How'd it go today?

Some days you regret getting out of bed. It happens.

Had a good day. Two satisfied customers that both called into the office to let them know how much they appreciated the job. First was a white pine that uprooted and the second was for a very picky guy that we do a lot of work for. Now the problem is, I’m the only one he wants to touch his trees. Most are ornamentals and I despise pruning them. A good guy to have on my side though since he pretty much decides the county contracts. Had a meeting with the boss to go over some things plus that crane job with the 100 tonner. I guess I have to deal with an audience now. The local high school horticultural class is supposed to be coming to watch. I’m not really to comfortable with this. To many eyes bother me. Oh well.
 
I think the big thing for me is to take my time. Take that extra time to feel sure things are set up just right....that principle today for me was making the spar cut on a big poplar we dropped into a lake. I made myself be deliberate in setting up the cuts to get the best (and needed) effect.

Looking forward to your pictures of the crane job.
 
I agree Gary. I take my time even when rushing. Sometimes it takes seconds to change a cut and other times minutes. Can save a lot of time in the whole job though. Someone once told me that you?re only as good as your last cut. Basically, no one remembers all the great cuts you made. If one goes bad, they?ll let you know. I?ll nit pick a face cut to death before I make a back cut. Guess what, I hit my mark. I do this for a few reasons. I have to impress you guys. I don?t want to do damage. And mostly, to have bragging rights on Jed:lol: Never met the man but I feel like we?re brothers. Or a least distant cousins twice removed
 
Great post. Focused intent can carry the day...just takes deliberation.

LOL at having to impress Brother Jed. He is like our Farmer Jim...legendary. :D
 
When your audience shows up, just remember that they are students, so they know shit.
Almost anything you do will impress them.

I have an agreement with the forestry school here that they can bring classes out to watch us work in the woods.
Those kids are so easy to impress, they even hero worship our apprentices.
 
What Stig said, I remember watching one of the landscapers freeclimb around a tree one handing a saw on a take-down and being well impressed... Well before I knew up from down in treecare.
 
Good luck Rich.


Only had a chipping job today, 250lbs of corn husks, for a biofuel startup company, now I have creamed corn all over the chipper.
 
Sorry, shitty time, Brian.

That's a new one, Peter. Think of you and your son on the drive home from dropping D to kindergarten. Best of luck.




Trying to get the final stuff done on closing on my house. I have 27 days and counting to move.








Safety and performance were going downhill, so I had to let my employee go last week.

Another guy ready to help with what he thinks he should do, rather than planning the work, working the plan, and doing what the plan is.


Anybody else fight the part were you start planning..."Ok. We're going to start with chipping. Hey stop, we're not going to chip this second. We are making a plan. All I listed was the first step."?

or

"Do you know where X is?" as an information-seeking question, not a request to go look for X.

Yes, No, Not sure, Might be in...

Such easy, clear, concise answers, without over-complicating things.
 
Today was ok for one of those sparatic downpour rain days that your underwear ends up stuck to everywhere. Nine hours and I said I’m done. Picked up my 201tc from the saw shop and called it.
On that crane job. The only reason I’m not into letting a whole class of teenagers watch is because it’s been ten plus years and we will have a bigger crane than I’ve ever dealt with. Also I’m still unsure of his capacity at the radius. From my guess it’s 120’ from setup to the farthest pick. From my guessing I counted 13 cuts. Hoping the operator tells me 11. I need ten just because of the branch structure and playing it safe I’m calling three on the spar.
 
Raj said:
Only had a chipping job today, 250lbs of corn husks, for a biofuel startup company, now I have creamed corn all over the chipper.
Click to expand...
I've thought that if we ever fell on hard enough times, we could clean out the chipper really well and get a bin of cabbage and make coleslaw for some company...
 
Rich....That makes sense on the crane job...you don't need distractions. A few kids would be really interested and attentive. Guarantee some others could be a liability to have there...it may just be an excuse for some of them not to be in a class room. I like your thinking...sounds like you're not afraid to focus when you need to focus.

When I am getting saddled up and ready to go up a tree that has me skittish (like two sweeping oaks recently that had no good TIP's up high) I really don't like people asking me inane questions like "how are you going to cut that tree down?" or "isn't that stuff heavy?". Sometimes I just want to be left alone. If I am polite and engage with them anyway I have caught myself making mistakes in set up that would not have happened if I told the person to stand down. I have started telling folks that I need to concentrate now while I get ready to do this work and that I'll be glad to talk later.
 
Earmuffs/ visible ear plugs make it easy to ignore those comments from bystanders.

I find myself overlooking things and being prone to making mistakes or not keeping such good attention to detail when my attention is elsewhere. Go figure, you can't have your cake and eat it, too.

Those people who want to engage with questions often want to inch closer and closer, often distracting the ground crew. I made it clear that my groundman didn't need distraction, causing me distraction from a great customer, who later wandered into my dropzone under a uv-damaged plastic roof that keeps his car dry...aka no protection, just hidden.
 
pantheraba said:
Rich....That makes sense on the crane job...you don't need distractions. A few kids would be really interested and attentive. Guarantee some others could be a liability to have there...it may just be an excuse for some of them not to be in a class room. I like your thinking...sounds like you're not afraid to focus when you need to focus.

When I am getting saddled up and ready to go up a tree that has me skittish (like two sweeping oaks recently that had no good TIP's up high) I really don't like people asking me inane questions like "how are you going to cut that tree down?" or "isn't that stuff heavy?". Sometimes I just want to be left alone. If I am polite and engage with them anyway I have caught myself making mistakes in set up that would not have happened if I told the person to stand down. I have started telling folks that I need to concentrate now while I get ready to do this work and that I'll be glad to talk later.
Click to expand...

Probably a wise move.


I had a guy chatting to me when I was starting up a tree, usual stuff ?do you do rock climbing?? I engaged him as I ascended.

Lost concentration, leant back on a dead snag, 6 broken ribs, 8 weeks off work.


Not his fault, mine.
 
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