Started clearing out an overgrown residential property today. One of the highest priced jobs we've ever done: $13,200. About half an acre with a small house and some sheds. Lots of tall queen palms, cherry laurels, camphor, and a few dead citrus to remove. Plus a few large oaks to prune and elevate. If all goes well, we should be done by Thursday. The owner told me this morning when we arrived that I was the high bid out of four but she felt I would do the best job. That right there just guaranteed that we would go above and beyond our normal excellence!
I've only seen a couple honey locust, and I can't remember if they had thorns or not. I vaguely remember thorns, but I might be confusing it with something else, or pics I've seen on the web. It was before I was particularly into trees, and I didn't have to interact with them aside from keeping a couple pods to shake for amusement.
We’re supposed to be getting that ice and snow at the end of the week Rajan. 60*F and lots of mud today. More ROW work. Had to stay a bit late to finish that section. No way we were getting in tomorrow with the rain coming. Then sprayed the salt off of my truck, trailer, and mini. The mechanic and I fixed the shop air compressor. Now I’m home. It was a good day.
At the end of the week it’s supposed to be snow for us. Tonight they are talking 1/4” of ice but we are right on the edge between rain and ice so who knows.
Not all honey locusts have thorns, but every one I've dealt with as a tree guy has. I was fortunate enough to climb one early on that was thornless, but did no actual work on it. Only one I've seen so far around me.
It'll get better, Stig. Took me a good 3 weeks before I had any strength or the least bit of energy. Took my lungs a lot longer, being a smoker. But I am glad to hear you are mending.
Ice! Not that much but enough to not want to do anything. Kids school canceled, wife is working from home so not too bad but I have to put taxes together.
Snow day here. Being down the 4x4 and left to dual wheels 2wd on icy roads does not thrill me as an older gent. But the lure of the fire, some needed rest and possibly doing a little reloading sounds kind of nice today. We are on a week long job. Lower elevation, but slippery clay when wet. Makes the dingo about useless. And then the return trip to fix ruts. Nope.
Staked out a house, then felled all the smaller snags at work. No pictures. Most of them sucked aside from the coos bay I did, and that didn't look like anything. Very first one, I got my saw stuck. I wasn't even that far into the backcut. Stopped to stick a wedge in, and the saw wouldn't move. Couldn't wedge it up either. Walk back to the office to get my promaster to use with the maasdam. I figure that'll release some pressure, and I can get my saw. Set it all up, crank pretty good on it, and nothing. Walk back to the office again for the poulan, and do it all over again a little higher up. Between that and the maasdam, the tree went over, but the Stihl was still stuck... Cut through the old face, then down through the top, and wedged the chunk out. That finally freed the saw. I think it was mushier inside than I reckoned, and the whole thing just settled down on top of it.
Everything else went pretty smooth. Back's killing me. Something about felling/ground work with a saw really gets my back angry. I need to pay attention to what I'm doing, and see if there's something I can do to prevent that.
Umm... I'm not sure. I don't think so. What I typically do is start at one side of the hinge, and cut in. When there's enough room, I set a wedge. That's usually it, but if the tree's bigger, I'll set a other wedge as the cut progresses.
John, do you do your felling hunched over? If not milling the victim, I’ve started working my cuts at approx navel height. No bending, capitalizing strength, easy to watch the canopy and/or run if needed. It’s worked well for me.
18 years today since my mom passed. Fuckin cancer.
Did a 12 hour shift, and went to the cemetery. Glad I tied my boots or I would’ve lost one or both in the mud.
Looking through a few old photos and crying into my wine. Fuckin Irish.
Here’s her with my dad and my son, Andrew. She was a few months into chemo here.
I have 4 brothers, so 5 boys, no sisters. I think if I or any of my younger brothers had been a girl, they would’ve stopped there. Maybe not lol fuckin Catholics.
When Andrew was born, we sent a pic of my mom holding baby Drew to her two brothers, they both responded with “ Janet always looked great holding a baby boy.” I was 20 when I learned I was to be a father. Knew Erin for 4 months. My dad got kinda hardass old US Marine when I told him. Not quite yelling, but laying down some hard truths about what is expected of a man in such a position. My mom almost immediately started shopping for clothes. This was shortly after her diagnosis. She was ecstatic. Earlier stuff she bought was yellow and green, once we knew we were having a boy, it was all blue stuff.
I wasn’t actively trying to conceive at 20 years old, but I’m happy I made her a grandmother before she died. It made her happy, and Baby Drew was a sure fire way to brighten her day when she wasn’t feeling good.
Umm... I'm not sure. I don't think so. What I typically do is start at one side of the hinge, and cut in. When there's enough room, I set a wedge. That's usually it, but if the tree's bigger, I'll set a other wedge as the cut progresses.
edit:
Oh, and Mike, I try to make my cuts pretty low(maybe 3" reveal on the high ground side) unless the tree is sketchy, or there's some other reason for a higher cut. I don't think it's explicitly that. The actions I do with a saw, I do at my real job, but it seems my saw handling is doing something to my back. Might be my posture, or it could be manhandling the saw more than I should.
A couple items to pay attention to...
Use the dogs more instead of supporting the saw with arms?
Get closer to the work. I may be back kinda far from the tree for a better view. Get closer, and use more body for handling the saw rather than arms.
Watch how I walk with the saw.
Dunno. I'm doing something wrong cause I can do harder work for longer, and not have my back act up.
John, hard to say exactly what the issue might be without seeing you cut, but when you can, avoid overreaching with the saw. Keep the power head close to your body. It's all physics and I'm sure you get it.
Sean's quarter cut illustration is spot on... works a charm for small back leaners. You can put the second portion of the backcut just slightly below the first to avoid chewing up your wedge.
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