[Carl Russell]

near horse;23118 wrote:

…… (Hey, what’s that in my eye? No, it’s not a tear, must be a bug.:))………

Scott G;23120 wrote:

……. And Geoff, there are tears of joy & love in all of our eyes. ;)-Scott

Awe come on ya big lugs….. and I mean it.

I knew both of these men to be intelligent outdoorsmen, but I had no idea what they looked like. When I met them both I was astonished by the fact that they both are big men…. (They’re bigger than me, and I’m no pip-squeak)

Big, powerful, honest, open, warm, friendly, and emotional. Proud to be your friend.:eek:

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Tim points out a feature that has been a part of the design for logging eveners for eternity. The spread-chain design, or the steel u-bolt staple, put the pivot point behind the single-tree attachment points so that instead of an even arc of rotation, the entire evener sweeps toward the slower, or perhaps weaker, horse, giving that horse a longer fulcrum against the load, thus evening out the exertion.

Then when you add the variable holes for attaching the single-trees, the teamster can make some fairly specific adjustments.

I will try to take measurements this AM, but it is basically a standard 42″ evener. I bought it from a harness shop that supplies pullers in the NE Kingdom of VT. I want to say I may have paid $100 or more.

I also have one that was home built by a logger/puller. I have used it for 25 years with very little need to maintain it.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Mark, I have several of these eveners. They were made for logging and pulling. I had this pic, but haven’t gotten to the barn to put a tape on it, but it is just a standard evener. They are pretty interchangeable for different pieces of equipment.

I like this design as although it may be over-built for general work, they don’t break.

The holes are 3/8″ and about 1/2″ apart. On this set-up there are two rows of holes so that they can be closer together and not break.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Thanks Erika. The 16th looks good. For those who can’t attend, we will have a speaker phone on conference call. It can be a little bit difficult to manage live and phone, but it will serve the function.

If we set the meeting about 3pm or so, then we can either have a meal before or after, and people can get home in reasonable order.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

near horse;23059 wrote:

…..Okay – to seem even dumber, can you tell me what your paint mark down low is for? Does it mark something in particular?

Like Mitch says. I mark at breast height for the cutter, and at the stump for the landowner. Upon inspection, we can see if tree were cut that weren’t marked.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Geoff you are right. We do increase our risk by the work we do, but within that window, the possibility that you get hit is less a factor than the degree of injury that the errant hit can cause. This in fact is the source of complacency. If we got hit every time we cut a tree, we would be much more alert.

My point is more that if you KNOW you can get killed by something from above, then that has got to be part of what you try to control. One of the best things about GOL is that they have put a lot of time into trying to develop a routine that can be replicated over and over, taking into consideration the common risks.

I have been hit too. Like Mitch, I was lucky enough to learn from it. The branch was 1.5″ Dia. and about 2 feet long, probably less than a pound. It hit me on the shoulder, and at first I thought it had broke my shoulder blade and collar bone. Actually no injury other than a bruise, but a significant lesson learned.

My father was a munitions instructor when he was in the armed forces. A lesson he drilled home to me was about never tripping your own wire. He actually saw many men, including instructors be dismissed from the program because they hit their trip wires while setting up dummy rounds. There were no second chances.

I’m not saying I won’t get killed from the fall of a tree, but I have always kept that lesson in the back of my mind. One of the intriguing things for me about working in the woods, is putting all these pieces together into a successful endeavor.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Now I don’t want to dismiss this track, but there is a difference between the degree of potential injury, and the degree of risk. The likelihood that something falls from a tree, or that it actually strikes you is actually pretty low. It is the fact that a very small object can cause serious/critical injury.

The times I have been hurt in the woods were times when I was in a hurry, and didn’t pay attention to things I could have easily seen. One of the benefits I see in working with horses is that I don’t cut that much wood in a day, and since I take a break to skid, I am usually fresh and ready to pay attention.

So, yes keep looking up, but also keep a lid on it. Work in a rhythm that allows you to take all the precautions necessary. I make a habit of stepping backward away from the tree with an upward glance to make sure all is well. I also turn off my saw after I cut the trigger wood, and when the tree hits the ground, I wait until all the branches have stopped swaying before I start it again to delimb.

And when I feel the blood pressure rising cause I’m pissed off about something, take a breather, or I pack it in. The worst injury of my career came about 15 minutes after I said to myself, “You know, if you keep this up, you’re gonna get hurt”.

As a follow up to the earlier discussion about wedge placement, I have these pics.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Re: Clear cut
That’s what a forester said is what typically would be done. According to him, given the site characteristics, the biggest overstory trees won’t grow much bigger, and the smaller ones are too old for much release potential. High-value trees, some clear to nearly 100 ft. But the trees are close to the owner’s home and they already have a clear cut for much of their view, so we’re going to manage it selectively for awhile and see what happens. It’s a really beautiful woods. Goats keep the undergrowth minimal.

He’s probably right. Sounds like a typical scenario where nothing was done when it should have been, and now the stand can’t sustain the kind of change that is required. If you maintain high stocking in some areas, and create opening in other areas, you may be able to develop some potential for the future.

Carl, where do you get the Sandvik wedges? I am awful parcel to hardheads but I’ll try anything once.

I just get them at my saw shop. I watched him open a catalog yesterday and order them for me, but I can’t for the life of me find any supplier on the web. They used to be made and sold by Sandvik, now BAHCO (same company), but I have now idea who supplies them in US.

Actually when I googled Sandvik wedges, the number one result was a link to DAP.com, and this thread….. I know I’m not making this up.:confused:

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Beautiful 🙂

[Carl Russell]

One question, on putting a wedge into the back side of a through-the-face-cut bore hole, why not put the wedge in after you set the hinge with the side-bore cuts, thereby not having to worry about hitting the wedge tip with your saw?

This is why we buy plastic wedges. I hit my wedges all the time, but I agree, I also always set my hinge with a bore cut, then cut all the way to the back of the tree, on the danger side, in essence cutting out half of the back cut. I set my wedge where I want it, drive it in tight, then enter my previous bore, or bore anew on the safe side, cutting to the back of the tree, this time leaving trigger wood. Step back, survey,pound another wedge in if I need, or tap the first one, clip the trigger, and walk away.
….

Anyone have advice for dealing with very tall, closely spaced trees?

Clear cut…..:D

If they aren’t too big, I just tip them into their neighbor and pull them down, at least to get started. Also I make a hole by felling a few, then start tipping the others nearby into it.

Carl

p.s. I just picked up a couple of Hard Heads yesterday to give them a try…. $16.

Also ordered 2 of the Sandviks at $35/ea I can get 6mo-1 year out of them, using them on pretty much every tree. They really stand up, so I think it is worth it.

[Carl Russell]

goodcompanion;22964 wrote:

Well, you can count on me to take the message forward.

Sorry to drag the conversation back to the philosophical when everyone else seems ready to move on. Wouldn’t have done so if I didn’t think it necessary.

No need to apologize. I think it is good to have it in writing now anyway.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Erik, I agree completely. I have been frustrated somewhat with this process as I have felt that with some many perspectives, with a lot of preconceived notions about what has been going on, it has been very difficult for Lisa and I to adequately describe what the transition is all about.

I would say that your short description is exactly how I described it at the meeting at NEAPFD on Sunday, but because so many people have only a cursory knowledge of what is going on, and rightly they have so many questions, then my simple explanation was lost in the effort. People have to try to frame the question in their own mind before they can understand.

I just hope that people can appreciate how much time and effort this is taking for Lisa and I. We are so over-extended with this, and it is obviously of our own doing. Because it is happening behind closed doors it is hard for other busy people to get a clear picture. We feel so strongly about the value of this network that rather than just throwing up our hands and walking away, letting it whither away in the dark, we believe that we need to take it to the next level and go through this process so that folks CAN understand it, and work to help it rise up and out of our home and into the light.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

…. and grants.

🙂

Carl

[Carl Russell]

dominiquer60;22949 wrote:

So our first offer to help out from the letters that I sent this morning came from Scotland, they suggest a kids page in the newletter and want to know how they can help from 3,000 miles away. Seeking fiscal sponsorship from Oregon seems no different in physical distance. We have a regional event and as a result we have an international online community that wants to support a network, and they will if it exists and we let them help.

We need a “like” button on here.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

goodcompanion;22946 wrote:

I guess after all this listening I am still struggling to understand the “why” of what we are doing here, to the point where I can explain it in a few words to a stranger.

We are trying to manifest into reality a network of resources associated with using draft animals for farming and forestry in the NE, that has grown around the annual regional event NEAPFD.

Currently this network is being facilitated and administered by Carl and Lisa in an as-of-yet invisible way, where it is nearly impossible to direct funding so that those activities can be paid for appropriately.

Carl

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