200' redwood takedown

[Ekka]

Bloody heavy and slippery too!

 

[Old Monkey]

The spur nicely though.

I find that customers do a better job at estimating their trees height if ask if it is taller than a two story house. They seem to be better judges of stories than feet.

 

[murphy4trees]

bad fro your brain

I smoked a good bit of pot when I was young, quit in 1985 at age 25... never touched it for the last 22+ years

The last time I worked with a guy that smoked pot was probably around 1995.. that was until last week...

These guys were "wake and bake".. getting high first thing in the morning and all day long... I only heard from my cousin after we left, that the owner, who is one of my oldest and best frineds, was pounding beers all day long too, while I was focussed getting the trees down.

As my cousin and I were leaving and started talking about how impaired they all were, I felt like crying for my friend, so lost in addiction. Nothing I could say would make a difference... He couldn't hear it if I tried... This guy was leading 12 step meetings in the early 90's. Very SAD!.. I AM going to call him sometime this weekend and see if he can hear it though...

That said... the point I'd like to make here is just how impaired these guys were... It was a real lesson to me... they might have been operating at 50-70%... that is one reason i was taking my time... They still almost got me though....

Here's the story:
We could have dropped the big tree straight into the dirt road if we had taken three others down first... All notch and drop, with just a bit of climbing to cut out a big crossing limb... But decided in the morning, to just focus on the problem tree.. once he saw that get roped out in 2 hours, he decided the day was still young and we should do the others as well...

Notched and dropped the first, maybe 16-18", it was leaning to the fall, so no rope or wedges.... They limbed it up and I got the throw line to set a pull line for the second tree... So I was stradling the downed log, (right between my legs) with the throw ball swinging in preperation for the throw, when I hear someone behind me say "OK", and the log takes off, right between my legs... Took me a second to jump out of there... I just shook my head and said " I AM speechless".... If I had said what was on my mind it would have ruined everybody's day...

This wasn't a very big log, but still if it had rolled or a nub caught my ankle, I could have been hurt badly... There were a lot of other small things they were doing all day long that mad it clear to me just how impaired they were...

I try to never depend on the actions of my groundman to protect me when climbing... That is a rule, and when the rare situation requires it to be broken, I make sure they know my instructions and they have the right number of wraps etc.. Stop the saws, Turn off the chipper etc first so I know that they understand what to do... and I never put myself at risk in that redwood... and they did run the ropes OK overall... I took my time, and it went smooth... but still they almost got me on the ground.... THAT IS HOW DANGEROUS IT IS WORKING WITH DOPE SMOKERS!

I try not to judge people in this world... we are all just doing the best we can, and hopefully learning how to live a good life. We all make mistakes and who AM I to say that my way of living is better than someone elses... in the end I tried to just show them by example... how much better one can operate when not fogging the mind... Maybe they got it, maybe not... i did get some good feedback... my frined told me that they were all impressed... even the guy that used to work for Davey had never seen anyone that fast in a tree, and they all learned a lot, when I showed them the open face notch and the gunning lines on the saw etc...

Hopefully it helped and hopefully this thread will help someone out there... The tree industry has a reputation for employing a lot of druggies and drinkers... Then there are guys like Graeme, Big Jon, Roachy, Riggs.. If you want to play like them, you gotta put down the joint and the bottle...

I do have a few pics... but since my 'puter crashed and was rebuilt I haven't figured out how to resize...

PS... I always did like the idea of folding trees, but have never found a good oportunity... If you are going up to notch, abckcut, and set a back line, why not just drop the top then... only thing I can think of is not trusting the integrity of the trunk and roots, or you can't set a pull line that high in the direction of fall.. Seems like you'd have to balance that dnager against the danger of standing under the partially cut top to fall it from the ground..

 

[Texas Traveler]

Well said Murphy:greenchainsaw:

 

[Ekka]

I had a good laugh Murph, I haven't worked with dope heads for quite some time but the log racing off would have made the funniest home videos.

You could have dropped the redwood if the other 3 were gone but you dismantled it then the dope heads git rid of the other 3 anyway.

I would hate to think what 20 years to 30 years of continual dope smoking does, let alone fire one up at sunrise.

You're a good sport and tree man. Thanks for an entertaining thread, also search on the net for some online resizing or open a flickr account and resize there.

 

[murphy4trees]

photos

OK I went online and resized a few

 

[murphy4trees]

and more

here are 2 more

 

[Nailsbeats]

My hat's off to ya Murphy, I appreciate your attitude. Nice work. I too have a great friend who is in a constant alcohol haze, doesn't even know what burning clean is about anymore. Try to be a good example like you said, try talking to him too, might help.

What's the saw you are using there? Looks new.

 

[jomoco]

You're a heartless professional baby killer Murph!

Next time we want a video of the ruthless crime proving your guilt!

Somethin like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQOUEdSp3Pk

Nice job Murph!

jomoco

 

[rbtree]

Nice work on the pecker pole, Dan...

well, compared to what we were all thinking the size was.

Ya love those open faces, don't ya.....opcorn: me, I rarely bother going beyond 45 degrees....nice straight grained sticks are well committed to the lay after just a bit of movement.

 

[rbtree]

I had a good laugh Murph, I haven't worked with dope heads for quite some time but the log racing off would have made the funniest home videos.

You could have dropped the redwood if the other 3 were gone but you dismantled it then the dope heads git rid of the other 3 anyway.

I would hate to think what 20 years to 30 years of continual dope smoking does, let alone fire one up at sunrise.

You're a good sport and tree man. Thanks for an entertaining thread, also search on the net for some online resizing or open a flickr account and resize there.

I resize before uploading to my online sites...well, unless I want a large file size online....
www.picasa.com is a very capable free photo editor, and organizer...it also has online storage web albums.

 

[murphy4trees]

I would have gone to the trouble of cutting a humboldt if they were selling the log... but they were milling on site... It was kind of a tight shot between the deck and another log... So I was more concerned with accuracy and thought I'd let them deal with the wood...

I like to stand over the saw and look down the gunnign line on the saw for the top cut of the notch... rarely do I cut the floor like that though..usualy just leave it horizontal... I was hoping the ramp would help the but slide off the stump and reduce the possibility of breakage, but it probably didn't help much... The notch could have easily been much narrower and more shallow, but I did what I felt comfortable with... I rarely get paid for the wood, so really not used to falling for the log...

here's another pic of another falling cut on same job... Not sure about the diameter, though it was probably 18-20"... You can see how shallow the notch was and the upright fibers in the center of the cut indicating a back release.. I wanted a couple extra seconds to get out of there on this one..

As for the saw.. it was almost brand new.... forget the number... think that was a 28" bar.. I put over 30 stroked on every tooth, and it was not skip tooth... that is like sharpening 6-10 regular ground saws... Should have taken the rakers down too... teeth were sharp but it still didn't cut well....

 

[Ekka]

Those redwoods got some thick bark.

I read somewhere that bark can get a 1' thick on them ....

... the spiking prune people would like to hear that.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

These guys were "wake and bake".. getting high first thing in the morning and all day long... I only heard from my cousin after we left, that the owner, who is one of my oldest and best frineds, was pounding beers all day long too, while I was focussed getting the trees down.

..

In Northern Cali.? I am SHOCKED!!!!

 

[Hddnis]

Good work. I always think of Redwood as a fun tree to work on. Not always easy.


Mr. HE

 

[M.D. Vaden]

So Murphy...

Was it fun?

Did you enjoy the trip out and the work?

 

[limbwalker54]

I see your Main Line Mower and Arborist supply shirt on there Mr. Murphy! Great job and way to go on the long distance tree work!

 

[tree MDS]

I smoked a good bit of pot when I was young, quit in 1985 at age 25... never touched it for the last 22+ years

The last time I worked with a guy that smoked pot was probably around 1995.. that was until last week...

These guys were "wake and bake".. getting high first thing in the morning and all day long... I only heard from my cousin after we left, that the owner, who is one of my oldest and best frineds, was pounding beers all day long too, while I was focussed getting the trees down.

As my cousin and I were leaving and started talking about how impaired they all were, I felt like crying for my friend, so lost in addiction. Nothing I could say would make a difference... He couldn't hear it if I tried... This guy was leading 12 step meetings in the early 90's. Very SAD!.. I AM going to call him sometime this weekend and see if he can hear it though...

That said... the point I'd like to make here is just how impaired these guys were... It was a real lesson to me... they might have been operating at 50-70%... that is one reason i was taking my time... They still almost got me though....

Here's the story:
We could have dropped the big tree straight into the dirt road if we had taken three others down first... All notch and drop, with just a bit of climbing to cut out a big crossing limb... But decided in the morning, to just focus on the problem tree.. once he saw that get roped out in 2 hours, he decided the day was still young and we should do the others as well...

Notched and dropped the first, maybe 16-18", it was leaning to the fall, so no rope or wedges.... They limbed it up and I got the throw line to set a pull line for the second tree... So I was stradling the downed log, (right between my legs) with the throw ball swinging in preperation for the throw, when I hear someone behind me say "OK", and the log takes off, right between my legs... Took me a second to jump out of there... I just shook my head and said " I AM speechless".... If I had said what was on my mind it would have ruined everybody's day...

This wasn't a very big log, but still if it had rolled or a nub caught my ankle, I could have been hurt badly... There were a lot of other small things they were doing all day long that mad it clear to me just how impaired they were...

I try to never depend on the actions of my groundman to protect me when climbing... That is a rule, and when the rare situation requires it to be broken, I make sure they know my instructions and they have the right number of wraps etc.. Stop the saws, Turn off the chipper etc first so I know that they understand what to do... and I never put myself at risk in that redwood... and they did run the ropes OK overall... I took my time, and it went smooth... but still they almost got me on the ground.... THAT IS HOW DANGEROUS IT IS WORKING WITH DOPE SMOKERS!

I try not to judge people in this world... we are all just doing the best we can, and hopefully learning how to live a good life. We all make mistakes and who AM I to say that my way of living is better than someone elses... in the end I tried to just show them by example... how much better one can operate when not fogging the mind... Maybe they got it, maybe not... i did get some good feedback... my frined told me that they were all impressed... even the guy that used to work for Davey had never seen anyone that fast in a tree, and they all learned a lot, when I showed them the open face notch and the gunning lines on the saw etc...

Hopefully it helped and hopefully this thread will help someone out there... The tree industry has a reputation for employing a lot of druggies and drinkers... Then there are guys like Graeme, Big Jon, Roachy, Riggs.. If you want to play like them, you gotta put down the joint and the bottle...

I do have a few pics... but since my 'puter crashed and was rebuilt I haven't figured out how to resize...

PS... I always did like the idea of folding trees, but have never found a good oportunity... If you are going up to notch, abckcut, and set a back line, why not just drop the top then... only thing I can think of is not trusting the integrity of the trunk and roots, or you can't set a pull line that high in the direction of fall.. Seems like you'd have to balance that dnager against the danger of standing under the partially cut top to fall it from the ground..

Time for workie, time for the doober, thats all, its all about respect, simply put, workie! no smokie!, thats all, the two dont mix! As I've said, after work is after work!!

 

[Wismer]

as for the unknown saw.. i believe its a 441?

wait what? the 441 can actually cut? it actually runs even with all is EPA hype?





anyways, if i am correct (which I may not be) how did it run murph? I have a 440 and am just curious how its predecesor runs? Especially in bigger wood like that.

 

[treemandan]

I just love the guys whose eyes barely stay open by 3 o'clock. The weed is stronger these days but some people just can't help smoking a few pounds by lunch.
good job buddy, on the take down AND realizing you have to rely on yourself. Looking down at those types of people makes you say" It is just easier if I do it myself!" What in the heck were you doing with that figure 8?