If it's any help...
Beav, I've gotta give you credit for bravery at least. I'm too old to climb now and believe me, these bifocals make working at heights a bit iffy. I'm just thankful that you weren't injured or killed... or a tree didn't decide to land on your home.
A little history ~ back in the '80s when I was married, the brothers-in-law ran a tree service. I worked with 'em a time or three, even got to climb some. Strapping on climbing spikes and a harness to climb for the helluvit doesn't make me an arborist any more than replacing a defective light switch makes one an electrician... but it did give me an idea of what those guys dealt with every day to put food on the table.
It gave me a great respect for arborists and tree surgeons, folks who are often looked down upon by snooty homeowners in the yuppie suburbs of DC. I sure remember that. Ya tell the missus and pups that you got a gig for some linebacker for the Redskins... but ya don't tell 'em that you were treated like dog chit on the jobsite.
But I digress. I'm an old DIYer from 'way back ~ have worked in industrial electrical and mechanical maintenance for better than three decades now. Aside from AC/refrigeration there's nothing in a home ~ and little in a factory I haven't had my paws in at one time or other. I fix things for a living.
With business accounts set up with industrial suppliers I was able to get the parts I needed to repair our heat pump last year. I can't afford to pay others to do these things.
That isn't putting contractors out of business, my friends. If I don't have the money I can't contract the job.
And if you think this industry is ego-laden you haven't visited DJ-related forums sites. We ran a pro mobile DJ company from '93 until last year when we retired. I've served mod and admin duty at a couple of DJ industry forums sites over the years and know the egos well.
Over here it's saws, fuel mix and mods. Over there it's software, controllers and MP3 bitrates. But the egos never change. Mine is always bigger and better than yours.
Pros only? I've seen it attempted and I've seen it fail. A forums site that restricts itself to approved pros only is a waste of a vB licence. Restricted forums don't prosper or grow. A handful of pros talking to each other doesn't help anybody.
I'm new to AS myself... got back into cutting firewood last year. We ain't got all the high-end gear and accoutrements but we have what we need to get our firewood laid in. Posted some photos in the firewood forum the other day.
Folks, I don't have a 4-foot guide bar on my saw. But I'm not a logger. I don't
need a 4-foot guide bar on my saw. I just cut and split firewood on a woodlot where the largest tree is maybe, 20" at the base. For us, the JD is a lawn tractor fitted with super lug tires.
Yep, I'll admit I've had my bar pinched a time or three. I've hung a tree. I've had springpoles. I've effed up some face cuts. But I've learned from it. I'm getting back in practice, thanks in part to this forum and others like it.
Beav and other folks in his shoes give the rest of us a sense of balance; keeping us all grounded as it were. Beav had a bunch of trees that had to go so he did the research, invested in the needed equipment and got the job done. Had things gone wrong, someone would've had to inform the Widder Beav. Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
We all started somewhere.
Good job and hats off for manning up. As far as time go's your in the woods working with your hands and the wifey is by your side. PRICELESS :cool2:
