If'in not fo' rednecks thar twirt be no trucks. no ford 150, no forum

 

Hang in there Kobster, what doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger.

Welcome to winter in the midwest!!

 

Kobi's winter theme song:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cZd1Js0QaOI

 

Flash forward to February...neighbor mumbles "not again..." as he spots kobi coming up the sidewalk.

 

A hatchet?
A hatchet??


A hatchet???

Ok, I think I own one of those, it's in the attic in the camping stuff, though I've never used the cutting edge, only the hammer side. Do they cut?

You are to be commended, I doubt that I would have done it.....

I've never owned a bow saw either. The extent of my saws....



I ussually just carry the Sthil with a spare bar "encase I get it pinched" (still happens to me occasionally). If it gets pinched and I cant get it out, I take the saw off the bar, put my spare bar on, always have 2-3 spare sharp chains for it and then cut my good (hopefully it's still good) bar out. Sometime I carry an axe too, but I ran over it and busted the handle several years ago and haven't replaced it. I also carry a splitting maul encase I have to bust some logs just to get them in the truck. I have taken down trees that "unsplit" could only get about 4-6 logs in the bed.

I sometimes use to carry that little 10" McCullough on the far right for topping the de-limbing but I'm not even sure if it would start now. I haven't started the orange Spartan next to it in 2-3 years but it's a strong engine, probably 3 pulls and I'd expect it would fire off, but the clutch is weak. I can't force it though like I can the Sthil, it has to naw at it and still might stop the chain.

Then the hoss... the cross cut saw with 5hp engine..... It won't start at all. Fine with me, that thing wore me out. It would drop anything you placed it against. Including steel fence post that might be on the other side of the tree and maybe did not pay enough attention too before or while you cut the tree down. Like a hot knife through butter, didn't even realize that it was cutting though a steel post.

 

Yep, a hatchet.

I can believe completely that someone lent him a hatchet.
Fierce storm, no telling when things will let up.

The hatchet loan reminds me of when I use to smoke in the Army.
Guys were always bumming smokes.

I just started carrying around a pack of Pall Mall non-filters.
Never saw the same bummer twice.

 

I do that with my saws too, if someone wants to borrow one, then I go get that Wright cross cut. They take one look at it and ussually pass. Some do actually pick it up, groan when they lift it, then look at me like "Your kidding, right? You expect me to use this?" then they pass.

 

I'm not saying I don't ever borrow.
I asked my neighbor if I could borrow his ladder.
He said, “Sorry Raoul, I’ve lent it to my son.”
Remembering a saying that my grandma used to say
I told him, "You should never lend anything to your children because you'll never get it back."


He replied, "Well, it ain't even my ladder. It's my dad's."

 

Somehow, the cigarette that Kurt Vonnegut smoked fits you, and it doesn't surprise me.

Some of the folks on this site maintain an entire arsenal for guns, you maintain an entire arsenal of saws. Interesting. And, again, it doesn't surprise me.

Giant sheets of ice weighing untold tons continue to crash from various parts of my roof. Another interesting thing learned. When ice accumulates on roofs, when it eventually melts, never stand next to a structure as it could kill you. Amazing, it doesn't fall a little at a time, it just all comes down in a giant sheet the size of that portion of the roof. The greater the incline, the more intense the fall of ice. Really steep roof could equal decapitation.

DirecTV finally working again and I can now see The Weather Channel (now in HD . . . which just makes the weather that much better) The Weather Channel babe sez that there is another wave coming. Oh joy. Evidently the entire states of KS and MO have declared states of emergency. And it's supposed to snow on Friday. It just keeps getting better.

The power has been flickering throughout the day but has not gone out, thankfully. A little while ago a convoy of trucks from Westar Electric pulled up right up in front of my house. I figured that meant I was a goner, electricity wise, and was waiting for the lights to go out, but so far whatever it is they are doing out there has been benign.

The heavy rain has stopped and now it is just a light rain. I hear that it should all start freezing up in about an hour or so.

As for the hatchet, I'm still impressed with myself (not difficult) for cutting three fairly good size limbs with such a small thing (yes Mag, they cut, and evidently cut better when done from opposing angles) but I look forward to the purchase of high powered cutting devices.

Anyway, I have pix of massive amounts of ice after sliding down the roof but don't have a good enough connection to get pix posted. AT&T's automated system (because evidently no real HUMANS actually work there) told me two days ago that I should have phones back by Wednesday between 6AM and 8PM. Thank God for cell phones and wifi to pick up someone else's signal

I wonder what it's like back home, at the beach? Warm and no ice is my guess.

:santa:

 

I hope all you guys in the ice Storm come through it ok. i saw it on the news and it doesn't look good.
Kobi, I'm sure you'll look back on this and think it was a walk in the park and as long as no one gets hurt, then its just an adventure.

 

desert???

Don't know about Kobi but count me out.
I like having 4 full season, instead of hot, hotter, damn hot, then hot again.
Not to mention sand storms that strip paint from cars year round.
Droughts that make the vital and most basic substance of life disappear.

Nope I can handle a few days of ice, by the next one Kobi will be better suited and equipped to handle it and it'll be a breeze for him when he gets the right tools.

Yes Kobi I have an arsenal of saws, also have an arsenal of guns too.
But when you heat primarily with wood, and you cut your own wood, you find it's vital to survival. My philosophy, If one is good to have, then 2 is great, and 4-5 is spectacular!

 

Another thing to keep in mind about chainsaws Kobi...The chains are very sharp and can cut you even when they're not running. My sister fell on my dad's chainsaw when she was a kid. The chainsaw was just sitting in the back of the pickup and she tripped. Put a gash in her leg that required 20 some odd stitches. Be very careful darlin', I would hate to hear you've hacked off parts of your cute little body!!

 

Hey Kobi, just found this and thought it might interest you.

how to make a $1 emergency lamp

I have several flash lights (yes I have an arsenal of those too) it's almost to the point of flashlight addiction. I also have hurricane lamps and tiki lamps as well. Lights when the power go out aren't a problem for me, even before I fire up the genny. So I haven't made that lamp myself, but it looks like it might would work though. I might suggest lamp oil instead of cooking oil for a white flame instead of a yellow, but cooking oil for emergency although lamp oil might burn slower and have a higher flash point, so might be safer in that one.