242 Forestry Quarterly. 



cutting end of this instrument resembled a half cylinder, the very 

 end of which sloped up to a spoon-shaped point. First, one end 

 of the log was bored for a distance of 5 feet. Then the log was 

 reversed and the process repeated at the other end. So true is the 

 alignment of this apparatus that the bore runs almost absolutely 

 straight through the log. 



The next and final step is to shape the ends of the log. This 

 was performed on a different machine which bevelled one end 

 and reamed the other while the log was held firmly in place as in 

 a vise. This completed the simple manufacture of these solid, 

 wood pipes. 



The bevelled end of one log fits so perfectly into the reamed 

 end of the next that no cement of any kind is needed to make the 

 joining complete. Each finished log pipe weighs about 100 

 pounds so that it is easily handled by one man. 



The green, peeled logs are bought at the plant for 15 cents 

 apiece or ij cents per linear foot. After being manufactured into 

 pipes, in the manner described above, they are sold for 9 cents 

 per linear foot. The whole plant does not cost more than $500 

 and the daily capacity is from 700 to 800 linear feet. One four 

 horse team can haul 450 linear feet of the manufactured pipes 

 and 1,500 linear feet of them constitutes a carload. 



The use of wooden pipes of this type is most economical near 

 the source of the timber supply. They are a good substitute, 

 under many conditions, for iron pipe especially where transpor- 

 tation costs are excessive and the suitable kind of timber is abun- 

 dant. As compared with iron pipe in this particular region where 

 I found them being manufactured, the wooden pipe described 

 above costs only one-half as much as 2-inch iron pipe and less 

 than one-third as much as 4-inch iron pipe. 



This class of wooden pipe is, naturally, best suited for use 

 where no great pressure is encountered, as in leading water down 

 from a natural spring on a gently sloping hillside. The pipe must 

 be laid in a straight line and it is usually buried completely under 

 ground. Untreated pipe used in this way is said to last for at 

 least ten years and when treated with creosote and kept full of 

 water is reported to have lasted for thirty years. 



