Search results

  1. Dan Thornton

    Actual tree work for a change

    Thanks, Tom for the article. I've seen the idea before (probably from Jepsen). Didn't know that the hinge length and fulcrum length are the same when following the 80% rule. That's handy to know. One problem I have with the basic formula is this: a one-inch wedge doesn't give 1" lift if it is...
  2. Dan Thornton

    The Body Language of Trees - A handbook for failure analysis

    This is hard to get my head around. So I can hang more weight from a vertical 2x4 than I can prop up with it? Is that right? What's happening inside the wood to fail under compression?
  3. Dan Thornton

    Work Photos

    I considered it. The small ones I could toss. The big branches were too large for speedline, especially since we don't have a lot of experience with the method. First morning we rigged branches using an ultra-sling from the top of the tree, using tag line to pull them away from the corner of the...
  4. Dan Thornton

    Work Photos

    Took down a large Eastern white pine tree, too close to the house. Went well except I should learn to delay pines until the winter - the sap was horrendous.
  5. Dan Thornton

    One liners, deep thoughts, random notions etc...

    "There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are this man's lawful prey." John Ruskin
  6. Dan Thornton

    One liners, deep thoughts, random notions etc...

    I remember early on, when taking down some ash trees for my church, cutting up the wood on the ground, I was trying to develop some good habits. Two neighborhood boys were hanging out, so I offered them $5 each time they caught me moving either foot before engaging my chain brake. Cost me a...
  7. Dan Thornton

    One liners, deep thoughts, random notions etc...

    Definition of "fail safe": when everything fails, you are still safe.
  8. Dan Thornton

    One liners, deep thoughts, random notions etc...

    It's easy to be distracted which is why good habits keep you safe far better than trying to pay attention.
  9. Dan Thornton

    One liners, deep thoughts, random notions etc...

    It is much less expensive to learn from someone else's mistakes than from your own.
  10. Dan Thornton

    Sigh

    Here's the video of them lowering the man. Link to Facebook video.
  11. Dan Thornton

    What was your humble beginnings like?

    I had two big maples in my backyard that needed extensive work. Was told it would be very expensive to fix them, and it still might not work. ("Impossible" got my attention.) The line clearance climbers came by my backyard the very next week. I watched them and thought that would be fun. I...
  12. Dan Thornton

    Today....

    I need to get better at judging the center of gravity of a stem. Today I spent about 7 hours in trees. This picture is what happened when I thought I had tied the stem above the center of gravity, but instead got it pretty close to balanced. The GRCS worked great - my groundswoman is excellent -...
  13. Dan Thornton

    Tree climbing brass band

    That's fantastic!!!
  14. Dan Thornton

    Mobile app for creating invoices and proposals?

    I use QuickBooks Desktop for my bookkeeping, so I naturally also use QBooks estimates and invoices. It is NOT simple! I guess that other plans are much easier to use.
  15. Dan Thornton

    Work Photos

    The ivy-covered English walnut that was scaring the neighborhood is now gone. I cut the vines two months ago so they would start dying back. Used a lift to cut most branches, rigging larger segments that were over fences and cable line. That left a backward-leaning stem to fall using rope...
  16. Dan Thornton

    Work Photos

    Wow!! What ropes did you use for this maneuver, especially for the highline?
  17. Dan Thornton

    Guy rope angle for side lean pull over

    Guy line needs to be attached to the falling tree higher than Center of Gravity to avoid that potential disaster!!
  18. Dan Thornton

    Decision Point Approaches

    Agree totally. Over my lifetime, simply not making any big decisions when 'down' has been critical. Knowing it's a matter of time (or exercise or rest or safe people ...) lets me wait it out. Only one time did it last so long and so deep for me that I went for professional counseling, and that...
  19. Dan Thornton

    Guy rope angle for side lean pull over

    How interesting... I minored in music in college. With additional minors in Greek and Hebrew. But always liked math. The great mystery is why I enjoy working in trees so much, as a retirement gig! I joke that it will either keep me in shape, or it will kill me. I'm quite determined to avoid the...
  20. Dan Thornton

    Guy rope angle for side lean pull over

    The principle is simple, but the application may not be generally practical. 1. For every one degree that the guy line anchor is LESS than 90 degrees from the intended lay, the guy line anchor would need to be one degree HIGHER than the hinge to compensate. 2. For every one degree that the guy...

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom