246 FELLING AND CONVERSION OF TIMBER. 



ground, where the workman cannot find room to use the saw, 

 or when stems are lying one over the other, etc., may the axe 

 be used for this purpose. The wood should then be cut so as 

 to have one cut vertical and the other oblique, as in Fig. 152. 

 By the use of the axe from 6 to 8 per cent, of the wood is 

 wasted, being 7 per cent, when the pieces are 1 meter long. 



The round pieces over 5J inches in diameter at the smaller 

 end are then split by means of the wedge and cleaving-axe 

 into split cord wood, and whenever the trade prefers that round 

 cordwood should be split, this should also be done. 



The wedge is generally placed on the top of the round piece, 



and driven in by a blow of the axe- 

 head. Whenever the wood is difficult 

 to split this forms the chief part of 

 the woodcutter's work in the pre- 

 Fip. i:>2,-Method of cutting parat ion of firewood. He requires 



fiie wood. _ , ,.,,. . 



several wedges of different sizes, 



and even uses the cleaving-axe as a wedge, driving it in with 

 the beetle. It is only in the case of easily split wood that the 

 wedge may be placed on the side of the round pieces. Pieces 

 5 J to 8 inches (14 to 20 centimeters) across, are usually merely 

 split in half, whilst pieces 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centi- 

 meters) across are split into six or eight pieces. Except in the 

 case of very large trees, the pieces always are split to the 

 core. It would, however, be better, both to facilitate transport 

 and improve the quality of the wood, that no pieces exceed 

 5J to 8 inches (14 to 20 centimeters) measured along the 

 chord. 



(c) Refuse. 



Pieces too knotty or of too twisted fibre to be split remain 

 entire and go with the refuse, after the conversion is over. 



(d) Cloven-timber. 



In the conversion of firewood, billets which may be other- 

 wise utilised should be put aside carefully. This is specially 

 necessary with oakwood ; and from the broken pieces of trees 

 which cannot be converted into logs, or butts, many billets 

 may be utilised as cloven-timber, and they should be carefully 



