Heat wave working hours.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

A song by Cole Porter, sung by Ella Fitzgerald.......

"IT'S TOO DARN HOT"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhs3Qklz5a0&feature=related

[tcsmpsi]

When I got out of high school, I already had a school and job lined out for the next season.  In the meantime, I got a job at UTEX industries (Universal Packing & Gasket).  They had me in several different areas, from the huge heated tables were gasket blanks were assembled, 80 ton hammer press, material seaming, to finally end up in the steam press room.  There were 25 rows of presses, making gaskets from 8' diameter down through transfusion gaskets.
I was transfered to presses 6-10, handling the largest gaskets not using a crane.  X99 the biggest of these with the most problematic of gaskets.  Big, lots of steel, molds with a top and bottom insert, taken apart with air pressure (I have seen x99 kick its bottom out and take about 8 brick out of the wall.  Presses were steam heated with multiple tiers, and different valves to apply pressure.  Three people worked that line, and I was replacement for one of those.  Seems a lot didn't make on that line for very long.  Lots of gasket and quota problems with some of those particulars. 
That room stayed about 120 degrees.  The molds had to stay in a certain heat range, which gave limited time to clean, soap (solution for non-sticking) with two pair of gloves (putting one up against ones' wet-shirted belly, and it would sizzle...upleasantly).
The short of it, is that after I had worked that line for about a month, first one, then the other fellows on the line, left for different reasons.  They did not try to replace them, as I had ironed out the problems on the gaskets that were giving them trouble, and I kept a better quota.  After having turned down an offer from them to, continue/they send to to school/continue, I had heard they were going to install air conditioning in the pressroom.   I advised the supervisor that it would not work, as it would cool down the molds too much, and keep the surrounding temperature cool enough that the gasket material would behave differently.   I kept in touch with a couple of the fellows I worked with.  About a year later, they told me that they had installed it, had gaskets sticking in the molds all the time, and after about 3 months of trying to conform gasket material/blanks, they turned it off.

Those presses sure made a good TV dinner for lunch.    :D

[hackberry jake]

All the commercial mills around here have a climate controlled saw cab or two. The rest of the grunt labor just have a roof over their heads.

[Dave VH]

I do appreciate not having to shovel snow and all, but i would rather have 20° rather than 100°.  I work outside all year.  You can always add more layers, I've run out of layers to take off without making a whole different kind of statement

[SPD748]

I've run out of layers to take off without making a whole different kind of statement

!!

-lee

[TimGA]

Dave, 
I have shoveled snow, put layers of clothes on, stayed inside all winter because I was froze all day at work.  Thank you but I will shed all I can swat a Gnat or two jump in the pool and relax.  The best part of the south is I can do almost anything I want any time. Just slow down in the bad Heat and hydrate. It is hot here now in south GA, I will say I miss a fresh snow and crisp air but not the slop afterward.
                                                                                                                  Tim   

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I've run out of layers to take off without making a whole different kind of statement

!!

-lee

Stop laughing Lee.......sounds like you're just waiting to write a citation for indecend exposer.   :D

[Magicman]

Happy Birthday, TimGA, and Congratulations on making the Big 50 !!!.   

[SPD748]

Stop laughing Lee.......sounds like you're just waiting to write a citation for indecend exposer.   :D


I can honestly say that I've never charged that one and hope I never will 

-lee

[TimGA]

  Thanks  MM,  Would love to going as hard as you and be in good health at 68.
            Thanks again been a great day.
                                           Tim

[davch00]

I guess milling on the midnight shift is the answer in this heat.    I do have lights.

That's a good way to feed the skeeters. Around here the skeeters are so thick that everyone pretty much tries to avoid going outside after dark.

Would love to going as hard as you and be in good health at 68.
            Thanks again been a great day.
                                         

I'll second that!

[Bibbyman]

We're still getting out early but it's already hot before sunrise. The humidity is high and no breeze. 

100 by noon today - 107 high - 102 at 7:30 pm.

Weather man says hot again tomorrow but highs in the 80s after that!

[boatman]

It was over 100 in the woods yesterday.  But the mill I am using keeps vapor locking so I am getting lots of breaks.

I spent today working on a hay rake, the metal was too hot to hold my hand on.

[Bibbyman]

Heat advisory all this week.  Add in higher humidity than we had a couple of weeks back.

Mary and I went out about 7:00 this morning to scale a load of logs we'd got in yesterday afternoon.  That end off the lot is in the shade until about 9:00.

We no more than got out there and started and I was soaked with sweat .

[Chuck White]

That just about describes what we've had here Bibby.

I had my last saw job for the summer just about done (lacked about 400bf) when we gave up to the 90+° temps yesterday.

I had my alarm set for 5:00 this morning and I ate breakfast and was out the door by 5:45 and the blade was in the wood at 6:15.

We were done by 10:15, done sawing, mill cleaned up, hooked to the truck and pointing towards the road, then we took a break and went inside because the customers wife "just" made fresh coffee and a double batch of doughnuts.

What's not to like!  8)

That job put me at 41,000 bf since Spring.

Next job will be in early fall, late Sep/early Oct.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

then we took a break and went inside because the customers wife "just" made fresh coffee and a double batch of doughnuts.

Fresh Donuts?  My phone didn't ring! 

[tyb525]

Makes it a lot of fun roofing...You can't get on the roof early enough. I wish my boss would let me bring some lights out and roof at night - at least the shingles wouldn't be so dang soft then

[Chris Burchfield]

I've seen lights set up at night with guys laying shingles.  Hot days like these and Arky would talk about working the Mexican shift.  I went out on the deck this morning with coffee at 5:a.m. and it was eighty degrees F.  It's 95°F. right now.

[Chuck White]

then we took a break and went inside because the customers wife "just" made fresh coffee and a double batch of doughnuts.

Fresh Donuts?  My phone didn't ring! 

I thought about how rough some of my comrades (you guys) have it.

I mean those doughnuts were still hot and I really had to force myself (with the insistance of the customers wife) (nice lady) to reach across the table for a 3rd doughnut!

Sorry David, I just couldn't remember your phone number!

[Indiana Robinson]

Maybe this would be a good time to re-ask my earlier question about if anybody here was sawing indoors in an AC building...    :D :D :D :D  Maybe it doesn't seem so silly now.   
There has been a lot of lost working time reported this month. I know that it has about brought me to a stop on working but I'm a retired old man. 
Not too practical for the guys sawing on site but I have a 24' X 48' building with a lean-to add-on about 8' X 23' just currently being used as storage. I could empty it and my little LT-10 with 21' of track could sit in the center and have all kinds of room to work around it. It is also is easy to heat. It only has about 8' ceilings but the center 24' X 24' is cathedral ceiling with about 12' clearance down the center of it. It has a lined brick chimney and a wood stove in the lean-to part and a pretty large window AC in the north wall.
It seems even more like a good spot after this summer.
The exhaust could be plumbed out or I could go electric.


.

[Magicman]

The fuel injector pump on my sawmill is erratic when the temp climbs above 90°, and quits completely above 95°.   ;D

I love my Diesel engine for taking care of me.  That's my story   :P  and I'm sticking with it.    :D

[Cedarman]

Our big saw shed 45' x 120',  has lots of big open doors, 12' ceiling made of tin with 6" fiberglass on top of that. A very very good investment.  Keeps the heat from radiating down.  With fans, it is not that bad.  Productivity is a little less, but still pumping the cedar out.

[Chuck White]

Wow, that would be great to saw in an AC environment!

My favorite sawing temperature is 40-50°

[tyb525]

Mine is about 65-70, so that no extra clothing besides jeans and a t-shirt are required!

[barbender]

Up here, 40-50° is jean and t-shirt weather 80's are manageable, 90° plus weather makes me want to stay inside. I can't imagine dealing with those sustained 100° + temps. I worked on asphalt paving crews for many years, 12-16 hours a day out in the hot sun shoveling 200° black asphalt, so I have had my share of the heat. Those hot days just kill the whole crew, now I am out in the woods running a Ponsse forwarder, AC cab and it feels great ;)