Spruce Pirate

Shouldn't this really by a poll?

I got service parts from gardentractorspares.co.uk.  All ordered off their website, delivered straight to the door, just had to figure out which part numbers I needed.

I'm another fan of the Husky pole pruner.  Miles better than petrol versions that I've used, plenty power and battery lasts pretty well.  Storage and transport is an issue as it's a bit unwieldy but it's no worse than a petrol version.  I have managed to bend the shaft by dropping stuff onto it, but it still works which is something that the petrol pole pruners I've used don't always manage. 

Happy New Year to all.

A friend of mine is looking for someone with a Lucas Mill to do some milling of large timber in southern Perthshire.  Anyone on here interested or know someone who might be?  Logs are apparently around 5 ft diameter and up to about 12 m long.  Haven't seen them, haven't seen pictures of them, don't know about access but I can find out if anyone is interested in the job.

Cheers

I think there are two types of people when it comes to PPE.

1.  People who believe PPE is there to protect them and that it is important to keep it in good condition to ensure that it does it's job.

2.  People who believe that PPE is a bit of an inconvenience but put up with it because it keeps other people, who have clipboards and checklists, happy and enables them to keep working.

If you are a type 1 person you will retire the helmet, if you are a type 2 person you'll keep using the helmet and hope that nobody with a clipboard and shiny shoes notices that it is damaged.

On 25/11/2021 at 18:41, nepia said:

I'm told by my mate in Scotland that Lodgepole is planted with Spruce because of its fast early years growth that don't actually smother the Spruce but do protect it from wind and weather.  The Spruce catches up, overtakes and then smothers the Lodgepole:  does this make sense to you?

It's called a nurse crop.  Lodgepole is particularly good as it helps, I believe, fix the nitrogen in the soil, particularly peaty, heathery areas which Sitka often struggles in.  Lodgepole will keep up with the spruce in the early years, I don't believe it has any benefit protecting spruce from the weather though - spruce are pretty hardy.  Sometimes it is planted in alternate rows (haven't seen this in a long time) or in intimate mixes 1*1, 2*1 or 2*2.  Lodgepole is currently out of favour due to red band needle blight (DNB).  It can be a nice tree if you get the right provenance, or it can be an absolutely horrible tree if you get the wrong provenance.  It is generally out-competed in the long run by Sitka, giving a self-thinning plantation which can be beneficial on steep ground with poor soils where doing an actual thinning can be costly and coutner productive by opening up the crop to windthrow.

Reading this a thought has occurred (this doesn't happen often).

In light of recent blow from Storm Arwen, or whatever it was called, there has been a lot of trees cleared from roads, both public and private.  Now, many of these trees are not technically dangerous, and therefore not exempt from felling licence, and in some cases many more than 5m3 will have been cut.  Should these be subject to a licence?  If so how can roads be cleared in a timely manner?  Public roads could be covered by the Statutory Undertaker exemption I would think but do we now technically need to wait for a licence from SF before clearing tress from a private road? 

Thanks all.

Looking into Ulefones and Otterboxes.

10 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Get an otter box or similar for your smart phone.

I'll Google Otter Box as I've never heard of them.  I'm assuming it isn't anything dirty.......😏

15 minutes ago, harvey b davison said:

Do you actually need a rugged phone? When I was working on the building sites I just had a cheap as chips basic Nokia. Ok I could only make calls and send texts, but that's all I needed it for. So if possible I would go that route. Another bonus is I only had to charge it once a week 🤣

I kind of like being able to get emails, look at maps, etc when I'm at work.  I could get a tablet to do this as well, but then that's another thing to get, so I do like having the smartphone.  I also like being able to take it out in the wet, get it covered in sawdust, drop it in the muck and all the things that you shouldn't do to a phone so I'm thinking the rugged is probably the way to go.

I'm looking for a new phone as the old one now has a missing volume button, a very clogged up mic, a semi-knackered charging connection and a cracked screen.  It's a Sumsung Galaxy one of the "Rugged" types, but technology isn't my strongest point so I'm not sure exactly which model.  I've had it about 2 1/2 or 3 years and it's done quite well, easy to use and taken abuse quite well.

Any recommendations for a new Rugged phone?  Similar to use to a Samsung Galaxy, as tough as possible.  I've looked at a few but not sure what's actually good or not.  Currently looking at a CAT S62 Pro, which seems tough, but it bloody well should be for the price!  Has anyone used one and have any likes or dislikes?  Any other recommendations?  

Links to other relevant threads that I've missed in the search function also welcome!

3 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

You won't find better advice than this. 

 

Wallis knows his stuff, and he is actually glazed in sitka sap 😎

Marinated in it!!🤣

Is there a prize?

153 Kg without the tongs.

Cutting wood is hard, and it's not something you can learn overnight by doing the basic tickets.  Not sure which company has offered you work, but most harvesting sites you need to have big trees, windblow and first aid + F as well.  Plus you might need to be carrying specific first aid items on your person, depending whose site it is.

Many sites are now harvester, forwarder and saw operator so there's not a lot of scope for learning from and old hand on the job.  Harvester drivers generally want trees down, fast, neat and in the right place.  Sned well if they need it and logs off as appropriate.  You have to know which machine you're felling for and what it can do.  A big machine might process a whole tree, a wee machine might need the stem run out and a log off.  Leave a tree the machine can't cope with and you'll get whined at and have to go back once he's dragged it through the muck and made a mess of it.  Process a tree too much and you'll get whined at that you're wasting time.  

Anything that's easy will be done by the machine, so you're almost exclusively going to be in the really wet bits, the really steep bits, the really hairy trees or the real messes of windblow, it can also be dangerous for all these reasons.  As said above, there's times when it's too hot, too cold, things eat you, the wind is almost always blowing in the wrong direction!  

All that said, it's not the worst way to spend your days and the rates are certainly beginning to move in the right direction for good, experienced cutters.  Not sure about new starts, but generally I've found guys without experience are SLOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW.  Not their fault, everyone has to learn, but when there's a production element involved new guys aren't going to make good money as they can't justify it.  I don't necessarily agree that this is a good thing, but it is the way it seems to be at present.  The industry certainly needs new blood and if your long term goal is to sit in a machine then spending a few years on the saw will certainly make you a better machine operator.

Good luck.  Don't be put off by all the negatives, some days the sun does shine, there's just enough breeze in the right direction and you even get a good view.  In addition to the Chainsaw Operators Blog there's also the UK Hand Cutters page or the Forest Machine Operators Blog where you can get some good advice.

In the professional user world I believe most of us are well protected by PPE in the UK, obviously there are some who don't always wear it for whatever reason, but the majority of the time the majority of users are well protected by their PPE so the little American diagram posted before from 1994 I don't think applies here.  In a tree a professional climber is vulnerably in the upper body and arms - experience, work position and sensible use of the saw can all mitigate this.  On the ground a professional wood-cutter is far more likely to be killed or injured by falling objects than the saw.  I suspect the majority of injuries from chainsaws are amongst the amateurs who have neither the skill, experience or PPE to protect them.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your point of view you can't legislate for these, however as professional users their injuries impact us all as it makes people see chainsaws as even more dangerous.

In answer to your question, I don't think there is a better solution to the current system, perhaps some sort of auto-brake if your fingers release the trigger?  Assuming most people release the trigger if the chain contacts their body perhaps this might stop a chain momentarily earlier?  But, it is one more thing to go wrong, particularly if electronic, has weight implications and might not make much difference.....

Three saws in regular usage for me - Husky 550 mk2, 572 and 390.

550 mk2 is every bit as good as a 560/562 in my opinion, great for wee stuff and for snedding.  Bigger stuff if you're only felling to the head with maybe the occasional bit of snedding rough ones 572 with either a 20" or a 24" bar will fell most stuff.  Take one of these bars in the piece bag and then you've got a spare with you.  390 really only stuff that's really big and close to the road, it's too heavy to carry miles into the wood.  

Stihl 261 good saw, but not as good as the 550 for softwood forestry.  Stihl 462 good saw, doesn't sned as well as the 572.  Haven't used the 500i more than a day, seemed a good saw, lots of folk like them for forestry but I don't know enough about them.  Bigger Stihls I haven't used for ages so don't know.

Echo, never used but looks old, heavy and clunky - I could be doing them a massive disservice, but they don't look up to the job.

DolMakita good saws but the one I tried didn't have the build quality of a Husky or Stihl, too many issues with it falling to bits.

3 hours ago, MattyF said:

£500 for every 200 tubes and stakes , probs cheaper to fence ?

Don't know?  Haven't done either for ages, but small areas used to be cheaper to tube than fence and 200m isn't going to fence a very big area therefore I assumed it wouldn't be that many tubes and might be cheaper.  Last time I bought 4' stakes was spring this year and they were about 50p each.  That leaves quite a lot for tubes but like I say I'm out of touch with prices for both tubes and stakes and deer fencing.  It also depends on planting density obviously.

Just thought it was worth asking the question.  There could be a lot of other reasons for preffering to fence or not to fence.

200m of fencing???  Not a lot easier and cheaper to tube and stake?

12 hours ago, 5thelement said:

You might be better off with a pair of type ‘C’ trousers for now, especially if you intend to climb down the line.

 

I think you need type C for training anyway.

49 minutes ago, Khriss said:

And... K

..... things generally start off fairly cheap at auction and go up???😏

Have used both recently,  550 mk2 wipes the floor with the 261 in small conifers and 1st thinnings.  Arb might be different, but for commercial forestry work I'd go 550 mk2 every time.

Indoor plumbing and electric lighting.

I'm out of touch with rates, but the last I heard skyline work was fetching from around about £30-£32 up to around £50 a cube.  Full on skyline on clearfell with big timber.  Your forwarder rate sounds about right, but again I'm out of touch.  

Can you make it pay at your rates?  If you can and they'll pay it then happy days.  If you can't you need to rethink your prices, no point in doing it if your not making money.

1 hour ago, drinksloe said:

U might think different when u have to lug it, ur petrol, wedges and sledge, 20 or 30T bottle Jack plus the most important thing, ur piece ( bait, or lunch if ur from down south 😀)

And always seems to be up hill on apply slopes and over brash matt's, walking in/out is the worst part off the job.

 

Aye but these woods are fairly remote, the site I'm on the now is not that remote but still 6 miles up a forest track throu a locked gate and up a small valley about 8 miles.

And probably 50 odd acre site.

 

I still couldnae get my 2wd van in the day, took a shortcut up some rides and snowdrifts over knee deep.

Althou I have been carrying saw in and out, just a wee touch cold for it

I'd agree with all that.  Last job I left the saw out on was a couple of miles into the wood, the wood was a couple of miles from the nearest (small) village and the saw was 500m odd up the hill, completely out of sight from the forest road, let alone anywhere else.  If folk want to nick that then they're more or less welcome to it, it's a lot more effort than most thieves are willing to put into it.