

 four to eight feet long, and weigh from fifty to one hundred and 

 forty pounds each. As the hearts of the logs are generally 

 defective, much waste results in manufacturing. 



The other most important classes of ebony are Tamatave and 

 Gaboon ebony. Tamatave ebony grows on the east coast of 

 Madagascar and is purplish-black in color. In size it is somewhat 

 larger than Madagascar ebony, the logs averaging from 200 to 250 

 pounds each. 



The source of Gaboon ebony is the northwest coast, or tropical 

 part of Africa. This wood is grayish-black, with occasional light- 



colored streaks running through it. The logs are prepared for 

 market by being cut into sections, thus excluding the heart, which 

 is of no use. All sap is removed, and the wood is received iu 

 the shape of billets of from thirty to one hundred pounds in 

 weight. All ebony is very slow-growing, a tree giving an average 

 sized log being one hundred years or over in age. 



LIGN'UM-VIT.\E 



Lignum-vitse is generally considered to be the hardest wood in 

 existence. The main sources of supply are Hayti, Mexico and 

 Cuba. The color varies from dark brown to a dark greenish- 

 brown. The wood from Hayti is the poorest quality, and nearly 

 all of the supply is used for casters for furniture. An average 

 sized log is eight inches in diameter by three feet long, this includ- 

 ing from one to two inches of sapwood. Mexican lignum-vitffi is 

 next iu quality, being generally sounder and larger, but logs have 

 a heavy sap, which is light yellow in color, and cannot generally 

 be used, as it is softer than the heartwood. The lignuni-vitas 

 grown in Cuba is very much superior to either of the other named 

 grades, both in quality and size. Logs run from six inches to 

 thirty inches in diameter by from four to ten feet long, an 

 average log being twelve inches in diameter. This wood is 

 greenish in color, and has a very thin sap. The logs measuring 

 from eight inches to twelve inches in diameter inside the sap are 

 called "ball-wood," and are manufactured into bowling balls. 

 The larger wood is used in different kinds of shipbuilding. A 

 piece of wood broken from a log shows a wavy, interwoven grain, 

 and is very oily. The wood sinks in water almost as quickly as a 

 stone. 



Hardwood is the greatest product known for interior trim and 

 decoration, and the way to get more of it used is to keep driving 

 this fact home to the public. 



* * * 



There is perhaps many a man who has wished many times this 

 spring that he had loaded up heavily on lumber last year. 



