Making it thrugh another year, '24-'25

[Big_eddy]

Ted, I did spell that right, read it right off the bottle. Maybe the bottle is wrong?

100% correct spelling on both! One didn't seem harder to spell than the other!   You did it with ease. 

Not sure about that. Seems he needed a visual aid to correctly spell Advil.

[GRANITEstateMP]

Tom,

Are you going to build it in place or do you have the room / ground conditions to build it near the shop then walk it in (thinking telehandler or excavator).  Maybe in sections if possible? just trying to keep ya out of the mud!

[beenthere]

Assume there is no way to "drain the swamp" and get that water to flow away and not pond up there  ?? 

[doc henderson]

looks like that has been the makeshift crossing and the sides are broken down.  can build it back up with pressure treated dam/blocking for the approaches.

[Old Greenhorn]

When I recut that drainage nearly 40 years ago, I spread the sides out a bit so that it would not cave in again as it had before. In the last 6 years or so I have been dragging logs out through that path, so it appears as it it is a crossing, but it is not. I can build up a a little but it doesn't need as much as the pictures lead you to believe.

 Draining the swamp, then filling in to grade is the goal but it is a string of steps to get there. I need a machine to dig out a culvert that got disturbed and lifted on one end. I'll need a machine to remove that and then I can re-grade the bottom and the creek will empty pretty much and nearly go dry. At that time I may relocate the culvert to where the bridge is if I can get fill to cover it. Some seepage from the swamp can then make it to the creel, but I also need to cut some drainage paths from the swamp toward the creek because there is a bank holding the water in the swamp. I will likely need 3 or 4 trenches, which I may lay 6" pipe in to keep them open permanently and fill over.
 Once that is done it will take several months for the water to creep down to it's low point and at least partially dry out the swamp area. At the same time I can begin finding and moving rubble in there. I'd like to burn it over first and get the broken branches and ground clutter cleaned up before filling/grading. If/when the bridge becomes obsolete I plane t reset it back in the swamp on newly graded ground on concrete blocks or pads or pucks and use it as the deck/floor for a new storage shed. Either a drying shed or winter storage for the Mule or any number of other things. I have time to decide that and will likely change my mind a few times.

 As far as the bridge build goes, I will do it in place. The bridge site is 15 feet from the mill. I would have to carry/move all the lumber about50' to the shop door, build, then move the bridge 70' back. That makes no sense. If I build in place, I don't need a machine to move it. Mud washes out not matter what your Mamma told ya.

[thecfarm]

 will keep you out of the mud 

[beenthere]

I need a machine to dig out a culvert that got disturbed and lifted on one end.

I see that machine you need in reply #978

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, um, NO. That machine won't fit through behind my shop, and besides, that is just available for testing contemplating purchase. Bill has about 5 excavators ranging from very mini sized all the way up to almost that size. I'd like to borrow his tiny toy mini, which everyone laughs at on job sites but is his most used machine because it is light footed and goes anywhere. It can also dig more that anyone expects. But that little machine travels all over the dang place and is never around. His business operations are interfering with my little projects.

[doc henderson]

I have time to decide that and will likely change my mind a few times.

Can we help??

[Old Greenhorn]

Sure, why not, you will anyway.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well I thought I had a plan for yesterday, then Bill stopped by.
 My plan was to go down and clean all the usable logs off the trees we took down Saturday, not much, my guess was about 15 logs, the rest was too big or too small, or wrong species.
 Bill's plan was to go to another job site just a 1/2 mile from me with the bucket and crew and take those trees down for the homeowner as promised a while back.
 Since that job was only a bucket job, I opted to adopt his plan. So I met him and the crew there and they brought the bucket truck and a chipper. We took down about 10 trees, some hemlock, pine, RO and dead RO. Trying to keep pace with his crew knocks the life out of me, and I had to sit down twice for a couple of minutes. But we got it all cleaned up, plus chipped up some pile left from winter damage, etc.. They had enough time left in the day to go setup and start the next job 1 town over. I had to do a run to town. When I got back, I returned to the scene of the crime and loaded all the logs there were. I got 30 out of it.
 Today I resorted to yesterday's plan and got down to Bill's just before 9. There was much good stuff in there, but I got another 15 out of the tops and limbed and bucked up a big pine for saw logs.. I was home before 11.   My order was for 40 logs and I wound up with 45. I will deliver those tomorrow morning and be done for the season now. Like it or not, the trees are flowering out, Fortunately the RO's come out nearly last here with WO just behind them. I got these just in time. Another week is too late. So I am done. Just with yesterday and this mornings session my arms and forehead are screaming red with that dermatitis already. I took a shower and that felt pretty good.
 This afternoon I have a lunch date with an old buddy, so I am done for the day.

[GRANITEstateMP]

Tom,

I drive by a farmstead (or it was at one time, not sure how to describe it now) every day on my way to work.  Its only got 30ft of front yard to the road so.I always see whats going on.  Last week a couple pallets were put onthe front yard off to the side. Next day each pallet has 8ish red oak logs, all about 30ish inches long and around 5-6in diameter.  My working brain cell lit up my light bulb, I said "those are mushroom logs!".

[Old Greenhorn]

Yup! That's what the were. There are still a bunch of folks that have them as part of their home garden operations. Since the fad is dying down after everyone during covid seemed to either be baking their own bread or growing mushrooms, it is interesting to watch the market change. These are all my opinions and likely to be wrong, but I see some trends. The folks who bought logs to try it out during COVID seem to have run their course. They didn't have proper log yards setup for the dormancy/growth periods of the mycelium and the logs dried out, rotted, got bug eaten, or just didn't produce well. They lost interest and it was too much work. The folks with serious gardens which had been supplying a good part of their food for decades were used to the work and have figured out how to include mushrooms as part of it. They seem to have 'right-sized' their operation to their needs and can now cut or acquire enough logs on their own (for free) to keep them going. The small farms (I call them truck farmers) who sell to select markets and outlets have either gone boom or bust with mushrooms as part of their growth. If they found lucrative outlets, they are still looking for decent log quantities to supplant their operation. If they had crop failure or markets didn't provide an outlet for them, they gave up. So in my observations I think the whole fad is slimming down, and as with any fad, some found a way to make it viable while others did not. For the mushroom logger, it remains a good source of extra income, but sales and marketing are a key factor, as is customer service. I am frankly surprised that the independent garden centers do not sell logs as part of their operations. Seems like a natural thing to me.
------------------------------------

Anyway, catching up here again, it's been another couple of good days and most enjoyable. I had that lunch with an old buddy Tuesday and we had a lovely time and came back here and sat in the shop an talked for a few hours about 'life' and 'what's next?', and stuff like that. Just a lovely afternoon for me, and I hope him too.

 Yesterday morning I delivered that load of logs to a happy client and she gave me another nice tip again, just like last year. If I do give up the logging work, I may keep her and a select group of clients to supply. Their orders are smaller, but not too small, and they are nice local folks. Anyway, I was back home around 10am and saw that the new clutch for my 372 clown saw had arrived. So I wasted some time trying to get the old clutch off, but just could not get it loose. After messing with it for a while and trying all the usual tricks, I broke down and ordered a clutch tool. Now I have to wait some more. The new bearing arrives today.
 So I bench sharpened the chain on my 350 which has seen some dirt from al the mushroom logs in the last week. Then I went out to the mill and thought about how to get that log up and set while I looked into that gas drip. Turned out to simply be a loose fuel trap and it took longer t remove the cowling than it did to clean and fix. All good now and running well. Onto the dreaded log loading.
I did it in stages because it was so heavy and it needed to be set perfect so the mill would pass over it. That log truly maxed out the mill in every direction except length. I should have grabbed the big mega hook from the mill instead of the 72" one. I nearly blew out my legs trying to turn it up on the mill, but I managed, with a few rest breaks to get it set. However, the mill still would not pass over it. I had to do some very careful and accurate bibbyng to trim it so the blade guides would clear at full opening. Turned out, I came very close to ruining the log, but pulled it off.
 After a break so I could feel my legs again I figured I might as well take a cut or two to get it started. I flattened the top to 8" wide, then dropped 6" and took off a big slab that I can get a 6x6 out of in the center. Then I rolled the log 90° and did it again and put that slab on the side. One more roll and I get 4 more  6x6's out of that last piece, which is one more than I had planned. I also wound up with a 2x6 and 1x6 from side wood.
 I got all those stacked, again no small task with no machines and milled up one of the slabs to get another 6x6 and stacked that. Then put up the last slab (which was the first half-round I took off) and was trying to get that squared up when the wife notified me she was home. I looked at my watch and it was already 5pm. I lost track of time.
 So yesterday was our 48th Wedding Anniversary and we had dinner plans. I closed up the mill, came in and cleaned myself up and we went out for a very nice dinner.

 It is gratifying to have the mill running well and having to do almost nothing to get it up and cutting. All the stuff I had put in place came back to life and use with no downtime. The water tank and pump for cleaning off the mill all worked just as well as when I last used them, that 4° blade cuts like a bandit even in full width cuts. It took a lot less time to get those first five 6x6's off than I had expected. This morning I am a little sore, but functional, and I did sleep very well last night because I was quite tired.

 I'll give it another shot in a little while because today is another day.

[Resonator]

I am frankly surprised that the independent garden centers do not sell logs as part of their operations. Seems like a natural thing to me.

I have a good friend and customer that runs a commercial greenhouse, he supplies big retail garden centers with flowering plants. From what he's told me it can be a tough business, you'd better have a sharp pencil and be ready for a wholesale price, and have a big inventory on hand ready to deliver. Also you'll have your own truck, and plan on delivering to all the locations and stocking (handling) the product yourself. And at the end of the season, likely you'll have to pick up any unsold logs, and credit the store for what gets returned.
Not saying it can't be done, just a tough row to hoe.

---------------
Happy anniversary! 

[SawyerTed]

And some retailers will drop a vendor for a dime, nickel or penny even if the quality decreases by a dollar.  

[doc henderson]

Tom, if only Danny was here to remind us of paragraphs!  

A Christmas Story- Ralphie Daydreams for an A+ Clip (HD)

[thecfarm]

Happy Anniversary!!!!!!!

[Old Greenhorn]

Ray, thank You.

Doc, give me a break. As I always told Danny, if you read carefully you will see there is an indent at every paragraph. Sometimes when I type in that blank line (for the paragraph challenged folks) the forum software drops it. I gave up a long time ago going back to edit the blanks back in.

Ted & Res, I was talking about independent garden centers, not chains or even large groups of outlets in a region. Mushroom logs are not like rakes and shovels. They have a shelf life, cut and inoculation times matter. You can't buy them back and sell them next year. They are more like eggs and milk. A local garden center could manage that when a chain cannot. Working closely with a supplier such as me they could even take orders for their customers, getting them filled in a week or so. All they would need is signage and a process to handle it. If I weren't thinking about getting out of this racket and trying to expand, I might try to build a partnership with a nursery or two to see how it goes.

 It was just a thought.

[doc henderson]

Yes Tom.  I just have fond memories of that whole moment in time  Rest in peace @WDH 

[Old Greenhorn]

Quiet weekend here owing to the rain which kind of put a damper on my enthusiasm.  I've been piddling in the shop and doing some of the annoying chores that I always avoid or can't make time for. Since retiring I have tried to make time r force myself to do at least a couple of these a week and they add up over time to make life easier in the long run. Some times it's cleaning out a long neglected corner, sometimes its fixing something so I can use it again, and sometimes it's an improvement. I did several things yesterday and have already forgotten when they were. 

 Today I walked around the shop looking for a job and settled in on that Jonsered 2050 project saw. I did some basic looking at it and checking things, today was the day to start cleaning it. Holy cow, what a mess. I bet I lightened it by at least a pound with all the crud I dug out of it.  I don't think I have ever seen a small saw that packed with crud everywhere.  Now I have the handle off and the sides and covers removed. I pulled the muffler, bore looks pretty good with no scoring and compression feels good. I had thought I had no spark, but I checked it again after all the cleaning and in fact I do have spark. The fuel filter is horrible and the gas line in the tank is hard as a rock. Air filter was packed up to and is one of the screen types, not the fleece type. The spur drive on the clutch drum is one of the most worn ones I have ever seen. I also think this saw was either dropped or partially run over. One of the handle springs is badly distorted and needs replacing, the handle has a crack but is serviceable. When I cleaned out all the packed crud around the cylinder/flywheel area, a rubber grommet bumper fell pout. It took me a while to figure out it was part of that munged up spring mount. It must have been in there a long time, packed in oily sawdust and what looks like grass. No doubt this saw was run very hard with little care. I didn't take the card off yet, but I am sure that needs a lot of cleaning too and only the Good Lord knows what they put in this for fuel.

 When I first put this on the bench I honestly didn't know if I really wanted to get into it, it was such a mess. But now that I started cleaning and looking and figuring it out and it is cleaning up a bit, I am encouraged, I think I can do this. It looks (according to the IPL) that there was an option available for this saw to use a clutch drum with a rim sprocket, so maybe I will look for that kit. Right now, even though this saw takes a standard socket on the clutch, I am having trouble getting it loose.  Now I have two saws I can't get the clutch off of.

 Anyway, it's fun to work on a saw that is built a bit different than what I am used to. I'm learning new stuff and that takes a little time. As soon as it gets frustrating I walk away and come back later. If I can locate the right parts in workable shape, this could be a very nice little 50cc saw. I had always wanted a Jonsered, but never had the money to go that route. So if I get this one running and into the stable, it will really make me smile. It's time to get some parts and start putting it together enough to try it. It will take a while, but it's worth the time, and it's good to learn stuff. I'll say this though, if somebody had brought me that saw to work on, I would have told them they should be ashamed of themselves for treating a tool like that and refused to work on it, or charged then an 'idiot premium'. I have never seen a saw so packed with crap through and through. I can't imagine how that saw could breath or cool properly. I love a challenge though.

[Wlmedley]

Tom, you've got me enthused working on these old saws . I have a old 3400 Poulan chainsaw that has been hanging in my barn for 25 years and I bought it new 20 years before that so it's 45 years old. I've researched it a little and from what I've learned it was a well built saw in its day . Around 55cc but weighs around 15lbs. I don't really need it but I cut a lot of wood with it and would like to hear the old girl run again.

[Old Greenhorn]

You know, it's a funny and weird thing Bill but for all my life before retirement with the house, kids, job(s), and normal pressures of just getting by and trying to keep all the leaks in the dike plugged up, I never had the time or patience to work on these things. Either I couldn't focus long enough before something more important came up, or I just wasn't disciplined enough, but I always turned that stuff over to my Pop and he helped me out with little effort. 
 That's all different now. I can let stuff sit, but when I get in the mood to work on it, I can take my time, work as much as I want, then slide it to the side until I am ready again. Eventually I get it done and it's very gratifying to finally work it out. I am not fast and have to do many things several times before I get it right, but that's OK, I get it eventually.
 I probably have 2-4 dead saws laying around that I just don't see the value in putting the time on them, at least two of which are those little red Homelite jobs. But maybe someday I will get and urge and work on them, who knows. I am not looking for projects but I do pick some that appeal to me for whatever reason.
 But when I fix a saw that turns into a reliable runner which I can use, I find that very gratifying. That's not to say it is easy, or without frustration (sometimes a lot of that), but it is gratifying to an aging man. Besides, these saw parts are pretty cheap, so it's not so expensive to make mistakes, and extra parts just go in the drawer for the next time.

[Wlmedley]

I'll have to say that being retired sure is nice. I wish I could have started it earlier but I'm grateful that I'm getting to experience it at all. My 50 year high school class reunion is coming up and I found out that 75 of my classmates are already gone so I consider myself pretty lucky.

[doc henderson]

mine will be in 2028, but a few of us will get together this summer.  That way at the reunion with what is left of our class of 200, we will spread around the room, and not only catch up with best friends.

[SawyerTed]

In the 1990s I was building my career, raising kids, trying to be involved at church and generally spread thin.  Around 1998 or 1999, Emily asked for a deck for Mother's Day.  I built our original 22x28 deck for her then.  

These last few months I've renovated that deck.  During the reconstruction I saw the errors I made and most got corrected and a few are hidden. 

62 year old Ted thought back to 35 year old Ted and realized 35 year old Ted was doing pretty good considering all that was on his plate.   

62 year old Ted voluntarily puts a heap on his plate and knows 90% of it is okay to wait until I get to it.  I'm not under the deadlines now that I thought I was then, so my focus/work is far better.   

There is the skills and knowledge difference due to experience between 35 and 62.   I see myself in my son (35) very much now.   He listens like I did back then.