How'd it go today?

Sounds cool Al. Hope she has a great trip.

I broke down and called another banjo player to try out for my place in the band tonight. Doesn't look like my hand is going to get better in time to play the shows we have booked. Made his day at least :) he's all excited...hope he gets the job. probably will as pickers are pretty thin up around here.

Been hating giving up banjo for a while, but have two other bands of higher quality I'm playing Bass with from time to time so I still get to play at least.

Been thinking of swapping one of my 5 strings for a decent fiddle and getting back into that.
 
Nice day.
Pruned a large chestnut at a fancy golf course.
Easy work, good pay.

I had to answer a million questions, about my black eye.
I was a bit slow blocking a spinning backfist at practice wednesday, so I have a real shiner.
My wife took a picture and sent it to her friends in Schweiz, saying that she'd finally figured out how to housebreak a Danish man.
 
Echo top-handles are not as tough the undercarriage of the chipper. Whoops. Reminder, driver is always to check for a clear drive path. Don't put things where they can be run over. I was distracted, and thinking about not getting stuck in the wet grass with the chipper on.

Just an old, extra saw that was useful for ground limbing a bit. Better than my 192t or 200t. They don't get used for ground work.

Poop happens. NBD.

Oh come to an end, fruit tree pruning season. One more week, maybe.
 
I had an Echo top handle fall out of my loader bucket and get run over. A new bar and a little bit of tape on the handle and back in service. I got lucky the ground was real soft and mushed it in. I'm usually not that lucky.
 
Finished another week, knocked off early today so we could try and straighten a metal gate I managed to bend when I hit it with a trailer. A bit of judicious pressure with a tractor, bit of welding, spray paint et voila!
Insurance claim averted.
 
Echo top-handles are not as tough the undercarriage of the chipper. Whoops. Reminder, driver is always to check for a clear drive path. Don't put things where they can be run over. I was distracted, and thinking about not getting stuck in the wet grass with the chipper

We seem to lose a few saws a year that way. Hard to find a place to keep a saw close to the chipper that's both out of the way and not under the machine.
 
I had another training day. I'm agitated with Vermeer at the moment. The rep told us we had to replace the winch line since the original spliced eye is gone. Said a knot is not acceptable, I can not splice it(even if I was qualified), and we must use their winch line ( not amsteel). I even showed him the changes in the breaking strength from a knot to a splice and both were still higher than what the winch could exert. I showed the amsteel specs and still not allowed. Basically saying we must use Vermeer parts or things aren't covered. He said it's a safety issue. I said it's a money issue. Does anyone see why I couldn't switch to amsteel? It's by far a superior product.
 
Thanks Butch. I'm still hoping it comes back around sometime, but never can tell.

Good day today. first day back in the trees this season.

Got to see/talk to Reddog for a bit this morning, before heading out to jobsite...always a pleasure.:)

2 1/2 hours of climbing and headed home. done & paid. thanks TT!
 
Treebilly, sounds like bs to me.

Fidd, I missed it, how did you hurt your hand? Hey, btw, when your hand is good, are you able to play the Deliverance banjo scene, that always gives me chills, mighty high speed picking!
 
Cory, I can pick it but not at that speed. I was playing 8 - 10 hours per day this Winter and think I just over did it...picking along one day and just like I blew a fuse between my brain and hand...lost all fine coordination for picking banjo.

I can do most other things with it and only get slight pain in wrist and elbow sometimes, but can't seem to play 5 string at all...hand acts like I've never picked up the instrument before.:dontknow:

So far I've tried cold & hot & just letting it rest, but to no avail at this time.
 
Geez that's crazy, never heard of something like that before. Hope it snaps back for you!
 
I'd say no. They are quite different technique-wise though.

I can play guitar still and hold a flat-pick.

Most right-hand motion a flat-picked guitar is from the wrist & forearm.

On Scruggs style banjo the hand is anchored and individual fingers and thumb play a string at a time.
 
On Scruggs style banjo the hand is anchored and individual fingers and thumb play a string at a time.

It's a crazy look, the right hand anchored, the left hand moving some but not a lot, and 9 fingers going crazy 8)
 
First night in a while I'm alone, so it was KFC for supper, clip my toe nails and did an eye splice now waiting for my tea. I wanted to hit Lowes to pick up some odds and ends for the motor business, and a new broom and pan, but I'm not allowed to go without the little girl, she loves the racecar shopping carts.
 
Finished my first week at the new job and it's been great! Used a bucket for the first time yesterday and did my first crane removal today! Just a medium size maple but definitely cool
 
Echo top-handles are not as tough the undercarriage of the chipper. Whoops. Reminder, driver is always to check for a clear drive path. Don't put things where they can be run over. I was distracted, and thinking about not getting stuck in the wet grass with the chipper

We seem to lose a few saws a year that way. Hard to find a place to keep a saw close to the chipper that's both out of the way and not under the machine.

A saw bracket ON the chipper. Wood or plastic lined slot that is saw bar shaped.
 
I had another training day. I'm agitated with Vermeer at the moment. The rep told us we had to replace the winch line since the original spliced eye is gone. Said a knot is not acceptable, I can not splice it(even if I was qualified), and we must use their winch line ( not amsteel). I even showed him the changes in the breaking strength from a knot to a splice and both were still higher than what the winch could exert. I showed the amsteel specs and still not allowed. Basically saying we must use Vermeer parts or things aren't covered. He said it's a safety issue. I said it's a money issue. Does anyone see why I couldn't switch to amsteel? It's by far a superior product.


On a Bandit 250 winch, the amsteel was tied to the steel hook with a frayed bowline, still wouldn't break.
 
On a Bandit 250 winch, the amsteel was tied to the steel hook with a frayed bowline, still wouldn't break.

Yeah it's definatly a better product. I just can't see how it would be considered compromising the safety. Even with a bowline that reduces the rope strength to 80% , it's still well above the load the winch can put on it.
 
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