Log Scales......I found myself wondering

[WeeksvilleWoodWorx]

today after a long day of resawing cca treated telephone poles, why am I doing this? :( But after finishing for the day and tallying I came out at 1500 bf. Not bad I think to myself (for a winter day). Customer asked me up front what I thought this was gonna cost, I tallied it up on doyle and added 20%, which I have found typical in the past, at 2100 bf. Problem is I haven't even hit the half way point on the poles yet! My 2100 bf will probably end up being 3000-3500 bf. I know, doyle is way under on small logs, like telephone poles ;D

To my question.. Has anyone smarter than I ever thought of devising a semi-accurate log scale for us bandmillers?

[Captain]

There is one...International 1/8".  Not currently sold at LogRite, though.

Captain

[WeeksvilleWoodWorx]

When are you going to get on the ball? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :D

[VA-Sawyer]

I find the 1/4" International much closer than Doyle my bandmill. I would prefer having a 1/8" International, but I guess we can have everything we want.
VA-Sawyer

[getoverit]

I'm new at this... if Doyle aint right, then what formula do you use to get close to the right figure if all you have is a doyle scale?

[Ron Wenrich]

Hit the "Forum Extra" up in the right hand corner.  There you'll find a calculator that will give you results in Doyle, International & Scribner.

Interesting point in history is that the International scale was originally figured at the 1/8" and was used in bandmills.  They couldn't cut the footage on that scale, so the 1/4" was developed and used.

Cutting 6/4 lumber and calling it 2" will always get you a huge overrun.  Log scales are generally developed around cutting 4/4 lumber.

[WeeksvilleWoodWorx]

I've usually been pretty close with doyle +20%, it's the small poles adding up... I'm cutting nominial dimensional, and tally as such, The Doc would NOT be happy! ;D

[VA-Sawyer]

getoverit,
I didn't say that Doyle isn't right. The Doyle scale makes a few assumptions about how the log will be sawn. Slabs cut at a certain thickness, kerf size, board thickness, allowable wane, etc.  If you saw the log as per the assumptions then Doyle will be pretty accurate. Most of us bandmillers do things a little different than those assumptions. That is why we get such different results in our yields.
I cut 2 large populars into thin siding today. Cutting on the 3/4" marks, getting boards about 5/8" thick. Got a LOT of those boards from those logs. Doyle wouldn't even be in the ballpark for figuring the yield  on that job. That is part of the reason there are so many different logscales available to use.
VA-Sawyer