LOGS TO BOARDS WITH DAVID SHEA

[Henry]

David Shea sent me some interesting photos.  He has been logging his property and had the logs sawed into boards so that he can build a barn. Neil Berthiaume helped him with the sawing. He pulled out all the logs with his 1955 +/- Ferguson TO 35 and tells me it has been a real rewarding experience.  Below are a few photos he sent me that help tell the story:


David Shea's 1955 or thereabouts Ferguson Tractor hooked to a 12 foot pine log


Just a little closer look -- Now this is a 55 +/- Ferguson Tractor, but still a step up from the old method of using horses to skid logs in the old days


A close up above shows Neil Berthiaume sawing


And now Neil saws the beam into boards

Now, hopefully I have the above information correct, but if I don't I am sure someone will correct me.  Thank God I can edit what I have up here and a special thanks to David for sending me these photos and a brief explanation of what was being done --  Look at the background in the photos and you will recognize this as being winter in Vermont even though we haven't had too many big snow storms this year.

[David Shea]

I hope everyone enjoys my pictures.  I will try to post other photos as my project enters other stages.  I would have like to put up pictures of some of the trees before they were cut and after but was more concerned with getting the logs out of the woods while the ground was frozen.   I was told that the little tractor would pull out a big log.  The pine log you see in the pictures is small in comparison to the log I took out that was 32 inches at the base, 28 at the small end and 16 ft long.  The trick is to make sure your logging roads are frozen.  I was instructed by my farmer friends of mine to drive the road with the tractor after each snowstorm so that the ground would freeze under the snow and level out the bumps in my road.

I was cautioned to drive slow and keep my foot close to the clutch in case the log caused the tractor to rear up.  I didn't encounter this problem, but did have a big section of a wolf tree pin my leg.  The section was about 10 inches in diameter.  I could not reach my saw to cut it off my leg so with brute force I was able to push it off while stuffing a short stick inbetween and slide my leg out.

I was scared during the time that this happened, but feel very lucky for myself and family that I am still safe and sound.

[David Shea]

Henry,

Thought I would let you know that the sawdust has settled at my place for a while.  A couple of months ago I burned all of the left over slabs, cleaned up the 3 manure spreader loads of sawdust and piled all of the lumber.  The lumber is neatly stacked waiting for me to find time to build my barn.

I have wanted to make a larger garden space for my two kids to plant pumpkins and squash so instead of getting upset with the mess that was made by sawing I plowed it up.  Gary Bushey loaned me an old two bottom plow to use.  I thought all I had to do was hook it up to my tractor and go... I was wrong.  A good friend of mine told me that I was not smart enough to make it work, he advised me to just drag it around.  Instead of getting mad a took his words as a challenge and by the end of the day the old plow was turning the sod as it was meant to.

I have tilled the ground several times and it seems to be weed free for now.  I would like to say the same for the crows.

Dave

[David Shea]

Told everybody that I would be building a barn out of my pile of wood.  So far that project has not happened, but I have used some of the pine to replace the facia on my house prior to covering it with aluminum trim.  I have also built a project or two with my son.  As of yet I have not put a dent in the pile, but it is nice to have around.  For now it just will be stored undercover until my plans are finalized.