Author Topic: 'Ax Men' on the History channel (Read 5752 times)

The Annoyed Man · « **on:** April 22, 2008, 09:48:17 AM »

Anybody else watch this? It looks like some hard and dangerous work, but it's interesting.

mtnbkr · « **Reply #1 on:** April 22, 2008, 09:57:53 AM »

I watched the first few episodes. It is interesting, but not enough for me to plan on watching it each Sunday.

A guy I know in my mtb club took the Forestry Service's chainsaw safety course. He does a lot of trail work for us and the cert was the only way many park managers would let him use a chainsaw to clear blowdowns. Anyway, he was relaying a story told to him by the trainer about a guy who was cutting a blowdown while his kid played around the rootball end of things. Once the trunk was cut, the rootball fell back into position, crushing the kid. The point was that you ALWAYS have a spotter who watches your back and controls the area of operations

Chris

The Annoyed Man · « **Reply #2 on:** April 22, 2008, 10:07:12 AM »

I live on several acres with large oaks and pines, so I use a chainsaw regularly. It's especially dicey when I have to climb up into the tree to trim some limb. A local school superintendent was seriously injured recently when he fell out of a tree he was trimming and had to be airlifted to Stanford.

It's a dangerous business and it's interesting for me to see really experienced loggers like these guys at work. The amount of physical energy the job requires is incredible. On one episode, they said the cook's job is to provide each logger with 9000 calories a day.

mfree · « **Reply #3 on:** April 22, 2008, 10:17:29 AM »

Yeah, I watch it. the most interesting part to me is watching how they come about solving all the problems that pop up (or down, or don't pop at all, or make really loud POPs like when a tangled cable drum yanks the intake off the engine in your loder)

The Annoyed Man · « **Reply #4 on:** April 22, 2008, 10:21:50 AM »

Yeah, the last episode showed Melvin Lardy swinging those chokers around at the end of that huge loder and tossing them down the hill. 'Jammin', or 'fishin' or something they called it. At one point, they grabbed so many heavy logs, it looked like the loder was gonna tip over down the hill. Did you see him backing it up? Only about a third of the tracks were on the ground.

280plus · « **Reply #5 on:** April 22, 2008, 10:23:36 AM »

Hope they don't cut their penis's off... shocked

Scout26 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 22, 2008, 11:02:32 AM »

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On one episode, they said the cook's job is to provide each logger with 9000 calories a day.

Sounds like Beer Math......."9000 calories is X regular beers or Y light beers".

roo_ster · « **Reply #7 on:** April 22, 2008, 11:43:29 AM »

I don't have History Channel, I used to to residential tree removal, so I have some clue.

Jamisjockey · « **Reply #8 on:** April 22, 2008, 12:33:56 PM »

Like mtnbkr....its entertaining, but I don't plan my TV watching around it. Only shows that I must see are Deadliest Catch, The Unit (Did they axe it?), and any Futurama or Family guy I can.

Tallpine · « **Reply #9 on:** April 22, 2008, 01:25:36 PM »

We don't watch TV, just videos/DVDs. I don't figure it's worth paying for satellite, and we can't get anything else out here.

I cut timber and ran skidders/cats for years. Had my own small logging business for a while. Most of my equipment was small and worn out when I got it, so I spent most of my time fixing things. I actually built a small self-loader from scratch that mostly worked.

I've cut trees from NM to AK but never any of the big coastal stuff. I used to subscribe to a monthly tabloid out of Chehalis WA that was all about logging, so I do know how the big boys did it. I even set up a small "high line" using an old winch truck.

I can't remember the names, but there were several videos produced by loggers about the Alaska camps. I've seen one or two. The above mentioned "Loggers World" tabloid sold them (I don't even know if they're still in business). I sort of shudder to think what kind of documentary Hollyweird is making ... rolleyes

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9000 calories a day

They say loggers and nursing mothers need the most calories Wink

Much of the time I worked around 11,000' above sea level, and almost always on steep slopes. I cut a bunch of the ski runs at Telluride back in 1979.

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the most interesting part to me is watching how they come about solving all the problems that pop up

Sometimes people ask me where I learned to write software. I tell them "out in the woods". It's all about problem solving.

Bogie · « **Reply #10 on:** April 22, 2008, 02:44:53 PM »

I'd probably refer to that show as an "OSHA magnet."

You KNOW that some OSHA office is bound to be having a contest as to who can spot the most... If I was running one of those companies, the #1 thing in the contract would be that the TV folks will take care of anything that OSHA does...

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #11 on:** April 22, 2008, 03:05:00 PM »

grrrrr osha

i got lucky other day took day off they showed up. two maids cost the company 500 apiece when they walked under my empty walkboard over front door with no hard hats

Regolith · « **Reply #12 on:** April 22, 2008, 05:20:17 PM »

One of my sister's ex-boyfriends was a logger. While she was dating him, he managed to fall 30 feet out of a tree and walked away, though it still messed him up. Don't recall exactly what his injuries were, but he was out of work a while because of it.

280plus · « **Reply #13 on:** April 22, 2008, 05:27:22 PM »

I used to know an old guy who lost most of his fingers on both hands by catching them between a chain and a log at the age of 19 in Oregon. Having the opportunity to know him has always been an inspiration to me. I figured if he can make it all those years with such a disability a guy in one piece like me shouldn't ever have anything to complain about. Old Joe we called him. Scariest lookin' nice guy you'd ever meet. laugh

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #14 on:** April 22, 2008, 06:31:05 PM »

The city I live in was mainly a logging town until Spotted Owl killed it. You can tell the old loggers, they're all missing a finger or three.

tokugawa · « **Reply #15 on:** April 23, 2008, 02:21:20 PM »

For really efficient finger removal I recommend a shake mill. grin

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #16 on:** April 23, 2008, 02:23:42 PM »

did some hand logging with a friend and his mules. learned to be real respectful of trees and what they can do to you

mfree · « **Reply #17 on:** April 24, 2008, 04:22:48 AM »

"For really efficient finger removal I recommend a shake mill. "

On the show, there's a company head named J.M. Browning (yeah, did a double-take when I saw that too). He gets out and fells trees every so often and they gave a backstory about why he's missing quite a lot of his left hand... got it sucked through a pulley. *shiver*.

Tallpine · « **Reply #18 on:** April 24, 2008, 05:27:52 AM »

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did some hand logging with a friend and his mules

Must be a different definition back east. In coastal BC and SE Alaska, "hand logging" is cutting trees close enough to the salt water that they will (usually) fall or slide directly into the water, where the logs can be made into rafts to be towed to the mill. No power equipment is used to move the logs, except for tugboats after the logs are in the water.

There is a good book Handloggers about the practice written by a guy named Jackson, who lived on a boat with his wife in SE AK.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #19 on:** April 24, 2008, 05:42:33 AM »

round here its culling trees on the yuppies build there house on. they want em out with out equiopment tracks. get some nice trees in funny places

The Annoyed Man · « **Reply #20 on:** April 24, 2008, 07:07:02 AM »

Quote from: mfree on April 24, 2008, 03:22:48 AM

"For really efficient finger removal I recommend a shake mill. "

On the show, there's a company head named J.M. Browning (yeah, did a double-take when I saw that too). He gets out and fells trees every so often and they gave a backstory about why he's missing quite a lot of his left hand... got it sucked through a pulley. *shiver*.

Yeah, did you see that hook contraption he made and attached to that hand so's he could run a chainsaw?

coppertales · « **Reply #21 on:** April 24, 2008, 07:33:17 AM »

When I lived in the UP of MI, I heated with wood for 10 years. I used 8 cords of wood a year. The first 4 years I cut my own trees, then I just bought 10 cords at a time that was delivered to my driveway. It was in 8 ft lengths and I still had to cut, split and stack. Wore out two chain saws.....Now, here at my camp I have a hickory tree that is 22 inches in diameter and about 80 feet tall. I am real concerned about taking it down as it has been dead a year and some of the branches are starting to break loose. When it comes down it rubs against some other trees which will cause a branch rain. dunno....chris3

mfree · « **Reply #22 on:** April 24, 2008, 07:35:13 AM »

Well, seems to me that (according to what I've seen) a dead tree like that you *almost* cut down and then you cut a fresh tree to fall into it and knock it over. Seems safer to me...

The Annoyed Man · « **Reply #23 on:** April 24, 2008, 07:52:11 AM »

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Now, here at my camp I have a hickory tree that is 22 inches in diameter and about 80 feet tall. I am real concerned about taking it down as it has been dead a year and some of the branches are starting to break loose. When it comes down it rubs against some other trees which will cause a branch rain. dunno....chris3

Unless you have been felling trees for a living for many years, leave that one alone and hire a professional.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #24 on:** April 24, 2008, 08:34:18 AM »

dead one near killed me everyone laughed cause i was so scared and hauled tail so fast the 30 foot at the top broke as it fell and dropped right next to stump

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Author Topic: 'Ax Men' on the History channel (Read 5752 times)