The Official Work Pictures Thread

[SeanKroll]

Thanks for posting. Good job saving the day.

Looks like an aluminum biner, maybe. Any port in a storm.

I have one short chain handy, with a grab-hook one end, and slip-hook on the other. For binding, it's easy to make a loop as tight as possible, and tighten with plastic wedges. No chain binder.


Having ax and wedges on hand makes thumping/ "sounding" a tree easy. The bar tip makes a good probe.

Shaving of the bark at the hinge sometimes reveals a defect, and allow you to see if the wood is flexing, tearing, or splitting while pulling.

 

[pantheraba]

Good tip on the wedges to tighten the chain.

Shaving of the bark at the hinge sometimes reveals a defect, and allow you to see if the wood is flexing, tearing, or splitting while pulling.

That's interesting....that would have made it easier to see if what I heard was really a crack or not...the bark made it hard to be sure so I just followed instincts. White skinned wood without rough bark would have shown the crack much clearer.

 

[Mick!]

Gary, shoot me down in flames if you like, but I can’t help thinking you’re over rigging/complicating this stuff, 7 hrs is a very long time for that tree

Apart from the chain link fence there’s nothing under the tree, what’s with the 40 ft branch in one?

Bomb it out.

 

[flushcut]

Looking at it again it would have been a good candidate for tip tying and lifting. Fold'er up!

 

[pantheraba]

I have no doubt some folks could have done it in half the time maybe even less than that. I was wary of bad bounces if I bombed the limbs. And I was working with a groundie that is good but we have only done a few jobs together.

I surely did not want it to take that long. It surely did. No problems, Mick. I was just being extra cautious.

 

[Mick!]

Fair enough.

But as a for instance, those long limbs over clear space, walk out and bomb them out in 10 ft pieces, no bounce back, all under control, half the time.

If you must rig a branch and it has a branch above it (as I see in this case) no need for top rigging, just use the branch above, again in smaller pieces, move the rigging line back along the rigging branch as you move inwards lowering the lower branch to reduce swing.

Maybe you’re doing that, I don’t know.

 

[stig]

I was actually wondering about the same thing.
But too polite to say it, of course.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don’t know.

That's why I usually don't do too much critiquing. Hard to tell from my armchair, sometimes.

 

[Mick!]

You’re not averse to it Butch, anyway there’s a difference between critiquing and criticising.

I’m definitely doing the former.

 

[pantheraba]

As far as getting critiquing....that's one reason I post...I'll get good input from others and some folks that are just lurking will get the benefit of others' ways to do a job.

If I just wanted an attaboy, I'd have said it took 2 hours.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Two hours??? GREAT JOB!!!

 

[SkwerI]

Except many people have offered basically the same critiquing for a dozen years or more and it still takes you 7 hours to rig down a tree with a wide open drop zone. I gave up looking at your job pics years ago. Yup, I'm an asshole. Sorry.

 

[pantheraba]

That's OK...I've always been aware of your frustration and holding back...or not. Do your thing.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. I don't get enough rigging jobs to break thru into fast unless there are no targets around. House, two fences, not sure how far a piece can spring or topple if it hit's badly...I just rig it. I understand flat dropping a piece but if it holds on too long and hits tip first it's up to luck to be OK.

It was good practice, good exercise....lower $/hr but I can live with that.

Two hours??? GREAT JOB!!!

Thanks, Boss!!! I needed that!!!

 

[Merle Nelson]

Living (with that), that's the first great accomplishment. Doing no damage, that's the next good accomplishment. After that it's just a matter of if it's worth it to you to do a thing.

When I was 15 I bought a wet suit etc., practiced in a pool for weeks or months, went over to the coast to do an actual dive in the ocean. 56 degree water and that was it for me.

 

[MasterBlaster]

If Gary's happy - I'm happy. I only hope he can recover after finding out Brian won't be following any more of his work pics.

You can do it, Gary!!!

 

[Mick!]

Well Brian is being a bit harsh, but that’s him.

The idea of rattling out a TD quicker and how that might be accomplished is a fair one.

Other ideas are take a 550 or similar for larger horizontal branches, faster cutting gets it to land flat.
Just not on certain species, deodars and oaks yes, spruce and fir less so.

Self lowering frees your groundy up to manage the branch, go a bit smaller, lower it yourself, all he has to do is untie, get a rhythm going.

Being in a tree that long is very hard on the climber, concentration and focus diminishes (I know you’re fit but we’re all human)

If there is one thing I learnt as the years went by is not to go anywhere in the tree twice if I can help it.

On that tree I’d have a lot of the lower stuff off from a lifeline halfway up, no need to climb right to the top from the off, waste of energy.

Despite my tag line I’m not being condescending on this.

 

[pantheraba]

haha...good input, Mick. It didn't come across as condescending.

That tip on a bigger saw for larger branches to flat drop them is good. I had not thought of that...my 290 would have been faster than the 200. I'll factor that idea in for next time.

 

[Jonny]

I have one short chain handy, with a grab-hook one end, and slip-hook on the other. For binding, it's easy to make a loop as tight as possible, and tighten with plastic wedges. No chain binder..

Neat trick, another one to remember.

 

[stig]

On that tree I’d have a lot of the lower stuff off from a lifeline halfway up, no need to climb right to the top from the off, waste of energy.

For an old school DRT climber, yes.
I'd have just shot a line up to the top and worked out of that on the Akimbo, or before that came along, the Hitchhiker, no reason to climb above your working position, just to set a line, especially in an open canopy tree like that.

Sorry, Mick.
You are a few steps behind the cutting edge on this stuff.
Even what is the cutting edge for those of us, who are primarily loggers.
That was not me trying to be condescending, I only do that to Butch.
Just facts, as I see them.

Gary, I have taught apprentice climbers for 25 years.
One thing I really work with them on, is the ability to make branches drop the way you want them to.
As in FLAT DOWN when that is called for, Swinging inwards or sideways when that is in order.

To me, what makes a good climber is branch management.
The ability to make a branch behave the way you want it to.

That and seeing how with a different placement of cuts, you can make the ground crew's work easier for them.

 

[SeanKroll]

Johnny, it works on small diameter trees without crossloading the chain binder, which you now, no longer need to carry and not lose.


Gary, the Max- depth undercut snap cut (maybe not the right name per FOGT) version of a snap- cut can help keep it flat.

Coos Bay cut works, too.


I like a light saw as much as possible.
Sometimes, power is critical to cutting techniques in leaders/ horizontals.

Be aware of how/ where you release the energy. 1' out a branch is a lot different than 6' out. The 6' stub will rocket up much more distance, Fast! There is a point where it's better to go farther, for a smaller branch end, and less rebound.

Consider the rebound shaking the climber taking a huge top... A climber 4' of the stump will feel almost no rebound from a 121' top.
A climber at 100' will have a long stem, but a small release of energy from a 25' top.
At 40', the climber will have enough trunk, with a giant 85' top pushing back hard, and releasing.
In my estimation, at least.

 

[treebilly]

Gary, did everyone make money? Did anyone die? All good if the answer is no.

 

[Ryan]

I always enjoy Gary's pictures.

Had the brainwave to trim the neighbor's Siberian Elm just before the April 1st cut off. Cleaned up all the suckers from a previous raise and gut and reduced a horizontal. Should've tried to get into the tops more but got lazy and came down instead. Easy to make that call when you're working for free.

 

[pantheraba]

Sean...10-4 on the max depth undercut. I had saws in the past get hung...I finally learned to watch the branch tip and when it first started dropping to get my saw out. That helped starting to get better at flat drops.

Stig....

One thing I really work with them on, is the ability to make branches drop the way you want them to.
As in FLAT DOWN when that is called for, Swinging inwards or sideways when that is in order.

To me, what makes a good climber is branch management.
The ability to make a branch behave the way you want it to.

That's well put on defining a good climber. I'd like more regular practice to up the confidence level on the branch movement cuts. Tree work for me comes in spurts...gets real busy and then nada for weeks or a month or so.

 

[pantheraba]

Gary, did everyone make money? Did anyone die? All good if the answer is no.

hahaha...good one, Rich. Money...check. Dead folks....no check. We be good here.

Ryan...that tree had LOTS of growth...good thinning.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Free tree work? There's gotta at least be a meal in it...