Friday, December 7, 2012

Commentor Memories #164 Sixty Grit Posts a photo



Sixty Grit agonized over posting his photo but finally broke down and put it on twitter. So I figured I had to share it with youse guys.

He had nothing to worry about. He is a fine figure of a man.
Posted by at
Labels: ,

15 comments:

The Dude said...

It's all true - however, that picture was taken years ago, in the prime of my youth.

December 7, 2012 at 8:44 PM
The Dude said...

...back when I could afford good clothing.

Just today a friend was commenting on my "Jethro" belt. Back in July I was doing some hard physical labor in heat over 100 degrees, and was suffering through some medical issues. I got so thin my pants would not stay up. Not wanting to look like my neighbors I decided I better figure out a way to keep my pants from sagging. I cut off a hank of rope and have been using that for a belt ever since.

Should that house ever sell I am thinkin' I might buy a real belt. And a see-ment pond, too.

December 7, 2012 at 8:48 PM
MamaM said...

Complete with a beam hole bean hole in the crown.

December 8, 2012 at 1:12 AM
The Dude said...

Ouch - someone remembers.

Let me tell you about a more recent adventure:

On the day after Thanksgiving I decided it was a good day to take down a large maple tree that has been an ongoing problem. I put my tallest ladder up into the crown, climbed the ladder then shinnied out on a limb so I could saw it off. Prior to my ascent I had tied a rope further out on the limb and hooked the other end of the rope to my brother's Xterra, the thought being we would use the vehicle to pull the limb sideways to prevent it from falling on the roof of my house.

The notch and relief cut were made from the top of the branch so that the hinge would be vertical to the ground. While making those cuts I wished I had followed AllenS' advice and acquired and was wearing Kevlar safety chaps. Instead I used the fear of instant dismemberment or bloody, grisly death as a way to focus on the task at hand. Made the cuts, the Xterra proved to be up to the task, the limb did not act as a trebuchet to launch the little Nissan over the roof of my house and the limb was pulled horizontally and fell to the ground causing no damage

Unlike the cartoons, I made the cuts correctly, outboard of my location. Also didn't saw my legs off. Didn't fall, either. Was kind of stuck afterwards, but that's due to being old and crippled. It took me a while but eventually I crawled back down the trunk to the ladder then down to the ground.

Then I located my tow strap and logging chain. Attached the strap around the small limb of an appropriate crotch, led the rest out towards the chain which was connected to the tow hook on the lil' truck.

I started sawing the base to make the notch. The rot in the trunk was extensive, which makes any take down a bit more dangerous as the tree could collapse at any second. The diameter at the height I was sawing was about four feet, so I had to work from both sides of the trunk since the bar on my chainsaw is only three feet long. The center of the trunk was nothing but rotten punky wood. After the notch cut was complete the tree was supported only by the sound portion of wood where the relief cut was going to be made. Things could have gone bad, but I had my brother apply tension to the line using the Xterra and once I made the relief cut through the remaining solid wood the old rotten trunk fell right where I wanted it. Nice. Sawed it up, limbed it, and there seems to be very little solid wood in it - gave most of it to my brother for his labor. I have been making some bowls out of any sound wood that remains, but mainly I have the makings of some nice walking sticks.

There you have it. No pictures, yet.

December 8, 2012 at 7:57 AM
ndspinelli said...

Sixty, That's why God created tree guys. You have them do the work they know how to do and you write them a check. Better yet, work a cash deal. I hope folks here know the beauty of cash. I paid for my daughters wedding in cash...saved ~4k.

December 8, 2012 at 12:38 PM
MamaM said...

Sixty, That's why God created tree guys. You have them do the work they know how to do and you write them a check.

Not sure you're getting the full picture here, ND. It's my understanding that possession of a working chainsaw with a 3 foot bar automatically qualifies the one holding it as a tree guy.

There's also a special name for Yankees who collect and throw around bags of cash.

December 8, 2012 at 2:29 PM
ndspinelli said...

MamaM, I have a friend w/ a chainsaw who thought he was a "tree guy". It kicked back on him and he's got a scar on his face much worse than Capone's. He can't even watch a chainsaw. He was over our house sitting on the front porch. A KC City crew were trimming trees on the street. He had to go inside..couldn't watch. "A man's gotta know his limitations."

December 8, 2012 at 3:54 PM
MamaM said...

Hee! Worse yet, now that I think about it.

Not only do most with three foot bars consider themselves "tree guys", but some believe they were created and appointed by God himself, mirroring His traits as invincible and all-powerful.

I've got a story similar to 60G's regarding the 3 Mmen, with a lawn tractor providing the pull needed to keep the wavering tree from crashing on top of the neighbors house. It's a great story now with lots of hearty laughs, but touch and go then with male "We've got a saw and some know-how, who better than us to get 'er done???" at the core.

Last year we reaching in the carpet bag for $325 when it came time to drop the dead maple that was even closer to the line than the chancey tree. Not without a lot of "I could do it if...." before agreement was reached. The guy who took it down was amazing. Using he chainsaw as if it was an extension of his arm, he dropped most of the limbs on "our side". He was sweating plenty during and afterwards, and earned every cent.

December 8, 2012 at 3:55 PM
MamaM said...

Just read MrM the 60 story, and he started laughing.

MrM: HOly Shit!

Yeah, I say, That's a mighty chainsaw.

MrM: And big damn maple!!!
Do you know how big a chain saw that is?? Oh Mercy!!!
It would kill you just trying to hold onto that thing.
The Xterra had better be ready to ROAR and take off!

Envisioned it all in his head, he did. No picture needed!

December 8, 2012 at 4:04 PM
The Dude said...

Funny thing is my brother, who is not a lumberjack, just hangs around with one, was all "I guess I better release the emergency brake, right?"

Right, you idiot - I'm dyin' here and you can't operate a freakin' motor vehicle. Hit it, boy!

I guess I shouldn't have dropped him on his head so often when he was young.

December 8, 2012 at 5:16 PM
The Dude said...

MamaM - I was out trying to sell some of my wooden products this afternoon and saw your carpetbagger comment - I laughed out loud. Couldn't tell anyone why, the locals would not understand, being a bunch of carpetbaggers and all...

December 8, 2012 at 5:17 PM
The Dude said...

As for being a tree guy, I have been sawing off and on for 40 years and have the utmost respect for the dangers involved. Lost a good friend in a sawing accident years ago. He was the best tree guy in the little town I lived in and he made one mistake and paid the ultimate price. It is a serious business that will kill you faster than you can know or react. Sobriety is required. Focus, knowledge, and as I was taught, know what's going to happen before you do anything. Always good advice, I tell ya.

The guy who taught me was a Marine who had just returned from two tours of Viet Nam when I went to work for him. He was as tough as nails, but he was never abusive to me. Taught me much, and I still owe him a lot - if only because I am still here and still sawing.

He still does tree work, too, but he chose his grandfather better than I did - he inherited well and saws for the love of sawing, not because he has to. My brother has a job for him, and that's the right thing - my brother needs to hire a professional if I can't be there to do the job for him.

I will keep on sawing until I get too old to do so or it becomes boring. Sawdust is in my blood, that's for sure. Did I ever tell you about my great grandfather who fought in the Civil War? He ran a sawmill after the war, and lived to be 70 something years old. Tough old guy.

December 8, 2012 at 5:26 PM
MamaM said...

Good stories.

ND, my 3:55 "Hee" had to do with my expanded thoughts on Tree Guys in General. It was not a response to your story, your friend or his accident. I was writing my comment while you posted your 3:54 and didn't see it until now.

I agree, a man does need to know his limbitations!

December 8, 2012 at 9:41 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...

Late to the story telling since we just got back from an overnight stay at the 'big city'.

Dumbplumber's dad was a logging contractor and at one time employed 30 to 40 guys. Early 50's to late 60's. Lumbering Redwoods in the Humboldt and logging in the Trinity Alps area. Some of the stories he told us are amazing. Those guys are/were tough. When he was in high school and shortly afterwards, hubby was a choke setter for the company. Setting choke on Redwoods and sometimes it was a one log load.. It was grueling work.

One of the loggers (native american guy)slipped and cut his leg very badly with a chain saw. Since they were miles away from any type of medical care, he just sewed up his own leg, drove his truck to the landing and they drove him back to town....after they load the truck, of course.

December 9, 2012 at 6:20 PM
The Dude said...

Oh, the bowls that could have been made from that log...

December 9, 2012 at 6:33 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)