Marking Hammer
Marking Hammers are used to mark the ends of cut trees before taken to the mill so the mill will know ownership of the tree. More importantly, so they will know whom to send the check to!
A poem, A Logger's Tale by local Gerald Ely Sarff
In just one week we'd hired Rob
And five more men to do the job
Our camp was set up, the equipment in place
One might have thought we were running a race
The very first day that we started the job
A guy drove up saying his name was Bob
I said "you'll need to talk to the Boss of this show
Thor can tell you what you need to know"
"Any complaints then talk to me
Any suggestions well we'll see
We'll work together on this job
You, me and Thor, and Sawyer Rob"
We spent two days just walking around
He couldn't tell if a tree was sound
At first he was ready to disagree
About every cut and every tree
I could have gotten angry at his attitude
If I hadn't been in a darn good mood
I said "Relax, slow down a spell
Thor has marked the trees to be fell"
He said "First tell me, so I will know
Why Thor marked that healthy Fir to go"
I replied "It happenes to be a rotten Hemlock
Listen to the sound which you give it a knock"
There were trees leaning across a brook
Bob said "We'll have to go by the book
So the stream won't fill with sand
We'll have to leave those trees stand"
I said "I know there's knowledge that I lack
But a line around them will pull them back"
He bet me a dollar it couldn't be done
But I showed him how twith the very first one
It's not such a difficult thing you see
To guide the direction of a falling tree
Just notch the side where you want it to go
Then force the tree that direction you know
Climb the tree as high as you are able
Then set a choker and hook the cable
A Skidder or Jammer will do the rest
And a slow steady pull will work the best
We didn't disturb the bank or stream
We left it running clear and clean
I could see that Bob was quite impressed
When Rob left a tree with an Eagle's nest
We worked over every foot of ground
Taking the trees that were not sound
We took old trees that were getting weak
Leaving you ones growing around their feet
We took about half the timber off that land
Now on that ground there's a healthy stand
If all the forests were logged that way
There would never be a forest that faded away
Bob learned a lot about logging every day
And how easy it was to log the right way
He learned how to skid and how to fall
Turned out he wanted to learn it all
When Thor came down with the flu
And the Choker Setter had it too
We asked Bob if he'd fill in
He had some vacation time coming to him
The weather held and with the men's skill
Soon a milion feet were hauled to the mill
In two more weeks the job was done
We worked hard but had lots of fun
I hated to let all the men go
Especiallly since there wasn't much snow
Thor and I and Sawyer Rob
Worked a week cleaning up the job
I moved my equipment back to the farm
And stored the Dozer in the barn
I kept the Skidder ready to go
Because I use it plowing snow
All the men got a week's bonus pay
I hoped to hire them again some day
Then I took them all out to dine
Even he wives had a good time
Donor: Loren Evenson
Adopted by:
Marking Hammers are used to mark the ends of cut trees before taken to the mill so the mill will know ownership of the tree. More importantly, so they will know whom to send the check to!
A poem, A Logger's Tale by local Gerald Ely Sarff
In just one week we'd hired Rob
And five more men to do the job
Our camp was set up, the equipment in place
One might have thought we were running a race
The very first day that we started the job
A guy drove up saying his name was Bob
I said "you'll need to talk to the Boss of this show
Thor can tell you what you need to know"
"Any complaints then talk to me
Any suggestions well we'll see
We'll work together on this job
You, me and Thor, and Sawyer Rob"
We spent two days just walking around
He couldn't tell if a tree was sound
At first he was ready to disagree
About every cut and every tree
I could have gotten angry at his attitude
If I hadn't been in a darn good mood
I said "Relax, slow down a spell
Thor has marked the trees to be fell"
He said "First tell me, so I will know
Why Thor marked that healthy Fir to go"
I replied "It happenes to be a rotten Hemlock
Listen to the sound which you give it a knock"
There were trees leaning across a brook
Bob said "We'll have to go by the book
So the stream won't fill with sand
We'll have to leave those trees stand"
I said "I know there's knowledge that I lack
But a line around them will pull them back"
He bet me a dollar it couldn't be done
But I showed him how twith the very first one
It's not such a difficult thing you see
To guide the direction of a falling tree
Just notch the side where you want it to go
Then force the tree that direction you know
Climb the tree as high as you are able
Then set a choker and hook the cable
A Skidder or Jammer will do the rest
And a slow steady pull will work the best
We didn't disturb the bank or stream
We left it running clear and clean
I could see that Bob was quite impressed
When Rob left a tree with an Eagle's nest
We worked over every foot of ground
Taking the trees that were not sound
We took old trees that were getting weak
Leaving you ones growing around their feet
We took about half the timber off that land
Now on that ground there's a healthy stand
If all the forests were logged that way
There would never be a forest that faded away
Bob learned a lot about logging every day
And how easy it was to log the right way
He learned how to skid and how to fall
Turned out he wanted to learn it all
When Thor came down with the flu
And the Choker Setter had it too
We asked Bob if he'd fill in
He had some vacation time coming to him
The weather held and with the men's skill
Soon a milion feet were hauled to the mill
In two more weeks the job was done
We worked hard but had lots of fun
I hated to let all the men go
Especiallly since there wasn't much snow
Thor and I and Sawyer Rob
Worked a week cleaning up the job
I moved my equipment back to the farm
And stored the Dozer in the barn
I kept the Skidder ready to go
Because I use it plowing snow
All the men got a week's bonus pay
I hoped to hire them again some day
Then I took them all out to dine
Even he wives had a good time
Donor: Loren Evenson
Adopted by: