98 LOGGING 



In the Adirondacks spruce logs which are to be manufac- 

 tured into lumber are largely cut into lengths of lo, 12, 13, 14 

 and 16 feet, and those for pulp manufacture into even lengths 

 of 14 feet or more. In Maine spruce is cut either into standard 

 lengths, or the butt cut is made from 30 to 40 feet long and the 

 remainder left in a top log which is taken to a diameter of 4 or 

 5 inches. 



White pine is largely cut into standard lengths. 



Douglas lir on the Pacific Coast is cut into logs ranging in 

 length from 24 to 60 feet and sometimes longer. The customary 

 lengths range up to 40 feet with a high percentage of 32-foot logs. 

 Fir is well adapted for the manufacture of long timbers, and 

 supplies a large share of the demand for such material. 



In the redwood region about one-fourth of the logs are cut 

 16 feet long. The remainder are cut into lengths of 18, 20, 24, 

 32 and 40 feet. The longer lengths are cut from the smaller 

 trees. 



Method. — The first step in log-making is to cut the limbs 

 from that portion of the bole which is to be utilized. This is 

 done with an ax by a member of the saw crew or by a special 

 man called a swamper, knotter or limber. The bole is then 

 laid off into log lengths by the head sawyer or by the "chipper" 

 who uses an 8-foot or lo-foot measuring stick. 



In log-making there are several problems which the workmen 

 must solve depending on the position of the felled tree. 



(i) When the log lies flat on the ground, bucking-up is a 

 simple matter as the sa\v\-ers start their cut on the lower or 

 upper part of the bole at the marked point and continue until 

 the log is severed from the bole. When the saw begins to bind 

 wedges are driven into the cut and made to follow the saw by 

 an occasional blow from an ax or maul. 



(2) When the bole is supported at one end, care must be 

 exercised to avoid splitting slabs from the under side. This is 

 accomplished by making a cut 2 or 3 inches deep on the under 

 side of the bole. In addition the log may have its free end sup- 

 ported by a false work of logs, or by a heavy stick placed in a 

 vertical position directly under it. The saw-cut is then started 



