Thread: calculating the volume of logs.

what's SWL ? my crane says it (SWL 300 kg @ 6.5 meters) i've picked up heaps more at full stretch and like craig says if it cant pick the log up then you know it's too heavy. then the chainsaw comes out and for loading trucks without bolsters, well we've had that discussion! anyway all coments are tongue in cheek

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Thats all good Greg, but how many logs do you see where you can roll the tape around it's centre girth? it's okay in a yard where machines are picking up the logs all the time - out in the scrub, with no way of 'picking' the logs up then you have to guess at the centre diameter, or go back to an average of both ends to get an estimate of the centre diameter

I use a girth tape and forestry book. In the bush on the dump you some times can't get under them so you just push a hole with a stick. Then push the tape through.
For the smaller more even logs I use calipers. I've double checked them with a tape and they are accurate.

Get yourself a girth tape and book. It is expensive to start with but soon pays for itself in time and effort.

regards
Steve

iv got an old one my fatehr owned its all in super feet.

ordered one from timber qld a few days back.

these you can use girth or diamiter and length. i have been usingin one that bleongs to a mate of dads.

i think dad called his a reddy recna or sompthing. has all sorts of otehr log info in it.

My tape has length on one side and the other side measures diameter. It is called a girth tape but the scale actually measures the diameter of the log.
The book has a page for each length up to 20m and on each page are listed diameters from 8cm up to 159cm. The calculated volume is written beside the diameter.
My book was printed by NSW Forest Prducts Association Ltd.

regards
Steve

In case you spot it in your local chainsaw shop it looks like this.

7 up from teh bottom.

https://www.timberqueensland.com.au/...ult.aspx?cat=6

$45 delivered and its printed on watter proof paper.

Originally Posted by charlsie

what's SWL ? my crane says it (SWL 300 kg @ 6.5 meters) i've picked up heaps more at full stretch and like craig says if it cant pick the log up then you know it's too heavy. then the chainsaw comes out and for loading trucks without bolsters, well we've had that discussion! anyway all coments are tongue in cheek

there is a difference between dragging it closer and lifting it @ 6.5.
until last week I didn't really know my old mans arms were quite so long.
nearly turned truck into a twisty with an oregon log attached.

I can't believe that any mobile swingblade miller needs a $45 book and a fancy tape to calculate log volume.
How many logs can you honestly mill in a day?
Now think about how long it takes to calulate the volume of that many logs?

Yep, the answer is not very (especially when half of them are probably the same size and don't need to be calculated again). Stop stuffing around with gizmos and go and cut some timber.

I reckon I could measure log ends and calculate log volume on my phone quicker than you could dig a hole under a log with a stick and pass a tape around it, read it off and then reference it in a book.

pi multiplied by the radius squared multiplied by the length of the log - it's primary school maths

I'm with you Mike, much easier just to work 'em out...

Originally Posted by Burnsy

I can't believe that any mobile swingblade miller needs a $45 book and a fancy tape to calculate log volume.
How many logs can you honestly mill in a day?
Now think about how long it takes to calulate the volume of that many logs?

Yep, the answer is not very (especially when half of them are probably the same size and don't need to be calculated again). Stop stuffing around with gizmos and go and cut some timber.

I reckon I could measure log ends and calculate log volume on my phone quicker than you could dig a hole under a log with a stick and pass a tape around it, read it off and then reference it in a book.

pi multiplied by the radius squared multiplied by the length of the log - it's primary school maths

I would recommend measuring every log. "Probably the same size anyway" does not go down well with customers in my experience. They also relate better to a tape and book when it comes to paying the bill as their maths may not be as good as yours.

The tape and book are universally accepted in the industry but they may not be essential for a mobile miller who only does a few logs a day.

The book is also useful for logs that have already been measured. You can look up the volume of a number of logs quickly and easily. In addition it is handy for checking log dockets if you get a load of logs delivered and want to quickly check the suppliers maths.

They really are a handy and professional addition to your kit and they are not that expensive really.

regards
Steve

I'm with you Stopper. I use my tape and book all the time. Firstly whilst pi square etc may be primary school maths, primary school was a long time ago for me and I'm flat out remembering my ph number let alone maths formula's.
Also very handy to show clients. If they see it in black and white there's usually no dramas over how much cube is there.
Its also the method by which logs are measured when I'm buying them through the Forestry. When I'm checking them I'm using the same benchmark/formula so no confusion.
You don't have the problem through which plane to measure as logs are rarely round.
I've never had any problems measuring in the bush, except maybe a few shudders up the spine when I'm sticking my hands in places where I'm not sure if there is an old Joe Blake lying there.
Thats my two bobs worth anyway.

The book is the industry standard as well as the tape with log length one side & diameter the other, as far as getting under the middle of the logs for measuring you try to snig the logs over a hollow at the log dump or on flat ground you push up a mound at one end, makes docking the logs easier too, once the logs are hammered the log truck driver does the tallying & invoicing for m3 of logs, usually pretty accurate because they have to calculate their load weight from the volume, log volumes are usually done in a triplicate invoice book 1 copy to the sawmill, 1 to the logging contractor & 1 in the book for the truck ( the log owner gets a copy out of it somewhere as well ). If I couldn't load the logs out on a falling day I would tally the log volumes with my phone calculator using 0.785 X diameter squared X length just to know how much I had fallen for the day.
regards inter

Just to add more spice to the mix I would like to introduce the use of log calipers for measuring logs up to 60cm diameter. I use them a lot and usually move them around the log to make sure of the measurement. I prefer the tape on logs that are really oval in shape.

regards
Steve

The tape is also handy for measuring logs like this one. The butt is not uniform and it has multiple branches at the head. I measured this log as if it were two seperate pieces running the tape around the centre of the 2.6m butt piece then around the centre of the 2.4m head piece. The customer was happy with that. Not a bad piece of red cedar. Can't wait to slab it up.


cheers
Steve