WOODWORKERS' TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT 
95 
tree, he stoops down until he can sight from the bolt to the rivet, 
which line of sight indicates the direction in which the tree will 
fall provided it stands straight and the undercut has been made 
properly. If the direction of fall is to be altered, one leg of the 
gun stick is slipped around the tree, until the desired direction of 
sight is attained. The point on the tree at which the shifted 
leg touches indicates the outer edge of the revised undercut. 
Fig. 15. — Two Types of Gun Sticks used by Redwood Fallers. 
MEASURING STICKS 
The measuring sticks carried by log-makers usually are 8 feet 
long, where logs 24 feet and under are being cut. In the North- 
west they often are 10 feet long. They may be made by the 
sawyers from a straight sapling with little taper, or by the camp 
blacksmith from squared sticks which are cut to exact length and 
on which marks are placed at two-foot intervals. Unless wooden 
measuring sticks are metal-tipped, or have a nail driven in each 
end, the buckers are apt to chop off one end when marking off log 
lengths on the bole. Sticks shortened in this manner are often 
the cause of logs being cut to improper lengths. It can be cor- 
rected by allowing buckers to use onl}^ those sticks which are 
furnished by the company and the length of which is frequently 
checked by the saw boss. A measuring stick made from 1/4 
inch round iron is an excellent substitute for the wooden ones. 
It is light in weight, cannot be shortened by carelessly chopping 
off the ends, and when not in use may be stuck upright in the 
ground near at hand. 
