Leaky Logs Won't Blow

 They get it, but it takes a little work at the end.

Back To The Old Grind!

Tuesday Torque: Going Up To Maine For Some Winter Logging

 Merle, I have seen the steam powered Lombards, but never the gasoline powered ones. Pretty neat. Gotta love the Ts set up for the North Woods.. Many Thanks!

Weekend Steam II: Then There Were Logging Locomotives!

 Climax

Heisler

Shay

Weekend Steam: Steam Donkeys!

 John Dolbeer invented the steam donkey in California in 1881. This was the beginning of mechanization in the logging industry. The first ones dragged logs through the woods, but they were soon used for lifting logs, too. Fifty years ago, forestry teachers were singing the praises of the Dolbeer Donkey, and I bet they still do today. Here are a few videos showing old steam donkeys in operation. Many Thanks to Merle for bringing up this topic!

Weekend Steam: History Of Shay Locomotives

 This video popped up on my YouTube feed today. I have been fascinated with Shays for a long time.  Stan Matthews of the Midwest Central at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa brought Number 9 from California in 1966. I bought a lifetime pass for ten dollars from Mr. Matthews, and my first ride was in the cab of Number 9. That is still a big thrill to remember. 

Can You Run Out From Under Your Hat When You Need To?

 Nuts319 sure can. In this video he is cutting a big red oak, and at the 3:22 mark, the tree pulls fiber all the way down a root that Mr. Nuts319 is standing over. He makes an impressive escape. I will never stand over a tree root again when I am dropping a tree.

Quick Method Of Taking Down A Springpole

 Wood floating up in the air isn't really a trick. The trick is getting it down, and if it is in a place where there are people, you must bring it down. In this instance, the top of a tree we cut was being held up by an understory black walnut, and that tree was made into a springpole by the weight of the wood it was holding. Springpoles and extreme leaners need to be cut in special ways so they don't break and smack you in the face, so I did a face cut, a vertical bore cut to establish the hinge, (The walnut was too small in diameter for a conventional bore cut.) and a release cut. Chainsaw trainers will teach you to repeatedly shave the compressed side of a springpole, and that is fine on sapling size trees, but when they become large saplings or bigger, shaving and nicking can become very tiresome, and fatiguing your arms while running a saw is a bad thing. I have been using this vertical bore cut method of dealing with springpoles for several years now, and it works for me every time. On small diameter trees like this little walnut, as you punch through, the tree will settle a bit and pull your rpms down a bit on the saw. Be ready for that, keep it wide open, and pull back a bit, then finish. Pull out and sever the backstrap.

Dope Out The Compression And Tension When You Buck

 You need to evaluate downed trees and limbs before making your bucking cuts and figure out which side is under compression and which side is under tension. A stem that is suspended on both ends is easy to dope out, and with no side pressure, this is an easy job.