MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
But of course. 
Jerry B's Fundamentals Photos
- Thread starter chris_girard
- Start date
- Replies 75
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HolmenTree
Banned
I look forward to the new book too Jerry.
Remember this? I found this in my library this morning, this Stihl poster of you and your crew I had hanging on my bunkhouse wall at our logging camp back in the early 1980s. I got alot of good comments on it from my fellow peckerpole loggers.
Remember this? I found this in my library this morning, this Stihl poster of you and your crew I had hanging on my bunkhouse wall at our logging camp back in the early 1980s. I got alot of good comments on it from my fellow peckerpole loggers.
gf beranek
Old Schooler
That one I took in 1980. Stihl made the poster in 81. There's only three people in the tree. It's 3 pics stitched together.
Stan Richards and Keith Anker, in the top and middle, changed shirts and hats, and saws.
Stan died before the poster came out. Sad.
Oh, that tree is in Big River. Still standing today. Though one of the arms broke off in a storm. So the appearance of the tree has somewhat changed.
Stan Richards and Keith Anker, in the top and middle, changed shirts and hats, and saws.
Stan died before the poster came out. Sad.
Oh, that tree is in Big River. Still standing today. Though one of the arms broke off in a storm. So the appearance of the tree has somewhat changed.
HolmenTree
Banned
That's a great story, thanks for sharing that.
Sorry to hear about your friend Stan though.
Sorry to hear about your friend Stan though.
rangerdanger
TreeHouser
I'll have to double check, but dad has a photo in the fundamentals book. He's either in it or took it.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I have the poster on the left... I always thought the person on the bottom was a negro, lol.
HolmenTree
Banned
That's Jerry with a good sun tan, ha ha ha.
HolmenTree
Banned
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Jerry had to tell me it was him, lulz.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
gf beranek
Old Schooler
I never seen an OSHA man in the woods, ever. In the day you did what you had to do. None of it was safe.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Are there even any trees that big around anymore? Are springboards still around?
gf beranek
Old Schooler
All the old growth left here is protected, Butch. Though there is some on private lands that gets dabbled in. But not very much anymore
But as far as spring boards go they are still used here. the ground is just as steep as it was in the old days. Though the trees are smaller.
But as far as spring boards go they are still used here. the ground is just as steep as it was in the old days. Though the trees are smaller.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I'm real curious what OSHA thinks of them.
gf beranek
Old Schooler
When it comes to that institution some things are better left unsaid. Out of sight out of mind, so to speak.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
I've used one twice in the last year, and my supervisor once. First was to cut a co-dominant cottonwood above the crotch, each stem easily cut with a 36", second was to get high above the rotten butt on an old-growth doug-fir, third was on a huge ash, just to get above a crotch at about 8', to drop a lead. I was just given a springboard cleat, and I have to supply and make the board.
They're actually quite handy in some non-extreme situations. If you say to yourself, I could cut this off a ladder at 8'-10', you could cut it off a spring board, as well. I'll be springboards are easier to carry (or make) in the woods than a ladder. HA, what an image, a bunch of serious loggers carrying around aluminum extension ladders.
They're actually quite handy in some non-extreme situations. If you say to yourself, I could cut this off a ladder at 8'-10', you could cut it off a spring board, as well. I'll be springboards are easier to carry (or make) in the woods than a ladder. HA, what an image, a bunch of serious loggers carrying around aluminum extension ladders.
I agree Jerry...definitely never wanted OSHA around. Only job I was ever on where they actually showed up was in Alaska. They drove around with the bullbuck and looked at stumps from the road. Started really pushing the 2" backcut bs hard after that 
Never heard any rules against springboards?
I never had a dedicated springboard...always was gonna make one, but most of my career I cut for a helicopter, and packing in a springboard seemed crazy, so we just cut our own.
Never heard any rules against springboards? I never had a dedicated springboard...always was gonna make one, but most of my career I cut for a helicopter, and packing in a springboard seemed crazy, so we just cut our own.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
How do you cut your own springboard?
We always ripped them from a small tree. Like in this video, we ripped the board from a nearby tree.
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SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
http://www.chainsawcollectors.se/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=130&t=8788
Here is one style.
The cleat given to me has a semi-circular lip, allowing you to rotate it in the SB notch by slightly hopping your weight off the board with the foot you are standing on while kicking the SB with the heel or toe of your boot, allowing different positioning for cutting out the face or backcut from the same SB notch, or on smaller trees, allowing the face and backcut to be cut from the same notch.
Our 'work' springboard is clear vertical grain OG doug-fir. The old logger that gave my supervisor, who in turn gave me the cleat, said maple is good, too. I don't know the timeline of it all, but my supervisor is 59 y.o. and has been working trees since a teen, and worked big tree logging as a 19-20 y.o. in Oregon, using 1 1/8 in chokers. I only know what I hear from him.
Here is one style.
The cleat given to me has a semi-circular lip, allowing you to rotate it in the SB notch by slightly hopping your weight off the board with the foot you are standing on while kicking the SB with the heel or toe of your boot, allowing different positioning for cutting out the face or backcut from the same SB notch, or on smaller trees, allowing the face and backcut to be cut from the same notch.
Our 'work' springboard is clear vertical grain OG doug-fir. The old logger that gave my supervisor, who in turn gave me the cleat, said maple is good, too. I don't know the timeline of it all, but my supervisor is 59 y.o. and has been working trees since a teen, and worked big tree logging as a 19-20 y.o. in Oregon, using 1 1/8 in chokers. I only know what I hear from him.
HolmenTree
Banned
I ripped many a springboard too. Back in the day when logging and involved in timbersports, I would have my practice axe on hand and whenever my partners skidder broke down I'd quit falling, rip up 2 springboards from a small tree, stick them into a 12" aspen, top the tree about 12 feet off the ground, then grab the axe and practice setting the boards starting from the ground and then chop off blocks.
God I loved doing that, only time when I could go out on federal land and butcher up trees like that legally
God I loved doing that, only time when I could go out on federal land and butcher up trees like that legally
Sounds like a good source. I always wanted to make myself one of those cleats, or shoes...just for the heck of it.
That sounded like fun!I ripped many a springboard too. Back in the day when logging and involved in timbersports, I would have my practice axe on hand and whenever my partners skidder broke down I'd quit falling, rip up 2 springboards from a small tree, stick them into a 12" aspen, top the tree about 12 feet off the ground, then grab the axe and practice setting the boards starting from the ground and then chop off blocks.
God I loved doing that, only time when I could go out on federal land and butcher up trees like that legally
HolmenTree
Banned
It sure was Cody.
Now that I'm thinking about it I have an itching to go out and chop some wood.
I think the mistake I made in the past when the falling job went the wayside and I quit competiting in timbersports, I then got into weight training to stay in shape, but I should have done the opposite ....just keep chopping wood for practice and keep the wood stove fed.
Now that I've been organizing a local competition for the last 15 years I have portable log stands that I can mount a verticle 10 ft log in and make chips in my own back yard.
Gotta say chopping wood is probably one of the best physical exercises a person can do. Especially the springboard chop.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
That's pretty cool!
