marking logs

[br389]

I have a quick question..... What is the best way to mark my logs on the landing before they go to the mill so that way the mill knows there mine? I didn't know if there was a special way to mark them or not thanks

[HiTech]

Put your initials on the end with a lumber crayon.

[coxy]

years ago my dad got a hammer that had his initials on it    it was great it was small kind of hard to see your name but he new it was there  there is a book you can order them ouy of but cant remember the name

[MEloggah]

my trucker does these days, he writes my nameon one end, spreads them out to be scaled and writes my name on the last one.  but back in the day my ol man used to use a wood crayon and mark them all. he even would scale them to see how close the scaler was to him as well.

[g_man]

I scale my logs on the pile or on the truck and use a crayon to put my initials on so I know which ones I have done. That way I have a measure and they are marked when they get to the mill. I always enjoy seeing fresh sawed cants at the mill with a red GG on one end.

[Stephen Alford]

  I found the holder for those crayons very handy if you have a lot to mark, keeps them from breaking.   

[mesquite buckeye]

I scale my logs on the pile or on the truck and use a crayon to put my initials on so I know which ones I have done. That way I have a measure and they are marked when they get to the mill. I always enjoy seeing fresh sawed cants at the mill with a red GG on one end.

The holder is nice. Out here the crayons melt for 4 months of the year and won't work. We use a carpenter's pencil for most of our marking now.

[treefarmer87]

I always mark mine with spray paint

[clww]

I've seen some guys use a 2-3 pound mini sledge hammer. Burn there initials onto the face with a welding rod, then pound the end of the log and leave the imprint there. Kind of hard if your hauling full-length trees with the tops at the tail end of the trailer, though. :-\

[thenorthman]

Stamping hammer... each company/logger has there own "brand" embossed on an oversized hammer, each log gets a whack on both ends.

WA state DNR keeps a registry of different stamps, some obscure laws involving them, kinda like old ranch brands.

Note: not everyone does this anymore, WA state is weird, and WA DNR has some strange ideas from time to time

Note #2: to be done properly a stamping hammer should weigh roughly 300#s have too short of a handle (preferably broken), the skinniest kid in the county needs to wield it along with the can of red sprat paint to mark DNR logs, all while scrambling over a load of logs, and chasing chokers for the yarder crew...

My favorite stamp was: -$-  for a company called YMI logging... sound it out kids ;D

[mesquite buckeye]

 :D :D :D

[PAFaller]

That marking every log in nonsense and takes too long. Get yourself a trip ticket book with your name and info on it, the kind that has at least a white copy on top and 2 or 3 more carbon paper sheets behind it. Woodhauler or some guys on here could probably post a picture of one, I dont have any anymore because I contract cut now. But thats the way to go, everyone gets a copy with the time and date the load left etc. If you want just count the logs on the truck, your number and the scale slip after they go to the mill should match. But in NY its pretty common to sell logs on the landing why dont you just go that route. Get paid before they even leave the job, saves all the headaches of marking them.

[bill m]

I also use trip tickets. One copy for me and two for the trucker.

[thenorthman]

If your worried about the mill "losing" some of you logs and or not get paid for em, then it would make sense to mark each log, removes the chance of someone else getting paid for your work (probably the mill...) or at least makes it harder to get away with.

Although if your worried about the mill losing your logs, maybe you should find another mill.

[thecfarm]

Tickets are done here too. My Father came from the old school so we marked each log with the length of the log. Took no time with a lumber crayon to make the logs. But I'm wondering why do you want to mark them too? Just to keep everyone honest?

[chevytaHOE5674]

UP here when the trucker comes into the mill yard he fills out a trip ticket with the usual who, what, when data each ticket has a unique number on it, a copy of that ticket is placed into a secure box that the log scaler will open up later, another copy goes to the trucker, and a third copy can be returned to the seller. The trucker lays out double rows down each side of the truck with a single header log at the beginning and end of the rows of logs, and on those header logs he paints the trip ticket number. Scaler like myself comes along and opens the box, grabs the tickets, finds the load of wood in the yard and scales it up and enters it into the computer for that particular seller based on the ticket number. No need to mark every log. 

[thecfarm]

chevy,not that it matters,but the sawmill I use to sell to would scale it as it was being unlaoded. I went with the driver once and saw this.

[chevytaHOE5674]

A 9000+ bdft Michigan double is a lot of logs to scale as its coming off the truck. Occasionally there would be days we would have 10,20 and even 30 log trucks dumping logs, so there was no way for us to scale that many logs that fast. Around this time of year when spring break-up was approaching we wouldn't lay the logs out as there would be no room in the yard so we put them up in large piles, then when we got time the mills loader operator would lay the piles out for us to scale.

[thecfarm]

I was riding up there with a trailer behind me.   ;D  I forgot how much it scaled. I know you guys haul more than we do.There was trucks coming and going steady. This guy had a loader,but we still had to wait a few minutes. The guys with no loader was backed up some. I can remember at least 3 guys with a stick there.
Here's what was behind me for a trailer. You can probably just about guess how much is there.



 

[PAFaller]

Cfarm I remember when I worked in Maine riding along with my trucker a few times and they scaled logs as they came off the truck. These were pine logs, so only one species to worry about, but the scaler still had to enter a volume and grade into his handheld computer. I think some of the mills up there now use headsets so the scaler puts his stick on the log and talks to the computer. Be pretty handy that way. Other mills we toured in college had a scale house, where the logs were offloaded, went through the metal detector first, and then got scaled as they rolled in to the building. The mill seemed to think doing it that way was effective, I forget how many thousands of feet they estimated a year got kicked out for metal before they paid for em, adds up over time Im sure. Hardwood always poses a bit more of a challenge though, with multiple species and multiple grades. I tried my hand at being a scaler in a hardwood mill for a few months, didnt really have the patience for it. It wasnt a bad gig, but I realized that when the mill is upset you are paying too much, and the loggers are upset you are paying too little, you are doing your job right. I learned a lot and think I am a better logger for it, knowing how logs saw out and maximizing grade, but I dont miss that scaling job one bit. Either way, to get back to the original post, you have to trust the mill you are dealing with, and they've got it pretty well figured out as far as scaling goes. If its possible though I would still have the buyer come out to your landing and buy and tag them right there. They may also give you some pointers about what you are doing right and or wrong, and help you boost overall value of what you are cutting.

[Tree Killer]

UP here when the trucker comes into the mill yard he fills out a trip ticket with the usual who, what, when data each ticket has a unique number on it, a copy of that ticket is placed into a secure box that the log scaler will open up later, another copy goes to the trucker, and a third copy can be returned to the seller. The trucker lays out double rows down each side of the truck with a single header log at the beginning and end of the rows of logs, and on those header logs he paints the trip ticket number. Scaler like myself comes along and opens the box, grabs the tickets, finds the load of wood in the yard and scales it up and enters it into the computer for that particular seller based on the ticket number. No need to mark every log.

Thats the way most mills around here do it,  At a  AWP mill we had to staple a copy to the end of the head log.

[thenorthman]

Cfarm I remember when I worked in Maine riding along with my trucker a few times and they scaled logs as they came off the truck. These were pine logs, so only one species to worry about, but the scaler still had to enter a volume and grade into his handheld computer. I think some of the mills up there now use headsets so the scaler puts his stick on the log and talks to the computer. Be pretty handy that way. Other mills we toured in college had a scale house, where the logs were offloaded, went through the metal detector first, and then got scaled as they rolled in to the building. The mill seemed to think doing it that way was effective, I forget how many thousands of feet they estimated a year got kicked out for metal before they paid for em, adds up over time Im sure. Hardwood always poses a bit more of a challenge though, with multiple species and multiple grades. I tried my hand at being a scaler in a hardwood mill for a few months, didnt really have the patience for it. It wasnt a bad gig, but I realized that when the mill is upset you are paying too much, and the loggers are upset you are paying too little, you are doing your job right. I learned a lot and think I am a better logger for it, knowing how logs saw out and maximizing grade, but I dont miss that scaling job one bit. Either way, to get back to the original post, you have to trust the mill you are dealing with, and they've got it pretty well figured out as far as scaling goes. If its possible though I would still have the buyer come out to your landing and buy and tag them right there. They may also give you some pointers about what you are doing right and or wrong, and help you boost overall value of what you are cutting.

Since you used to be a scaler... is your thumb unusually long? just curios ;)

[PAFaller]

I only lasted 2.5 months before I got offered a logging job and hit the road so I didnt have time for that to happen. They take that stuff real serious up there. In NH you didnt have to be licensed but in Maine scalers have a license, and my understanding is it can be revoked if you get caught short sticking. At the time I worked at that mill we were getting a log of land clearing wood. It was a shame some of the stuff that would come in. Nice little 14 inch red oak and hard maple butt logs, would have made nice trees if given another 20 years but cut before their prime. But the mill had a set of grade guidelines to follow, so those little logs, defect free, could never go in the high grade based on the diameter requirements for the higher grades. We also got a lot of slasher cut wood that was misbucked. Guys would roll in and complain that the scale was light. Then you take them to the yard, tape out a log at 11 ft long, well its scaled a 10 ft if they didnt leave enough trim on it, and they want paid for a 12 footer. Im on the other side of it now and admit to getting ornery with a few scalers in my time, but the guys Im working for now are legit. Heck I scale my own loads sometimes, and come out shorter than they do. They dont beat me up too bad being a contract cutter. If a nice log has a bad center they will make a note and pay me on the gross, pay the landowner on the net. They figure its not my fault if a big stick has 4 inches of heart rot or something along those lines. Nice working for guys that are honest and logged for a lot of years before going milling full time.

[lumberjack48]

The mill we hauled in to, would short stick a load of logs, 400 to 1000 bf every load, especially if the Co. truck hauled it, A load of saw bolts, 1 cd to 1 1/2 cds every load. They'd simply say if you don't like it take it somewhere else. There was no where else, they were the only ones buying. And then you had no idea when you were going to get payed. I went up there with a pickaroon a couple times to get payed, I GOT MY MONEY, this is how bad it got around here, like i've said logging was no fun anymore.

[harrymontana]

marking logs is with lumber crayon or spray, essential for inventory purposes and sustainable forestry