SHINGLES AND SHAKES 



371 



nut, white oak and red oak are sometimes used, but the industry is 

 rapidly diminishing both because of the development of the country and 

 the lack of suitable and cheap timber. 



When a tree is found that will rive, it is felled, swamped and bucked 

 up into blocks the length of the shakes. The blocks are next set on end 

 for bolting. Circles the width of the shake are marked out on the face of 

 the block, the center which has a diameter of from 3 to 6 in., being culled 

 as it is too knotty. Next, the shakes are marked out in outline form 

 so that they can be split out along the radius. Shakes split out along 

 the quarter grain in this fashion are much stronger and more durable. 

 The sapwood is usually trimmed off and only the heartwood taken. 



Photograph by U. S. forest St 



FIG. 97. About 100,000 shakes made from five sugar pine trees in the Sierra National 

 Forest, California. These sold at $4.00 per thousand. Shake making is exceedingly 

 wasteful and is rapidly going out of practice. 



After the shakes are diagrammed on the face of the block they are split 

 out. The shake maker uses the following tools: A cross-cut saw, axe, 

 maul or mallet, i or 2 wedges, and a frow. The frow consists of a steel 

 blade 6 to 10 in. long with a wooden handle at right angles to the blade. 

 It is usually made locally in a blacksmith shop and has a rather thick 

 wedge edge. They cost from $.75 to $1.00 or more. With a frow and a 

 wooden maul the bolts are first quartered, and then split up into suitable 

 sized bolts for riving into shakes. Immediately after splitting the 



