How'd it go today?

It's extremely hard to measure trees in the woods unless you climb them to a top whose length you can verify by measuring it when it's on the ground. E.g. I got a false measurement today of the headleaner that I had fallen a couple of days ago. I just lost my log tape, so I stuck a 30' tape measure on it, and just measured it incrementally. What I didn't realize is that I had taken out a snag with the fall, whose wood was all mixed in with the top of the Fir I was trying to measure. :|:

The ropes don't lie if you know their exact lengths, and it can really help me when I'm rolling out logs to know my exact height at each cut so that I can gauge whether I should 270 degree flip logs as per Beranek's rule, or else, go smaller for 450 degree flips. Really helps when you absolutely HAVE to get stuff to land flat.
 
How about a clinometer app, and log tape, Jed?



Killed 5 cottonwoods. Climbed them all without a high TIP (my rope jammed getting installed). Not like me. All pretty much single leaders up to 80'. Leave the brush, cut the firewood to rounds for an idiot that wants any firewood. My guess, the rounds will just sit in the greenbelt with the brush. Not drive up access.

Combo of cut and chuck, ziplining, and straight down rigging.

Out in time for Open Swim with Dahlia. She had gotten a lot better as a swimmer since out last outing.


New Idea, preheat your kindling in the microwave if its cold. It works. I put a cup of water in there with it, just to be sure there was enough water for the microwave to operate. You can't heat dry ingredients in the microwave. I wonder about straight vegetable oil.
 
I don't get it, what does pre heating the kindling do? And wouldn't the water add humidity and get absorbed into the wood? Thoughtful idea adding it in to make the microwave work, I just don't get the initial purpose.
 
Good stuff Jed, nice hinge as ever.
We're off to "gay Paree" to meet up with family and celebrate my wife's birthday.
See you on the other side. I'll get pics.
 
My understanding is that microwave ovens are set to the frequency of water. You have to have water in the microwave oven to absorb the rays.


There is moisture it the wood. Its very well dried, but this is a humid area in the winter.

I just added the cup of water, not knowing how much moisture was in the wood, and didn't want to find out the hard way that I steamed too much water out.

When I brought the wood in from outside, its about 45 degrees, after microwaving it was nice and warm, maybe 120 or more. It lit right up, more easily than other times, recently. When I have a had kindling in the house, its already drier and warmer than coming in from the cold, damp air.

It occurred to me to preheat it, and make it easy to light, and I wanted to perform an experiment.
 
Please do that Mick, take pictures I mean.

Sweet hinge Jed. No harm in having the lines there 8) Hey, reminds me, I was talking with an old logger up here today, and as the conversation progressed we were discussing face cut depth. He mentioned that the shallower the face, and the longer the back cut, the more leverage you can get out of your wedges, being that they are acting on a longer lever to the hinge. I'd never thought of it in those terms. We talked about directional control, and the 1/3 rule and all that, but it was just cool for him to randomly hand out hard earned knowledge like that. One of the reasons this place is so cool. . . He also showed me how he used to gun his hinge with a flat edge scoop shovel. Neat stuff.
 
Hey Stig, yes, red flowered chestnut...don't our American cousins call it a 'Buckthorn'?
 
SouthSoundTree- said:
When I brought the wood in from outside, its about 45 degrees, after microwaving it was nice and warm, maybe 120 or more. It lit right up, more easily than other times, recently. When I have a had kindling in the house, its already drier and warmer than coming in from the cold, damp air.

It occurred to me to preheat it, and make it easy to light, and I wanted to perform an experiment.
Click to expand...


I would not have thought the kindling being a little warmer would light easier, at least not a noticeable difference, but after reading your post it ocurred to me that I rarely ever light cold kindling as mine is always near my woodstove. So thank you for doing the experiment and sharing that nugget of knowledge. I would never have thought to microwave it, and I honestly kinda thought it was some sort of joke at first and I just missed the punchline.
 
A microwave is pretty efficient in driving off moisture. I use my microwave to determine the moisture content of hay if it is questionable. You dry the hay down to totally dry and compare that weight with the wet weight to see how much water was in it.
 
Grendel said:
Please do that Mick, take pictures I mean.

Sweet hinge Jed. No harm in having the lines there 8) Hey, reminds me, I was talking with an old logger up here today, and as the conversation progressed we were discussing face cut depth. He mentioned that the shallower the face, and the longer the back cut, the more leverage you can get out of your wedges, being that they are acting on a longer lever to the hinge. I'd never thought of it in those terms. We talked about directional control, and the 1/3 rule and all that, but it was just cool for him to randomly hand out hard earned knowledge like that. One of the reasons this place is so cool. . . He also showed me how he used to gun his hinge with a flat edge scoop shovel. Neat stuff.
Click to expand...

That guy sounds awesome. Willard taught me to stick a large carpentry T-square into the face for the same reason, and I still resort to it for really tight shots. You would absolutely love Gerry Beranek's book, "The Fundamentals of General Tree Work."

I almost always use the shallowest face I can, for the leverage reason, and because (compared to a timber-faller) my skills at the stump are really minimal, and I usually end up cutting the tips off my wedges, or wedging my saw into the tree, or buckling what August calls the "Character Wood," if I run a deeper face cut. However, I find that (on fair standing trees) the fallers usually cut much deeper, for max holding-wood span, and to get more lift. (degree lift, not leverage lift) And I've got to confess, that the times when I have cut in to near 50% with the face, whether by accident, or whatever, but have managed to do a really good job on the back, usually result in the the tree drifting nicely over off of only one wedge height, and your heart stops beating quite so fast. I hate stacking wedges. Scariest feeling is driving hard and spitting them out the back. Man, you'd better have another stack in there.

Sean... just recently lost my log tape, AND my good Dayton axe. As usual... I'll be getting tools for Christmas. Not a smart phone though. I'm a low-tech tool guy.

Oh... Do you ever collect the pitch-wood out of the occasional Fir stump? Amazing, amazing kindling. You can light it out in the rain: we've done it.

Mick: :rockon:
 
Jed said:
Oh... Do you ever collect the pitch-wood out of the occasional Fir stump? Amazing, amazing kindling. You can light it out in the rain: we've done it.
Click to expand...
We take fat lighter for granted in the south. When I went to Wyoming and they were trying to build a fire in that thin air, I asked them if any of those trees made fat lighter. They didn't have a clue what I was talking about. I see L.L.Bean actually sells it now.
 
RajElectric said:
Not me, Jim's farther north than I am.
Click to expand...

Keep looking. We are due for a flurry of Northern Lights. They are a cyclical thing. I live at the same latitude and have seen them many times.

I had a bud who grew up right down the road who had never seen them. He had moved to Florida for several years. When he moved back I told him in passing I had seen N.L. the night before. He said call me the next time. I said even at 1 or 2 in the morning? Yes!!!!! he said. So I did wake him up several times. It helps if you live out in the boonies without light pollution.
 
Here's a crappy gopro picture of the new plow/truck. New to us anyways. I think it's an 09 Superduty. Took one of the other trucks into the dealership for what will likely be a new transmission today as well.

mr plow.jpg

Just in the nick of time.

GOPR0378.jpg
 
Wow, crappy wether Grendel. Looks like home sweet home to me. We're plenty far North to see the lights... but we can't see anything right now...
I think I'm in love with your truck. That thing just induces a feeling of security. Some people have "comfort foods,". I think I've just seen a comfort truck.

Crappy Cottonpig Rig today... Miserable day, and I missed my beloved stump pic because I was too obsessed with being angry at a really good friend. Man, I've got anger issues. :( Such a waste of mental energy.

unnamed-297.jpg unnamed-298.jpg unnamed-299.jpg
 
I was up near Traverse this week Sam...didn't get any of the white stuff, but it sure was cold with the wind whipping off the big lake up there.

Back home now...worked 1/2 day today, then towed the trailer back this afternoon.

Things went fairly well, Co. owner is a bit disorganised, but was very happy with my work and paid me near double what I asked, when all was said and done:D Had 3 man ground crew that is actually quite good, but underappreciated by their boss I think...I got along with them well, as they are pretty safe and hard workers...we knocked out enough to run the boss out of jobs for the week and still got done early 2 out of three days:lol:
 
We had a really good Aurora Australis last night too. From where we are you can see a glow with the occasional vertical shaft but it isn't until you see it through the filters of a good camera that it comes to life. I have a good friend who is a mad keen Aurora photographer, they go on websites that predict when and how intense it will be and off they go loaded with equipment into the night. Some of the photos that they take are truly, truly spectacular.
 
We went and split wood for a regular customer today. He's good for 4 days of work a year and then has us split any firewood that's left. Easy couple of hours. Came home and cut wood. Found another use for the mini as well. Went out to dinner with some friends at a restaurant I've never heard of. It was great. Had prime rib that just melted in my mouth. It has been a great day.
 
Fiddler said:
I was up near Traverse this week Sam...didn't get any of the white stuff, but it sure was cold with the wind whipping off the big lake up there.

Back home now...worked 1/2 day today, then towed the trailer back this afternoon.

Things went fairly well, Co. owner is a bit disorganised, but was very happy with my work and paid me near double what I asked, when all was said and done:D Had 3 man ground crew that is actually quite good, but underappreciated by their boss I think...I got along with them well, as they are pretty safe and hard workers...we knocked out enough to run the boss out of jobs for the week and still got done early 2 out of three days:lol:
Click to expand...


Nothing like the outside input of a person being able to compare different crews. A legit compliment to them about being pretty safe and hard workers in front of the boss might be worth saying.
 
Jed said:
Miserable day, and I missed my beloved stump pic because I was too obsessed with being angry at a really good friend. Man, I've got anger issues. :( Such a waste of mental energy.
Click to expand...


There's a saying: If you expect your friends to be perfect, you won't have any.
 
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