Checking Chain Brake? Also, new logger questions

[northmanlogging]

******* hate cotton weeds of all shapes and sizes...

cherry and birch are ok, a lot like alder.

 

[GilksTreeFelling]

Man I am jealous of your guys alders. Out here alder are about the size of your thumb and grow like bamboo. Glogs up a chunk of land in a hurry and are a pain to get rid of. Bain of my existence.

 

[Westboastfaller]

You hate them because they don't pay. I hate when the water is up to my knees with that hard azz understory little whips everywhere or 12 ft blackberry if you don't have a hoe raking for you. not to mention the hairy second growth Ceder or the flat ground with trees leaning every direction. Not to forget cutting out all the breaks and turns to make multiples of 8ft and 10's out of big twisty down to little twisty schoolmarms of maple. I definitely prefer the first growth hills but its got its problems too. Now they want to pay the contractor by the acre/hectare on helli now. So if you are in some good chewing
making Columbia and the licensee money then your boss is losing money on you. most fallers don't care. Falling contractors have worked a deal for top up which don't seem to happen. Maybe they will break the backs of the falling contractor and hire direct. apparently, in-house certs will be a reality. They can't afford the "expencive machine" the gov created. much like fire fallers, the gov had to create another cert to fill the spots and bring down the cost. We may see it go full circle back into blood over money? Just rambling ....

 

[Westboastfaller]

Thanks, guys.



If so, is the purpose of the side cuts so that you have less wood to cut, start to finish, on the final cut ... so that you can get the cut done before the tree has a chance to start leaning and possibly barber chair?

Exactly, but more importantly, the outer - younger fibres (sapwood) are the strongest and will separate vertically ("barber chair") before they will shear. Heartwood is older harder and brittle. Its much like a young person vs old. So there are lots of variables between/ and with the same species. (growing seasons, temps ect.)

I had a feeling that "1/4 to 1/3 of the diameter for the face cut wedge" was an ideal rather than a rule, and your comments confirm that. And it makes sense why they would do that in the axe days.

Thanks again. I'll start using that "axe plumb bob" technique.

A 1/4 or 1/3. Different purposes. This is about safety and advantages. If you 'are able' to go too deep on a leaner then you are adding stress. Inadequate undercut on odd shape trunks can contort the tree and split also or limit hinge control. "side notching" - falling off the direct lean will move the stress to the tension side hinge. it will be heavier to wedge as the undercut deepens also. The real deep undercuts are then used for very large and short trunks. example: 10ft x 6ft leaning up the hill. 80% undercut should bring it down. the BC FALLERS book says up to 50% undercut on sort stubies but it doesn't work. So you make their 50%, 80% and file it under " overcoming a falling difficulty". Workers comp says go as deep as required on stubies. So learn the guide lines (the whys and why not and stick to them unless you have a story why you didn't.

 

[Canyon Angler]

LOL, skyborn and skybound. Not sure I fully understand what you're saying, Westboastfaller (I probably don't have enough stump time yet) but I'm piecing it together.

I've seen some of the stuff you boys pull on Ax Men, and you gotta have ice water flowing through your veins.

 

[northmanlogging]

haxe men...

ya gatta stay cool under pressure, but its not all drama rama like the TV makes it out to be. Mostly logging is about problem solving, with a few basic principles, gravity always wins, trees fight back, get one end off the ground if you wanna move it, something will break, and THERE WILL BE MUD. The rest is applying what ever equipment is on hand in the most efficient means possible.

 

[Canyon Angler]

LOL there will be mud.

Yeah, I figured Ax Men had to be pretty fake with all the manufactured fights and feuds all the time. Just as with "Deadliest Catch," I wish they would go into the technical aspects more so you could learn a thing or two – even just basic safety stuff like "Never step into the bight of a line" – but it's just the same old same-old day-in and day-out...

 

[Westboastfaller]

LOL, skyborne and skybound. Not sure I fully understand what you're saying, Westboastfaller.

I thought there was a difference but I couldn't find it anywhere. I,ll say I'm wrong about "skyborne" and edit my post. Stuff I haven't heard in many many years, Just old terminology, No biggy. Skybound is a tree that won't fall usually due to guessing the wrong lean as the definition reads and as I mentioned in 2nd post.

 

[Canyon Angler]

Heh heh, just ordered my hi-viz orange hardhat and mesh screen face shield AND...

...wait for it...

...a MS660 clone with a Meteor motor and Taiwanese crank (and some OEM parts like circlips and wrist pin bearing) on ebay! Now my 361 will have a big brother! I'm psyched! Let 'er eat!

I've still got a few quarts of Mobil 1 2T racing oil back from when I bought a case right before they stopped making it, but I want to save that oil for my 361. What synthetic 2T oil are you guys using or would you recommend? Sorry if I'm going OT but I figured Arboritsite didn't need another oil thread.

 

[madhatte]

basic safety stuff like "Never step into the bight of a line".

Good on ya using the proper nautical term "bight" instead of the landlubber term "bite"!

 

[Canyon Angler]

Never Request Credit For Something Pretty Small!

 

[Canyon Angler]

I've been watching the BC Faller Training Standard videos on youtube. Good stuff.

Question: Is there any trick to getting your face cuts to meet perfectly? The guys on the videos seem to get them to meet right first time, every time. Or is it just stump time?

 

[northmanlogging]

Mostly stump time.

But stick the dog in just above or bellow the gunn cut point tip towards shere ya want it then angle down or up for the face opening, up or down depending on fsce type...anchor that dog and let it walk the saw around for you. As you get close stop and look both sides better to chunk it out and have more of a block face then try and chase bad cuts with more bad cuts.

The other way is to grab the bend in the front bars and let gravity determine the angle then just try and match visually bar angle to gun cut intersection starting parallel to gun cut.

Mostly though its just time, and being critical of your own cuts... or post on youtube and every self proclaimed tree surgeon will tell you exactly what you are doing wrong and how you will be killed doing it...

 

[Canyon Angler]

Thanks, Northmanlogging.

Another question: In the BC Safety videos, I noticed all the loggers were wearing some kind of heavy-duty suspenders that criss-crossed across the back. Do most loggers use that gear? And if so, is there some special purpose for them (weight-bearing, maybe -- like a military web belt)?

 

[northmanlogging]

Thanks, Northmanlogging.

Another question: In the BC Safety videos, I noticed all the loggers were wearing some kind of heavy-duty suspenders that criss-crossed across the back. Do most loggers use that gear? And if so, is there some special purpose for them (weight-bearing, maybe -- like a military web belt)?

So yer pants don't fall down?


Belts restrict breathing, and its basically a fashion statement of hey, i'm a logger... we're mostly surrounded by environmentalist out here... so its about the only thing that sets us apart, other then dirty pants.

I think the bc guys are required to carry a bunch more gear, so it might also be to distribute the weight of some of that load, much like my wedge belt has mil spec spenders...

 

[Trx250r180]

I thought had to wear them so a whistle could be mounted in reach of your mouth in case of an accident.?

 

[Westboastfaller]

I thought had to wear them so a whistle could be mounted in reach of your mouth in case of an accident.?

Its 2018 brian, that's what nose rings are for. lol.. Maybe not the best answer True you need to be able to use it without the assistance of your hands in the event you were pinned. If I use a padded falling belt harness I will use that otherwise its always pressing into me from the belt harness or backpack overtop. Then you can have straps from rain pants AND some guys use a radio vest which straps on under the arms and across the chest. To much chit that adds to fatigue.

 

[Westboastfaller]

So yer pants don't fall down?

With the Kevlar fallers pants, I think that holds true for me. I could MAYBE wear a 32 out of the store, They would stay up in the rain. less room in the knees though and too small after the Warsh. 36" and hot wash & dry twice before wearing with suspenders

Belts restrict breathing, and its basically a fashion statement of hey, I'm a logger... we're mostly surrounded by environmentalist out here... so it's about the only thing that sets us apart, other than dirty pants.

Very traditional in parts of WA & Ak. My landlord on Prince of Wales Island was close to 80 yrs old. I would have to assume he only owned pin stripped hickory shirts and logger pants with the bottoms cut off.
Be careful, I'm sure there are people right now in Seatle that are figuring out how to bring you all to trial and hang ya.
I love Washington state radio.
"The big lead with Dorry Munson"..lol

BC guys may have a timepiece as well a whistle at most. I've tried my tape on the right side bottom of the suspenders but every time you swing the axe it stretches and would crack me in the elbow. Not my best plan to date, mind you, not nearly my worst either. 3 1/2 lb axe head - 1 lb axe handle - 3 or 4 wedges, approx 3 1/2 lb - 1lb radio and a 1 1/2 lb tape and belt first aid (compression bandage) You are looking at 10 or 11 lb. I get worn out much less without the harness. you are lifting more weight every time you lift the saw. Harnesses are better suited for construction. IMO....even know that wasn't topic.

 

[Canyon Angler]

Thanks, fellas.

Aside from the issue of how exhausting that kind of work must be, I bet it's a lot of fun to work in the woods all day every day. I grew up hunting and fishing and love being out there, although what with all the rain you guys deal with in the PNW, maybe it ain't so peachy sometimes...THERE WILL BE MUD...

What size CC saw are most of you fallers using out there? Is there a "most common saw size"?

 

[rocketnorton]

seen one log loads on the island, to lotta peckerpole loads, common now.
gonna guess no on "common" size.
some guys like to have as much bar as possible on light ph.
I prefer more power/speed. eg: 26" on 288. maybe 8p sprocket for shorter bars.
only loggin job I ever had was usin poulan 4200 & 24ish... late 70s.