Falling pics 11/25/09

[nw axe man]

I once got a call from one of those "rich people" asking if I could kill a tree for her in a way that would look like it died naturally. Trouble was I remembered her as lobbying for the tree cutting ban in that city. Turns out she bought a new house and then realized she would have a killer view if the trees were out of the way. I told her I was too honest to help her live by a double standard and if she wanted the tree down she could get the law changed back. Poor rich lady was so mad she was cussing at me.:hmm3grin2orange:

A year later the tree was dead. It got taken down by a hack in a rusty beater truck with Arizona plates. He dropped the top through her deck.



Mr. HE

Good on ya, mate.

 

[wowzers]

Biggest fir I've ever measured was in the Oregon Coast Range near Dallas; as I recall, it measured close to 12' DBH and was just kissing 300' tall. Biggest I've measured on the ownership where I work now is 110" DBH and 240' tall. It's important to note that really big trees are really hard to measure -- tops blown out, butt swell, etc. make precise measurement a task. Normal commercial timber of 32" DBH and ~160' tall are a snap by comparison.

How far back to you have to pull to shoot a 300'er?

 

[madhatte]

How far back to you have to pull to shoot a 300'er?

Using a clinometer marked in Topo scale, you can get a fairly good shot pulling off to 2 chains. It'll read 150', multiply by 2 to get 300. If your clino is only marked in Percent scale, the increments above 100 are pretty small. I'd go 300 feet for that one to make it read 100. I vastly prefer Topo scale. It's just easier to use because everything in forestry and surveying is based on chains. Oh, and conversions are simple, too: 80 ch to a mile, 20 meters to a chain.

 

[forestryworks]

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/znmwPl7BMwc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[056kid]

Your work is consistent and methodical Jameson, Are you ready to work on speed yet?

 

[forestryworks]

Your work is consistent and methodical Jameson, Are you ready to work on speed yet?

When the opportunity presents itself, yes.

We'll see how fast I can go on this mom and pop falling job saturday. Straight falling - lately it's been taking 50-60 trees to make a load.

12" and up, so not as fast as a clearcut would be.

 

[nw axe man]

When the opportunity presents itself, yes.

We'll see how fast I can go on this mom and pop falling job saturday. Straight falling - lately it's been taking 50-60 trees to make a load.

12" and up, so not as fast as a clearcut would be.

Speed is great, Jameson, as long as you remember your hazard analysis and size ups. Good videos. 056 is right, you're very methodical. I might mention one thing I've seen in your videos, be careful of the one handed sawing. The best example I can think of is my dad cutting one handed with an 056 with a 3' bar. It swapped ends and he suffered 125 stitches in his right forearm. Took him out for quite a while. Cost him a moose hunt in BC. On a better note, I got to go on the hunt. Yes, I did get one. Have a great day and be safe.

 

[Samlock]

The forests there look really nice, Jameson. I suppose it's a privilege to work there.

Sam

 

[Gologit]

Speed is good. Quality work is better. Taking that little extra time to size one up and dropping it in a way that doesn't wreck it will pay off. A side-rod or a bullbuck will notice real quick who's doing what and they know good cutting from bad.

NW AxMan said it right...especially about the one handed sawing. We all do it, me included, but if you can keep two hands on the saw it's better.

You'll gain speed as you go along and you won't even be aware of it because it's a natural progression. Somebody will be watching you work and they'll make some comment like "Hey, that guy really puts the wood on the ground". And they'll be right.

But if I have the choice between a fast-as-hell tree thrasher and a guy who's maybe a step slower but doesn't wind up with a bunch of cut-outs and short logs that should have been long logs I'll take the slower guy every time.

That's one of the problems with being a faller. Your work is always on display. Every tree. And people look.

 

[Rounder]

Speed is good. Quality work is better. Taking that little extra time to size one up and dropping it in a way that doesn't wreck it will pay off. A side-rod or a bullbuck will notice real quick who's doing what and they know good cutting from bad.

NW AxMan said it right...especially about the one handed sawing. We all do it, me included, but if you can keep two hands on the saw it's better.

You'll gain speed as you go along and you won't even be aware of it because it's a natural progression. Somebody will be watching you work and they'll make some comment like "Hey, that guy really puts the wood on the ground". And they'll be right.

But if I have the choice between a fast-as-hell tree thrasher and a guy who's maybe a step slower but doesn't wind up with a bunch of cut-outs and short logs that should have been long logs I'll take the slower guy every time.

That's one of the problems with being a faller. Your work is always on display. Every tree. And people look.

Your stump and your logs are your signature. The guy I'm working for right now will send you down the road so fast it'll make your head spin if you're turning out less than perfect logs. Efficiency of movement and attention to detail are key to staying busy. Keep up the good work and be safe....speed ain't everything. -Sam

 

[RandyMac]

Yep, excellent work JC.
There is always someone watching, inspecting, keeping track.
Rate this stump was played a few times a day, along with "explain this" or otherwise known as "What in the heck were you thinking?"

 

[Greystoke]

Definitely doing good Jameson. Don't worry about the speed for now...your not bushelin...and if you ever do you will have had the time to practice all of your mechanics a lot. Keep it up pard! I would love to see you falling west coast timber someday....you have the right head for it

 

[RandyMac]

Speed will come along with practice, your skills are really showing.

The chain seems a touch grabby, maybe the rackers are a tiny bit low.

 

[056kid]

Speed doesn't have to mean working faster. getting the diagonal cut in the undercut right the first time saves a lot of time, but just requires a few seconds of extra focus and lots of practice.
The Okie won't have any trouble..

 

[coastalfaller]

Speed is good. Quality work is better. Taking that little extra time to size one up and dropping it in a way that doesn't wreck it will pay off. A side-rod or a bullbuck will notice real quick who's doing what and they know good cutting from bad.

NW AxMan said it right...especially about the one handed sawing. We all do it, me included, but if you can keep two hands on the saw it's better.

You'll gain speed as you go along and you won't even be aware of it because it's a natural progression. Somebody will be watching you work and they'll make some comment like "Hey, that guy really puts the wood on the ground". And they'll be right.

But if I have the choice between a fast-as-hell tree thrasher and a guy who's maybe a step slower but doesn't wind up with a bunch of cut-outs and short logs that should have been long logs I'll take the slower guy every time.

That's one of the problems with being a faller. Your work is always on display. Every tree. And people look.

Well said, Bob, good post. Can't agree more. The speed will come naturally. Focus on your technique, gaining efficiencies the rest will come. I've got a guy that works for me that has to be the poster boy for efficiency! You watch him on the hill in the morning and he just ambles along, in no great hurry. You come back at the end of the day and the whole forest is on the ground! Laid out and bucked perfectly too! lol

 

[Gologit]

Well said, Bob, good post. Can't agree more. The speed will come naturally. Focus on your technique, gaining efficiencies the rest will come. I've got a guy that works for me that has to be the poster boy for efficiency! You watch him on the hill in the morning and he just ambles along, in no great hurry. You come back at the end of the day and the whole forest is on the ground! Laid out and bucked perfectly too! lol

That sounds like me. Sometimes I look like I'm hardly moving. Sometimes I'm not, either. :msp_biggrin:

It's true though...you watch the guys that make every move count, fallers, loaders, Catskinners, whatever...and they never look like they're in a hurry. They're the ones that usually last a long time in this business.

They make the work look a lot easier than it really is. But that's a good thing.

 

[Metals406]

Jameson!! Did you call Bob??

 

[forestryworks]

Speed doesn't have to mean working faster. getting the diagonal cut in the undercut right the first time saves a lot of time, but just requires a few seconds of extra focus and lots of practice.
The Okie won't have any trouble..

The Texan, lol

Jameson!! Did you call Bob??

Not yet, school is kicking my ass so hard I gotta clear my throat to fart. Graduation today, "finish" next Wed.

 

[nw axe man]

When the opportunity presents itself, yes.

We'll see how fast I can go on this mom and pop falling job saturday. Straight falling - lately it's been taking 50-60 trees to make a load.

12" and up, so not as fast as a clearcut would be.

Well, Jameson, if you ever needed convincing that someone out there cared about your wellbeing, this thread should prove it to you.
I'm a newcomer to this site but I do have to say that I appreciate the encouragment that I see coming across the screen from the veterans on here. As far as I'm concerned this is how a forum should be presented and I'm quite pleased with the way you guys encourage those new to the business. Keep it up.

 

[056kid]

Yea, definitely in a class of it's own as far as how friendly the folks are, lots if intelligence here too. Very good people IMO. I may not be the best, but others compensate for that..
Thanks for putting up with it :msp_biggrin:. Jameson, you where an okie at once no?