Thread: Convict Cut Timber

I don't know about other states but here in WA forestry "tree selectors" and tree fallers used to have their own hammer "brand" that they would each stamp into the ends of logs to identify it was a tree that was approved to be cut down. I'd say that stamp looks similar to one of those.

Not sure about timber, but in NSW the same mark was used on Board of Works tools such as shovels etc. This would probably be from the 1930-40’s.

Here in SA that is a symbol of government ownership, government owned utilities used to stamp that on all their tools. A mark from a convict is a much cooler story though
Cheers Andrew

Same here in Qld,
Rgds,
Crocy.

The arrow is more correctly described as a "broad arrow" and is very familiar to surveyors.

Its origins date back to approx 1330 where it was used to mark "the Kings property" as was the first recorded use in Australia in the colony of NSW at European settlement - convict uniforms, tools, buildings, etc. In 1852 it became protected by legislation for the exclusive use of government and hence further legislation required that it was used to mark reference trees etc associated with "crown surveys" i.e. state government surveys and the "broad arrow & bar" was used for marking "commonwealth surveys."


I believe in forestry it was used to mark logs for which the royalties had been paid and can be found on logs offered for sale well into the 1970's. I have some spanish cedar butts that have foresters stamps impressed into them. The stamps are a form of traceability of the logs origins. Foresters used a "timber mark stamping hammer" which was a sledge hammer cast with the "male" version of the impressed stamp on the striking face.

In Queensland many references can be found to the use of brands, their registration, use of, penalties for misuse / forging / defacing etc in the Forestry Act 1959 which is still current btw. The legislation requires that all timber and forest products from state owned and private forests has to be branded, so a "broad arrow" would have been commonly used on logs coming from state owned forests.

So I doubt very much that it was exclusively used to mark convict felled logs, given the vast majority of logs in the colony of New South Wales then QLD were felled by private interests i.e. the cedar cutters etc. and the use of brands required by the various states legislation.

Its a good yarn though.

Thank you all for the replies, very informative.

I will refrain from using the convict story and i won't tell the client the real story, best to let him believe what makes him feel good. He was here today to collect the box and was quite chuffed i was able to slice a piece off the end of the block with the arrow intact (well not really, as i was cutting the slice it broke into many pieces which i had to glue back together) and glue it to the underside of the lid.

Oh, and the timber was very nice, beautiful colour that really popped when oiled.

3043E651-F12A-42CD-85AD-85090F851B6E_1_201_a.jpgE615D904-9ED9-44C1-B965-06551C819A53_1_201_a.jpgF4B324D0-BCC6-4846-AFD0-123B3219111F_1_201_a.jpg

Very nice!

This is worth a listen if you have a spare hour or so - 'In Search of Red Gold: the story of red - Hindsight - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Nice! You did a great job of preserving it, whatever it means.

I have a Stanley marking gauge that hs an arrow stamped on it, apparently it indicates Govt and even military ownership.

Have a look here
Dispatching FIL's shed

Even if the broad arrows were not made by convicts, they should have been!

What was your wood like to work, dd? I made this little tool chest for my miniature tools from old cedar salvaged from an old door. I don't know its full history, but from the little I do know, it is likely the door was made around 100 years ago, & the decay along the bottom rail indicated it had been an external door somewhat exposed to the weather:
Toolbox loaded.jpg

The wood was horrible to work with! It wanted to crumble rather than cut, and I had to re-make two pieces because the joints ended up a mess, which spoiled the continuity I was aiming for. I wondered if that was due to being exposed to the elements for 70 or 80 years.

It finished nicely, as cedar does (I used shellac rather than oil as I feared it would darken the wood too much), but I would hesitate to use the remainder for anything intricate!

Cheers,

From the photo, I never would have guessed - looks lovely. That gum leaf escutcheon is a nice detail.