So there are many things that I didn't realize I could grow up to do, until I had already grown up and amassed an incredible amount of student loan debt. In my adult life, I have made two discoveries in a frustratingly nefarious order. First, I realized that people still do grow up to be cowboys and lumberjacks. This realization was followed almost immediately by the realization that in order to hope to earn any kind of a living at these "careers" one should start early, and skip college. So here I sit, on the cusp of commencing the pursuit of a second masters AND owning a saw and a horse. It's true, I'll never be a full time lumberjack or cowpoke, but it's also true that I wouldn't be able to live a very happy life without the security that teaching brings me.
So I'll just have to be happy to have a few odd jobs lined up for a few weeks where I can essentially get paid to get a work out and swing an axe.
I put an ad on craigslist a few weeks back just to see if I'd get any bites: Have Saw; Will Travel
Honestly, I thought maybe one or two people would call about having a fallen tree cut up.
Three people have called so far... All three of them have pretty big jobs to start with and then want me to maintain the lots. These are pictures from Rob's place. He wants to expand his yard and set up a big garden, so the trees up front have to go.
I started a pile of bucked logs, and a pile of tops... also a pile of hawthorns in a spot where I hope to never have to go.
So everything was lookin like this: trees down, exactly where I want them, hinges 1-2" wide and perfectly straight, cuts parellel to the ground. Until... "I'll just do one more"
Axe head slides up, almost off. Not my fault here, the handle is a piece of crap, but still, I definitely knew that little piece of info before this morning.
Wind blows hard, tree blows back, no plunge cut, tree rocks back on bar, saw jams, then runs out of gas, can't get a wedge in because it's so tight! So... use the broken axe to chop away the remaining hinge, wait for the next gust of wind, tree slips, grab saw, run for cover.
Tree, post "fall". Ian and I adhere strictly to the "No: one last ride" rule when mountain biking, as he reminded me on skype today. From here on out, I have a "No: one last cut" rule.
Gas back in saw. Thank Thor I'm still alive....
And finish the day's work.
So I'll just have to be happy to have a few odd jobs lined up for a few weeks where I can essentially get paid to get a work out and swing an axe.
I put an ad on craigslist a few weeks back just to see if I'd get any bites: Have Saw; Will Travel
Honestly, I thought maybe one or two people would call about having a fallen tree cut up.
But so do the trees behind and all the scrub and underbrush that surrounds them!
After an hour of cutting away half a dozen smaller trees and underbrush, I finally got to the first good sized tree. I used a wedge mostly because I just bought it and wanted to try it out. So I felled the tree opposite it's lean (the lean wasn't real dramatic, don't be too impressed) with a wedge and my first ever plunge cut. I put a stake in the ground where I wanted it to land, but you can't see it here because it's under the tree!
Lots of aspens need to go. There were a bunch of tops down and widow makers hanging due to all the wind we've had lately.
I started a pile of bucked logs, and a pile of tops... also a pile of hawthorns in a spot where I hope to never have to go.
This was my main goal for the day. The top looked like Thor had whacked it straight down with his hammer, limbs hanging akimbo.
So everything was lookin like this: trees down, exactly where I want them, hinges 1-2" wide and perfectly straight, cuts parellel to the ground. Until... "I'll just do one more"
So I'm alive still, and the property is looking better already, if I do say so myself. One more property to start on this week. TIIIIIIIIIIMBER!
9 comments:
Fun stuff! The first cut looks really good. Where did you learn to cut? In addition to the wedge you have, you should get a couple of "pocket" wedges. They'll be about 3-4" and its nice to have two. You should use wedges as often as humanly possible, especially in windy conditions. Another nice tool is a plumb bob. You can make a simple one with 3-4' string and two bar nuts (handy if you lose one in the leaves). Eye up the lean of the tree from a couple of different angles. Have fun and be careful!
It sounds like you had a fun day doing guy stuff. BE CAREFUL!! for heaven's sake. Are you going to take all 3 jobs?
Adam - you need to go and spend a weekend tree cutting with Keith! A "fun" activity that you both seem to enjoy :-)
Adam-I learned everything I know from experience, youtube, and the guys at Power and Paddle down in Candor. I have a pocket wedge as well as the 10, now 9, incher. I get the plumb, but where would I hang it from? This property is WAY over grown and has all kinds of crazy trees with crazy bends and growths. Every time I think I have the tree eyed up, I go to another side and then I'm guessing again.
Mom (I assume)- I am being careful. I've taken two of the jobs, the third is a wait and see prospect, older couple, but the husband wants to keep doing it himself at this point, I think. I absolutely love the work, have talked to you before about the need to do something that I can see a change in at the end. Also, I got paid to work out today. I just have to remember to stop when I feel physically or mentally fatigued. I got a warning today and that is enough. I'll be more careful in the future and stop one tree earlier.
Adam (re: Mom)- We really should have skipped college and started a landscaping company together. Oh well, there's still time for that bed and breakfast in Costa Rica that we talked about.
Yeah to use the plumb you just let it hang from your hand with a straight arm. You hold the line up, in-line with the trunk, several yards away to get some perspective. This way you can say for certain its leaning one way or another past your vertical reference. (It's especially helpful for trees on sloped terrain.) You want to plumb the tree from multiple angles because the tree may have multiple leans (in which case treat them like vectors and split the difference). You'll also consider limb weight, wind, condition of the trunk, etc. etc. But the lean is the first thing to look at.
http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/determining_a_trees_lean
This article has a more in depth explanation. And also presupposes you've already picked a target direction. I would find the lean then pick the target direction.
Adam- Nice, I couldn't figure which limb I would hang the plumb from! Thanks for the clarification that it would be MY limb! Ha. I'll give that a go. Although I'm working on pretty flat land, the appearance of the lean can be thrown off by surrounding trees, so this is a super handy skill. I'll read the article on one of my breaks from inputting grades.
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