LOGGING IN THE DOUGLAS FIR REGION. 



51 



as $0.04 per thousand feet. To get a correct figure, one would have 

 to keep a careful record for three or four years. By no other means 

 would it be possible to brush out the errors that creep into inventories 

 of used equipment. Even a figure secured in this way would not fit 

 all conditions. The above figure is intended to take care of the oil 

 used in connection with the operation of felling and bucking and the 

 supplies used by the filer, as well as the saws, axes, sledges, wedges, 

 etc., used by the f allers and buckers. 



The following statement which gives the estimated cost of equip- 

 ment and supplies worn out, lost, or consumed in connection with the 

 work of one set of f allers and three buckers in a season, indicates the 

 probable life of the different kinds of equipment used. The following- 

 assumptions were made : (1) That one set of f allers, working 25 days 

 per month for a season of 8 months, will fell 5,000,000 feet of timber ; 

 (2) that three buckers will be necessary to buck 5,000,000 feet of tim- 

 ber in addition to the down timber in the same period. 



Equipment and supplies used up in a season. 



Item. 



Cost. 



Unit. 



Total. 



2 ialling saws 



4 bucking saws 



5 saw handles 



2 falling axes 



3 swamping axes 



40 1-pound falling wedges 



60 1-pound bucking wedges 



1 10-pound falling sledge 



3 8- pound bucking sledges 



2 dozen axe and sledge handles. 



2 iron shoes (springboard) 



Oil and supplies 



Total cost 



Cost per thousand feet. 



^7.20 

 6.60 



.65 

 1.00 

 1.00 



.25 



.25 

 3.00 

 2.40 

 3.60 



.60 



^14.40 



26.40 



3.25 



2.00 



3.00 



10.00 



15.00 



3.00 



7.20 



7.20 



1.20 



50.00 



142. 65 



FILING. 



In times past, the fitting of the saws was done by the fallers and 

 buckers. Now it is ordinarily done by filers who are regularly em- 

 ployed at this work. All camps employ one filer ; the larger camps, 

 two. If the operation is large and scattered, three filers are some- 

 times necessary. In a general way, one filer can do the work in a 

 camp having an output of 150,000 feet per day or less ; two are neces- 

 sary if the output exceeds this figure. 



The number of saws that a filer should sharpen in a day varies with 

 the ability of the filer, the character of the chance, and the length of 

 time the saws are used before they are filed. Taking it straight 

 through, a filer sharpens from 10 to 12 saws per day. The number 

 is frequently as high as 16 saws per day. 



