what is it?

[griz]

We went to a cabin a while back that had antiques as decor.  One of the items was this gauge, stick, tool, whatever.  It's about 40 inches long, at least as thin as a cheap yardstick and very flexible.  The handle end is laminated into a split in the wood of the body.  The brass end is fairly heavy and looks like it is used to catch the points on whatever is being measured.  It has several scales on it.  The close up of the brass end shows the markings.

I guess it could have come from anywhere, but the area where the cabin is located is farming and railroad country.  Any ideas what this thing was used for?

[AZRedhawk44]

Maybe measuring water depth?  The end with the metal cap is heavy enough to eliminate the wood's buoyancy, and helps it stand vertically?

[Jocassee]

Oil tank dipstick maybe?

[Tuco]

Logger's cruising stick
Measures tree height and diameter.

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=1441#

Crude triangulation measures height and diameter based on distance from eye and object.
Used in conjunction with a loggers tape.

Paging Charby.
Charby to the yellow phone.

Ooops, be vewy vewy quiet -  He's hunting turkeys.

[griz]

Thanks for the info, I now know about ten times more about lumber rules than I did yesterday!

[Tuco]

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/t01_pages/pdfs/M1441.pdf

How to use one!!!

[Tallpine]

Logger's cruising stick

Or sawmill log scaling stick.

Watch out for the "long thumb"

[Brad Johnson]

I'm more interested in the lines carved into the stone.

Brad

[geronimotwo]

I'm more interested in the lines carved into the stone.

Brad

that's what caught my eye at first.   glacier activity?

[Viking]

that's what caught my eye at first.   glacier activity?

Angry werewolf. Definetly angry werewolf.

[Brad Johnson]

that's what caught my eye at first.   glacier activity?

Maybe, but glacial scoring is usually straight, parallel lines.  The stone appears to have some kind of trapezoidal shape etched into it, and with at least two of the corners showing overlapping of the lines.

[Nick1911]

It took me a minute to realize that the thread isn't about the stone.  I thought it had a yardstick on it for scale. 

[Tallpine]

http://www.timberbuyer.net/topics/logrules.htm

[sanglant]

looks like it's been cut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voGRLGNXNuc
http://www.miconproducts.com/wedges.html

[just Warren]

I thought that stone was kind of groovy.

[230RN]

The grooves are cunieform instructions on how to use the stick.  Page two is on the other side.

And I thought this was a log scale stick:

[Brad Johnson]

I thought that stone was kind of groovy.

Sigh, it's going to be one of those days...

Brad

[sanglant]

days??? days??? it's been one of those months.

[Tallpine]

Here, you can buy a new one:

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=15DC

I used to use one, but now I can't quite remember how it works.

The top row of numbers are apparently inches of diameter, and the lower two rows of numbers are number of board feet x 10 for two different lengths of logs.  By combining those two, I think you can get the scale for various lengths.  it doesn't allow for taper however, so a long log gets significantly under-scaled (which the sawmill/buyer loves and the logger/seller hates).

[griz]

The rock was beside the driveway, maybe moved there with heavy equipment when they were doing the foundation?  I just sat the rule on the rock because it was handy.  I have a higher res picture if it would help, but I don't know enough about rocks to tell if it would or not.