20 THE WOODSMAN’S HANDBOOK. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE MORE IMPORTANT LOG RULES. — 
The Scribner Rule. 
This is the oldest log scale now in general use. It was originally 
published in Scribner’s Lumber and Log Book, in later editions | 
of which it was replaced by the Doyle Rule. It is now usually ~ 
called the “Old Scribner Rule,” and is used to some extent in | 
nearly every State. The rule was based on computations derived | 
from diagrams drawn to show the number of inch boards that can ] 
be sawed from logs of different sizes after allowing for waste. The 4 
contents of these boards was then calculated and the table built up 
in this way. Sometimes the Scribner Rule is converted into what | 
is known as the Scribner Decimal Rule by dropping the units ]} 
and rounding the values to the nearest tens. Thus 107 board feet 
would be written 11 in the Decimal Rule; 104 would be written 10. | 
The Hyslop Rule is practically the same as the Scribner Decimal | 
Rule. The Scribner Rule is known in Minnesota as the Minnesota — | 
Standard Rule. In the original table no values were given below 
a diameter of 12 inches. 
In the judgment of most sawyers, the Scribner Rule gives very 
fair results for small logs cut by circular saws (about 8 gage), but 
that for large logs, about 28 inches, for example, the results are too © 
small. It often happens that defects are greater in large logs than 7 | 
in small ones, because the larger are from older trees, which are more 
likely to be overmature. Even with these, however, the Scribner 
Rule is fairly satisfactory if the scaler does not makea further deduc- — 
tion for defects. Asa matter of fact, alog rule should make noallow- > 
ance for defect, because that is unfair to high-grade sound logs; only _| 
the scaler should make such allowance. Insound logs the saw cut | 
has been known to overrun the Scribner scale from 10 to 20 per cent. | 
The Forest Service of the United States Department of Agri- | 
culture has adopted the Scribner Decimal Rule for timber sales on | 
the National Forests. It has been in use for about four years and, — 
in the main, has proved satisfactory, since competitive bids enable | 
the buyer to bid higher if the character of the logs indicates a mill _| 
overrun. : 
