TECHNIC IN APPLYING THE CUBIC FOOT 



When the cubic foot is used for determining log volumes a variation is apt 

 to occur., just as in board-foot scaling^, unless the measuring stick is 

 applied in the same way by all scalers* Quite often logs are measured 

 several times^ at various stages of handling between stump and sawmill c 

 They may be scaled in the woods to determine the output of log-makers and 

 again at the landing as they are loaded on railroad cars or trucks | they 

 may also be measured by the log-hauler , by the person who owned the stump- 

 age 5 by the buyer and the seller of the logs^ and again by the buyer when 

 they enter his sawmill 8 These several determinations will not be in reason- 

 able agreement unless measuring technic is uniform* There are certain to be 

 differences of a few percent if some scalers ignore fractional inches in 

 measuring diameters and others round off fractions to the nearest inch above 

 ©r below the actual diameter When logs are not round 5 further discrepancies 

 occur if seme scalers measure the narrow diameter and others take measure- 

 ments at right angles t© each other 



Establishing standards for intelligently determining the cubical contents 

 of logs is equally as important as establishing a standard unit of measure * 

 To insure uniformity, the following standards for measuring diameters and 

 lengths and for determining merchantability are suggested,, No new procedures 

 are involved » Similar procedures have been used in board-foot scaling for 

 almost a century* 



Diameter Measurement « Top End^ Butt End, o r Middle? 



When log diameters are being measured «, speed is often of prime importance e 

 Logs often come fb the scaling point by the truckload^ carload,, or train- 

 load* The uaulers are in a rush for their empties^ and the scaler must 

 measure diameters in a simple 5 convenient way* In view of these hurry-up 

 conditions it has become the custom in board-foot scaling to measure only 

 one diameter and this at the top end of the log* Since it is just as 

 logical for this same procedure to be followed in commercial cubic-foot 

 scaling^ it is recommended that diameters be measured at the top end of 

 each log inside the bark* 



"Average" and "Narrow" Diameter 



Since all logs are not round 9 there is some leeway in measuring the diameter 

 ©f logs that are eccentric * In such cases it should be the practice to de- 

 termine the diameter by taking the average of two measurements at right angles 

 to each other 9 as sketched in figure 4* 



When logs are scaled in the water 5 eccentric logs invariably float with the 

 narrow diameter at right angles to the water line. Though the narrow diameter 

 is the most convenient to measure 5 care should be taken to determine the 

 average* 



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