Tom Dunlap

I'll bet that Picasa would do that. It's free too! They've come out with a Mac version that is in beta know I understand. Photoshop Elements is a great program too. I know that PE would do what you want.

On my aerial wedge I drilled a hole just a bit larger than a piece of throwline through the top of the wedge but come in from the side about a half or 3/4". Use the mold flashing line on the edge to line up the hole. Then drill a larger diameter hole from front to back, perpendicular to the smaller hole. Slip the throwline through, pull it out the big hole, tie a stopper knot of choice then pull the stopper knot down into the large hole. Adding another stopper on the outside edge of the wedge keeps the stopper from coming out. The throwline is about three feet long and has a loop in the end that is clipped to my harness somewhere. My hammer is setup with a leash that chokes onto my wrist which is real similar to my ice climbing tools. Setting up the wedges like this keeps the lanyard out of the kerf. Running them into the kerf can cut them.

I've been trying to find the same thing. This is an eternal quest I think. http://tinyurl.com/6pdqmw

Here's what I found last week: http://www.xroad-house.de/ausbau_frame.html

Not unless the operator made phase to ground connection. For roadway clearance it has merit, for electrical line clearance there are plenty of issues to solve.

M...obile E...elevated W...ork P..latform Sounds like the perfect description of the chipbus Adding a top-loading chipper on the back with a large intake funnel would finish it off. If more side-reach were needed side platforms could be added that tipped out using hydraulics. Heck, with some structural support inside a boom platform could be configured. super simple! Workshop downbelow with range for tea/coffee. Bunks for overnight work...options are endless! Blaming the bus for making bad cuts isn't fair. Blame the operator not the tool

You're right but access is the area where we put our bodies in the most unnatural configurations. Once we're working we're hanging, standing or walking. That's much more natural for us former tree dwellers.

A friend showed me this tool. It's used to put bands on lobster claws. I use short pieces of old Big Shot tubing. http://tinyurl.com/5d42e2

I did a Google search on: "rustic furniture benches" using the quotes, then go to Images up on top.

How many is too many? Why are you concerned about shackles?

Redundancy and backup are two different ideas. Backups are needed in conjunction with each other to be complete. Redundant systems work fully independantly of each other. Be VERY careful about thinking that backups being required. If so, then every friction hitch needs a backup to itself. Is this necessary? Is it desirable? Tom

Like many accidents, the climber will climb again. I'm so glad to hear this. Like many accidents, there were many individual actions that combined in the right [wrong???] way which lead to injury. When I look at accidents/near misses I try to find the one or two things that could have been changed to eliminate the accident. Without knowing more about the fall than what is written I can see what I would do. If DdRT is going to be used without a second attachment point STOP USING KONGS and use a Rescuecender. The RC won't allow the rope to pop out of the shell. This is the ONE thing that I would change to get rid of the fall risk. Take a look at the picture. This is how I used two Microcenders in an SRT system. Substitute Rescuecenders for a better system. An even better configuration of this system would have the webbing tether attached directly to the harness using a second carabiner. This same accident has been reported for years. Why do people still insist on using those ascenders? There is lots of talk about backup attachments. I'd rather look at this in a different way. If a practice requires a backup then it is saying that the two pieces are really one and should never be used alone. Belt and braces thinking. In some circumstances this is sure a great concept. A different concept is two attachment points. Redundancy has merit and is an accepted practice in risk management. Conceptually these are two different things though. This climber was never taught, or ignored, the system's limitation of making sure that ONLY vertical movement be attempted. Clipping the top holes on the ascenders is problematic but not too difficult. Using a hitch pin of some sort has merit. If I was given a second change I'd reconfigure the whole ascent system and have climbers use a Frog Walker/Tree Frog ascent system. Adding a chest ascender is redundancy not backup. Both the handled or upper ascender and chest ascender work independently. On harnesses that don't adapt real well to chest ascenders I've seen climbers use Microcenders on their bridge just like the lower ascender in my former setup. Another possibility is to use a friction hitch on the bridge with a slack tender. In a pinch this could be used for a descent. There are huge friction issues when descending SRT on a hitch though. Using the upper ascenders to push up a 'backup' hitch is not a great solution. Since both attachments are so close to each other all it would take is one rogue twig, branch or bump and both attachments could fail. Again, a different, and better IMO is so easy. Separate the two attachments. Tom

Treeflex is my harness now. My Butterfly II is second in line. The TF is as close to feeling invisible as any harness that I've ever used. My brother pointed out a small detail that wouldn't even be noticed. when stepping into the harness the leg loops naturally drape out of the way. This allows the climber to just stepin and not have to do any sort of dance to get the leg straps lined up.

I've had women work for me in the past. In the course of their training most didn't have the time to work up to doing removals so I can't begin to comment on working with heavy saws in the trees. All of the women who did work for me did a better job than at least 80% of the men, some more. When my clients knew that women were working for me I always seemed to get points with them. It was unusual for clients to see women doing this work. There is plenty of potential discussion material on workplace sociology. After reading this thread I can see that there are very encouraging people in the workplace. That is great! Encouraging minority participation in any profession would be a tough row to hoe. Does anyone have any ideas about how to encourage more minority participation in arb work?

Does anyone know about any formal rec tree climbing training companies in the UK? Any feedback about the quality of the training?

ON Weds. morning I'm heading to Colorado for the Recreational Tree Climbing Rendezvous. The Rendy will go until next Monday.

Shift your handsaw to a knee or leg scabbard and eliminate some of the gear clutter on your hip.

There's a misconception that SRT is expensive and complicated. That comes from people forgetting that every piece of hardware is a replacement for a free knot/hitch. Cavers really dialed-in SRT by the mid-sixties. From then on all that has really happened is that the gear has gotten better. Webbing or cord loops will work ascenders remember...after all DdRT or traditional arbo systems use them extensively. Not having to isolate the climbing line is one of the biggest basic advantages of SRT. That starts the ball rolling and from then on SRT really gains momentum over a DdRT ascent. A friend of mine who bought a Unicender sat down and calculated the real cost of a traditional ascent system. Then he calculated the costs of replacing hitch cords...even without paying more for spliced eyes. He could see that using the Unicender would pay back the difference in price over traditional arbo ascent systems very quickly. Tom

How many climbers are using SRT to access the tree? If you're not, can you explain why not? The ease of only having to isolate or clear one leg of the rope seems to make SRT access the easiest method. Do you leave the access line in place for possible rescue you back up your ascending system? How eaasy/quick is it to convert to descent in the chance that you meet up with bees? My brother found that he had to do this and still got 75 beestings. On Monday I get my Unicender back. It's been on tour for a while in Ohio and then over to the ISA conference in Hawaii. It will be nice to keep fine tuning my my working SRT system. Tom

Here's a way to visualize the M-Redi... I think that you should be able to see many variations. Including retreiveable false crotches takes some planning so that you don't set them up backwards and turn your ropes into bird's nests.

Are you using SRT? Clip a Microcender or similar rope grab to your harness bridge and let it tail up the rope by itself. The physical seperation of backups is very important I think. If the two attachments are right near each other I can think of many ways that something that would cause one to fail would take out the second at the same time.