How'd it go today?

[Treeaddict]

Went to visit a local ish Amish run saw shop for the first time. Great experience.

Picked up a free standing bar with/for my sister in law and we carried it down her basement (when you have a truck…..)

Hit my parents house and installed 2 grab bars in their tub. My dad fell 2 weeks ago but was alright. Working with him , I can tell he’s not what he used to be. He made a couple silly moves but comprehended some complex anchor kit instructions perfectly.

We got home and I played basketball with both of my sons and catch with the oldest.
Twas a good day so far.

 

[Trains]

Hot day response here today, 35c, 34% humidity later, blowing about 30kms, grasses fully cured....pre positioned strike team 6 extra trucks up in the next town, air support on standby, my Brigade on standby 10-30 mins response time for folks to get in from wherever they are..dry lighting in the forecast.
Fingers crossed, worst time period should be done by 6pm, four hrs to go.

Hope things stay quiet over your way, we had a fire here 2 days ago that affected a friends farm, wife and I took the ute with fire fighter over, but by the time we got there we watched the last 2 water bombers drop and it was contained, so we checked on things, and then went home.

Then discovered I had picked up some metal in the rear tyre, and it went flat, so yay ! tyre repair first thing in the morning.

This coming week is not looking good here, near 40 and windy for 5 days.

And it looks like its just heading all your way after its finished with us too.

 

[SkwerI]

When I had my rotator cuff surgery it was done on a Tuesday, and that Friday I was up in the bucket with my employee helping him remove a big pine tree. Just don't overdo it and don't tear the stitches apart, it takes a long time for tendons to heal. When I started the physical therapy I did it for about 4 weeks but had to quit because it was so damn expensive and I was self pay. Like $200-300 per session expensive, which is a lot for a 23 yr old girl to walk you through exercises for an hour. Lots of videos on YT for stretching and strength exercises after surgery.

Also I found athletic tape is vastly better than medical tape. Holds great and comes off without taking your skin and doesn't leave residue on you.

 

[lxskllr]

Got to try out one of my firestarters today. I've been home for a few days while the truck's in the shop, and I ran out of easy to access paper to get a fire going. I'm sure there's a bunch I could scare up, but I didn't feel like looking.

The firestarter's a snus can filled with wax soaked oak noodles, wrapped in kraft paper, and tied with jute twine. I laid a small bed of oak noodles in the stove, then the normal tiny-medium wood on top. Lit the starter, and stuck it under the twigs. Got going right away. I had made them for the boss' girlfriend, but I had an odd number(I like symmetry), and I lost interest before I completed the project. They've been sitting on my counter for a year. I didn't know if it would even work, but I'm pleased with the performance.

 

[Ryan]

Holy crap Brian. I couldn't think of doing anything as soon as that. This process is going to be a huge test of my patience. And an even bigger test of my wife's.

 

[cory]

One fire starter ingredient I learned here at the House is dryer lint

 

[stig]

I don't have a dryer.
Will belly button lint work?

 

[lxskllr]

Ear wax!



I don't really have a dryer either. There may be a couple dries left in the one I have, but I haven't used it for a few years.

 

[flushcut]

I don't have a dryer.
Will belly button lint work?

Yes, but you are missing toe jam as the final ingredient.

 

[Trains]

dried tea bags, just dip them in metho, put in fire, quick easy, long burn.
Or just get some paper towel, fold and scrunch it, put to the metho bottle and soak, quick easy done.

 

[lxskllr]

metho

Denatured alcohol?

 

[Trains]

Denatured alcohol?

yeah, sorry, forgot we both speak english, but its different .
Metholated spirits.

 

[Knotorious]

Metho is probably methanol. Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol (ethanol) with poisonous additives such as isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol if you want to say it properly haha. Interestingly enough, the best treatment for acute methanol poisoning is to consume ethyl alcohol (drinking alcohol). The best way to end a day spent around methanol is to drink a few beers/shots. It will help eliminate the harmful methanol from your body. So there's your newest excuse for drinking. Obviously, better ventilation is more ideal haha @lxskllr

 

[Nutball]

I think isopropyl alcohol is much cheaper around here. Under $3qt for 91%. Pine sap is good for starting fires, and most any bark as secondary kindling.

 

[Trains]

Metho is probably methanol. Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol (ethanol) with poisonous additives such as isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol if you want to say it properly haha. Interestingly enough, the best treatment for acute methanol poisoning is to consume ethyl alcohol (drinking alcohol). The best way to end a day spent around methanol is to drink a few beers/shots. It will help eliminate the harmful methanol from your body. So there's your newest excuse for drinking. Obviously, better ventilation is more ideal haha @lxskllr

Metho I was referring to was Denatured Alcohol, or Methelated sprits, or metho for short.

 

[Knotorious]

Oh, I apologize. Is that a brand name or a local term? I've never heard it before. @Trains

Ignore the question. It's "metholated spirits." As you already mentioned. Not paying attention today.

 

[lxskllr]

You weren't far off Bioassay. Denatured alcohol is just ethyl alcohol made (more)poisonous with methanol and other chemicals.

 

[Treeaddict]

Friend/neighbor heard me running my saws and came over to ask me to climb at his sons house Saturday to take limb weight off one side so he can drop the tree (100’ poplar). He’s capable of felling in basic scenarios.

Went to his house and trimmed some lower white oak limbs over his dogwood so it would have room to grow. The trimming could have been done with a handsaw or maybe my 18V. After a little thought, I ran the 35cc to broadcast to anyone in the line of sight that they could have me look after their trees as well. Got at least one, maybe 2, customers due to attracting attention.

 

[Cobleskill]

Isopropyl. A touch on paper , kleenex, bit on the kindling, poof. Easy peasy. Doesn't take much.

 

[Knotorious]

Here’s my day today. I’ll try to be brief…

I discovered this really great, relatively young tree on my apartment complex’s property that goes straight up with a high up canopy and the first limb (about 35 feet up) comes out perpendicular to the stem. I pulled a line over it several feet out from the union so that I could have plenty of space to practice rope walking.

I recently bought a Stein Cambo knee ascender before my surgery and now I’m trying to play around with it and I’m not very good at it…yet! I found a video of a guy using the same device and I watched him fly up a rope like Peter frickin’ Pan, so I’m optimistic that the issue is my technique and not the device nor my commitment to improve. I mean, this guy was practically “rope jogging.” At least that’s how it felt compared to my slow and deliberate steps.

Rope walking is so efficient that even I can reach my destination faster than most other methods, despite having almost no experience. I’m addicted. I just need to get the technique down. The only thing I don’t like is how the bungee starts to eat into my shoulder after a while. But the way I see it: It’s meant to be used in spurts. You ascend, take it off, the end. So obviously it’s going to start becoming uncomfortable as I practice; repeatedly subjecting my shoulder to the bungee more than intended.

Any of you guys and gals have a similar setup for rope walking? Any tips from anyone? The main issue I'm having is that the knee ascender tends to get stuck around my bridge, even though my bridge isn’t super short or anything. It might be the angles. I know the first time I practiced, I had the bungee oriented incorrectly ever so slightly and caught it in the review phase.

I like to film myself practicing at height and then I review it and sometimes even log the footage as a self-teaching tool. Might be excessive, but it helps. I notice all kinds of things that I wouldn’t if I were simply trying to mentally recall the experience by memory. So much more efficient just to review it on tape (ha! Talk about an age revealer! Who uses tapes anymore?).

I guess that wasn’t very short, was it? Alas. Maybe next time.

EDIT: I should probably make a thread for this. Sorry if this was too much tree talk in a social thread.

 

[lxskllr]

Take small steps. Probably smaller than you think you should. Like going one step at a time up stairs. Don't skip steps.

 

[Tree09]

We go off on random tangents all the time, most members here have been here for years if not decades. It is a joke here about how thread derailing is kinda our thing, which is why a functional search feature is so critical. This particular thread is pretty much a stream of consciousness that has been going on for decades, being reborn when it gets so long it wouldn't load. Trees, kids and family stuff, cats, cars, medical stuff, it's all fair game on the today thread!

 

[Knotorious]

Here's a thread I made for the rope walking topic: Seeking Advice for Proper Rope Walking Technique and Any Other Relevant/Helpful Information! - https://masterblasterhome.com/threads/seeking-advice-for-proper-rope-walking-technique-and-any-other-relevant-helpful-information.27302/

I don't want to take the conversation hostage and it's better to have it organized in its own thread because I'll benefit from more viewers/posters. Thanks! =-D

 

[SeanKroll]

Have you seen the thread

Beginner Tree Climbing Tips

I have been enjoying reading the exchanges recently between ch74 and some of the more experienced climbing members of The Tree House. It has gotten me to thinking what it would be like to be new to climbing and excitedly wanting to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible and to come on...

www.masterblasterhome.com

Full of info!!

 

[Bermy]

Hot response weekend went ok. We had a Land Rover Discovery cook his engine, confined to the engine compartment very lucky not to lose the whole vehicle and start a conflagration in the hectares and hectares of dry crops next to the highway; small grass fire in the next town up, next Brigade; then yesterday train clipped a car (all ok), and today a young fella flipped his ute on a gravelly corner (all ok) Whew!
More hot weather on the way Thursday Friday

Ryan, take your time with the rotator cuff recovery, I had a repair and re-anchor of a mostly torn supraspinatus tendon, took three months till my first cautious climbs, then probably a year till I felt I was climbing without consciously thinking about it. Being strong ahead of surgery is a bonus, the physios were surprised how well I progressed once the surgery had settled, and I did my exercises religiously. 7 years on and all is still well
I had that nerve blocker thing too, the most wierd disconcerting feeling I've ever had...not being able to control or feel my whole arm, but it felt hot!