# suspenders...



## forestryworks

what do you guys wear and where do y'all get 'em from?


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## Cedarkerf

Stihl dealers around here have them. The shops that cater to loggers and pros usually have some with their own logo. Get the button type the clip ons you'll find dangling on your shoulder.


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## beelsr

forestryworks said:


> what do you guys wear and where do y'all get 'em from?



i bought fireman's suspenders from duluth trading a while back when they had them on sale for something like $5 per pair.


+1 on the buttons....


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## wmthrower

I'll second the button style. Often called risers vs suspenders for the clip type. I need to get a pair switched over from clip to button style. Anyone ever switched a set over?


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## RiverRat2

*Third!!!!! +3*



wmthrower said:


> I'll second the button style. Often called risers vs suspenders for the clip type. I need to get a pair switched over from clip to button style. Anyone ever switched a set over?



Buttons,,,, yep it is no problemo at all,,, Madsens sells the kits,,, its real easy,,

It does help to have a pair of britches with the buttons already to lay out as a guide,,,Thats how I did mine,,, I just eyeballed it and they came out pretty good,,,,,

They even throw in a few extra buttons in case ya mess up or lose one,,,, 

Sorry,,, I see your talkin ab out the suspenders and not the britches!!!! MY BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## slowp

:blush: The most stylish and popular ones around here are the buckle ones. They are button on with buckles to adjust the length instead of those slidy adjuster things. They also have rings to attach items like whistles to. They are also the most costly. I'm short and once had a pair that were supposed to say Loggers World but all they said was Logg Wor because I had to shorten them. The button on ones are definitely the way to go and you can get the buttons to put on your pants too should they be without. Hmmm, this is a fashion discussion is it not? How come they don't make pastel suspenders?


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## Gologit

slowp said:


> :blush: The most stylish and popular ones around here are the buckle ones. They are button on with buckles to adjust the length instead of those slidy adjuster things. They also have rings to attach items like whistles to. They are also the most costly. I'm short and once had a pair that were supposed to say Loggers World but all they said was Logg Wor because I had to shorten them. The button on ones are definitely the way to go and you can get the buttons to put on your pants too should they be without. Hmmm, this is a fashion discussion is it not? How come they don't make pastel suspenders?



 Pastel suspenders? Heresy! Plus I don't think I'd be brave enough to wear pastel suspenders to work. Or foolish enough. Pastel suspenders...geeeeeez. What next, color co-ordinated caulks and hickory shirts with decorative lace trim? White wall tires on the crummy? Group aerobics at lunch time and group hugs on bad days? No no no...pastel suspenders would just lead to a bunch of other foolishness.


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## Gologit

Get your suspenders at Baileys, Madsen's or a saw shop. Red or black is preferred. No pastels.


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## Cedarkerf




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## Sprig

Threw mine away years ago and went back to a belt after pickin' cedar saw dust outta my, well, everywhere, a few times. Up a tree I might be concerned with snagging them, the less chance there is of that the better I think, but thats just me. I like to wear my t-shirt out and if I had tighter pants I wouldn't need belt or suspenders, though I suppose suspenders do make one look more 'loggerish' 



Serge


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## clearance

Sprig said:


> Threw mine away years ago and went back to a belt after pickin' cedar saw dust outta my, well, everywhere, a few times I like to wear my t-shirt out and if I had tighter pants I wouldn't need belt or suspenders, though I suppose suspenders do make one look more 'loggerish'
> 
> 
> 
> Serge



Me too, the buttons kept digging into me when I was climbing, I cut them off and now wear a leather belt, way better. I guess I am slim enough, but where do you put your whistle?


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## Sprig

clearance said:


> Me too, the buttons kept digging into me when I was climbing, I cut them off and now wear a leather belt, way better. I guess I am slim enough, but where do you put your whistle?


Safety pin by shoulder, reachable without hands (heaven forbid)


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## Engineeringnerd

I like the suspenders, keeps the pants up better than a belt if you're bending over a lot. Don't get them too tight or you'll be singing tenor.

I also like that they work better with chaps. If I wear a belt the chap belt tends to get hung up with my leather belt and is uncomfortable.


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## slowp

boboak said:


> Pastel suspenders? Heresy! Plus I don't think I'd be brave enough to wear pastel suspenders to work. Or foolish enough. Pastel suspenders...geeeeeez. What next, color co-ordinated caulks and hickory shirts with decorative lace trim? White wall tires on the crummy? Group aerobics at lunch time and group hugs on bad days? No no no...pastel suspenders would just lead to a bunch of other foolishness.



This sounds like a challenge. I'm thinking I'll have to find some white stretchy strapping and dye it. I'm thinking lavendar will coordinate well with my lavendar thermos.  Maybe I'll have it ready for "The Winter Collection." Pastel suspenders will look nice with Tin Pants and will perhaps cause yet another discussion about Forest Fashions on the landing. Seriously, when I used to run saw a lot, suspenders seemed to take some of the strain off my back.


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## slowp

Suspender Elastic Polyester 1" $1.60 Black 
1 1/2" $2.75 Black, Navy 
1 1/2" $1.00 Magenta, Teal 

I think I found a source, stay tuned.


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## Jumper

I had a pair I got in the army we used to hold up our wind pants mainly, but they finally wore out. KUNYs makes good suspenders here, the trick is finding a pair of button on ones, as the clip on ones are a PITA IMHO, they keep coming off the top of the pants. I did find a pair of button on ones at a safety place in Prince George, BC and ordered them on line.

http://www.kunysleather.com/products/detail002.asp?partNo=SP-35R


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## redprospector

wmthrower said:


> I'll second the button style. Often called risers vs suspenders for the clip type. I need to get a pair switched over from clip to button style. Anyone ever switched a set over?



Yep, no biggie.
Remove the wire loop that holds the clip, and throw it away.
Take a strip of leather (about 4 oz.) cut to desired length, cut a button hole in each end and insert through suspenders.
Now for your Sunday go ta meetin suspenders you can sew a leather patch in a loop, and attach it to the wire that you threw away. Then take the leather strip that you cut the button holes in and fold it in half (length ways), and sew it up. Trim the ends of the strips to suit your taste, and you'll be looking spiffy. 
I actually built a pair of leather suspenders once. Found out real quick why they use elastic.

Andy


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## slowp

I won't have to make any. I found these for $16.00 and will be testing the pink flamingos in button on. 

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-40801116004492_1954_2052185

Note: I hammered on some buttons the other morning. Got carried away and they made holes in my Carharts. One button fell off in a skyline corridor somewhere. Will go to town this weekend and purchase a different brand of buttons. And perhaps look for my hammer.


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## Lumberzack

For " pure" safety you should wear a belt and suspenders! That's what Justin Wilson always said! ( the cajun cook!) Lz


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## WadePatton

late to the meeting but dug this up as i'm now sporting suspenders from bailey's mounted to "wild ass" buttons also from there.

i lost some weight two years ago and have a bunch of oversized pants now. suspenders are great for that. and great with chaps.

now i have a question for you logger folks. seems that suspenders are _required_ on the west coast and not at all on the east coast*. is there a reason for the east/west difference other than tradition? 

*evidenced by logging shows on the tv and by statements like this one from welch co.:


> The Welch Company Inc. has been manufacturing suspenders in Portland, Oregon since 1967. Their suspenders are recognized for quality and reliability among the loggers and construction workers. *Traditionally, anyone showing up to join a logging crew wearing a belt instead of suspenders was sent home as too green to work with the crew*.



and i would have been wearing them sooner had i known about these buttons! you have to look for this stuff in the souf.


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## palogger

I wear better spenders from baileys, they are the ones slowp mentioned about that adjust with buckles instead of welt clips. they are available in either tan or black with clips, or button, and either x baxk or y back.


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## slowp

Time for the Pants Hanging Down tune.


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## Greystoke

Buy all my heavy buckle suspenders from Madsens. From Falling Timber:








To Climbing trees:






To Shoeing horses:






I can't work (or live) without them! I have been wearing them since I was 10 years old, so they are normal garb for me. I even wear them when I am hunting (minus the noisy d rings). All of my friends tease me about my suspenders but once you learn to appreciate them, they are awesome! As far as bachelor buttons, the "Bucksaw Logger" brand bachelor buttons are the best I have ever came across.


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## 2dogs

I posted a few days ago in the Bailey's forum my Better S-penders were falling apart. They gave me the contact info and I'll call them Tuesday. Prior to this happening they worked great.


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## WadePatton

yup, i like the all-metal aspect (of the *bucksaw loggers*) and ordered 32 of them just this evening. used up my "wild ass"(bailey's) buttons today.

here in the south they just aren't that common. bib overalls are very very popular, but suspenders-not so much.

i remember having a pair 20-some years ago, but i wasn't much of a woodsman then. 

and since dumping all my liberty overalls since they _moved production_ to -you know where- suspenders looks like where it's at.


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## stihl sawing

Tarzantree, that first pic of you in the forest in an awesome picture. A really great shot of you and the beautiful landscape around you. I wear them to keep my pants from falling down. The chaps and wedges will pull them down and i hate to have my pants low.


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## madhatte

Been up and down the clothing spectrum and what works best for me is military surplus BDU pants with a Filson belt. They're tough as nails, don't snag, and dry quickly when I get 'em wet, which is all the time. 

I also carry a 3-l CamelBak in a little backpack. I have the leather pad on the shoulder and the first-aid kit and earplugs and everything without worryin' about either chips or brush in the britches. 

Just my $0.02 worth.


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## Cedarkerf

WadePatton said:


> late to the meeting but dug this up as i'm now sporting suspenders from bailey's mounted to "wild ass" buttons also from there.
> 
> i lost some weight two years ago and have a bunch of oversized pants now. suspenders are great for that. and great with chaps.
> 
> now i have a question for you logger folks. seems that suspenders are _required_ on the west coast and not at all on the east coast*. is there a reason for the east/west difference other than tradition?
> 
> *evidenced by logging shows on the tv and by statements like this one from welch co.:
> 
> and i would have been wearing them sooner had i known about these buttons! you have to look for this stuff in the souf.



Way back in high school we were taught by our forestry instructor/busted up logger suspenders were to hold your pants up so you could wear roomy pants for mobility running from trees climbing on logs loose pants with stagged legs(cut very high water3-10 inches no bottom hem) so they would tear instead of catch on brush sawdust chips fall thru and breezy in summer flow thru with a loose waist. Ive worn em since freshman year in high school back in the 1970s wear em almost every day.


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## slowp

I have overheard many a conversation about "that #*$# kid better get some suspenders or he's done. 

Taking refuge in the bar one evening, I ran into a crew and had a beer with them. They were discussing the lack of fashion sense of a former *&%^kid who was wearing low riding pants sans suspenders. The hooktender made the comment that, "No guy needs that much room." 

During the same session, there was a funny story about a bar wrench working its way through the back pocket of tin pants and down into the double layer fabric where it was causing misery. The hooktender was about to drop his pants and work on getting the bar wrench out, but had to endure the wrench for a while because I showed up.


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## tramp bushler

Cody , that is an execellent photo of you in that Yellow cedar #### patch ....... And people wonder why Alaskans call it ,"the brush" ............ Thats a really great pic .. What kind of camera did you take it with .. You should be on a calander , The Stihl girls would love ya .!!.

. I HOPE YOU WERE GETTING ALOT PER BUSHEL !!


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## coastalfaller

Gologit said:


> Pastel suspenders? Heresy! Plus I don't think I'd be brave enough to wear pastel suspenders to work. Or foolish enough. Pastel suspenders...geeeeeez. What next, color co-ordinated caulks and hickory shirts with decorative lace trim? White wall tires on the crummy? Group aerobics at lunch time and group hugs on bad days? No no no...pastel suspenders would just lead to a bunch of other foolishness.



LOL!! Kind of reminds me of when I visit the Viberg shop in Victoria, BC. They have a pair of custom made corks on display.............in pink and sickly looking green leather!!! Mind you, there seems to be a pretty thick layer of dust on them! At least they have a sense of humour!

By the way, I second the black, button suspenders with the buckles.


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## slowp

What size are the pink boots?:monkey:


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## slowp

tramp bushler said:


> Cody , that is an execellent photo of you in that Yellow cedar #### patch ....... And people wonder why Alaskans call it ,"the brush" ............ Thats a really great pic .. What kind of camera did you take it with .. You should be on a calander , The Stihl girls would love ya .!!.
> 
> . I HOPE YOU WERE GETTING ALOT PER BUSHEL !!



Yes. That would be a nice calendar shot.


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## cuznguido

My youngest daughter would like the pink boots. Trouble is she wears like a 10 or so. Kinda limits her selection sometimes but she surely does like pink. I guess it's a bit unhandy to be 6 feet tall and female.


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## coastalfaller

slowp said:


> What size are the pink boots?:monkey:



I have no idea! Look fairly small to me, mind you I wear size 12-13, so everything looks kinda small! Vibergs number is 1-800-663-6388 or www.workboot.com Good luck!


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## WadePatton

Cedarkerf said:


> Way back in high school we were taught by our forestry instructor/busted up logger suspenders were to hold your pants up so you could wear roomy pants for mobility running from trees climbing on logs loose pants with stagged legs(cut very high water3-10 inches no bottom hem) so they would tear instead of catch on brush sawdust chips fall thru and breezy in summer flow thru with a loose waist. Ive worn em since freshman year in high school back in the 1970s wear em almost every day.



makes sense. i do hate dumping the dust out of my cuffs--especially unintentionally! but i do have plenty too-long pants. i'll have to sort through 'em.

still curious that it's _west coast standard _and not so much back here. of course it may be the general nature of the logging operations as well. skidders and doziers is all i've seen pulling logs in this area (and mules if you count tv--those boys are from just south of me). although i'm sure skylines and such are used on the bigger and steep tracts. lot of small operators too.

but then i'm no forestry expert. i just know the number to the firetower and they've only written me one warning ticket.:censored:


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## 2dogs

Cody was that first pic shot by a pro? It truly is a great pic. BTW gotta love the hoof jack. A real back saver, esp with draft horses.


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## jryn

WadePatton said:


> yup, i like the all-metal aspect (of the *bucksaw loggers*) and ordered 32 of them just this evening. used up my "wild ass"(bailey's) buttons today.
> 
> here in the south they just aren't that common. bib overalls are very very popular, but suspenders-not so much.
> 
> i remember having a pair 20-some years ago, but i wasn't much of a woodsman then.
> 
> and since dumping all my liberty overalls since they _moved production_ to -you know where- suspenders looks like where it's at.



You need to try pointer overalls then. Still made in TN!!!


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## BuddhaKat

I wear suspenders because of...... well, imagine trying to tighten a belt around the bottom half of a beach-ball. The tighter you go, the faster the pants shoot down. :jawdrop:


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## HillRat

Styles for fallers, loggers, firefighters...

http://wrightenterprises.com/

Good quality stuff, made in the USA, good warranty.


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## Greystoke

tramp bushler said:


> Cody , that is an execellent photo of you in that Yellow cedar #### patch ....... And people wonder why Alaskans call it ,"the brush" ............ Thats a really great pic .. What kind of camera did you take it with .. You should be on a calander , The Stihl girls would love ya .!!.
> 
> . I HOPE YOU WERE GETTING ALOT PER BUSHEL !!




That pic was taken by a photographer for national geographic, and was brought to my attention by forestryworks. The story that they did was b.s. and I wish that I would not have participated...should have known better. The photographer was a cool lady and took like 600 pictures that day, and even fell a tree with some help from me. This is one of the only pics I have that she took other than the one that they published in the magazine. There was a lot of junk in my strip there, and I had to gut my strip in order to get to a few nicer ones that she wanted to take a picture of me falling. Here is a pic that a friend of mine took of her taking pics of me  falling one of my "nicer" yellow cedar:







I was day baggin in that strip; $350 for six hours.


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## Greystoke

2dogs said:


> Cody was that first pic shot by a pro? It truly is a great pic. BTW gotta love the hoof jack. A real back saver, esp with draft horses.



Yeah, the hoof jacks are okay, I just don't like how flimsy they are when you are rasping hoof walls, so I built my own and I love it! Way more rigid.


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## BuddhaKat

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sSLc64JGbDE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sSLc64JGbDE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>


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## Turkeyslayer

Jonsered clip on suspenders here.


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## WadePatton

BuddhaKat said:


> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sSLc64JGbDE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sSLc64JGbDE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>


my local conservative talk show guy was just going on about this song-and the message. i thought of this thread. hoots. 'spenders for the 'hood-might be the next fed program.

don't have to look it up now...will give a _looksee_. (the duke)


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## tramp bushler

HillRat said:


> Styles for fallers, loggers, firefighters...
> 
> http://wrightenterprises.com/
> 
> Good quality stuff, made in the USA, good warranty.


.

. Thanks for the link HillRat ... I,ve been wearing Wright spenders for some time now .. The newest pair I have is like 5 years old and I wear them most days .. .
I would like to see them use a nice big copper rivet and washer as I have lost the D ring a few times . One time in the morning with my key back with crayon on it and the bull buck got all over me for not writing the # on the butt and stump .... He was not impressed when I showed him I had lost the D ring and key back .. It is laying somewhere in the Cocoa Harbor area of Dall island ... Unless someone else found it ....


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## gwiley

The heavy duty clip on suspenders work better if you clip them over belt loops - that makes the clips much tighter, otherwise they do end up flapping around.


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## forestryworks

tarzanstree said:


> That pic was taken by a photographer for national geographic, and was brought to my attention by forestryworks. The story that they did was b.s. and I wish that I would not have participated...should have known better. The photographer was a cool lady and took like 600 pictures that day, and even fell a tree with some help from me. This is one of the only pics I have that she took other than the one that they published in the magazine. There was a lot of junk in my strip there, and I had to gut my strip in order to get to a few nicer ones that she wanted to take a picture of me falling. Here is a pic that a friend of mine took of her taking pics of me  falling one of my "nicer" yellow cedar:
> 
> I was day baggin in that strip; $350 for six hours.



tried to rep ya, but i'm out. looks like good clean air out there


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## Greystoke

forestryworks said:


> tried to rep ya, but i'm out. looks like good clean air out there



I wish I could rep you man! You're the one that sent me the picture and link  BTW, it was very clean air there...probably the cleanest I have ever lived in.


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## Gologit

tarzanstree said:


> I wish I could rep you man!



I got him for you.


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## Gologit

forestryworks said:


> tried to rep ya, but i'm out.



I got him, too.


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## handyrandyrc

I wear suspenders AND a belt so that I don't end up lookin' like a foo' with my pants on the groun'!


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## Cedarkerf

I wear what ever saw shop spenders I have. Woods logging I think has about the best. Button type only way to go.

Yes Cody thats a cool pic of a cool guy in a cool place.


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## tramp bushler

*Rep ???*



Gologit said:


> I got him for you.


.

.

. How do ya do tha ????


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## Gologit

tramp bushler said:


> .
> 
> .
> 
> . How do ya do tha ????



Look in the lower left hand corner of the post you want to rep. There are three symbols there. Left click on the middle one and a box will appear. Left click on the "I approve" or "I disapprove", add a comment, and left click on "add to reputation". Another box will appear thanking you, left click to make it go away and you're done.


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## Farmall Guy

I wear the better spenders from baileys, I made up some buttons and added them to an old leather belt. My wedges and other tools go onto the belt, since most of my pants dont have buttons the belt allows me to wear my suspenders with any pair of pants. I also find that the weight of my tools is better supported with the suspenders than just the belt alone. 

I'll be buying a second pair of susspenders from baileys to put on my turn out gear at the fire house. The susspenders that are on my bunkers are about shot and the replacments provided arnt worth a darn either, ya get what you pay for I guess.


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## SINGLE-JACK

*Weaver Suspender WARNING*



forestryworks said:


> what do you guys wear and where do y'all get 'em from?



My Weaver saddle is great - but I NEED suspenders when 'wearing' a saw, topside. So, I got the Weaver suspenders - well made ... BUT ...

The *adjusters are way too large* (pic below). These 'buckles' rubbed raw spots on arms and chest after ONE day of work. So, I replaced them with AWP tool belt suspenders from Lowes - worked perfectly.

Just a 'heads-up' -- it's a good product but try them before you buy them. Make sure they don't rub you wrong.


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## tramp bushler

*Gettin rubbed the wong way*

..The buckles on my bushlers suspenders wear holes in my shirts .....Right about the outside of the shirt pockets . Partly because I keep some stuff in my shirt pockets all the time . Partly because after I got hitched ,my wife fattened me up 40 lbs or so ...

It always amazed me why Wahington guys would NOT wear a saw pad , an their goo speners would last 1 season an be cut mostly thru from their saw bein on their shoulder ....... This year I,m making a set from Moose hide with the hair still on the pads . I got a moose hide under the snow in back of the shed .. The hide is 1/2 " thich over their hump .........I,ve got some old Wright spenders a sled dog ate the leathers off for me free of charge . I will make the back and front from that .....Get some buckles from Tandy leather an brass rivets & washers also .....And the square D rings . I prefer Starret key backs and the clip on them is almost too big for the regular ds


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## Greystoke

tramp bushler said:


> ..The buckles on my bushlers suspenders wear holes in my shirts .....Right about the outside of the shirt pockets . Partly because I keep some stuff in my shirt pockets all the time . Partly because after I got hitched ,my wife fattened me up 40 lbs or so ...
> 
> It always amazed me why Wahington guys would NOT wear a saw pad , an their goo speners would last 1 season an be cut mostly thru from their saw bein on their shoulder ....... This year I,m making a set from Moose hide with the hair still on the pads . I got a moose hide under the snow in back of the shed .. The hide is 1/2 " thich over their hump .........I,ve got some old Wright spenders a sled dog ate the leathers off for me free of charge . I will make the back and front from that .....Get some buckles from Tandy leather an brass rivets & washers also .....And the square D rings . I prefer Starret key backs and the clip on them is almost too big for the regular ds



Hey Tramp, You ever try cutting the top off of an old pair of corks to use as a shoulder pad? Best I have ever used. This was passed on to me by my Dad, and it works great cuz you already have a natural curve (as long as you cut it off where it bends at the ankle) so that it protects your neck too. The first pic I posted in this thread (post #23) shows mine fairly well. Just wondering if you have ever seen or tried it. The Moose hide sounds like a good Idea


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## Greystoke

I used to have a harness that clipped to my work belt that I bought at a saw shop in Orofino Idaho. It was pretty sweet; all leather with sheep skin covering on the bottom of the leather pads that went around your shoulders like a yoke, with leather straps that clipped onto a work belt made by the same outfit. I believe they were made by a saddle shop somewhere around northern Idaho, but can't be certain? If I find a pic or a link I will post it. They are pretty sweet especially if a guy is going to pack an axe on his saw belt with one of those aluminum scabbards (used to be my regular garb when I was bushelin in a junk patch next to a creek and having to do a lot of wedge beatin. I got used to using a 6 pound axe with a 36" handle (or Silvey tree savers when they were warranted) when I was falling timber in Northern California, so there was no way I was going to pack that much weight around on my shoulders, not to mention the long handled axe, so I gave my harness away, and just got used to throwing my fallin axe to the trees where I knew I would need it, or just leaving it with my pack-sack and gas jugs.


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## Burvol

tarzanstree said:


> Hey Tramp, You ever try cutting the top off of an old pair of corks to use as a shoulder pad? Best I have ever used. This was passed on to me by my Dad, and it works great cuz you already have a natural curve (as long as you cut it off where it bends at the ankle) so that it protects your neck too. The first pic I posted in this thread (post #23) shows mine fairly well. Just wondering if you have ever seen or tried it. The Moose hide sounds like a good Idea



Saw patch is usually a hot weather gig for me. I don't like having the big leather patches up on me. I have a big leather ##### pad on my riggin sack strap. I use a smaller, paded sling from carpenter belt/suspension bags on suspenders. I take the pad off one of those set ups. It's small but compact. It doesn't rub you wrong and it is thick enough to be protective. 

Cody! Put these or other pics on my Falling pics thread!!! Please....LOL


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## tramp bushler

*101 uses for an old pair of corks !*

When I was in my 20s I figured out about 50 GOOD uses for an old pair of corks .. I figured by the time I was 40 I would have the rest learned and was going to write a little booklet or at least a chapter in a book I would write .. .. I have made them from corks ... Wedge pouches also ... The pouch my partner was wearing the 1st time he got a tree on him was one I made from an old pair of Currins 14" tops .. Sewed the kiltie on as the belt loop . I cut the tounge out of it and laced it up tight .... It was great as it wouldn,t hold the sawdust too much sewed the ankle area shut... Held 4 wedges too .Which we needed on that job , cutting powerline and road row with the lines up and hot , and Big wood close to the lines ...... I use the tops of old felts from felt lined winter corks under the leather saw pad also ... Back then all I had was a speedy sticher. Now I have proper needles and thread and have learned how to sew with double needles . But I broke my awl ... I don,t know where to get a good awl ,,the Osborne ones break after a short time .....


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## Greystoke

*sewing awl*



tramp bushler said:


> When I was in my 20s I figured out about 50 GOOD uses for an old pair of corks .. I figured by the time I was 40 I would have the rest learned and was going to write a little booklet or at least a chapter in a book I would write .. .. I have made them from corks ... Wedge pouches also ... The pouch my partner was wearing the 1st time he got a tree on him was one I made from an old pair of Currins 14" tops .. Sewed the kiltie on as the belt loop . I cut the tounge out of it and laced it up tight .... It was great as it wouldn,t hold the sawdust too much sewed the ankle area shut... Held 4 wedges too .Which we needed on that job , cutting powerline and road row with the lines up and hot , and Big wood close to the lines ...... I use the tops of old felts from felt lined winter corks under the leather saw pad also ... Back then all I had was a speedy sticher. Now I have proper needles and thread and have learned how to sew with double needles . But I broke my awl ... I don,t know where to get a good awl ,,the Osborne ones break after a short time .....



Can't remember where I got my sewing awl, but if I do, I will let you know. You are talking about the one with the wood handle that you use with heavy wax thread right? I love mine! I remember my first trip to Alaska (camp muzon, at Lyman Anchorage in '96) All the old bushelers there were always wanting me to sew their gear for them. Worked especially well for shortening up my suspenders as I have a short back  so I would cut the leather pieces off of the back straps, take out a section of elastic suspender material, and re- sew the leathers back on with my sewing awl. Sometimes I would even cut and reattach the leather piece where my suspenders crossed in the back cuz it would rub on the back of my neck.


----------



## tramp bushler

*I had a set .*



tarzanstree said:


> I used to have a harness that clipped to my work belt that I bought at a saw shop in Orofino Idaho. It was pretty sweet; all leather with sheep skin covering on the bottom of the leather pads that went around your shoulders like a yoke, with leather straps that clipped onto a work belt made by the same outfit. I believe they were made by a saddle shop somewhere around northern Idaho, but can't be certain? If I find a pic or a link I will post it. They are pretty sweet especially if a guy is going to pack an axe on his saw belt with one of those aluminum scabbards (used to be my regular garb when I was bushelin in a junk patch next to a creek and having to do a lot of wedge beatin. I got used to using a 6 pound axe with a 36" handle (or Silvey tree savers when they were warranted) when I was falling timber in Northern California, so there was no way I was going to pack that much weight around on my shoulders, not to mention the long handled axe, so I gave my harness away, and just got used to throwing my fallin axe to the trees where I knew I would need it, or just leaving it with my pack-sack and gas jugs.



.I got them under the bench in the saw shop , I think in Rowan bay .... The bushler who had them tramped or got tramped sold some of his stuff , threw alot in the trash barrel , No one could figure that out . Took his wedge belt but left the yoke , straps and pads ..... Wore them for years . Still have one of the pads somewhere ... I packed a 5 lb ax for a season or 2 ...2 tapes , 4 wedges and a spare chain in my wedge pouch , then added a liter aluminum fuel bottle of gas and a pint bottle of bar oil ....It always bugged me I didn,t have a drink bottle with also ..When I quit packin the ax I added the cytomax ..drink


----------



## Greystoke

Burvol said:


> Cody! Put these or other pics on my Falling pics thread!!! Please....LOL



I'll see what I can come up with Pardner!


----------



## tramp bushler

tarzanstree said:


> Can't remember where I got my sewing awl, but if I do, I will let you know. You are talking about the one with the wood handle that you use with heavy wax thread right? I love mine! I remember my first trip to Alaska (camp muzon, at Lyman Anchorage in '96) All the old bushelers there were always wanting me to sew their gear for them. Worked especially well for shortening up my suspenders as I have a short back  so I would cut the leather pieces off of the back straps, take out a section of elastic suspender material, and re- sew the leathers back on with my sewing awl. Sometimes I would even cut and reattach the leather piece where my suspenders crossed in the back cuz it would rub on the back of my neck.


.

.

. I need to get another scanner . I have pics of mine .Quite a lot of them ,pics that is ............ When I started Framing I put them on my Occidental Belt . which I got from my partner for 50 $ . Same one who got a couple trees on himself .............
.The sheep skin pads are awesome when packin lumber , specially joists !!!
.
. Ya the awl with the wood handle ...... Someone kindof needs to let people know not to get the long Better or Wright spenders ..... Too long ... The Shorts are almost too long for me .... I made the back leathers from old cork tops after the ones that came with wore out ..... .. That (Tear Mender ) that Madsens sells is great stuff . I would glue stuff then sew it , like the X back on the spenders I always had to shorten ........I found out that if you punch the leather tabs with a round punch before you cut the slit they work out all the way around alot better .......Gotta go ta work ..


----------



## 2dogs

The OP asked (a few years ago) why the west coast guys wear suspenders. It is because we have a bigger package than the east coasters. I mean we have bigger trees so we have to carry bigger wedges and a bigger axe. Suspenders hold up our package (of wedges) better without causing our pants to sag.

BTW, good stuff.
http://grizzlypeakenterprises.com/index.htm


----------



## Burvol

2dogs said:


> The OP asked (a few years ago) why the west coast guys wear suspenders. It is because we have a bigger package than the east coasters. I mean we have bigger trees so we have to carry bigger wedges and a bigger axe. Suspenders hold up our package (of wedges) better without causing our pants to sag.
> 
> BTW, good stuff.
> http://grizzlypeakenterprises.com/index.htm



Dirt bag!!! LOL


----------



## Greystoke

2dogs said:


> The OP asked (a few years ago) why the west coast guys wear suspenders. It is because we have a bigger package than the east coasters. I mean we have bigger trees so we have to carry bigger wedges and a bigger axe. Suspenders hold up our package (of wedges) better without causing our pants to sag.
> 
> BTW, good stuff.
> http://grizzlypeakenterprises.com/index.htm



Yeah, that is them. Thanks man!


----------



## GASoline71

Cripes... I gots quite a few sets. I like the Welch "Y" backs myself. My favorite pair is the pair I got from Wood's Loggin' Supply years ago. I believe every pic of me on here, I'm wearin' that pair... 

Even in my avatar...

Gary


----------



## Humptulips

Who would have thought suspenders could take up 5 pages? Can't wait for the discussion on watch pockets.


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## slowp

Humptulips said:


> Who would have thought suspenders could take up 5 pages? Can't wait for the discussion on watch pockets.



Nope. Boot Laces.


----------



## Cedarkerf

GASoline71 said:


> Cripes... I gots quite a few sets. I like the Welch "Y" backs myself. My favorite pair is the pair I got from Wood's Loggin' Supply years ago. I believe every pic of me on here, I'm wearin' that pair...
> 
> Even in my avatar...
> 
> Gary


They do have great suspenders heavy without being to stiff. Got the same green set.


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## Cedarkerf

Humptulips said:


> Who would have thought suspenders could take up 5 pages? Can't wait for the discussion on watch pockets.


Its a PNW thing I guess


----------



## tramp bushler

*Thanks 2 dogs . Got a good story !*

The very first one of these I owned was given to me by a bushler named Ralph Howard... John Ellison may know one of the Howard brothers ....
.
. Ralph wasn,t the kind of cutter you worked close to ...... He,s no longer with us on this side ..... We were cuttin for Jesse Hull on PoW. . Our strips were yellow cedar spike snag #### patches that should have been left for Habitat ... It was real junk ...... Ralph had just got a brand new Ace Morgan hot rodded 475 Poulan Pro .. Basically a Jonsred in yellow and grey colors .........Ace wouldn,t open up mufflers He just wouldn,t . his saws were awesome ,but getting rid of the screen helped and when the muffler got a couple more holes in it it helped a little more .... Anyway Ralph was running this state of the art saw , he had real hungry ,but sharp chains and he wanted to get rich .. He had one of these large size aluminum ax scabbards with a short handled 6 lb Dayton ax in it ..... It really bothered him that his new , that day brand new saw didn,t make more noise than it did .... So he decided to fix that ... . Now if you are in a hurry , you can fairly easily take the face of the muffler off from most saws with the allen or torx wrench that comes with the saw ... lay it on a stump , take your bar wrench and a maggy , Big Bannana ,or 12" Hard head wedge and knock a few holes in the face of the muffler from the inside out ... then put it back on and be done in about 3 minutes tops . Done it a few times , I know ... Ralph was in a hurry ... but his ax was dull ,,,.oh well .. he put his new saw on a stump and took his ax and bashed a few slits in the muffler face .......... He was whinedinon er . cuttin and he cut up a yellow cedar spike snag about 16" on the stump but for some reason it set back on him . guess he forgot it or something . anyway he worked his way out in front of that snag and fell several more trees when he saw a movement ,turned to run but was trapped in a bunch of brush with no way out so he real quik scrunched up like a verticle turtle and that spike snag came down right along his back,,.... It was only about 3 " diameter where it hit him and the ax scabbard with the trusty 6 lb Dayton in it .... It ripped the rivets out of the metal ... Gave his wedge belt a heck of a jerk . he got a slight bruise from his belt being jerked and a small scratch from a spike knot . Thats all ... When we had walked down to the road to meet the crummy at quiting time he asked me if I wanted an ax scabbard . I said sure why . he said he had broke his then told me the story and showed me where he was standing , they were snorkle yarding strips along the road we were cutting .......... I put the belt loop back on with some saw nuts and bolts of various types with some washers I bummed from Ron Hull ............. This story is true ! . I used that ax scabbard for a couple few years .. Don,t know what ever became of it ??


----------



## slowp

GASoline71 said:


> Cripes... I gots quite a few sets. I like the Welch "Y" backs myself. My favorite pair is the pair I got from Wood's Loggin' Supply years ago. I believe every pic of me on here, I'm wearin' that pair...
> 
> Even in my avatar...
> 
> Gary



Watch out! Y backs are girly ones.  That's the kind I wear. They can be found at Sunbirds. 

I have to wear them since I have become round and carry so much important stuff in my pockets...like heavy duty lighter, keys--too many keys and those stupid multi-tools. Gotta have the latter for in the woods paint gun repairs.

I use nylon  boot laces.


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## mile9socounty

Prison Blue Welch spenders. Buttons.


----------



## hammerlogging

Red showed up with his chin held high yesterday with some of those sweet fallers suspenders from Madsens, out of nowhere.

AND, he taught me this trick for spender buttons where a little more than the bachelor buttings can handle is needed. Hardware from Lowes or wherever. The suspender tabs were stretched already from use on an old belt thats why they're uneven.


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## Burvol

mile9socounty said:


> Prison Blue Welch spenders. Buttons.



Where you been Dude?????

Still hanging in there? No more skinny references, we swear. Good to see you back bud!


----------



## tramp bushler

slowp said:


> Watch out! Y backs are girly ones.  That's the kind I wear. They can be found at Sunbirds.
> 
> I have to wear them since I have become round and carry so much important stuff in my pockets...like heavy duty lighter, keys--too many keys and those stupid multi-tools. Gotta have the latter for in the woods paint gun repairs.
> 
> I use nylon  boot laces.


..

. I prefer Y back spenders ... They are harder to find tho .... There NOT girly


----------



## GASoline71

HAHAHA!  If someone wants to call me girly for wearin' 'em... be my guest. 

Gary


----------



## Huskyman4k

*suspenders/ we call them bracers but same thing*

I use Husqvarna own make, they seem to last longer than Stihl but we are very limited here in the UK, dont have other brands like you guy's.
Buttons are much better but I have used clips and they only came off once, buy that was enough now I stick with buttons. always used to use a belt but now only use that to carry things on and not to keep my pants up.


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## tramp bushler

The way I,m built , I can,t keep my pants up with a belt very well ........I have good clipons on my Diamond back USA tool belts ..... . Welcome to the forums Huskyman .!!!! I think the French word for them is gallasuers .... But I could be wrong ..


----------



## Huskyman4k

tramp bushler said:


> The way I,m built , I can,t keep my pants up with a belt very well ........I have good clipons on my Diamond back USA tool belts ..... . Welcome to the forums Huskyman .!!!! I think the French word for them is gallasuers .... But I could be wrong ..



Thanks Tramp bushler, nice to be on here.

A great site, we are all getting older and need the comfort as well as the practicality eh.
It's a young mans game like any heavy industry, you dont see old guys much over here doing anything with a saw, much is done with machine anyway, nothing on the scale of you guys. I would love to see it all working on a normal day, I know it's edited an awful lot on axmen it has to be, thats how tv works.

Back to my bracers, I had a pair and left in the cupboard for a couple of years, when i got them out the elastic had gone they were useless, even though almost brand new. here they cost around £15 = $24.16 and diesel per uk litre is now $1.93 just going crazy. there is an agricultural grade which is less because there is less tax and it's dyed red but not sure how much that is now. the world has gone mad


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## mile9socounty

Burvol said:


> Where you been Dude?????
> 
> Still hanging in there? No more skinny references, we swear. Good to see you back bud!



Where have I been? Working more and drinking more than I should be. My bad bout the skinnies. I'm glad to see someone see's Im gone. But yes. I am a Prison Blues sponser. Why not? It's from Oregon and I love my state. No matter how many Californian's live here. Long live the Federation!!!! God bless Coors Original.  -hick up-


----------



## tramp bushler

Huskyman4k said:


> Thanks Tramp bushler, nice to be on here.
> 
> A great site, we are all getting older and need the comfort as well as the practicality eh.
> It's a young mans game like any heavy industry, you dont see old guys much over here doing anything with a saw, much is done with machine anyway, nothing on the scale of you guys. I would love to see it all working on a normal day, I know it's edited an awful lot on axmen it has to be, thats how tv works.
> 
> Back to my bracers, I had a pair and left in the cupboard for a couple of years, when i got them out the elastic had gone they were useless, even though almost brand new. here they cost around £15 = $24.16 and diesel per uk litre is now $1.93 just going crazy. there is an agricultural grade which is less because there is less tax and it's dyed red but not sure how much that is now. the world has gone mad


.

.

. Lord willing , I,m gonna fall timber professionally until I,m an OLD MAN , At least 72 years old .. That will give me 22 more years of slammin em on the ground ..............I,ll get me some couple young guys to limb and buck for me ..... :greenchainsaw:


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## Greystoke

tramp bushler said:


> .
> 
> .
> 
> . Lord willing , I,m gonna fall timber professionally until I,m an OLD MAN , At least 72 years old .. That will give me 22 more years of slammin em on the ground ..............I,ll get me some couple young guys to limb and buck for me ..... :greenchainsaw:



I knew an old man when I was a kid, that worked with my Dad falling timber in Colorado...he was 76 years old, ran a hopped up 266, and, for his age, he was a hell of a timber faller. He was an old swede, His name was Maynard Johnson, and the coolest thing about him was the chainsaw cut scar across his face...I will never forget that guy, and hope that I can do what he was when I am 76...If I'm still alive that is


----------



## Spotted Owl

These are what I like. Made in Oregon. A company owner by North West Timber Fallers. Longest lasting and toughest I have found so far.

http://longbargear.com/cgi-bin/imcart/display.cgi?cat=1

Nice to see ya back, mile9socounty

Oh ya Y back or I'll tie my own from bailing string or something. Never have liked the X.

Owl


----------



## Greystoke

Spotted Owl said:


> These are what I like. Made in Oregon. A company owner by North West Timber Fallers. Longest lasting and toughest I have found so far.
> 
> http://longbargear.com/cgi-bin/imcart/display.cgi?cat=1
> 
> 
> 
> Owl



I'll be danged...that's Ken Downhill on there. I worked with him for Columbia around 10 years ago. Good job Ken


----------



## slowp

They have girly suspenders! But the Welches are fine and a bit less in price.


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## Spotted Owl

I was thinking of you slowp. I figured you would key in on that pretty quick like. 

I used wrights before, but these seem to be more comfortable, for me anyway. I use Welches for some of the gear on my day job cause spenders there seem to be turned to threads(disposable) in very short order and there not quite as expensive.



Owl


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## tramp bushler

The Better S Penders are the first " bushlers " suspanders I ever saw ........Nothin worse than seing someone slowly saw thru the right shoulder of a nice pair of these , packin his saw on his shoulder with no pad ????


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## mile9socounty

I myself believe in "sissy" pads. It's kept my spenders alive and still going. Also for my rain gear. Duct tape over the whole complete right shoulder and the collar as well. There isn't anything worse than tearing up the gear you buy while packing a saw over the shoulder.


----------



## Greystoke

mile9socounty said:


> I myself believe in "sissy" pads. It's kept my spenders alive and still going. Also for my rain gear. Duct tape over the whole complete right shoulder and the collar as well. There isn't anything worse than tearing up the gear you buy while packing a saw over the shoulder.



For my rain gear I like to take some freesole and glue a patch made from an inner tube to the shoulder of my rain gear, and for my packsack I always duct tape the heck out of the right strap. Here is a pic of one of my coats with a rubber patch on it:







This is a better pic with a different coat:






I learned this from a guy I worked with in Alaska, after I got tired of cutting up all my expensive rain gear.


----------



## mile9socounty

Oh I fully agree. Rain gear isn't cheap anymore. I can't afford to replace a rain jacket every 3 to 4 months. Gorilla tape works really well for me. It's cheap and will stick to damn near anything. If I can get a snap of my jacket tomorrow. I will do it. For my backpack? I use my old Alice pack from the Marine Corps. I have plenty of right side shoulder straps. Not too worried about that just yet.


----------



## 2dogs

mile9socounty said:


> Where have I been? Working more and drinking more than I should be. My bad bout the skinnies. I'm glad to see someone see's Im gone. But yes. I am a Prison Blues sponser. Why not? It's from Oregon and I love my state. No matter how many Californian's live here. Long live the Federation!!!! God bless Coors Original.  -hick up-



What?! What happened to Hamm's?


----------



## mile9socounty

I moved into a house with 3 women that refuse to drink Hamms. Coors Original or Coors Light. So I have to keep the whole damn house happy. Plus thats what I was drinkin' that night. Whole 12 pack in under a half hour. The bestfriend ran over my dog on accident. 240$ bill that I can't pay until the first. Oh the joys of life right?


----------



## forestryworks

mile9socounty said:


> I moved into a house with 3 women



have you scored yet?


----------



## Jacob J.

forestryworks said:


> have you scored yet?



Those south-county women like tall, skinny firefighter types.


----------



## mile9socounty

forestryworks said:


> have you scored yet?


Yes. With the middle one. Youngest gal here is 21 and knocked up. Not mine. Middle is 23, my bestfriend. She ain't talking to me right now. Instead of consulting her over her running my dog over. I killed a 12 pack of Coors Original in under 30 minutes and passed out infront of the wood stove. Sh!t happens. The oldest is 46. There ain't no way in hell I'm sleeping with a badger either. Woof.....



Jacob J. said:


> Those south-county women like tall, skinny firefighter types.


Some of them do, yes. Just depends on if their the size of a buffalo or a staving dog.


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## tramp bushler

Who took the dog to the vet ?????


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## mile9socounty

The gal that ran her over did.


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## Burvol

Hamms and Olympia.....Oly first and foremost. Good Logger brew.Those two where my favorite cheap woods beers. Olypmia makes Rainier taste like vomit. 


You should get an award for drinking Coors O, damn that stuff is rank. Women think they know it all!!! A man can't even provide beer for the house with out getting yelled at! LOL


----------



## slowp

Burvol said:


> Hamms and Olympia.....Oly first and foremost. Good Logger brew.Those two where my favorite cheap woods beers. Olypmia makes Rainier taste like vomit.
> 
> 
> You should get an award for drinking Coors O, damn that stuff is rank. Women think they know it all!!! A man can't even provide beer for the house with out getting yelled at! LOL




WE DO KNOW IT ALL!

We keep you guys out of trouble--like you have to work to pay for feeding horses and beer instead of running around and getting into heaven only knows!

Oly? Coors? No way. Start with a couple of micro brews then switch to Animal Beer when you are past the state where taste matters. Simple, easy, no brainer. See, we know it all.....now go to work.


----------



## Greystoke

*Thankful for Women and Beer*



slowp said:


> WE DO KNOW IT ALL!
> 
> We keep you guys out of trouble--like you have to work to pay for feeding horses and beer instead of running around and getting into heaven only knows!
> 
> Oly? Coors? No way. Start with a couple of micro brews then switch to Animal Beer when you are past the state where taste matters. Simple, easy, no brainer. See, we know it all.....now go to work.



Even though I hate to admit it, and thankfully my wife never gets on here to read this...I gotta agree with ya Patty...My Wife does keep me out of trouble, and I am a lucky man! :bang:


As far as the beer...I can't hardly stand fizzy yellow beer anymore, even though it used to be all that I would drink. Here is one of my favorites, and it is even named after me 












Good beer...kinda like a meal in a bottle though. Made by the Stone brewing company in San Diego


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## Burvol

I use to drink Deschutes Jubile, Mirror Pond, Black Butte, Everything Full Sail offered, and tons of good local wine. Cheap beer was consumed when we hit the landing and watched the loggers work in the heat of the afternoon. Creek stash or a buddy's cooler....thank you God for giving me the strength and courage to face my disease that I allowed to fester, and feed it. Alcohol nearly took my whole life, be careful boys, but drink one or fifteen for me! Two years sober Feb. 5th. I am a different animal now, especially in the woods, #### what was I doing??? LOL


----------



## tramp bushler

......In village Alaska there are multiple mobile billboards advertiseing the evils of drink ... If you go to the village clinics you can see the aftermath of the ( parties) .......
.And I,ve never seen a bushler who was worth a crap while drinkin or druggin ...
. Oh , they think they are . but their life and work are like a guy goin to work all day wearin nothin but his woolies with the trap door open ............

And I enjoy a beer at the end of the day ,or at dinner ...Just hate bein drunk ...cause when your drunk ,your not a cutter , or a dad , or a hunter , or anything else ... your just a ####in pos drunk , might as well go pass out with the local indigenis residents and get rolled in a ditch 
...
.On the flip side , my heart really goes out to people with a problem with the jug .....Un fortunatly , I don,t have much patients with the druggies .........
. Everyone has their weakness ...And like Clint said ... A Mans Got to Know His Limitations ....


----------



## Burvol

tramp bushler said:


> ......In village Alaska there are multiple mobile billboards advertiseing the evils of drink ... If you go to the village clinics you can see the aftermath of the ( parties) .......
> .And I,ve never seen a bushler who was worth a crap while drinkin or druggin ...
> . Oh , they think they are . but their life and work are like a guy goin to work all day wearin nothin but his woolies with the trap door open ............
> 
> And I enjoy a beer at the end of the day ,or at dinner ...Just hate bein drunk ...cause when your drunk ,your not a cutter , or a dad , or a hunter , or anything else ... your just a ####in pos drunk , might as well go pass out with the local indigenis residents and get rolled in a ditch
> ...
> .On the flip side , my heart really goes out to people with a problem with the jug .....Un fortunatly , I don,t have much patients with the druggies .........
> . Everyone has their weakness ...And like Clint said ... A Mans Got to Know His Limitations ....



I went up the Kuskokwim, Aniak, Salmon, Kipchuck, Tickchick park, ect. and lived in the bush for 3 months once. Crazy. I carried my 44 Ruger Red Hawk under my jacket for people, not Grizz so much. "Gusoks" (as you are well aware of) as we are refered to (whites) are not always welcome. A small village had a teacher running, getting beaten, locked himself up in a janitorial closet for 3 days afraid for his life....Locals were hopped up on Meth and R&R (R&R is Gold Bullion of the bush there for trades, LOL) chasing the new Gosik, they had a season on them. 

Druggies are high for days, not just the day they take that poison. They stay up for days, and still cut like that. Smoke meth on Friday night and cut logs like a zombie on Monday.  I cut for loggers like that and the chaos was first class. 

I had a meeting one morning this winter with some loggers, told them I was turning all of my cutter's strips 90 DEGREES OUT. The logs were just pulled out of the strips, and the leads had to be turned to compensate the four 36's we were bucking out of them. To save out and so they would not cross the line. NO ONE PERIOD, was suppose to be above the landing on ANY SPURS OR FIELD. Ok, no problems. I notice about an hour later as I put my nail in a butt of 40" Fir with four longs in it, a 545 Cat parked with a top on it!!! My heart sank. I dropped my saw and ran. The tree had missed by two feet and the top was broke, resting on the blade of the skidder. I was PISSED! The kid on the 545 was checking fluids on a flat spot and was on the cell phone. I made it clear that I was pissed and not in this business to be killing idiots like him.


----------



## bitzer

Miller lite is generally my first pick when there is no dark beer around. Guiness and a few micro brews like moose drool are good. I like to chew my beer sometimes. Fishin beer, 30 pack of busch light or it used to be when I'd go with the boys. 

I quit the hard drinkin and druggin about seven years now. I'm only 28, but from about 12 through 20 were some rough years. Interesting thing was it was easier for a 15 year old to get a hold of a some weed or blow than booze, go figure on that. With that kind of livin its an everyday, all day kinda thing. I am glad thats all back there now. I still like to get into a 13 pack or so, but its not often and not on the job either. I've got a couple of buddies that were good guys. They couldn't give it up like I did. Now they are just a waste. In and out of prison, just stupid. 

Lunchtime is about over, back to the woods. The wind is a howlin and the snow is a flyin! I'm glad I put enough trees on the ground yesterday to skid for the rest of the day.


----------



## tramp bushler

Blitz , ; How can you go online at lunch ?? . 
. I get REAL nervous when I have to tap over a tree when there,s alot of snow in it ... It wouldn,t be as bad with live timber , but all I fall here now is snags ... I look em over as good as I can , but it is still nerve wrackin . Have fun , be careful .I gotta go to work now ..


----------



## bitzer

tramp bushler said:


> Blitz , ; How can you go online at lunch ?? .
> . I get REAL nervous when I have to tap over a tree when there,s alot of snow in it ... It wouldn,t be as bad with live timber , but all I fall here now is snags ... I look em over as good as I can , but it is still nerve wrackin . Have fun , be careful .I gotta go to work now ..



This winter I'm working the bosses 250 acres of hardwoods. "Culling," the garbage for lack of a better term. It consists of dead trees, trees that had tops blown out of them, rot in mid-stem, and just ugly stuff all around. Hes got a lot of grade timber and more to come so he wants all of the garbage out. Its usually pretty sketchy stuff. Trees with dead tops and branches that can come out, very difficult to read weight disbursment on the topless ones, and stuff that can be hollow or just plain rotten. There are a lot of surprises. The topless trees have been like that for years so they have like an upside down umbrella of growth that sprawls over new saplings and kind of chokes everything out. Trees range from 50 to 90 feet tall and 10-30+" not huge trees, but the hazards make up for the adrenaline. A sharp eye and ear are needed at all times. I've been snappin pics with my cell phone, but I can't figure out how to get them online yet. 

There are a lot of black maples and they will NOT take wedges lately. Too frozen I guess, even the toothed wedges don't want to hold. I have broken 3 or 4 this week on trees that would have gone over just fine in warm weather. I'm trying out new tactics. 

I also run a fishing lure business for him and we are coming up on our busy season, so I have to check my email before heading out in the morning and in the afternoon for orders and replys from corporate buyers.


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## mile9socounty

Holy living hell ya'll. Beer is beer. If it gets the job done. Thats all that should count. I bought another 18'er of Coors Original to share. But I'm the only one home. Passed them heading out of the house coming home from work. Anyone hiring for anything logging? I'm willing to uproot and move. Anyone?


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## Jacob J.

mile9socounty said:


> Holy living hell ya'll. Beer is beer. If it gets the job done. Thats all that should count. I bought another 18'er of Coors Original to share. But I'm the only one home. Passed them heading out of the house coming home from work. Anyone hiring for anything logging? I'm willing to uproot and move. Anyone?



You could chat with Plikat, his crews are staying plenty busy right now...


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## mile9socounty

Funny thing is I have talked to old man Plikat before. He was looking for a mechanic/saw mech. He wouldn't hire be for one reason. Where I was living and what I was driving.


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## Jacob J.

Hmm, that doesn't sound like him. He offered me a job on a feller/buncher once when I was hand falling, and I've never been on a processor before. It's been my experience that he's pretty down to earth. After all, it was him and one other guy with a small cat, a pickup, and two chainsaws when he first started in 1975.


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## mile9socounty

That was awhile ago JJ. I might just have to call him up again. I have been on a pay freeze for 3 years now. I did get a position raise, but not a pay raise. Go figure. I might have to see what the Fed side of fire is like. Or maybe I will just join the Corps again and get out of Oregon until I retire after 20 years. As it stands, outside of work. I have no friends or life. They all seem to still be stuck in high school with little kid's emotions. How have you been?


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## Jacob J.

Yeah, he might have been having a rough day of it too. I was talking to Ireland one day and things had gone south for him and he was chewing everyone out, even me and I was just some guy bs-ing with his cutter.

Things are good on my side, I'm rolling back to Hotshots this year in California. I understand the pay-freeze thing big time, the county had it when I was there and all the western ODF guys had their salaries frozen for five years. It's a rough deal when your agency's budget is dependent on factors in the local economy.


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## mile9socounty

If it wasn't for "N'Oboma's" stimulis package. I wouldn't have a job right now. Thats the only thing keeping the DFPA-a-float. I want to up and leave. But bills and loans keep me in place. Thats why I'm thinking Unlce Sam might be the choice. 2 paychecks a month and 3 hot meals a day. I would only have 16 years left there. 4 wasnt that hard. Or maybe I should just fall off the face of the earth and depend on myself like I always have.


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## tramp bushler

Mile 9 ; What do you do .... How much of the 18 pack is left ???


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## Jacob J.

Well there's a lot out there for sure...a specialty crew in fire like hotshots, helitack, smokejumpers, etc. will get you more fire in one season than you'd see in three there in south county...you have good experience on your books now and you have a lot of options.


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## Gologit

I'll agree with Jabob on this one. Grab yourself a fire job if you can get one. Logging, in our area anyway, is still slow and probably will be for the next couple of seasons. There are so many local guys that are short on work, or out of work entirely, that any kind of job gets filled real quick.


LOL...I'll spare you the "old guy lecture" but going back into the service might not be a bad idea either. . Do your 16 and bail...then you can join us starving loggers and still have a pension to carry you through the rough times.


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## slowp

Or work for the feds and hall slink with a coffee cup several hours a day....excuse me, that's why I try to stay out in the woods as much as possible. I get in a bad mood when I see such stuff.


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## mile9socounty

Jacob J. said:


> Well there's a lot out there for sure...a specialty crew in fire like hotshots, helitack, smokejumpers, etc. will get you more fire in one season than you'd see in three there in south county...you have good experience on your books now and you have a lot of options.


You are right there JJ. This last summer I only responded to 7 fires here in South County. All 1/4 acre or smaller. Best fire was the one on Canyon Mtn. That a vodka morning. ICK!!!



Gologit said:


> I'll agree with Jabob on this one. Grab yourself a fire job if you can get one. Logging, in our area anyway, is still slow and probably will be for the next couple of seasons. There are so many local guys that are short on work, or out of work entirely, that any kind of job gets filled real quick.


I have a fire job once the season comes around. With a company of hollow promises and small paychecks. But it is a job regardless.



Gologit said:


> LOL...I'll spare you the "old guy lecture" but going back into the service might not be a bad idea either. . Do your 16 and bail...then you can join us starving loggers and still have a pension to carry you through the rough times.


Well next Friday I'm going to give the good ol' recruiter a call and see what options are open for me. Atleast I know if I go back in. It's at a E5 rank.



slowp said:


> Or work for the feds and hall slink with a coffee cup several hours a day....excuse me, that's why I try to stay out in the woods as much as possible. I get in a bad mood when I see such stuff.


I agree Slow. Thats why I pack 2 coffee thermos's with me out in the brush. I cleared all but 4 of my 18'er lastnight. It works wonders on a sore back.


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## Burvol

What kind of logging equipment can you run? 
I might know of something. Might even know a crazy ####er just like you to live with too!


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## mile9socounty

Equipment? A saw. Can't find a person around here that will train me on equipment.


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## madhatte

JJ, I didn't know you were a 'Shot. My already-considerable respect for you just jumped a couple of notches. I'm a lowly engine slug, myself. I've cut plenty of line, but usually we just call the dozer, backlight, and mop up with the hoses. We get a lot of fires, but most of them are tiny. Good for the OT but not so good for the OG. My red card is barely worth the paper it's printed on.


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## Old51AVE

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the other type of attachment, the Perry style.. http://www.perrysuspenders.com/persus.html They have everything from leather to logos, check out the Outback ones! I disliked the buttons digging into me, and hated the clips that would pop or bend all to rat shizz so I decided to try the Perrys out! I got mine @ Bass Pro, under their house brand and best part is actually made on this continent, USA no less! We'll see how they fair! http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_22093____SearchResults

Old51AVE :greenchainsaw:


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## joesawer

tramp bushler said:


> .
> 
> .
> 
> . Lord willing , I,m gonna fall timber professionally until I,m an OLD MAN , At least 72 years old .. That will give me 22 more years of slammin em on the ground ..............I,ll get me some couple young guys to limb and buck for me ..... :greenchainsaw:





Can I apply for that job? Lol......... I really want to get to the SE one of these years.


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## tramp bushler

Old51AVE said:


> I'm surprised no one has mentioned the other type of attachment, the Perry style.. http://www.perrysuspenders.com/persus.html They have everything from leather to logos, check out the Outback ones! I disliked the buttons digging into me, and hated the clips that would pop or bend all to rat shizz so I decided to try the Perrys out! I got mine @ Bass Pro, under their house brand and best part is actually made on this continent, USA no less! We'll see how they fair! http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_22093____SearchResults
> 
> Old51AVE :greenchainsaw:


.


.Those Perries look good I know a guy who has them . They do take a little remembering , like when you have a #2 nature call .......have to get everything re adjusted when completed :hmm3grin2orange:.......I will sometimes sew buttond on pants .They gouge ya alot less ..
.Ya Joe . what do you think about keeping a Big revolver with your fallers pack .. Do you Like Rain ??????? Are you married .. If not what do you think about no chicks being around ??? Devils Club ???? And lastly but most important , BRUSH .. Can you get around in Brush ... I mean head high huckle and blue berry brush with devils club and salmon berry thrown in , and rain .........No , it would be great having you up here .. But I'm deadly serious about the big pistol ....


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## joesawer

tramp bushler said:


> .
> 
> 
> .Those Perries look good I know a guy who has them . They do take a little remembering , like when you have a #2 nature call .......have to get everything re adjusted when completed :hmm3grin2orange:.......I will sometimes sew buttond on pants .They gouge ya alot less ..
> .Ya Joe . what do you think about keeping a Big revolver with your fallers pack .. Do you Like Rain ??????? Are you married .. If not what do you think about no chicks being around ??? Devils Club ???? And lastly but most important , BRUSH .. Can you get around in Brush ... I mean head high huckle and blue berry brush with devils club and salmon berry thrown in , and rain .........No , it would be great having you up here .. But I'm deadly serious about the big pistol ....




I like big revolvers. I have always wanted a Ruger Bisley custom set up with a 5 shot cylinder in .45 long colt with magnum pressures. With all the rain stainless steel would probably be the way to go.
Rain makes the trees grow!
No wife......... I am 39 now so I can stand no chicks for periods of time without as much difficulty as when I was younger. Actually in the military there where a few times when I didn't even see a female for weeks or even a couple of months at a time. I wont claim I like it but it does make working seem a lot more effecient.
Never even seen Devils Club but I have heard it sucks.
Brush I don't like but have delt with. I was working on the same Mountian with some Colombia fallers who had worked on Dall Island. The where cussing it and it was not the worst I had worked in. Some jobs where so bad that the trees would not hit the ground. I would cut a trail to a tree then cut it towards the next, then climb up the brush walk out the tree then throw my ax and saw down and climb down and work my way to the next. I resorted to laying on my belly and worming through for a little while but got to thinking about coming across a rattle snake or getting on top of a meat bee nest. The place was infested with both. So I went back to cutting a trail. 
On that job I was getting $12 per dead and dieing tree and I could only leave one per acre and they where widely scattered over steep and brush clogged mountian. My worst day I got low thirty something and my best I got fifty.
It was manzinita brush up to twenty feet tall, it is very stiff and brittle and full of sharp breaks that stab and cut. And mountain mahogany and buck brush, very wirey and full of sharp thorns.
It was so thick that usually you had to climb up or find a clearing just to locate the next tree.
It was on that job that I got bit by the Alaska bug. The other faller on that job had worked in Alaska for about 20 years and the stories he told got me wanting to go.
Then hangin with the Colombia fallers some got me wantin to more. They gave me a little crap, but also gave me the number for the guy that was hiring their fallers, but with the industry slowing down he was just trying to keep the ones he had working.
Enough rambling. I just want to get up there and see the country and cut some good timber. And shoot some big bears and catch some big salmon and halibut.


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## tramp bushler

*Well , you definately passed the brush test*

:jawdrop: .. At the moment there isn,t anything going on , but in a month or so I,m gonna start pokin around ..... What I,m doing right now is kind of disgusting as far as timber falling goes . But it,s pretty high up on the Alaska factor ...There are about 6 Alaskas here ... Southeast and to Prince William Sound ...The Kodiak group, Lower Cook Inlet and the Penninsula , The Alutian Chain and the Bering Sea .. The Chuchi Sea and Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Mainland .....Anchorage and the Mat Su Valley , And the biggest land mass , but kind of the most boring , The Interior ...... I like it because it is sunny and there are highways .....We get some fires up here tho in the summer . Southeast doesn,t get any fires to speak of ... .. What are ( Meat Bees ) .. A Bisely is nice . and if a guy really has his heart set on one thats great .. But they are expensive by the time the 5 shot cylinder is on them .. A used Field Grade Freedom Arms 454 is better , and is the strongest revolver on earth ... A Super Redhawk is stronger than a Bisley , so is a regular Redhawk . and you can find the 5 1/2" version in 45 Colt .. They will handle a 335 gr bullet @ 1300 fps plus.which is a good load ...I,m thinking about a 500 Smith & Wesson shooting a 400 gr bullet @ 1300-1400 fps .... I like the 454 Casul alot . a 320 gr Belt Mt penetrator @ 1600 fps is pretty great .Ya can,t break that bullet ....


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## slowp

I think I would prefer to work in salmonberry and devil's club over manzanita. We had to cut fireline in manzanita and whatever else is in Collyfonia. It grows about 6 feet tall and does not flex. Nasty stuff. But I have also heard that our devil's club is quite tiny compared to the Alaska species. It grows over my head in the nastier area to the west. 

Machetes cut through salmonberry easily. When I tried to be an engineer in salmonberry country (not manzanita), we used machetes to brush out lines.


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## Gologit

slowp said:


> I think I would prefer to work in salmonberry and devil's club over manzanita. We had to cut fireline in manzanita and whatever else is in Collyfonia. It grows about 6 feet tall and does not flex. Nasty stuff. But I have also heard that our devil's club is quite tiny compared to the Alaska species. It grows over my head in the nastier area to the west.
> 
> Machetes cut through salmonberry easily. When I tried to be an engineer, we used machetes to brush out lines.



Manzanita is bad stuff. The only way to really get through it is on a Cat. A Cat with sweeps and rippers, and good screens.

I've seen the fire guys trying to hand cut their way through that stuff. They usually get torn up pretty bad.

Back on topic...Wright's.


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## slowp

Gologit said:


> Manzanita is bad stuff. The only way to really get through it is on a Cat. A Cat with sweeps and rippers, and good screens.
> 
> I've seen the fire guys trying to hand cut their way through that stuff. They usually get torn up pretty bad.
> 
> Back on topic...Wright's.



That's what the people of your fair state told us to use to cut fireline, brushhooks and pulaskis. We got a bit miffed. Our crewboss demanded a chainsaw. We got one. We made tracks with the saw. They made what they thought was a demeaning comment that Oregon and Washington crews are worthless unless they get a chainsaw. It might have been true. But why mess in that stuff with hand tools if you are serious about getting fireline cut and built?

Nope, it is Welch's with the Y back for me.


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## 2dogs

slowp said:


> I think I would prefer to work in salmonberry and devil's club over manzanita. We had to cut fireline in manzanita and whatever else is in Collyfonia. It grows about 6 feet tall and does not flex. Nasty stuff. But I have also heard that our devil's club is quite tiny compared to the Alaska species. It grows over my head in the nastier area to the west.
> 
> Machetes cut through salmonberry easily. When I tried to be an engineer, we used machetes to brush out lines.



I grew up in manzanita so it is like a second home to me. Walking through it you either have to low crawl or stand up tall and push through it. Cutting line is easier with a long bar to reach the ground out in front of you. Hand tools don't work at all. The worst is cutting burned manzanita. It is stiff and pokey. At least it isn't poison oak.


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## tramp bushler

slowp said:


> I think I would prefer to work in salmonberry and devil's club over manzanita. We had to cut fireline in manzanita and whatever else is in Collyfonia. It grows about 6 feet tall and does not flex. Nasty stuff. But I have also heard that our devil's club is quite tiny compared to the Alaska species. It grows over my head in the nastier area to the west.
> 
> Machetes cut through salmonberry easily. When I tried to be an engineer in salmonberry country (not manzanita), we used machetes to brush out lines.


.

. On a crik bottom ,when the fish are running those devils club patches sometimes have big punks in brown fur coats ...... Gettin a sticker or a hundred is nothin compared to them ...:jawdrop:


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## Greystoke

I have worked in both places (4 years in Northern CA mostly coastal with a few months in the Sierras, and 4 years in Southeast Ak). They both have some gnarly brush and the devils club in AK is definitely bigger than what I have encountered in Washington, and even some in Idaho, but I will take the old-growth southeast devils club any day over the poison oak in California! As far as the Manzanita? I do remember it being kinda nasty, and another reason why a guy should wear a long sleeve hickory (I still struggle with that one...tore up arms...bloody clubs...every Summer!)


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## joesawer

My forearms are solid scars from manzinita.
Evidently there are a few varieties. In SoCal there is some like small trees and are about twenty feet tall and two feet thick at the ground.
It makes really good fire wood. It is full of clear oil that burns out of it and smells just like burning hot dogs.
Cutting manzinita is much easier while wearing suspenders.

Meat Bees are a terrible variety of yellow jackets that eat meat. They will be screwing there stinger in while they are biting a chunk out on their other end.
I am not normally very allergic to yellow jacket. They usually just hurt and I have very little swelling. But every now and then meat bees really hurt and swell me up bad.
It is rumored that they eat the poison from dead rattle snakes and inject it. I don't know how true it is but i do know they eat rattle snakes when you kill them. The ants don't stand a chance. The yellow jackets eat the ants also.
It is easier to run from meat bees and do the meat bee dance when wearing suspenders.


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## Humptulips

Well, This thread seems to have went from suspenders to the worst brush to work in
I thought devis club and evergreen blackberries to be pretty bad until I had to put some guylines out into a patch of gorst. That is the worst hands down. If you don't know what gorst is it looks somewhat like a scotchbroom. In the place of any kind of leaves it has very long sharp thorns. An introduced specie, curses on the person that imported it.


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## madhatte

Gorse: _Ulex europaeus
_
Quite possibly the most evil plant ever. Not only is it spiny and dense, it also dries out something fierce in the summer and is insanely flammable. Can't say that I like the stuff one bit.

EDIT: spelled the Latin wrong. Guess that's what I get for showing off.


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## Humptulips

madhatte said:


> Gorse: _Ulex europaeus
> _
> Quite possibly the most evil plant ever. Not only is it spiny and dense, it also dries out something fierce in the summer and is insanely flammable. Can't say that I like the stuff one bit.
> 
> EDIT: spelled the Latin wrong. Guess that's what I get for showing off.



OK, Never really knew how to spell it, Thanks


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## tramp bushler

Hopefully I won,t have to endure it ....


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## clearance

Wow, and I was thinking that devils club was the worst stuff ever. How lucky I was.


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## tramp bushler

*Mean while , on the suspender theme*

I made the best saw pad I,ve ever made today ..Concaved the neck side of it and put the loops far enough down that is sits up near my neck without rubbing ....It is pretty good hard leather ..... I'm going to felt some wool sweaters for making mittens . I need to get some more no good wool sweaters so I can make a good piece of felt for under the pad .... 
. I skived the edges , used a hole punch to start and stop the slits ( A trick I finally lernt making my own suspender leathers ) ....Plus , I have a very nice half moon leather knife ... Next to a good awl the best leather working tool I own , or have seen .......


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## joesawer

tramp bushler said:


> I made the best saw pad I,ve ever made today ..Concaved the neck side of it and put the loops far enough down that is sits up near my neck without rubbing ....It is pretty good hard leather ..... I'm going to felt some wool sweaters for making mittens . I need to get some more no good wool sweaters so I can make a good piece of felt for under the pad ....
> . I skived the edges , used a hole punch to start and stop the slits ( A trick I finally lernt making my own suspender leathers ) ....Plus , I have a very nice half moon leather knife ... Next to a good awl the best leather working tool I own , or have seen .......





Is it made from moose hide?


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## mile9socounty

How about spenders made out of nothing but spendy pink thongs? Eh Eh? :monkey:


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## madhatte

Humptulips said:


> OK, Never really knew how to spell it, Thanks



Evidently neither did I!

(also -- you're welcome. If I can make folks more smarterer by making a fool of myself, so be it)


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## tramp bushler

joesawer said:


> Is it made from moose hide?


.

No , the moose hide is still in the snow behind the shed ..Pretty frozen ........ No just a good stiff piece of cow hide ...


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## slowp

madhatte said:


> Gorse: _Ulex europaeus
> _
> Quite possibly the most evil plant ever. Not only is it spiny and dense, it also dries out something fierce in the summer and is insanely flammable. Can't say that I like the stuff one bit.
> 
> EDIT: spelled the Latin wrong. Guess that's what I get for showing off.




You should have said, Mea Culpa.  I believe Gorse caused an Oregon coast town to either burn down or almost burn down. Port Orford? Or Brookings? I'm thinking Port Orford almost burned down. 

Think of all the suspenders that burned up! (added to keep on topic).


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## Meadow Beaver

A flammable plant, another great wonder of the West. lol


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