The Descriptive Process

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Then, go to the Home and Garden show and pick up a cat. Or go to the humane society. I don't know how they knew, but the Grapple Cat has been just like they told me, and he was picked up off the street somewhere. He killed all the mice in the shop, and keeps it mouse and vole free. He doesn't take on packrats though. He does try to take down The Used Dog once in a while with the classic style of lions--grabbing the flank of the intended meal to bring it down. The Used Dog is a bit too big for that so no worries. Oh, and every once in a while, I find a freshly killed put in the middle of the road for my viewing pleasure. He's been well worth the $40 I had to pay for him.
 
Then, go to the Home and Garden show and pick up a cat. Or go to the humane society. I don't know how they knew, but the Grapple Cat has been just like they told me, and he was picked up off the street somewhere. He killed all the mice in the shop, and keeps it mouse and vole free. He doesn't take on packrats though. He does try to take down The Used Dog once in a while with the classic style of lions--grabbing the flank of the intended meal to bring it down. The Used Dog is a bit too big for that so no worries. Oh, and every once in a while, I find a freshly killed put in the middle of the road for my viewing pleasure. He's been well worth the $40 I had to pay for him.

So how big of a turn can this "grapple kitty" pull, and what kind of fuel use, I understand it runs on unconventional fuel (passive aggression and kibble)....


SOB its fricken snowing... guess I better hurry out and try to get some logging done before this **** gets deep. At least the ground is frozen.
 
It is semi-sunny here.

The Grapple Cat consumes less kibble since I got a plug in heating pad for him. He can yard a fully grown plump mole. I thought he was consuming too much fuel and figured out it was some other wee beast who could negotiate the kitty door. I put the fuel away at night. Consumption has halved.

Actually, it looks to be snowing to the NW, up in the mountains.
 
They say the mind is one of the first things to go.

This morning I skidded out to the road with my little tractor the last tree of several I cut down for the firewood cutters. While weaving in and out I noticed that all of my stumps had a 25* slope to them. I knew I was rusty from a few months hiatus but what the heck usually my sloping cuts run parallel with the ground - these were all very consistent. Then I noticed that most had no hinges. Thought to myself if word gets out Bob will toss me from AS and RandyMac will confiscate all my yellow saws. I began to ponder whether or not I should just surrender my saws and fade away. On my last of four skids (it is a little tractor so I had bucked the trunk into four logs), I came to my senses when I realized that all my nice tall firewood stumps (good for the back, the tractor driver and the squirrels) had been whacked off by the firewood cutters. I felt a whole lot better about my skills but now I'm wondering about the old mind. :eek:

Below are some falling pictures from this afternoon at a different site. I didn't get the job finished as a little 7 incher sat back and I wore myself out pulling it over by hand. Don't be too hard on me about the lay or the ugly stumps. I did keep them all off the fence and the power lines. Ron

Before:
IMG_3622.JPG

After:
IMG_3634.JPG

A few stump shots:
IMG_3626.JPG IMG_3629.JPG IMG_3630.JPG IMG_3631.JPG
 
FSTEP classes. Watching 50 mostly middle aged and elderly people who don't bend in as many places as they used to participate in simulated fire shelter deployment. After six hours of lectures. On a hard floor. With a time limit. And having to repack your practice shelter to specs.

The doughnuts were good, though. :clap:
 
Good job. Is your chain sharp?

It was a booger-ed up chain that I just ran through the grinder as I was in a hurry and I didn't lower the depth guides. As you can see, it was putting out a lot of fine dust - so I would say "No" but the wood was as hard as a rock. I am using one of the Dinasaw wheels from Bailey's. Mine doesn't have a nice round radius so it doesn't give you much of a hook. But it usually does a fair job for cutting white and red oaks so more likely than not I just didn't do a very good job sharpening.

good job Ron, beech is nasty hard to cut.

Thanks, and Yes. I was surprised how hard it was as I thought it was maple, most varieties of which around here cut easily. I couldn't lean on my 8 pin saw as I typically can. Since I don't usually cut wood this hard, I couldn't tell if it was the chain or the wood. Probably both.

Ron
 
Looks good Ron! Thanks for sharing!

My least favorite to cut due to hardness on the stump (bucking never seems that different between species to me).

Hardest
1. Hard Maple
2. Hickory -shaggy
3. Hickory-smooth
4. White oak
5. Red oak
6. Beech
7. Elm
8. Ash
9. Soft maple
10. Basswood
Softest.

I would say the red and white oak can be interchangeable with the type of woods I find them in. The last two oak jobs I cut, I would have rather cut white all day. Some jobs its the opposite.
 
pretty much all hard but poplar gum and pine here. red oak not bad but I have cut hard ones. seems any thing big is hard. I even have come across hard poplar but only at the stump, bucking they were soft. my buyer says wood on the shore is some of the hardest on the east coast, I ain't cut no where else.
 
pretty much all hard but poplar gum and pine here. red oak not bad but I have cut hard ones. seems any thing big is hard. I even have come across hard poplar but only at the stump, bucking they were soft. my buyer says wood on the shore is some of the hardest on the east coast, I ain't cut no where else.

Most of the hickory I cut is small so that likely explains why I don't equate it with locust. As to poplar, I avoid cutting it if I can as it isn't the best firewood, nevertheless it is fun to cut. I have never cut a hard live one but of the dead wood I collect I have run across some hard as nails yellow poplar even though very small in size. Ron
 
yup, wish i still had my underhood creeper, saves on the back and good for a short nap. almost started on it this weekend but just in case the head has a little wow too it i can still get it in to the machine shop and have it ready for mon. going down to the logging conference tomorrow so loose a day there.

I'm sure we crossed paths and didn't know it. I was there Thurs and part of Fri...
 
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