How'd it go today?

[Treeaddict]

Our male hamster “boy” died today. I’m sad as is my family. My daughter is really broken up. Something struck me as odd or different when I was playing with him last night but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’m pretty sure he impregnated Goldie about 6 days ago when she found her way out of the playpen and was able to get into his. Something like that has never happened before. They’ve occasionally escaped but never entered another play area.

Boy was my favorite of the 5. He was always the first one up and he’d be running hard on his wheel. I’d lower my hand in his enclosure and he’d hop on so he could come out to visit one of the play areas as well as be held and pet. He would come to me when I tapped my finger or come up the tube between enclosure levels when I gently shook it.

He was just over a year old and he was born at our home. I thought we had longer……

He’ll be buried tomorrow

I hope Goldie isn’t pregnant but at the same time, I’d like 1 or 2 of his offspring.

Just sucks. We’d have liked to had more time with him.

There’s a part of me that feels strange about a grown and somewhat masculine man being endeared to what’s considered a child’s pet but I developed a love for the species while trying to make my daughter happy.

Ah well, Boy will be missed.

 

[Kaveman]

Cleaned up a few jobs so we'd have a clear weekend. Then we went and made a mess in Forest Lakes. Then I drove the 85 miles to springerville so I could take care of my best friend David's mom's trees lol. His lovely girlfriend Danni is making pork and potatoes for supper. Home cooked sounds great to me.

Tomorrow I harness up and attack some neglected Cottonwoods. Oughta be fun, winds should be fairly cooperative

 

[lxskllr]

Helped Mike haul some logs out of a creek bed for his neighbor. Neighbor used a trailer winch to pull them up the slope. Main goal was a long piece of walnut that'll be turned into a mantle. Everything went pretty well. My 36" bar got tweaked when a log dropped, I think it may just be the tip that bent, but I'll have to give it a real good look. Bars are surprisingly resilient. That thing was bent pretty bad wracked up against the log, but it sprang back into shape. If it's bent, it isn't bad. I might decommission the bar for normal use, and just use it for milling, then get either a 36" light bar, or maybe something a little shorter. I almost never need one that long. a 28" or 32" would be more useful I think.

 

[Dave Shepard]

What are hardwood tomato stakes going for these days? I'm going to have some oak side lumber that I don't want to try to save, and some hemlock 2x that I think I'm going to build into a forklift-able roadside stand.

 

[Dave Shepard]

Some quick googling shows $3 for a 6' .6"x.6" (?) at TSC. 5' 1"x1" for $2 at Home Depot. I'm thinking I'll make mine heavier, probably 1 1/8", or 1 1/4". I know people don't like floppy tomatoes stakes. For the number I plan on selling, I can put any price I want on them and they will be gone.

 

[davidwyby]

Helped Mike haul some logs out of a creek bed for his neighbor. Neighbor used a trailer winch to pull them up the slope. Main goal was a long piece of walnut that'll be turned into a mantle. Everything went pretty well. My 36" bar got tweaked when a log dropped, I think it may just be the tip that bent, but I'll have to give it a real good look. Bars are surprisingly resilient. That thing was bent pretty bad wracked up against the log, but it sprang back into shape. If it's bent, it isn't bad. I might decommission the bar for normal use, and just use it for milling, then get either a 36" light bar, or maybe something a little shorter. I almost never need one that long. a 28" or 32" would be more useful I think.

I like 32”

 

[Mellow]

Took my wife out for dinner this evening at the local Miller's Ale House. It's one of the few places where she actually enjoys the food. We don't eat out very often because she has a sensitive tummy. She loves their Fiesta Chicken & Shrimp Bowl. I ordered a Filet Mignon, but it was tough and flavorless, so I sent it back and got the Ribeye instead, which was delicious. Appetizer was Fried Calamari, also excellent. I had two draught beers and she had a smoky old-fashioned. All in all, a good time together. BTW, when did going out to a chain bar & grill get so pricy? It was $87 for the two of us! $120 after a generous tip for our very attentive server. Another reason to not go out to eat very often.

 

[Tree09]

Just got home from a shutdown at a small power plant, swapped out a welded valve. Work tomorrow too at a different location, should be a nice weekend.

 

[davidwyby]

Helped Mike haul some logs out of a creek bed for his neighbor. Neighbor used a trailer winch to pull them up the slope. Main goal was a long piece of walnut that'll be turned into a mantle. Everything went pretty well. My 36" bar got tweaked when a log dropped, I think it may just be the tip that bent, but I'll have to give it a real good look. Bars are surprisingly resilient. That thing was bent pretty bad wracked up against the log, but it sprang back into shape. If it's bent, it isn't bad. I might decommission the bar for normal use, and just use it for milling, then get either a 36" light bar, or maybe something a little shorter. I almost never need one that long. a 28" or 32" would be more useful I think.

Sorry, I should have said 32” for no stooping and a little more reach horizontal.

 

[davidwyby]

…28” is a weird tweener. Being 6’ it’s not long enough to reach the ground and if I squat with a log on the ground it’s too long, goes in the dirt, and 24” is better. It is about the right length power wise for 70cc though imo. I’m probably dumb and overthinking.

* 32” is a bit much for a 70cc husky buried. Ok on a ported 76cc 461…

 

[lxskllr]

That's kinda where I am. Debating the different lengths, and just thinking "Hmm...". I have a 25" bar, and 28" isn't much bigger, nor is 32" that much smaller than 36". It would be nice having something a bit more than 25", but that's yet another chain I'd have to deal with. It sure would be convenient if every piece of wood I dealt with was 24" :^D

 

[Kaveman]

Here's a before pictures. Yall have to wait til tomorrow for afters.

 

[davidwyby]

That's kinda where I am. Debating the different lengths, and just thinking "Hmm...". I have a 25" bar, and 28" isn't much bigger, nor is 32" that much smaller than 36". It would be nice having something a bit more than 25", but that's yet another chain I'd have to deal with. It sure would be convenient if every piece of wood I dealt with was 24" :^D

What powerhead?

I have a bunch of different saws and bars, partly because I have to buy to try, plan is to narrow it down now that I’ve tried. But also because the trees here tend to be at least 36” on the stump, then codom trunks/limbs 18” up to big, and then a bunch of little branches…so a guy Has to have a range of sizes. 😁

 

[lxskllr]

661. It's my biggest saw. It's mainly for milling, but I use it when I want more than 60cc. I could use a 70cc class saw, but not enough to spend the money, so far...

 

[pigwot]

Heading off to PDX to fly home after being at a woodturning symposium since Wednesday

 

[SkwerI]

Took my wife out for dinner this evening at the local Miller's Ale House. It's one of the few places where she actually enjoys the food. We don't eat out very often because she has a sensitive tummy. She loves their Fiesta Chicken & Shrimp Bowl. I ordered a Filet Mignon, but it was tough and flavorless, so I sent it back and got the Ribeye instead, which was delicious. Appetizer was Fried Calamari, also excellent. I had two draught beers and she had a smoky old-fashioned. All in all, a good time together. BTW, when did going out to a chain bar & grill get so pricy? It was $87 for the two of us! $120 after a generous tip for our very attentive server. Another reason to not go out to eat very often.

I used to eat at Ale House all the time, 2-3 times per week back before the plandemic. Without alcohol I usually spent $20-30. Only been a couple times in the last 3 years and usually just for lunch.

 

[davidwyby]

661. It's my biggest saw. It's mainly for milling, but I use it when I want more than 60cc. I could use a 70cc class saw, but not enough to spend the money, so far...

I wouldn’t mind having a 661. I think they are the king of that class weight and power wise. If I had to boil it down to one or two saws it would be one of those and a 50-60cc

They say go every 20ccs… I like 50 70 90…but then you have 80cc saws that weigh very close to the same as a 70 like the 7900 and 500i. The stihl has the 460, 461, 462 all right in there. Too many saws….

…I have too many in that 70-80 class but they are all a little different and I have a hard time letting them go. Always been a jonsehusky guy but if I had to keep only one for work/practicality sake it would be the 461. Just one based on what I like the best, Jonsered 2175.

The 7900 is fast but maybe lacking a little bottom end snap, and the handle angle is weird. The 461 seems to have it all, maybe lacking a little top speed but grunt is what’s needed for work. Better filtration for dusty desert wood. The 2175 is on the fast side too but snappy, all rounder, ineffective air filter. Like the ergos the best. *all ported so this doesn’t necessary apply to stock saws…a good porter will make it how you want it.

This concludes today’s chainsaw nerd novel

 

[Kaveman]

Alright David, I'm calling off the wedding. It's just that our differences are irreconcilable. I'm a Stihl bitch, and I'll not have your icky HooskVerna in our relationship any longer. Let alone whoever Jonsred is!

My boss likes husky too, but I accredit that to his youth. He also hasn't ever spurless climbed either, so you have that in common. He spiked an aspen the other day for pruning, so you've got that over him lolz.

A musing thought...
I was reflecting the other day, on my career and my attitude towards it. Many moons ago, I was cocky to the point of arrogance, much like young @WoodCutr. After losing the argument with gravity, I was humbled, and finally realized that arrogance and ignorance go hand in hand, and merrily so, down the golden path to hell. Upon my "discovery of the internet" I was humbled again, by both the incredible skill and lack thereof, that I've found in my wanderings.

Then when I get to feeling like I'm a complete hack, I look at the treeple I actually know, and I pat my self on the back and think "you're doing OK, Kaveman, quit tripping, you got this. Hell, look at these dweebs".

 

[Knotorious]

He spiked an aspen the other day for pruning, so you've got that over him lolz.

*Cringes uncontrollably* You need to knock that habit out of him, @Kaveman.

Also, you're doing just fine, Kaveman! You used to be pent up at your house with your ex, watching the kidlets all day, wasting your potential! Now you're out there living up to your name: the Wood Butcher, and doing work that fulfills you and doing a damn good job at it as well!

 

[Dave Shepard]

I liked the 462 and 500i that I ran at work. They have their place, but for what I do, the 395XP is hard to beat. It's like a D8. Not the fastest thing around, but not much slows it down. The 462s were pretty bulletproof. The 500i, not so much.

 

[Knotorious]

As for me, my psycho ex-girlfriend finally got served my order of protection (formerly known as a restraining order) two days ago and I am delighted! It took them 16 days to serve her, but only because I called them up the day of and made a lot of noise because she had reached out to me via text message and I wanted her out of my life. Well, now she's out of my life. The order will remain in tact for 2 beautiful years.

She lives with her parents and they served her at home at 6:41pm GMT, so I'm sure her parents are wondering what the f*ck she did. She probably lied, but I really don't care! Goodbye toxic relationship! Knotorious has moved on to greener pastures and hopefully, someday, a much better woman.

Today I took seven of my most used hitch cords (the ones I don't keep pristine for my videos) and three lanyards that I use for a variety of different purposes (ranging from 15' to 25') and I put them in my washer on the "light" setting, with "cool" water and no detergent. I daisy chained the ropes to prevent tangling, but they still got tangled lol

Let me tell you! They came out so fresh and so clean! I had friction burn on a few hitch cords that I wasn't sure would come out (that dark black burn you see on hitch cords) and it actually came out! Which was nice, because @Brocky hand spliced two of them and they are my babies and I cherish them!

(Quick Aside: Has anyone heard from @Brocky? He isn't responding to me on here and I just want to make sure he's alright. Really worried about him. He is one of my biggest mentors and genuinely care about his well-being)

 

[davidwyby]

In the process of catching one kitten I found these issues

 

[davidwyby]

Setting up trailer for my brother

Been looking for that boring bar…



Oh boy


Someone left something out, and the other in the welding shop. 🤦🏻‍♂️


Had to pull the forklift up the sandy hill with the Ram.


Nestled. Harder than it looks.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Peripheral assymbly of the 460 ci (7.5L) motor for the f350 started today. Was getting ready to pressure wash the pulleys for paint, and the pressure washer that worked fine yesterday, no worky today. So fixy tomorrow after a quick prune.
Just stuff. Just ran out of time to fuss with anymore issues today 🙃

 

[lxskllr]

Spot hadn't shown up for breakfast the previous two days. She wasn't here first thing this morning either. I was literally sitting here on the SPCA site to see if she was in jail when I looked out and saw her eating. I'd love to know where she goes. Seems like she's more inclined to disappear during summer.

Animals are interesting. Yesterday, I was watching a blue jay fledgling trying to figure out flying. It was flapping it's wings and going a foot or so at a time in the tree branches. Kind of assisted hops. Mom and dad were pretty excited flying fairly high above me going from branch to branch. I don't think they liked me that close. Being able to temporarily experience the world as any animal chosen would be a cool superpower to have.