Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-01-21
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
The Measurement OF Logs. Trees and
Cord Wood in board Feet.

To the Editor Of The Free Press:
Since bulletin No. 1oc was issued letters
arrive asking me to show how to measure
whole tree trunks lying on the ground.
Now the object In measuring a saw log
is to show tho amount. as near as may
he. of merchantable boards one inch thick
and of the same width at both ends that
can by ordinary skill be got from that
log. 1t Is for this reason that the diameter
is taken at the small end. But q whole
tree trunk could not he measured In
that way. Even If the top down to GER
tain diameter be cut Off perhaps AT a
diameter Of six inches, It would be plain
ly unjust to take that as the diameter
Of the whole log. because the whole trunk
long boards A good way to proceed
would seem to be to mark of the trunk
beginning at the butt into the usual stock
lengths of l6 or 10 feet each. There will
generally be left a short length at the top
where the timber has less value. Each
of these lengths will then have its d.
ametcr taken at it's smaller end by cali
pers and length and diameter entered in
the note book, and at the end Of the day =
work the amounts can be looked up in
the printed tables and the whole sumrned
up. This will be somewhat more labor
ious than it would be to measure some
ono intermediate diameter and use IL for
the whole length. but II Il the safer and
fairer way because tree trunks differ so
much in taper that IL would he very
dhlcult and practically impossible for a
mathematician to tell where to measure
Thus a tree trunk measuring a feet
from the butt up to where the diameter
is 6 inches would yield two Is IT. logs.
and one II IT, log at the top. or else three
IL IT. logs and II. log at the top
This last style 81 measurement would
generally yield little more than the nrst
method. The shorter the lengths the more
a given tree trunk will scale. This s tn.
best advice ! know how to give on this
point
BOARD MEASURE OF CORD WOOD.
It has come to my knowledge that cord
wood in large diameters, Is now and then
bought and worked up into stun for hoe
handles and the like, and the soft wood
into lath when the fuel price Is low
enough to warrant It, This IL only an
other example Of the New England thrift
that seeks to make tho most of every
thing. II is natural that the question
should arise what Ia the proper relation
between the cord and the thousand feet
of boards?'
Answer-Suppose the sticks all 6 inches
I'm diameter and very straight, and piled
one above another. then the number in a
cord Is 12S. II the sticks were IL feet long
eHcn WOul0 by my universal log Tule
give II feet of boards, and the cord would
yield II times 12S or LAOS. But the sticks
are only feet long and We must divide
l4oS by s to get the board feet in n cord
of such sticks. This gives 40 nearly. In
the same measure, II the sticks were all
inches In diameter the cord would equal
about 576 feet. The trouble Is that small
sticks OF cord wood I, or inches In
diameter are probably sawed up with Q
| thin circular saw and the waste is much
less than II would be with the big saw
SO that a special rule ought to be com
puted. But everything considered
doubt whether cord of wood ought to
count for more than one-third of a
| thousand feet, and even then 1t must be
| all OF good size and fairly straight
have based this computation ~ cours.
| on the figures OF tho universal log rule
described and demonstrated In bulletin 10.
of the Vermont Experiment Station. The
printed rule ! am offering by mail at II
cents, the cost price. dime may be
sent in a letter at my risk A soon as a
demand develops I shall try to have meas
urIng sticks ready
| The printed rule IL also on sale al
Hobart ]. Stanley. In Burlington, and a,
II. o. Clarks, in st. Johnsbury.
| A. L. DANIELS.
Burlington. VT