WOODWORKERS' TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT 91 
for felling timber along logging railroad rights-of-way when it 
was necessary to cut trees at or near the ground level. 
WEDGES 
Fallers and log-makers require wedges to aid them in directing 
the fall of trees and to prevent the l)inding of the saw in the cut. 
They are made either of metal or of hardwood. Iron or steel 
wedges may be made by the camp blacksmith, or purchased from 
dealers in loggers supplies. 
The. size and weight of metal wedges vary with the work for 
which they are used, and the pattern is largely a matter of in- 
/ 
Fig. 11. — Some Types of Wedges used by Loggers, a and b. Wood chop- 
per's wedges, c. Tie maker's and faller's wedge, d. Faller's wedge. 
e. Log maker's wedge, Pacific Coast. /. Faller's wedge, Pacific Coast. 
dividual preference. Felling wedges, especially when used in large 
timber, are longer than those used for log-making. A common 
form of metal wedge used on the Pacific Coast by fallers is made 
from 1-inch steel and is about 13 inches long and 3 inches wide 
at the point and weighs from 6 to 8 pounds. In Maine the 
felling wedges are shorter and may be shaped somewhat like a 
hatchet head. They are 6 or 7 inches long, 3 inches wide at the 
base, and 1^ inches wide and 1 inch thick at the top. On the 
Pacific Coast the buckers often use a wedge similar to the one 
shown in Fig. lie. In most regions fallers and log-makers use 
the same type of wedge. 
Since smooth-faced metal wedges are likely to rebound, shallow 
grooves often are made on the faces so that when driven into a 
cut the pressure causes the wood to partially fill the groove and 
prevents any backward movement. The faces are sometimes 
roughened slightly with a cold chisel to accomplish the same 
purpose. 
