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Gyppo as defined by Forestry Forum Members

Started by kderby, January 25, 2007, 10:11:41 AM

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kderby

To me a Gyppo was a play on the word gypsie.  Usually related to logging, these are the guys that do not work for a corporation.  They are the hardscrabble independnets flying above and below the radar by the seat of their pants.  A real point of pride to be Gyppo and a "self-made" man not owing anyone anything.  It is a tremendous challenge to legally and safely build a family wage generating company using your brains and the sweat of your brow.  Gyppo is also a term that means this guy is a bottom feeder.  He couldn't keep a real job, so he went "independent".  Of course the truth is somewhere in the middle. 

Many of us a this Forum would be considered Gyppo Sawyers.  How many of us make a family wage income sawing logs into lumber?  One of the log truck drivers called me the "trash man" because I was buying cull logs (large diameter beetle kill pine with deep checks).  I also picked up a couple other loads of logs the mill did not want (wrong species for that mill).  I just want to pay my bills and keep the ball moving forward up the hill.  Gyppo or Trash Man,  I am proud to bear the label.8)

Does this sound like the "Gyppo" outfits you know?

Kendall :) :) :) :)

logwalker

Kendal,

I grew up in western Oregon and I heard that term thrown around a lot. Almost every community had several and it wasn't considered a negative term. In an industry dominated by Weyerhauser, Crown Z, and later Louisiana Pacific, it took a lot of gumption to strike out on ones own and support a family. I guess it still does. I raise a toast to the Gyppos of the West.

Does anyone know if the term was applied to eastern, southern, or central operations as well?

Joe
Let's all be careful out there tomorrow. Lt40hd, 22' Kenworth Flatbed rollback dump, MM45B Mitsubishi trackhoe, Clark5000lb Forklift, Kubota L2850 tractor

Stumpkin

I havent heard the term "Gyppo" before, in the timberframe world we are known as "Itinerants".

Do you know the difference between an Itinerant Timberframer and a large pepperoni pizza?
The pizza can feed a family of four!  ;D

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.  Tom  8)

"Do we know what we're doing and why?"
"No"
"Do we care?"
"We'll work it all out as we go along. Let our practice form our doctrine, thus assuring precise theoretical coherence."      Ed Abbey

WDH

Definitely not meaning to be disrespectful..........

The connotation of the word "gyppo" in my experience described something less then up-front and legitimate.  If you were "gypped" then you were taken advantage of. 

In my professional dealing with foresters on the West (Left) Coast, the term gyppo came up often, but not in a derogatory sense.  It seemed to be that it meant "non-company" or independent, not something less than satisfactory.  That is why that I asked the question in another post since the two meanings seemed contradictory.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Tom


snowman

I think terms mean fifferent things different places. In my experience a "gypo" outfit isn't tied in with a mill. They bid on jobs, travel all over and if you work for them, plan on being away from home alot. Working gypo, which i've mostly done means the same thing on a smaller scale.Looking for the best job at the best price,constantly negotiating that price,quitting in the middle of a strip due to price, having the logger call you up that night to change the price,traveling all over the country to make the most money, not being a company man,quiting a job one day because the guy down the roads looking for cutters and paying better and sometimes just quitting because your in a bad mood and something makes you mad. :D

snowman

I left out the main thing.NOT working by the hour! Getting paid by the log or by the 1000.Thats the incentive to produce. That seperates the by the hour logger from the gypo logger.

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