This, that, and the other

[wroughtn_harv]

Jim I did seven logs I believe in about three hours. Three of those were trees cut last year and they debarked rather quickly. According to my friend with the power washer the secret is the high pressure and the swirl head. He said the swirl head is about a hundred dollars but it's the secret.

I'm taking my time getting out today because of the finger and I don't plan on working as hard as I normally would. I've also got to find a new wand for the pressure washer.

I was trying to get on the pile of logs to get a better angle, you need to keep the head of the power washer as close to ninety degrees as possible for maximum effectiveness, when I slipped. I broke not only the finger but the power washer wand too.

When my son in law tore up his finger working with me on the staircase in Highland Shores the doctor told him that we fracture our fingers all the time because the bones are so small. I believe that and accept that the pain is just the break telling me to be cool because things aren't a hundred percent.

The finger looks normal from the middle knuckle to the end. But it's about twice it's normal size between the hand and the knuckle. I do know the first thing I did upon getting back up was to move the end of the finger because I felt something let go when I went down.

 

[EddieWalker]

Harvey,

Sorry to hear about your finger. Sometimes you have to pay for your good luck with little setbacks from time to time. LOL

I'm a big fan of cedar logs and have a small collection of them myself. I realy like the preasure washer system for cleaning them up. Thanks. I also like shaping them with a belt sander and sawzall to get them just right. I've found that you can do some pretty major shaping to a cedar log and get it to fit just about anywhere without ruining the overall look of it. The more character they have, the better!!!!!

Eddie

 

[patrick_g]

Harv, It made my long time healed finger break twinge a little to just read of your misfortune. My break was between the last knuckle and the tip so it was NOT a big deal, just quite uncomfortable.

Yes, it makes for frustrating keyboarding. I was designing and building computer software at the time and was spending 6-7 hours a day at a keyboard. I was SO GLAD when I could take off the aluminum finger protector and touch a key with the bandaged finger without too much pain. I had some problem hitting only one key at a time with the bandaged finger.

3600 PSI !!!! You are lucky that in addition to breaking the finger and the wand that you didn't inject yourself with the high pressure stream. That is NOT A GOOD THING.

My pressure washer is much lower pressure (1800 PSI) and does a fair job of cleaning the cedar bark on logs but NOT A GOOD JOB AT ALL of removing bark most of the time. I'll have to give some consideration to a higher pressure unit as I would likek to debark some of my materials.

I have a fair supply of the bark-on-one-side slabs that are cut off at the mill to square the cant. I was thinking of cleaning them with my pressure washer, letting them dry, and spraying them with something (TBD) to prevent the bark from shedding after the wood is installed (interior use.) If I use a higher pressure washer I might be able to strip the bark as you did. (Uh, hopefully without the broken bone and wand.)

How many gal per minute does your washer spray? High pressure is only part of the story. If I can't get enough volume of water at the high pressure progress will be oh so slow. Also, could you say a little more about the special head that makes it work so well?

TIA for any info.

Hope you are digitally competent soon.

Pat

 

[rtdiggr]

Sorry to hear about the finger becareful when you wave at people the may take it the wrong way [middle finger]

On the plus the cedar looks great and pressure washing sure beats the old way of peeling off the bark.

Shane

 

[rtdiggr]

Hey Jinman i like your new avitar is there a story there? That is a very interesting angle.

Shane

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Harv, It made my long time healed finger break twinge a little to just read of your misfortune. My break was between the last knuckle and the tip so it was NOT a big deal, just quite uncomfortable.

Yes, it makes for frustrating keyboarding. I was designing and building computer software at the time and was spending 6-7 hours a day at a keyboard. I was SO GLAD when I could take off the aluminum finger protector and touch a key with the bandaged finger without too much pain. I had some problem hitting only one key at a time with the bandaged finger.

3600 PSI !!!! You are lucky that in addition to breaking the finger and the wand that you didn't inject yourself with the high pressure stream. That is NOT A GOOD THING.

My pressure washer is much lower pressure (1800 PSI) and does a fair job of cleaning the cedar bark on logs but NOT A GOOD JOB AT ALL of removing bark most of the time. I'll have to give some consideration to a higher pressure unit as I would likek to debark some of my materials.

I have a fair supply of the bark-on-one-side slabs that are cut off at the mill to square the cant. I was thinking of cleaning them with my pressure washer, letting them dry, and spraying them with something (TBD) to prevent the bark from shedding after the wood is installed (interior use.) If I use a higher pressure washer I might be able to strip the bark as you did. (Uh, hopefully without the broken bone and wand.)

How many gal per minute does your washer spray? High pressure is only part of the story. If I can't get enough volume of water at the high pressure progress will be oh so slow. Also, could you say a little more about the special head that makes it work so well?

TIA for any info.

Hope you are digitally competent soon.

Pat

Pat, the middle finger on my right hand has a permanent twist to the left at the last knuckle. I broke it many years ago and of course, never went to the doctor.

One of the interesting things about that injury was I could pull with that finger without pain but touching it in a pushing motion produced excruciating pain.

The current injury doesn't seem to affect the typing after I just start doing it and things warm up if you will. The pain kicks in when the middle knuckle and above are touched.

On the pressure washer, I've noticed that washing off the bark on cut boards has to be done very carefully or you can destroy the sapwood. The pressure is too great it seems. On a whole log I'm careful around damaged areas because it seems to want to peel the sapwood where it's injured.

I'll look at the tip but my friend told me it was the secret.

 

[ScottAR]

Probably a 0deg nozzle with a 360deg spin head. I've seen it called a turbo nozzle and a "Whirly Bird." (sp?) They use those nozzles to strip paint so I'd guess it's one of those. As for pressure/volume, I'd figure about 3500psi@3gpm or thereabouts would do quite well.

 

[jinman]

Hey Jinman i like your new avitar is there a story there? That is a very interesting angle.

I don't know if this is what Harvey meant by "This, that, and the other," but I'll give you a little background and a link to the rest of the story.

Silt Happens

Shane, that's a picture my wife took of me while I was finishing the job of digging out my pond in late 2005. I had a dozer dig out a huge layer of silt and he left me a bit of a mess to clean up. I finished it over several months before we ever got any rain. In that photo, I'm descending down the pond dam while scraping the loose silt to the bottom where I'd load up my bucket and bring it back up to dump on the back side of the dam. I kept expecting to see the oil pressure light come on because I figured all the oil ran to the front of the oil pan. Luckily, that never happened and my tractor performed flawlessly. I hauled hundreds of yards of additional silt out of the pond. The avitar brings back lots of memories, all of them good.

Here are a few attached photos also.

 

[patrick_g]

I kept expecting to see the oil pressure light come on because I figured all the oil ran to the front of the oil pan. Luckily, that never happened and my tractor performed flawlessly.

Jim, I too have operated in steep uphill and down hill attitudes and never experienced an oil pressure warning
B U T...

If I go nose high radically enough the hydrostat runs out of fluid (well, at least it quits working forward or reverse.) Then you are sitting there looking like you are waiting for main booster ignition and lift off. So far self rescue has always worked.

I raise any ground engaging implement on the 3PH and use the FEL bucket to push me backwards. It has worked to get me down so far. Of course if I didn't try to go vertical or to radically close to vertical there wouldn't be a problem. Said another way... drive like a sane man and it won't happen.

Nice pond, by the way. Given the color it could pass for an Oklahoma del norte pond instead of one in Baja Oklahoma.

Pat

 

[rtdiggr]

Jim I didn't mean to hijack a thread. That is quiet the project, i am suprised i missed it i sometimes pick on someone with lots of post[you] and read most of the posts.

The pond looks great thanks for the reply and the link.

Shane

 

[txdon]

Harvey, ouch ouch ouch!

Those good looking cedar logs sure have a lot of red wood in them.

You have got me in the mood to start to work on the front entrance.

Below is the before picture - that's all for now.

I have made the "CALL BEFORE YOU DIG" and the utilities are marked. We will have one county water line to watch. I now have a 16' cattle guard on property ready to install.

I will get some extra gravel at the entrance this week to straighten out that curved road a bit. (Tractor work woo hoo!!)

I can either get some 16' concrete beams for the cattle guard to rest on ($250+ delivery +install) or for $350 I can get 5 yards (minimum) of concrete delivered and frame it in the ground myself. I'm leaning toward the latter however I will have 3 yards of concrete left over. Any Ideas where best to utilize the 3 yards at the entrance?

It's starting to get fun! I don't have a clue what the finished entrance will look like.

 

[MF1455v]

Don, not sure how much the delivery fee would be but we can go get the beems, I have plenty of trailer for that. Problem might be picking them up. Maybe a tandam lift with 2 tractors. But the extra concrete would make a nice aproach pad to the guard .

James

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Let's see, we figure eighty square feet at four inches per cubic yard, that's two hundred and forty square feet of approach in my book.

Don, you haven't seen anything yet, we're going to be making bacon in the next week, it's going to get interesting, I'm getting excited.

What I'd like you to consider is enough of a drive in or approach if you will where you can pull in out of traffic with a trailer behind the truck. So think about that as far as where you want to locate your gate and or cattle guard.

We could put the gate centered on the cattle guard. What I would want you to do would be to put eighteen inch plugs at each end of the cattle guard when you pour your pad for it. We'll drill down six feet or so in those plugs to set your posts.

 

[txdon]

James, Thanks for the suggestion. I would have to include the price of the local BH guy because the beams would be too heavy to lift with my Kubota. I need to keep it simple. I think I will go with a pour. I was pleasantly surprised that Kubota was able to pick the cattle guard off the delivery trailer. Your suggestion of a larger approach pad sounds the easiest, unless Harvey thinks it can be used somehow in the entry boarder.


edit: opps we were posting at the same time. Harvey the cattle guard has wings, it was already made and can be modified, I'll take a picture tomorrow. The 18" plugs - is that the diameter?

The cattle guard will be sitting back 50' from the road, about where the mesquite trees are.

HMMM 7ft approach pad on each side - doable.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Some years ago a bunch of folks gathered at my shop in Wylie. It was to build an ATV bridge for txdon and Karen. We had a great time that weekend.

For me it was especially wonderful. I got to watch an idea come to fruition and share the pleasure that I enjoy making things. I know some who were there thought it was a memorable event because they've told me so. But I have to confess that the person that had the most fun was me.

One of the attendees was a TBN member. I asked him tonight what his username was and he couldn't remember. I know I cut it in for him with the plasma in the state of Texas on the bridge because he wasn't there when we did the signing. But I can't remember his user name either.

This TBN member is the one with the cedar staircase. This evening on the way in I stopped by his house and took some pictures. What we have here is a lot like what happened with the ATV bridge. I came up with an idea and convinced someone that it was nothing but a thing. They believed me and made it happen.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Here are some more. I don't know if you can tell, buy I'm prouder'n punch as they say in France on beautiful spring mornings. (be quiet Rox, it's my illusion)

 

[txdon]

In one word - WOW!

 

[wroughtn_harv]

James, Thanks for the suggestion. I would have to include the price of the local BH guy because the beams would be too heavy to lift with my Kubota. I need to keep it simple. I think I will go with a pour. I was pleasantly surprised that Kubota was able to pick the cattle guard off the delivery trailer. Your suggestion of a larger approach pad sounds the easiest, unless Harvey thinks it can be used somehow in the entry boarder.


edit: opps we were posting at the same time. Harvey the cattle guard has wings, it was already made and can be modified, I'll take a picture tomorrow. The 18" plugs - is that the diameter?

The cattle guard will be sitting back 50' from the road, about where the mesquite trees are.

HMMM 7ft approach pad on each side - doable.

Don if you want to have a combination cattle guard gate then I need eighteen inch openings for me drop down the auger for the gate posts.

If you are planning on having a gate and then inside of the gate the cattle guard then we'll worry about the hole location when we get down there.

In the next week we'll be posting updates on the gate entrys up here. In fact we plan on Wednesday doing the cutting on the cedar gate posts. I'm as nervous as can be on this one. It's literally a one shot deal and it's got to be right the first time.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I don't know if this is what Harvey meant by "This, that, and the other," but I'll give you a little background and a link to the rest of the story.

Silt Happens

Shane, that's a picture my wife took of me while I was finishing the job of digging out my pond in late 2005. I had a dozer dig out a huge layer of silt and he left me a bit of a mess to clean up. I finished it over several months before we ever got any rain. In that photo, I'm descending down the pond dam while scraping the loose silt to the bottom where I'd load up my bucket and bring it back up to dump on the back side of the dam. I kept expecting to see the oil pressure light come on because I figured all the oil ran to the front of the oil pan. Luckily, that never happened and my tractor performed flawlessly. I hauled hundreds of yards of additional silt out of the pond. The avitar brings back lots of memories, all of them good.

Here are a few attached photos also.

Hmmm, Jim that's what I was talking about.

As for the angle of your dangle, around here we'd call that a pucker string tester.

 

[txdon]

Harvey, don't go to bed I have something for you in the next post.....