Making it thrugh another year, '24-'25

[doc henderson]

Thanks Tom.  Yes, if the design committee is going to direct this project, we need good information! .  looks like a nice slope near the edges.   the boards in the background make for a nice visual.  It seems more of a long slope in the area you used.  will you block it up a bit and fill with some gravel.  nice to see the limit of the water as well.  will the stingers go lengthwise and deck boards side to side?  I think you mentioned some PT stuff to form a footing on each side of creek (parallel to the stream).

[doc henderson]

Bill seems like the kind of guy that may have broken up concrete sitting around.  how about culvert pipe?

[SwampDonkey]

That's going to be a decent sized creek to build across. I've never really done any creek crossings just damp places that often dry up by July and come back in late November. Spots I cross are hard bottomed, you probably would not sink more than 1" in mud. Rock and gravel base, organic layer on top.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well as I said, the 12' span will more than make it across and is probably overkill, I should be 2 or more feet longer than I need. I plan to partially bury a 6x6 PT footer beam under each and to land the stringers on, put he stringers across, then the decking. Whenever the elevation sits is fine. Then I'll lay in rock and crushed shale for ramps on both ends.
Yes, I could put in a culvert and that is, in fact, the end game, but this I can do almost complete without a machine to do the digging, grading and needing fill to cover the culvert. I can do that later easily once I have material coming in and a borrowed machine here to start filling in the swamp. I can only do what I can do, and this is what I can do. Definitely not efficient, but it works for now. This is basically a large heavy pallet. I don't think we need to waste the design committee's time with it.
----------------

SO today was a rainout as mentioned earlier. Around 2:30 it began to ease up and there was 5 seconds of sunshine. During that 5 seconds, Bill called me. "Whatcha doin'?" 'oh, not much, this and that'. "Well the sun is out here, you wanna take those bigger trees, I got the machine there?" When we hung up the sun went away. I grabbed the 372 project saw and headed down.
In short order we took out a 12" pine (50'), a white oak about 16" (65'), a red oak around 20" (75'), and a EWP around 30" and 90' tall or so. I cut and he pushed. He also dug the stumps and dropped them in the swamp across the road. I will go back in the next day or two and take what mushroom logs I can get out of it.

Pulling stumps.



Dumping stumps.



We did make a bit of a mess, but got the trees out. This is for a driveway cut he will be putting in to his 12 acre parcel over time. I took a few of these trees mid-winter for logs and now we are just putting the fishing touches on the trees that need removal before he starts cutting and grading the new driveway line. Still a few trees to go, but these are the ones that needed two of us. That excavator is one Bill is testing out, but he says they want too much money for it. It's a heavy machine though and took those stumps out with little issue.

We were done by 4:30 and as I was driving the long mile home it started raining again.

EDIT TO ADD: that 372 project saw is running really well as is the chain and bar, but I do notice now that the lightweight bar will flex in stressful cuts and one has to be careful. Again today it nearly threw the chain when I got it pinched in a limb cut. The chain was jammed halfway out of the track. I had to loosen the bar to reset it. A PITA, but it was my fault for trying to yank the bar out of a pinch. But still I have to be careful with it. Still I notice the saw hangs pretty flat in my hand without the nose drooping down. I put a 32" standard Husky bar on the clone saw today with .404 x .063 gauge and the nose is quite a bit heavier in the nose. So I like the balance with the light bar, but it is a bit whippy and finicky for that length. I have a husky lightweight on my 562 with a 24" bar and have no such problems. I guess I am still learning stuff.

[SwampDonkey]

My damp crossings will actually grow trees on them, but it hard to keep them standing, especially softwoods. I was walking one stretch that had some nice spruce and tamarack established, but some high winds a couple years ago took a few down. Oh well, not much you can do. I saw one tree a week ago rocking in a stiff wind, the roots were lifting up, so I cut it off and used the wood and poles from it, better than a root ball bent up in the way. Water percolates down through those areas under the root mat.

[GRANITEstateMP]

Did Doc say something about the "Design Committee" getting in on the early stages of this bridge??? Let me sharpen up my crayons and find a clean napkin

[Old Greenhorn]

Well Doc did say that, but I expressed a different point of view.  Since the cost of this project will be just for some gas, oil, sweat, and Advil. No need to complicate things at this stage.

[doc henderson]

Tom, as a member of the committee, may I recommend generic Advil, Ibuprofen as a cost saving measure.  

[Old Greenhorn]

Yes, that's what I use. 'Advil" is just easier to spell than ibuprofen.

[SwampDonkey]

Time for afternoon nap. 

[aigheadish]

Oh! That's substantially more water than I realized! Looks like a good plan. 

Also nice to have that big ol' hoe around to pull stumps! 

[GRANITEstateMP]

Tom,

As a cost saving measure for a valuable infrastructure project, the design committee is willing to wave its normal fee.

Now with that set aside, have you thought of a suspension bridge???  Also, will the approaches to each side need to be raised any higher to accommodate river traffic from below?

[Old Greenhorn]

HA! Well, I wasn't worried abut the design fees, I am very concerned about the costs incurred as a result of the threatened advice.
 I did check and no permits or adjustments are required in bridge clearances for boat traffic or shipping commerce. This is legally classified as a non-navigable waterway of perennial longevity.

[SawyerTed]

Yes, that's what I use. 'Advil" is just easier to spell than ibuprofen.

Apparently not!   

[doc henderson]

I did check and no permits or adjustments are required in bridge clearances for boat traffic or shipping commerce. This is legally classified as a non-navigable waterway of perennial longevity.

Well, I think we can fix that!  you say you have access to an excavator?

[thecfarm]

You need some  for each end of the bridge and then  to hold the backens back.
I just happen to have just the  you need.
And just because you are an FF member and I always help out those in need, I will give them to you free.
These are organic  that have lived there whole life here on a hill and I can certify each and every  and give the paper work to prove the above, if needed.

[doc henderson]

are these kiln dried or at least heat-treated Ray?  Don't want a bunch of rock bugs infesting Toms rocks down there.  

[GRANITEstateMP]

Ray, Doc is right, NY will require a certificate of origin for each  , and proof that they are bug and beetle free.

Tom, I assume your going to have a pillar of some sort on each corner.  Are you thinking stacked stores, bricks, some kinda of conrete, of maybe fly in someone that can sculpt marble? 

Just a few ideas.

[LeftFinger]

Is there going to be Ice Cream for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

I can see some of the crowd are going to want Rocky Road

[Old Greenhorn]

Well I see the word got around and now the floodgates are open.
Ted, I did spell that right, read it right off the bottle. Maybe the bottle is wrong?
Ray, thanks but I don't need imported rocks, the domestic ones work just fine and there are no import duties.
Doc, let's just keep it simple. I don't want no warning lights and navigation markers to maintain.
Granite, sorry no stone pillars, just a PT footer. Remember, it's temporary.
Lefty, I can't promise ice cream, but likely there will be beer. Maybe I can get some Rolling Rock, but I hate the stuff. I think it's brewed with the run off water from the Pittsburgh steel mills. (When I started buying beer as a kid it was $3.99/case, now it's a vanity beer or something and they charge for it as if it's good stuff.)

Yeah, lets keep this simple guys. I know, I know, Howard has not yet offered his collected thoughts to this yet but I am braced for it when it comes.

[Nebraska]

Is it going to be brown?

[Old Greenhorn]

You mean paint? We don't need no stinking PAINT!

[aigheadish]

no permits or adjustments are required

Tom, you live in NY and I don't believe you!

thecfarm, I wish I could take you up on the rock giveaway! We need to figure out a rock teleporter.