BULLETIN 711, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Fig. 5. — Buck- 
ing saw, 
Here, as in the case of undercutting, springboards are 
generally used. 
BUCKING. 
In bucking, the men work singly with bucking saws 
(fig. 5), the size of the trees and the way they lie mak- 
ing this, as a rule, the cheapest and most practical 
method. This crew cuts no limbs from the trees other 
than those that hinder the work of bucking. The 
limbing is left to a man called a swamper, knotter, or 
limber, who works with the initial transportation or 
yarding crew. A swamping ax (fig. 6) is used for this 
purpose. 
In this region, where the timber is large and the 
ground steep and badly broken, bucking is difficult and 
dangerous work, requiring a high degree of skill. 
The buckers are usually confronted with one of 
four situations, depending on the position of the felled 
tree: 
(1) When the bole is lying flat on the ground, the 
bucker's work is simple, for after removing the bark, 
earth, etc., from the line of cut, he can easily saw 
through from the upper side, or if need be, from the 
lower. Before the saw begins to bind, bucking wedges 
(fig. 7) are driven into the kerf. 
(2) When the bole is supported at both ends, the cut 
is started on the upper side and continued for about 
one-third of the distance through the log, or as far as 
the bind will permit. A cut is then started on the 
under side and continued until the log is severed. The 
bole, as a rule, is supported by heavy props placed 
under one or both sides of the cut. If the tree is not 
hung badly, the cut may be made from the upper side 
by using side wedges; that is, ordinary wedges driven 
in with the grain across the cut to prevent the log from 
rolling, binding, slabbing, or splitting. 
(3) When the tree is supported at one end, care must 
be exercised to avoid splitting slabs from the under 
side. This is avoided by sawing on the under side of 
the bole until the saw starts to bind. In addition, the 
log, as a rule, has its free end supported by a heavy 
prop. The cut is continued, on the upper side, until 
the log breaks off from its own weight. 
(4) When the bole is sprung between stumps, or 
side bound, it will spring back when sawed; and the 
general practice is to chop a deep kerf on the concave 
