MEASUREMENT OF LOGS AND OTHER FOREST PRODUCTS II9 



from 800 to 1000 logs. A scaler and helper in Ontario will 

 average 3000 pieces at a cost of 2| cents per thousand feet.^ 



The cost of scaling ranges from 2 to 10 cents per thousand 

 feet. Scalers receive from $50 to $100 per month when working 

 on a salary. Contract scaling on large timber ranges from 3 to 

 5 cents per thousand feet. 



It is customary on Government timber sales for a head 

 scaler to check-scale or re-scale a portion of the timber meas- 

 ured by the regular scalers to detect possible errors. The 

 number of pieces re-measured varies from 5 to 25 per cent of 

 the total. The cost of the check-scale is 5 cents or more per 

 thousand feet. 



The various steps in the measurement of logs are as follows: 



(i) Determination of the length. The scaler may do this by 

 laying off the length with his scale stick, or by measuring with 

 a tape, a pole or a wheel attached to the caliper arm. The 

 wheel has 10 spokes, each armed with a spike, and the spokes are 

 of such length that the distance between each spike is exactly 6 

 inches. One weighted spoke affords a starting point for measure- 

 ment. The length of the log is determined from the number of 

 revolutions of the wheel. 



Many scalers estimate lengths and measure only occasional 

 logs as a check on short lengths. When log-makers are paid on 

 the basis of the amount of timber cut, this practice often leads to 

 careless work, because a slight shortage in log lengths cannot be 

 detected readily. 



(2) Determination of the diameter. Logs of standard length- 

 are measured inside the bark at the top or small end. It has 

 become a practice in some regions, particularly in the South, to 

 scale inside the bark on one edge and outside on the other. 

 Custom has made this the recognized method among operators, 

 but it is not standard. The inconsistency of this practice can 

 readily be seen when it is considered that the thickness of bark 

 is not a constant factor even on logs from the same tree and a 



1 See The Canada Lumberman and Woodworker, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 

 September, 191 1, p. 67. 



^ Standard lengths range from 10 to 24 feet inclusive, in multiples of 2 feet. 



