A little shout out...

[booboo]

To all you who spend every day working in the woods!

I've been helping out a friend felling for him a day or 2 a week this winter. My regular gig has been kind of slow and he got behind on the lot he is on and needed a hand. It's steep with a lot of rock and ice and the snow is getting deeper. I've been in the tree care business on and off for 20+ years and I'd have to say that felling for him is probably the most exhausting work I've ever done, between the sheer physicality of it and the mental alertness. It's also a hell of a lot of fun.

I give you guys who do it day in and out a lot of credit!

 

[Burvol]

Thank you, I'll take that compliment. I work hard and take pride in my cutting. It's hard to shake it once your going. After cutting timber for a while you'll be screwed too....nothing else will satisfy!

 

[Gologit]

Thank you, I'll take that compliment. I work hard and take pride in my cutting. It's hard to shake it once your going. After cutting timber for a while you'll be screwed too....nothing else will satisfy!

LOL...You're right. Sometimes I wish you weren't.

 

[Burvol]

Are you still cutting Bob? I'm on my way out the door right now. We're still in that nice bar width average tall fir. Some bigger, and a few smaller. The sap has been freezing and thawing every week it seems. This week glass timber. Are you guys cutting some Redwoods?

 

[Gologit]

Are you still cutting Bob? I'm on my way out the door right now. We're still in that nice bar width average tall fir. Some bigger, and a few smaller. The sap has been freezing and thawing every week it seems. This week glass timber. Are you guys cutting some Redwoods?

I'm down right now. We had a little job where we had to have 24" of snow cover to skid because of the soil but the snow went away. I'll PM you the details...it's kind of interesting.

I've been driving a little but that's been spotty, too. Just one of those years.

 

[056kid]

Thank you, I'll take that compliment. I work hard and take pride in my cutting. It's hard to shake it once your going. After cutting timber for a while you'll be screwed too....nothing else will satisfy!

if thoes arent words of pure truth i dont know what true words are.

Being in the woods on a cold morning waiting for the sun to peek over the mountain to warm you up just after burning that first tank on some NICE logs, all of which went your way just gives you that feeling of bliss, shear satisfaction. A meager piece of flesh and bones with 30 so lbs of stihl and plastic that is able to move hundreds of thousands of lbs of wood every day!


And the adrenaline involved is comparable to that of a base jumper!




And o yaa its friday!!!.. my 600.00 paycheck(375.00 after tax & ride) is cashed and gatdamn im tired but its time to get a little wild!!

 

[371groundie]

i appreciate it. i just swapped from driving skidder mostly to felling mostly. my legs are TIRED. knee deep snow its easier to be in the machine! not sure how if im gunna stay on the ground or go back to driving, but i might be driving a broom if the wood markets dont open back up.

to bad i caught the bug so young, tough way to make a biscut.

 

[sILlogger]

Are you still cutting Bob? I'm on my way out the door right now. We're still in that nice bar width average tall fir. Some bigger, and a few smaller. The sap has been freezing and thawing every week it seems. This week glass timber. Are you guys cutting some Redwoods?

what do you mean you are on your way out the door? u gonna quit cutting?

 

[slowp]

I still like the yarding best. The whistle is a cheery noise.opcorn:

 

[rngrchad]

I still like the yarding best. The whistle is a cheery noise.opcorn:

Slowp, can you explain the whistle to me? Does the carriage controller (pardon my non-technical terms) automatically blow the whistle everytime you move it up or down the skyline? Does it whistle when you make the carriage drop the winchline and automatically whistle when you reel-in the carriage's winch line? I just don't understand what the whistling is all about? A signal I'm sure between the yarder operator and the rigg'n crew?
Thanks as I've always been kinda confused by the noise.

 

[Burvol]

what do you mean you are on your way out the door? u gonna quit cutting?

No you can't come to Oregon and take my job!!! LOL I was heading out for work. I'm only an hour from work, not too bad for me.

 

[slowp]

Slowp, can you explain the whistle to me? Does the carriage controller (pardon my non-technical terms) automatically blow the whistle everytime you move it up or down the skyline? Does it whistle when you make the carriage drop the winchline and automatically whistle when you reel-in the carriage's winch line? I just don't understand what the whistling is all about? A signal I'm sure between the yarder operator and the rigg'n crew?
Thanks as I've always been kinda confused by the noise.

Well, there is the talkie tooter. A guy on the rigging crew (rigging slinger) and the hooktender carry on a belt, what is called by some guys bugs. These send a radio signal up to the yarder, which is where the whistle is mounted. The yarder engineer, interprets the signal, and will then do something like let out more line, or go full tilt with the log turn, raise the skyline, lower the skyline, etc.

See the little red thing on the hip of the guy on the left. That is the control.
The motorized carriages will also have a control on the bugs. This clamps and unclamps the carriage. It is not as noisy of a whistle, it is more of a chevy pickup honk noise. I watched a 4 year old play with the talkie tooter and he had so much fun...Here is the most common style of motorized carriage for this area.

Ooops. I digress. The yarder engineer can signal with the whistle also. The hooktender has one which he uses when such things like the haywire has pulled the skyline down far enough so he needs it to stop so he can finish rigging it up or needs a saw with a bent bar.. etc.

Now we need some real experts to explain this better and in more detail. I am merely a forester.

 

[sILlogger]

No you can't come to Oregon and take my job!!! LOL I was heading out for work. I'm only an hour from work, not too bad for me.

ha ha...i don't like seeing people who are good at cutting timber quit what they love.

i would one day like to come to the PNW and work.. i just don't know how well i would make the change from cutting hardwoods to dropping and bucking softwoods.

 

[Gologit]

i would one day like to come to the PNW and work.. i just don't know how well i would make the change from cutting hardwoods to dropping and bucking softwoods.

I think you'd make it alright. We might have to set up a qualification day, though. Just to help get you started. Kind of a practise day...with a bunch of us watching. And helping. And advising. Lots of advising.
Slowp could lay out the job, mark the trees, and make sure you were dressed properly. You could partner up with Burvol or Treeslingr....I hear they don't yell too much and they always spit downwind. We could get Smokechase as a technical advisor...especially good if we run into dead lodgepole. JacobJ, Tek9Tim, John Ellison, Bushler, Humptulips, JoeSawyer, and I could be the advisory committee. We'd mostly just watch. And comment. Loudly. I'm sure I left somebody out but they could come anyway.
Lakeside could be there as the saw guru. Gary could be in charge of oil and double as the bouncer. We'd need a cook...RR2 could come up from Texas. And a timekeeper...Trinity does that. Did I leave anything out?

Ready? Between all of us we'll get you through the first day. You bring the beer.

 

[sILlogger]

I think you'd make it alright. We might have to set up a qualification day, though. Just to help get you started. Kind of a practise day...with a bunch of us watching. And helping. And advising. Lots of advising.
Slowp could lay out the job, mark the trees, and make sure you were dressed properly. You could partner up with Burvol or Treeslingr....I hear they don't yell too much and they always spit downwind. We could get Smokechase as a technical advisor...especially good if we run into dead lodgepole. JacobJ, Tek9Tim, John Ellison, Bushler, Humptulips, JoeSawyer, and I could be the advisory committee. We'd mostly just watch. And comment. Loudly. I'm sure I left somebody out but they could come anyway.
Lakeside could be there as the saw guru. Gary could be in charge of oil and double as the bouncer. We'd need a cook...RR2 could come up from Texas. And a timekeeper...Trinity does that. Did I leave anything out?

Ready? Between all of us we'll get you through the first day. You bring the beer.

wow....thats quite the invite....i don't know if i would afford all the beer for that crew tho, after i pay for cutting trees(or would i get paid?!?!?), buy saw gas and oil, contribute to you food and buy beer i don't know if i could pay for all that!

One of these days i would like to take a trip out there, while i'm there i would almost want to get hooked up with a crew for a day and cut, or go out with a faller on a weekend and cut under supervision for a day, just to get a feel for in a learn the bucking of softwoods. i think that would be a heck of a good time.

 

[Burvol]

wow....thats quite the invite....i don't know if i would afford all the beer for that crew tho, after i pay for cutting trees(or would i get paid?!?!?), buy saw gas and oil, contribute to you food and buy beer i don't know if i could pay for all that!

One of these days i would like to take a trip out there, while i'm there i would almost want to get hooked up with a crew for a day and cut, or go out with a faller on a weekend and cut under supervision for a day, just to get a feel for in a learn the bucking of softwoods. i think that would be a heck of a good time.

If things shape up like I hope they do this summer, I'll make it happen for you

 

[sILlogger]

If things shape up like I hope they do this summer, I'll make it happen for you

that would be awesome. i guess i better keep that 3/4 wrap for the 660, and better get bring the 36" along.

what you got planned for the summer?

 

[Burvol]

that would be awesome. i guess i better keep that 3/4 wrap for the 660, and better get bring the 36" along.

what you got planned for the summer?

Just cutting as usual, if it's going good, he might just go for it. I know some other private types that would proabably have no problem with it. A 32 will be fine. I don't pull out a 36 unless there is a steady diet of 4 foot stuff. Too much grinding, too much bar if you really don't need it.

 

[slowp]

Burvol and I can give a lecture on the importance of footwear. I now have two pairs of footwear that DON'T require the arch supports or what can be referred to as orthotics--the Kuliens and the Crocs. I'm sold on the Crocs for apres' caulks wear. But buy the ventilated ones, the unvented ones can be a little sauna like on the toes.

 

[sILlogger]

Just cutting as usual, if it's going good, he might just go for it. I know some other private types that would proabably have no problem with it. A 32 will be fine. I don't pull out a 36 unless there is a steady diet of 4 foot stuff. Too much grinding, too much bar if you really don't need it.

Ive got a 32" but it has been well used!! i would definitely get a new one if i did it.

do you run square chisel? do you have a depth guage grinder? i've been thinking about getting one, i'm good at filing them but i like the assurance that every one is the same.

are you running ported saws or stock?