Mystery measuring tool.

[salaMAK]

What we have here is  what might be described as a solid, turned, wooden rolling pin shape with one handle. Instead of a smooth cylinder, it is sixteen sided. On these narrow sides are scribe marks with numbers. Also there is a "collar" near the handle that has numbers 4 through 19 inclusive lined up with these sides. The spacing between the scribe marks increases as the collar number decreases. That is: 4 is lined up with the side that has scribe marks every 3" and 19 is lined up with scribes that are 5/8" apart and, 12 is lined up with the side with scribes 1" apart. The scribe marks on all sides are numbered starting at 1 and increase by whole numbers sequentially (1,2,3...) until there are no more marks. The whole tool is about 22" long which includes a 5" handle.       I'm attaching a photo.   Any idea as to what it is? The previous owner was in the lumbering business as well as seasonal contract grain threshing, c. 1910.

[Billman49]

12 = 1", 4 = 3" - makes me think of some kind of timber measure to work out no of cubic foot of timber per square foot superficial....

[ray]

How about a drafting scale, for making drawings to scale, the ones I have are three sided?

Ray

[Lewill2]

I agree with Billman, probably a lumber tool to calculate board feet of lumber in a log.