Old Skool Cool

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

This threads for Bob, and all the other old school cutters and climbers. I was lucky (cursed?)to be brought up in this industry, and saw the end of the 'good old days'. What makes you part of this most coolest of cliques?

 

If you remember

 

Climbing on 3 strand nylon rope that behaved like a giant bungee

 

When your prussick and your climbing line were one and the same

 

When helmets were optional but a flat cap or wooly hat was essential

 

When protective trousers was a pair of overalls over your jeans

 

When it was considered normal to burn the brash off on EVERY job

 

When tea was dispensed from a tartan flask, and flasks had a lifespan of about 2 weeks

 

When recruiting extra temporary staff meant going down the dole queue and offering them a fiver extra a day

 

When Sandvik triangular bowsaws were considered the ultimate handsaw

 

When chainsaw 'training' involved being told where the kickback quadrant and the stop switch was

 

Anybody else got more?

 

Brilliant!

[Buzz]

 

Going to find a phone box to make a phonecall

 

Ha that's so early 80's WE had a mobile pgone the size of a car battery to lug around for 'emergencies' lol

 

Till my Dad left it on a job once !

[Johny Walker]

Ahh the good old days of a hank of three strand that you made you whole climbing kit from, and those bloody useless little sandvik bowsaws that if you cut anything bigget than 3" it bent the blade LOL

 

Danarm chainsaws before AV rubbers had even been invented and crown lifting was done from the bucket of a hymac lol

 

Mmm danarm thers a blast from the past & fitted with the manual oiler ,old feller had 2, 110. & 125 a mans saw

[firewoodman]

having to board out the whole of the tipper body of the truck, so when you were cutting the brash down you did'nt blunt the saws

[White Noise]

3 Strand nylon climbing line and prussik oh and a giant steel karabiner climbing was a lot harder. Some of the things written in the book ( Tree surgery by Mr Bridgeman ) . The book was written in the 70s 80s they advise wearing a shirt and cords for work . Even in the past few years Tree climbing work has evolved . GT Harness blue and yellow ends up under your armpits so true .

[Mr Ed]

Heehee, Peter Bridgemans 'Tree Surgery'. It was the bible - guy doing a huge flush cut on the cover..

 

And while I remember, back in the old daze, if you were a trainee climber, your job was to climb up after the main climber and paint all the wounds with Arbrol

[Johny Walker]

using sump oil in the saw & tyres for fires ,long ladders as you rope was a short

[Buzz]

Oh yeah man ! We used to cover a sand bag in chain oil and 2stroke to get the fire going LOL

[J The Tree]

Spending all day up a tree pruning it with a bow saw, then spending all the next day up it painting the pruning cuts with Arbrex. Free climbing to the top with your 3 strand over your shoulder, tying your prussic knot whilst holding on with one leg wrapped around the stem.

[Pete Mctree]

Oh yeah man ! We used to cover a sand bag in chain oil and 2stroke to get the fire going LOL

 

What's wrong with pouring petrol in a tire, giving it a kick and dropping a match in the middle?