Special Techniques?

I keep seeing keyed stumps on Facebook, supposedly to make a tree go where you want, but all of the examples I have seen have been trees with no side lean, and no rot, so I always wonder what the point of fancy cutting is. Cutting dead and rotten trees is something I have had lots of practice doing, and it always comes down to basics and following the rules. Build a good hinge, even if there is just a thin shell to work with. Support the back side of the hinge with wedges if the tree is punky or hollow. Don't fight side lean or back lean. Release it quickly and get away from the stump. Tell your co-workers what your steps are before you crank your saw. You will live long. 

 

Habanero!

 Susan is finishing up in the garden for this year. Today she was canning habanero jelly. Gotta pull posts, tomato cages, and pole bean fence next.

Tuesday Torque: A Couple Early Vehicles

 Thank You, Merle! These are cute little boogers.

The Wire Is Excavated!

 Now work can begin in earnest.

                                                               Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam Mystery: Where Is The Number 6 Whistle?

 Number 6 has been a fixture at Midwest Old Threshers since the mid-1960s, and it always had a beautiful chime whistle. Now it has a one note, disappointing whistle on the steam dome. Why on Earth?

The first vid is one I shot in 2007, as Number 6 approached. All the old timers will recognize it.

As Number 6 sounds today.

Weekend Steam II: More Big Boy Helping A Stuck Freight

 Thanks, Merle! This is a great one to watch.

Weekend Steam: Shrewsbury Steam Rally, 2023

 Thank You, Merle!

Engine Room Lullaby

 How often do you see an engine from 1897 being used to power a boat? The Valer that we watch regularly was built in the 1920s and re-engined in the early 30s, so the Valer is just a youngster.

Thinking, Thinking, Of More TSI

We have all kinds of work to do going into Fall. The garden needs to be cleaned off, manured, and tilled. I have a boatload of trees to work up into firewood. I shouldn't even look at doing more thinning right now, but I can't help myself. The little tree planting out our front door could sure use a little help. It will just have to wait a bit.

Out Our Back Door

 

Tuesday Torque: Hot Bulb Engine

 Courtesy of Merle. Thank You for spotting! This engine runs on crude oil, or Diesel. In this video a check ball is dirty and causes a bit of trouble. Click the link at the end of the description and you will hear it running right.

My friend starts his big engine. It's a huge one cylinder diesel engine with hot bulb ignition. It uses crude oil, or just regular diesel. The torque is enormous from the two big flywheels. In this video there is a problem with the two check valves. After checking them and cleaning them carefully, the engine runs very good. Here is a video after the check valves was fixed, and the engine run as it should:    • One Cylinder 40 HP Hot Bulb Crude Oil...  

Five Easy Steps In Planning To Fall A Tree

 1. Safety Issues

2. Assess Weight and Lean, from the direction you wish the tree to fall, and again from 90 degrees. Understand lean limits, plan accordingly. Mitigate, and change plans when it is not safe.

3. Design Front Cuts.

4. Design Back Cuts and Release.

5. Escape Stump as soon as tree goes into motion. 

Look critically at the stump and butt end of the log in this video. The lower face cut went beyond where it should be, and severed most of the hinge. You must fix this problem before you advance to the back cuts. The tree was basically severed, allowing gravity to take it where the weight was, 90 degrees to the desired direction. This was totally foreseeable, and anyone trained in tree falling should have been able to do this drop safely, or refuse the job. Tree climbers, cranes, and bucket trucks are all available to handle unsafe situations for dropping a tree.

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