How did your morning go?

[Frank_Pender]

Txlogger,                                                                                             It is a good feeling to have the sawdust entering your lungs again, isn't it.  I have been wondering about your plight with briken drive line and all in the mud up to your..... .  Anyway, i am happy you are out and sawing again.  It is a good feeling, I know.   8) 8) 8) 8)

[Frank_Pender]

It has been ten days since the last posting.  And it was mine.  The day has been terrific.   I just loaded out 1400 lbs of Maple Burl.  Yea! My morning is great. 8) 8) 8)

[Frank_Pender]

Well, I started this yesterday and I got kicked off line for some reason.  Here goes for Tuesday Mornings Day.  I began at 4:30 A.M.   Each second Tuesday of the month I have an elected Regional Education District board meeting to attend at 7:00 AM.  But the fun only began.   The following is how the remainder of the morning went:  1. went and saw two trees 4' DBH 140' tall that were coming down next week and were mine for hauling them away  (Giant Sequoia), 2.  had to visit ad 5' Cottonwood that was coming down on Weds.  (again free for hauling).  This one is only 3 miles from the farm. 3.  upon arriving home at 11:45 AM  I had a neighbor bring me a log he hauled all the way from Missouri for me to saw for him on shares.  It was a 18" White Pine.   Item one will cost about $250 to get hauled home with a self loading log truck.  (2 loads?)  Item number two will cost about $175 if a log truck hauls, but I may have a  large quarry loader simply put sections on a tripple axel trailer for me and I haul myself.  The evening  was topped off with a fine dinner out with Wife, son and doughter-in-law.  Son and doughter-in-law are headed back to their Missionary calling in Haiti.  Next time home is in 6 months :'(

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

When to a customers home, made a little living, then it happened:  a freebie, if I can take advantage of its 2300bdf.
 8)

A friend of mine just told me about, and showed me this morning, a pushed-aside trunk of a yellow pine over three feet thick at the butt end.  Can't wait to try my fresh-from-Fedex Stihl 090/Alaskan out on that monster tree.  If only I had an "All-terrain" model of the Peterson swing blade for this one!  Three sections are too close together, and I would estimate that the main 20' section would weigh 5K lbs.  They are lying in a mushy bog with a spring actually flowing from under the logs.
Phil L.

[Kevin_H.]

Got off work at 8am today, went home hooked up to the flatbed trailer and picked up 2 red oak and one hickory log at the local tree service. got home and unloaded with the bobcat and nothing broke...Ahhh yes a good day indeed. 8)

[Corley5]

Fired up the 240B TimberJack at 8:30AM.  Pulled a dozen or so skids, went for lunch, came back, pulled down three that I'd hung up the night before, bucked em and skidded em out.  Dad got home from work at 4:00PM and we headed back to the woods. He ran the misery stick while I fell and bucked.  I won't fall trees alone.  We cut till 5:30PM.  Only one hung up to pull down tomorrow but more skids to pull than today.  Nothing broke but with the warm weather it sure got muddy today.  Hope it freezes up.

[Frank_Pender]

  Corley5,

     Out here in the hinter lands of the West we call those "hang-ups", "teepees".  If you are not careful you will make your "wigwam" if you are not watchful of how you bring them down to the ground.  :'( :D :D :D

[Corley5]

Here in Michigan we call them widow makers for obvious reasons.  I hook on to the butt with the skidder, run out some cable and winch 'em down.  Pretty safe inside the cage and I don't go under them anyway.  Some times if left over night they'll fall down by themselves.  That's what I really like 8)

[Kevin_H.]

Maybe they should be called "Treepees"...Just a thought.

[Don P]

Generally that's about how long I wait before venturing back in. ;D

[CHARLIE]

Reminds me of a Lena and Oly joke.

Lena decided she wanted to learn about gardening, so she went  to a gardening class. When she came home she walked over to Oly.
Lena: Oly, did you know that a pea can last 2000 years!
Oly: Yah, you betcha, sometimes it feels that way.
 :D :D :D :D :D

[Frank_Pender]

I kinda pulled a Phil L. today.    Some background:  A few days ago I got a call about some trees across a road at the 4H Conference Center here in the Willamette Valley area of Oreogn.  Since I am on the Site Committee I waas asked if I wanted to help remove them.  i made a visit with one of my trusty 044"s with a 36" bar, and made the appropriate cuts to get the tree moved off the road.  It was an Oak,  39" at the dirt level and 24' long.  I had to cut it into two pieces to get it off of the road proper.  Back to today:  I had a firend with a self loader show up this afternoon at the Site and not only got the Oak removed but bucked up the Douglas Fir that caused the Oak to fall.  the Fir had 4  25' logs amounting to 790 bd.    ft. and the Oak a total of 210' board feet.    The fee for hauling was only $160.00.  I  did not feel to bad for getting 1,000 bd. ft. of logs and delivered to my mill for a mere $160.00 today.   Tomorrow the fun begins if the snow has not gotten tooooo deeeep tonight. ;)

[Frank_Pender]

Well, No cutting for me today.  I awoke to 10 plus inches of snow.  We are at about 1100' elev..  Down on the valley floor there is only about an inch or two.   I reckon I will take the Gator and go play.   the wife want to get the snowmobiles out but they are a hassle for yarding with. :D :D   I might fall a tree to watch the snow explode from a 140 fir.  It has to come down soon.    I may as well enjoy it falling with a couple tons of snow on its branches.  Hope you are all have a marvelous day, in your 70 degree weather. ;D

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Frank Pender, hey!
Well, the morning went alright.
(You can't get hurt too bad, when you're in church.
Just got my toes stepped on a little.)

But, after a good meal and a little nap, I decided to tackle the
big White Oaks which were blown down in a clear cut a few months ago.  I have mentioned them before.  Last week I got permission to salvage all the big stuff which was left behind, if I would get a move on.

To make a long story short, well, no , let's just keep it long.

I took my Stihl 090 that I am breaking in before using it on an Alaskan mill.  All went well for a while.  I decided to buck some of the huge straight limbs in a good, straight fork.  Next I cut the crotch really deep with two kerfs, trying to judge the pinch.  (I had shored up with fire-wood-size chunks under the main trunk.)  

I had gotten the crotch cut loose from the butt log and moved to cut the last large limb from above the crotch, when I "done it good".   This large 18" limb looked a little tricky, like I should go for the undercut last, but I didn't.    Why? Looking at the situation, it looked like I could end up with a 42" pretzel for a saw bar, if that limb came down on my saw in the tight spot I had.    First I did a third or so undercut.  Next, I decided to cut a few kerfs on top, cutting out a sizeable wedge.  Then, as  the chain was about to meet the undercut I had made, the bar got pinched but good.

I didn't have all my stuff with me to get out of the jamb, so the engine is at home, and the bar and chain are still out in the country, hidden by an old bush I threw over it.

Tomorrow morning?
I get another chance.  Two more large Whites Oaks,  three large Red Oaks.   All blow overs.    The bull dozer is set for the end of the week to get them out of the junky clear cut.

Is this livin' er whut?   All free trees.  Wish the dozer was.
PHil L.

[Frank_Pender]

  Phil, the next time you have a pinching type cut have your wedges to insert into the first cut to help elimnate the pinching of the bar.  i have used as many as three on large logs like you are talking about.   I have even used wedges on logs flat on the ground, you never know.  I too have left a bar in a log AND even a tree overnight. ;) :D  The best of luck on the morrow.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Yep, Frank Pender, once I had my wedges, I was out in 90 seconds - used three.

Get a load of this:

Today I cut loose three extreme White Oaks (blow-downs) from their root structures and bucked the trunks/butt logs. Working in a swamp is such fun!

Two of these were "twin trees", if you will, having grown super close at the butt, forcing each to meld into the other - almost. The result was some spectacular grain. These had popped apart on impact, revealing two flats, like crotch pattern grain or flame pattern, approx. five feet across. Each tree has this pattern in the stump, and each revealed an almost flat, flame grained surface, when they came apart.

The trees are astounding in themselves - abandoned in a clear-cut, only to be blown down in a storm last summer. This bonus of this "flame pattern" in the stumps may just make me decide to have the dozer push them out, too. I bucked the larger member of the pair into one 16' and one 8' log, the other into a 12' and an 8'. We coated the ends immediately. Also, we coated the stump end of the one stump with the flame which jumped up and fell back into its hole. The other stump is too close to the bole, until the dozer can be brought in.

Has anyone fully processed such a White Oak pattern before? I can see several slab breakfast tables in each stump! 50"square!   Whatcha say, Frank P.  Seems like you have done it all over the years.
Phil L.

[Frank_Pender]

  I wish I had done it all over the years, Phil.  That sure makes My wife more congenial.  ;) Anyway, I would first consider a large log loader to remove the stump, rather than risking tearing up the stump with a Cat, unless it is about the size of a D6 or D8.  Please coat the other stump as soon as possible.  When you get them home pressure wash them and begin removing the outer root legs.  I would also coat them if you plan on letting the stump set for any time at all.  I would not let the stump set to awfully long before you begin blocking or slabbing.  Perhaps you could find someone with an Alaska type mill or one of those Peterson or Lucas slabbing units near your location.  I would make the slabs no less than 2 1/2" thick and place at least 1" stickers between slabs.  I would also let they air dry for at least 3 or 4 months before ever considering placing them in a kiln.  All the while remember to coat the entire slab with Anchor Seal or the like to cut down on checking.  An ounce of caution is worth a pound of cure.  :'( While you are letting them air dry, place them in a shaded area with a lid of tin or plywood, also with 1" stickers  between it and the top slab.   I am sure you will get a vast host of suggestions of what to do, but you asked.   You see I do not have a PhD in this "stuff", merely experience.   Sometimes I have heard it said that, "A man with an experience is never at the mercy of an argument."  Perhaps that is true, sometimes. :D :D  You also might consider makeing some of the stumps into truning stock.  The $ return is sometimes very high for bowl, vase and box turning stock.  You could market it on the internet green, as many turners prefer green wood.  Reember to coat the entire piece of turning stock, if you decide to cut some.  the best of luck to you in your "stump venture". ;)

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Hello again,
With the day's piano tunings done I can do some more "lernin". :P

A friend of mine has had a 36" Alaskan in his possession for a year and a half - never used it.  When I told him I had just the saw, he volunteered his frame.  As you can tell, however, this frame and my 41" bar are not up to this particular pair of stumps.

As far at the Peterson/Lucas equipment, you probably realize from this forum and WoodWeb forums in which I have explored and have sought owners' info on their slabbers and swing blades,  these guys are just hard to find.  After they buy, they must disappear back into the bush or something. :-/

Thanks for all the points.   The turning stock I could do with the Alaskan on hand.  The table/counter top slabs would be beyond me, unless I can shake the bushes enough to find a mean-machine slabber owner.

Phil L.

[Frank_Pender]

Phil, I dug out a slab I had out away in my woodworking shop for four years.   i had a buyer. 8)  H was looking for a coffee table type slab.  this wone was 3" thick 34" wide and 5' long.  I only charged him $225.00.  He was as happy as a clam at a bake.  So was I, in the pocket. ;)

[Kevin]

... this frame and my 41" bar are not up to this particular pair of stumps.

Phil, why is that?