Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/199

 is as well to go right through the timber and mark each tree that you think suitable for your purpose. Gum, iron bark, bloodwood, and stringy bark are all good. Iron bark the best of them. Choose trees not less than four feet in circumference, smaller than this they are not worth felling, and the larger they are the better provided the grain of the wood is all right. In iron bark take a tree with a good rough straight running bark. Sometimes the bark twists as it were round the tree, somewhat like a screw, on no account choose a tree of this sort or your slabs will be crooked and useless. In gum notice the bark also, cut a good sized notch or wedge out with the axe, and you will then see if the grain runs fairly straight; if it is very much interlocked and close leave that tree as useless for your purpose.

Bloodwood has the same characteristics as gum. Stringy bark always runs free, and is by far the easiest of all to work. There are many other varieties of wood, but all spring from the four I have now mentioned, for instance, there is blue gum, spotted gum, red gum, all equally suitable for building.

When your tree is down measure the length you require. If for posts for the house, eleven feet long; if for fencing, six feet six inches; rails for the fence must be nine feet. Having measured the required length, cut a ring round out of the bark, and saw the log through with the cross-cut. Bark your log, and then it is ready for splitting. To begin this, first burst it into halves by putting your wedges in at the smallest end, and be sure you use your smallest wedges when beginning to split. The crack made by them in the end will show on the sides of the log for a short way. Now follow it up on one side, first by putting the bigger wedges into the crack as it shows along the log, helping the wedges with the axe by cutting any cross strings or splinters that show between them, turn the log over and do the same on the other side. When you have the log burst into two, work from the smallest ends, divide each half into two, three or four, according to the width you require your slabs, posts, or whatever you are making.

There is a very great difference in trees, some can be split up very easily. A good "free tree" as splitters call it will take no time to run out. One or two blows with the maul will generally start them, but even with a free running tree you require to watch the grain of the wood and see how it runs, as sometimes they run off or out, stice off as it were, then you must put your wedges into the opposite end and what is called "meet the fault." A good log of about two feet diameter if properly worked should give from ten to fifteen rails or slabs. But now to return to the house. You require four main posts, each eleven feet long and ten inches in diameter at the small end. I say the small end because very