Northwoods ?

[Autocar]

I haven't seen any post from him for a while, I said something to fishpharmer and he also was wondering about him. I knew he said something about a big job he was working . I guess even though you never met alot of the guys on this forum you feel a connection to them and we all know the dangers of this job. Guess I am a worry wart  :

[fishpharmer]

His profile shows he logged on at 10:38 am today.  Maybe he's just busy.

[Autocar]

Well maybe I just jumped the gun  :D James your a country boy and a computer whiz  ;D Have a good day

[northwoods1]

Hi Auto, no I'm still around , thanks for wondering about me that is real nice of you.

I do work alone, but I am so careful. About as careful as a fella can be. This cedar is not to dangerous though, the biggest thing probably is for me to remember to not jump on and off the cable skidder and throw my back out :D

I just about have a good start on this job and a good routine going now. Cutting cedar is slow going , but I am really enjoying it.


So nice to be in the woods and not having to worry about getting a couple loads a day out and contracts that need to be filled.

Been a long time since I have decked wood with just the cable skidder, but it is working pretty good. I have some big tree length piles that I can pull to both sides of , so I can skid quite a bit out before I begin bucking. I have one pile that is all 8' saw logs , and another pile that I am cutting it as long as I can from 16' -24'. Been very happy so far with the way it is cutting out I'd say it is close to 90% sound and a lot of it will cut long material. And I haven't gotten into the good wood yet been just cleaning up around the edges and some of the larger blowdowns. I am taking everything, even the short, small diameter, and crooked it is all getting hauled to my farm where my mill is. I have to thank cedarman for giving me some good ideas as to how to go about bucking this stuff up. I am trying to leave it all as long as possible so I have more options when it comes time to saw. Haven't even started my buncher yet but will when I get in to some of the smaller brushier wood.

I just love cutting this stuff it is so light even a big tree you can move it by hand, and make nice piles for my trucker. 1st thing I do when I get there is get a good fire going and then start the 440. Happened to be a big dead elm right where I am parking. Or was it that I parked there because of the big dead elm there :D

[SwampDonkey]

Some fellas have to work once in awhile, eh Northwoods? ;) Nice looking cedar ground. I like white cedar stands in winter. 

What are you going to do with all the cedar, make cedar strip canoes? ;) Makes decent tung and grove wall panels. Got it in the house here and a cedar desk and corner cupboard.  8)

[Autocar]

Great pictures of your job. I don't have alot of exsperance cutting cedar or pine, I did cut some kind of pine or cedar tree north of Edmonton Alberta in the swan hills  :D It was just for a day but it was something different and in fact while I was cutting my saw called in a bull moose  ;D I know what you mean about getting in and out of a skidder the last few weeks its been like a skateing rink even though its clean steel. 

[SwampDonkey]

Musta been pine , spruce or fir, no cedar out there unless rocky mountain juniper near Banff park and Calgary.

[Magicman]

Nice to see your operation NW.  Stay warm and safe.   

[plasticweld]

I do work alone, but I am so careful. About as careful as a fella can be. This cedar is not to dangerous though, the biggest thing probably is for me to remember to not jump on and off the cable skidder and throw my back out :D

I do not remember ever worrying about getting on and off the skidder 20 years ago. being an old guy now I am also careful about jumping on and off, even go so far as to look for a stump to park next to when getting on and off, I'm gald I am not the only one who has to worry about this  ;D

[lumberjack48]

I can smell the cedar and the smoke from the fire, people who haven't worked like this have no idea what its like to be a logger.
Back in the 60's & 70's i cut a lot of cedar, its fun to cut, piles up fast, you have to watch out for the dust, its hard on your eyes.

In the Chippewa National forest you can't purchase Cedar stumpage anymore. On less they have changed things in the last 16 yrs.

I used to have Tree Farmer knees , i was a bow-legged Finn :D   

[northwoods1]

Some fellas have to work once in awhile, eh Northwoods? ;) Nice looking cedar ground. I like white cedar stands in winter. 

What are you going to do with all the cedar, make cedar strip canoes? ;) Makes decent tung and grove wall panels. Got it in the house here and a cedar desk and corner cupboard.  8)

Actually I have a guy that is just chomping at the bit for some clear wood for canoes. That will be one of my 1st orders once I start sawing. I am really curious as to what percentage of clear I can get out of some of the bigger butt logs ??? If I can get even 10% I will pay for this whole job in a hurry. I have had a lot of people contact me for canoe wood.
Every piece of wood out there as I am sawing and bucking I can see a use for it. Even the hollow ones I am hauling out. I figure just knock the rot out, slap a slab on top and bottom, make a hole and hang them up down by the river for the wood ducks. All the really crooked unique looking stuff will most likely be some kind of "rustic" furniture.
Yesterday I did get a little boo-boo. I wasn't being careful enough and I was trying to push a stump from a blowdown over and out of the way, Had my head to the side of the cab looking at the corner of the blade and it slipped off and BANG goes me head into the side of the cab Had my hard hat on but that went flying. More than one guy has gotten killed that way. Hitting head on side of cab when machine suddenly moves. A skidsteer in the woods was the machine you really had to watch out for that.

[SwampDonkey]

You can never tell the percentages until it's cut out. Some sites have little rot and on others, the but log is pretty shot. I would expect a lot more than 10 % sound unless it's real old wood. Or do you mean old hidden knots inside? Now there is the $60,000 question. Won't know until she's sawn. ;D

[northwoods1]

You can never tell the percentages until it's cut out. Some sites have little rot and on others, the but log is pretty shot. I would expect a lot more than 10 % sound unless it's real old wood. Or do you mean old hidden knots inside? Now there is the $60,000 question. Won't know until she's sawn. ;D

As far as sound goes it is cutting out real well close to 90% sound, better than average cedar for around here. I am getting about 40' of saw logs out of a tree with a small stick or sometimes two for fence posts from the top. I am taking it down to a very small diameter.
What I was talking about for canoe wood is >clear< material. No knots. That is the highest dollar material. I think I am going to have to get $3.50bf for that. Good thing is it can be 3" wide or any multiple of that, and any length. If I can get 16' long clear that will be set aside and be even higher priced as that is long enough to make a canoe out of single pieces. I am hoping to get 10% clear at at least 8' long, and I am suspecting that will mostly be the jacket boards on the bigger clean and slick looking butt logs.

[SwampDonkey]

yeah, I would think the clear stuff would demand a premium. 16 foot clears in cedar, maybe, but rare unless it's the bigger upland white cedar we get in with hardwood with 30" or so sized buts. Cedar hangs onto them dead limbs a long time.

[Autocar]

If anyone has a picture of one of those canoes under construction ? I use to build canoes years ago but mine was a maple fram with canvas over them. Always wanted a wood one but they were realiy high priced. Sounds like Northwoods has a idea for every stick he pulls out  ;D Thats good seems like we waste alot thats left in the woods.

[SwampDonkey]

They were white cedar ribbed here, not the strip type, and a canvas over that.

[Jeff]

If anyone has a picture of one of those canoes under construction ?

Check member Woodbender's gallery

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/index.php?cat=15012

[Autocar]

Those are neat looking canoes, I use to make them with hard maple fram and canvas. It looks to me like thats a talent. I wonder how they hold all the boards in place till they glue it up.

[Maine372]

not to interupt the canoe chat, but is that a 357 with a full wrap handle?

[barbender]

That's a nice patch of cedar, Northwoods. It looks like you have a lot less snow over there, it's up on my thighs here. My tire chainless skidder is even struggling in the stuff.

[Dave Shepard]

I've been wanting to build a wooden boat. Strangely, I have no desire to actually use one. :D

[northwoods1]

 















 

[Clark]

That is remarkable quality for white cedar, straight and fairly free of rot, although I'm sure there are some you left behind/didn't show that could prove the opposite point!

Clark

[Autocar]

Northwoods looks like your keeping busy  ;) Won't be long and that snow will be gone and when you stop for lunch your catch yourself walking in that feild looking for a artifact  :D Be safe

[lumberjack48]

Boy is that nice Cedar, looks like high land White Cedar.

Nice pictures, very nice, clean and straight landing site northwoods1