258 FELLING AND CONVERSION. 



workman cannot find room to use the saw, or when stems are 

 lying one over the other, itc, may the axe he used for this pur- 

 pose. The wood should then he cut 

 so as to have one cut vertical and 

 the other ohlique, as in fig. 128. By 

 the use of the axe from to 8 per 

 cent, of the wood is wasted, Iteing 7 

 per cent, when the pieces are 1 meter long. 



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

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

 split cordwood, and whenever the trade prefers that round cord- 

 wood should be split, this should also he 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 preparation of firewood. He requires several wedges of 

 difl'erent sizes, and even uses the cleaving-axe as a wedge, driving 

 it in Avith 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 6 or 8 pieces. Except in the case of 

 very large trees, the pieces are always split to the core. It would, 

 however, be better, both to facilitate transport and improve the 

 quality of the wood, that no pieces exceeded 5\ to 8 inches (I'l 

 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 otherwise 

 utilized should be carefully put aside. 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 utilized as 

 cloven-timber, and they should be carefully freed from all defective 

 portions and from sapwood. They need have no fixed dimensions, 

 but should be as large as possible and of whatever length is desirable. 



