Friday, July 09, 2010

Crunch time.

I heard a loud *crunch* noise this morning. It seems a pretty good-sized limb fell off the hackberry tree in the back yard, taking out a ham antenna and about three feet of fence.

It just hasn't been a good summer for trees here at Roseholme Cottage.

I'm off to play with a little camper-size bow saw and some lopper thingies. Looks like our tree hippie is going to get some more singing time.

UPDATE: Sawing through a green, 4"+ diameter Celtis occidentalis bough repeatedly with a little one-hand bow saw will take the starch right out of you. I'm taking a breather.
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16 comments:

theirritablearchitect said...

Hackberry.

Brings back bad, bad memories.

Stuff must weigh one-hundred pounds per board foot.

Watch your back while lifting.

Pray for a chainsaw to appear out of thin air.

12:01 PM, July 09, 2010
Grant Cunningham said...

Forget the tree - what kind of antenna?

(Yes, I'm one of "them.")

-=[ Grant ]=-

12:06 PM, July 09, 2010
jimbob86 said...

Tams.... chainsaws are useful in these situations. I am sure you could manage one .... after all, it's so simple, even a hippie can do it!

wv = "wineder" .... and dined her, and now I'm eternally broke.

12:11 PM, July 09, 2010
Tam said...

jimbob86,

"Tams.... chainsaws are useful in these situations. I am sure you could manage one .... after all, it's so simple, even a hippie can do it!"

Perhaps you are not familiar with "Tamara's Safety Rules".

"Rule #3: To avoid cutting your femoral artery open with a chainsaw, don't play with chain saws."

(Rule #1 and Rule #2 deal with "How to avoid breaking your neck falling off a ladder" and "How to avoid drowning". ;) )

12:15 PM, July 09, 2010
Tam said...

Grant,

I'm sure details on the deceased antenna will be posted when the ham of the house gets home.

12:16 PM, July 09, 2010
Ed Rasimus said...

Your three rules are excellent. I learned a similar set of commandments many years ago. I confessed to myself that I had no training and no skill with tools. I also typically never had appropriate tools for the job. After numerous excursions in which I was injured and all surrounding previously operational parts were damaged, I discovered that there is only one tool I need. I can operate it with finesse and skill. It is a checkbook.

12:23 PM, July 09, 2010
Tam said...

Rule #7 pertains to "How to avoid having your lifeless remains found in the tangled wreckage of a Robinson R22" :D

12:29 PM, July 09, 2010
Anonymous said...

Double geekiness - knowing it's a Hackberry tree and having a ham radio antenna in the yard.

1:17 PM, July 09, 2010
David Neylon said...

Don't you have a guy down the street wearing a hockey mask you could borrow a chainsaw from?

2:02 PM, July 09, 2010
Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

I was going to offer to lend you my chainsaw but after reading the above, I'll abstain :)

2:18 PM, July 09, 2010
Gregg said...

Nathan,
I bet that Tam would happily take you up on your offer ... as long as you were attached to the chain saw. Heck, she will probably even pay in food and more importantly beer. Though not until AFTER you have finished playing with the chainsaw.

4:00 PM, July 09, 2010
Roberta X said...

1. I dug out my Japanese pruning saw and helped with the tree when I got home. (Early, since I had to go in early. Tam had 90% of the tree clean-up done.

2. Which freed me to fix the fence, at least well enough to hold 'til Fence Guy visits. Looks like noting happened!

3. The antenna: my G5RV. My W7FG-made G5RV, with no splices in it, the antenna wires become the ladderline in one continuous length per side. ...It has a splice in it now. I used silver-solder and self-amalgamating tape. Here's hopin'!

VW: "pulchehead." You, well, so's yer momma, you darn captcha generator, you.

5:56 PM, July 09, 2010
Ancient Woodsman said...

No woodsman worth his salt will 'lend' anyone a chainsaw or any of his tools - it just isn't done - but will be more than happy to help you out for free in your time of need. And teach you, and keep you safe with the tools you are learning.

A chainsaw is no more dangerous a tool than a firearm, but can be equally or more so to the ill-prepared. I have dealt folks killed with each, and when by their own hands - accidentally or on purpose - neither is pretty, either is a big mess. Your talent with firearms & machinery should be a good indicator of abilities with power equipment - given the right training & safety gear, of course, I'll bet you'd bee just fine with a quality chainsaw. If you wouldn't buy your competition pistol at Wal-Mart, don't buy your chainsaw at Homer Depot or Lowe's, or any other store besides a stocking & servicing dealer of quality machinery. Like your gun stores, only for chainsaws.

Please post some pics of the hippie with the chainsaw. I'll bet he's (she's?) no hippy. Maybe looks like one, but the similarities will end at the superficial.

Good luck on this one.

7:19 PM, July 09, 2010
Anonymous said...

Rule #7 pertains to "How to avoid having your lifeless remains found in the tangled wreckage of a Robinson R22"

Listen closely, and you'll hear the roflcopter go by ;)

My Rule #8 about not being eaten by a bloody great tiger.

Jim

10:14 PM, July 09, 2010
jimbob86 said...

"Rule #3: To avoid cutting your femoral artery open with a chainsaw, don't play with chain saws."

To which I respond:

Jimbob's Golden Rule of Tool Use: "If you don't know what you are doin', DON'T."

The trick is not persisting in your ignorance: find someone or something to educate yourself 'til you DO know what you are doing.

If you can manage a rifle, then a chainsaw should not be beyond you, given a bit of study and/or instruction.

12:24 AM, July 10, 2010
Moriarty said...

Having spent many backbreaking hours keeping this place in shape with hand tools, I can safely state that buying a Stihl chainsaw was one of the better things I've ever done.

(However, buying 6-ply Kevlar chainsaw chaps remains one of the smarter things I've ever done.)

12:27 PM, July 10, 2010

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