Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

Started by Oljarhead, September 21, 2009, 02:53:09 PM

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OlJarhead

On a side note the chimney does not get hot at the wall penetration!  It's rather amazing.

I was somewhat worried about this because the manual on installation calls for 2" of clearance and in one spot I have 1" because of the way the chimney passes through the eves at the roof.  That 1" worried me until I discovered that the chimney isn't even hot where it passes through the wall much less 14 feet above there!

So we're good as gold I think :D

Tickhill

It is like seeing an old friend when you return and it is so hard to say goodbye, even if for a few weeks. Nothing productive even has to happen, it's just the feeling of being there!
Looking good,
"You will find the key to success under the alarm Glock"  Ben Franklin
Forget it Ben, just remember, the check comes at the first of the month and it's not your fault, your a victim.

Pray while there is still time


OlJarhead

True enough!  I was day dreaming today about doing interior work!  Sheesh!  hahaha  Guess I'm hooked huh/

OlJarhead

The bucks of Eagle Rock :)

So here we go with the first.  I thought he was a Doe until I saw the fork...



This guy was captured (on camera) last year.


Nice 3 point I think though it might even be a 4 point.


A 4 point I believe


Another 4 point


This guy appears to be a Whitey.


The best for last!  When I saw that rack I went "Holy Cow!"  That has to be one of the nicest racks I've seen.

Notice the times these were shot...not a one was shot during hunting hours!  Figures.
Erik

diyfrank

looks like one whitetail and the rest are mule.
Makes it hard when they only move a night.
All but one look legal. [cool]
Home is where you make it


MountainDon

Yeah, most of the pictures I've got have been during darkness, although there are a good number of a legal hour ones. But then those have been out of season mostly  d*


I'm told that in some places in Europe they can hunt after sunset. Never confirmed that myself.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

OlJarhead

Almost a month since being up at the cabin and I'm gettin' the itch something awful.  It's New Years weekend and it has been kind of a tradition here to go camping this weekend....and it will be about -6 at the cabin (which really means about -10 if my experience serves me at all)....

But with lots of firewood, a good stove and a bit more insulation I'm kinda thinking it might be just right :D

So, if luck serves me I'll leave today around noon and make it up there fore dark....I hope so!

OlJarhead

Had a great New Years at the cabin :)  Got to -10 the first night but we stayed warm :D


We stuffed insulation into the walls where it was missing.  We'll have to go back and pull it out to install the wiring but we were warm :D


Carefully cleaned off some of the snow which was on the panels.  One thing we never accomplished in the last two visits was changing the angle on the panels but the batteries were well charged and we barely use them at this point so it's ok.


We cleared a path to the wood chopping area and managed to get some wood chopped


and burned some slash -- note to self:  don't cover slash piles with tarps if you expect snow!

MountainDon

#608
Glad to hear you were warm.


Quote from: OlJarhead on January 06, 2011, 06:29:21 PM
-- note to self:  don't cover slash piles with tarps if you expect snow!

In our experience the piles should be covered to keep them dry in the middle where the fire can be started more easily. We do a couple things that have worked for us. Melting snow in amongst the slash makes it hard to get/keep going at times.
1. We use old pieces of tar paper to cover. Leave in place to burn after sweeping off snow.
2. Cover with old tarps, 6 mil plastic, old table cloths. Sweep and/or simply pull tarps and snow off. Have ropes tied into corners.
3. Use gas and old motor oil mixture to get going if piles were left uncovered. (70-75% old oil) gasoline vapor is heavier than air so it flows out from the place it is poured and will flow downhill. Something to keep in mind when pouring and getting set to light. Can be dangerous; I didn't tell anyone to do it.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


Pine Cone

Quote from: MountainDon on January 06, 2011, 07:18:03 PM
Glad to hear you were warm.


Quote from: OlJarhead on January 06, 2011, 06:29:21 PM
-- note to self:  don't cover slash piles with tarps if you expect snow!

In our experience the piles should be covered to keep them dry in the middle where the fire can be started more easily. We do a couple things that have worked for us. Melting snow in amongst the slash makes it hard to get/keep going at times.
1. We use old pieces of tar paper to cover. Leave in place to burn after sweeping off snow.
2. Cover with old tarps, 6 mil plastic, old table cloths. Sweep and/or simply pull tarps and snow off. Have ropes tied into corners.
3. Use gas and old motor oil mixture to get going if piles were left uncovered. (70-75% old oil) gasoline vapor is heavier than air so it flows out from the place it is poured and will flow downhill. Something to keep in mind when pouring and getting set to light. Can be dangerous; I didn't tell anyone to do it.

While I prefer to use a propane torch to light my burn piles these days, I used a forestry drip-torch with a mix of diesel and gasoline for decades.  Normal ratios are somewhere from 3 to 5 parts diesel per part of gasoline.  4:1 is a good bet.  Gasoline by itself is way too dangerous.  Buy a drip torch from Baileys, Forestry Suppliers or Ben Meadows if you have lots of stuff to burn.  They are the safest way to light fires.

Cover the center of your piles with large pieces of cardboard and then you will have a dry place to light.  You will need to pile stuff on top of the cardboard to keep it from blowing off.  The denser the pile the easier it is to get it to burn.  If you are burning tree limbs, place them so the curve of the limb faces up.

Hard to beat a big fire on a cold day!

OlJarhead

Thanks guys -- the trouble I had was with ice.  Seems the snow must have melted at some point and then frozen into blocks of ice on the tarp -- and freezing it to the ground.

Once I managed to get the tarp off enough to begin to pull out the branches they were covered in ice.....perhaps they weren't dry when it began to freeze

OlJarhead

Planning the next two trips and hope to get some logging and milling done:)  The weather has been warmer this last week (a big chinook blew in from the coast and warmed it up a bunch) so with luck the composting toilet drain thawed!  I can hope anyway, but we're going as long as the Jeep let's us!  Power Steering pump is failing but I think I can get it swapped out before hand.

Got the winch back on the jeep too and rigged up and ready to go :)  Will use it to drag logs onto the landing.  Then I just have to charpen the chain and get with it!

My wife plans a trip with me the end of the month too so it should be a good and active couple of weeks!
Erik

OlJarhead

Got my Cant Hook in this week :)  and since the boys put the winch back on the Jeep we're planning a weekend of logging tomorrow! :)  Can't wait!

Also, the newest news is that I'm buying a Woodmizer LT10 Bandsaw Mill :D  [cool] ;D  I can't wait to get it purchased and headed our way!  We decided that it would be much faster to mill our lumber with that then the Chain Saw Mill (which we'll be using next weekend) and since we have other buildings in mind we decided that we'd get the mill and mill all our own lumber.

Then if my son gets good at it we figure he can use it as a side business -- milling lumber for cabins in remote places for those who want to turn their trees into their cabins :D

MountainDon

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


OlJarhead

I mentioned last year (or maybe 2009) that I would try to video the drive up to our cabin and while I can't show all 3 miles (that's a lot of megs of video) I can show this short 500 foot section...enjoy :)


John Raabe

Enjoyed that ride. Nice bright day and I can feel the crisp air.

There are places on the way up where I wouldn't have wanted to see a logging truck coming down!  :P
None of us are as smart as all of us.

OlJarhead

Quote from: John Raabe on January 20, 2011, 01:19:12 PM
Enjoyed that ride. Nice bright day and I can feel the crisp air.

There are places on the way up where I wouldn't have wanted to see a logging truck coming down!  :P

haha ya the 9 foot wide road doesn't provide much confidence when driving around blind corners...then add 6" of solid ice on THAT stretch and you get the idea that wintering at the cabin involves 4 wheel low and V-Groove chains!!!  (Thanks Don for pointing me that direction, without them I was walking in!)...


John Raabe

Are these the type you and Don are using?

None of us are as smart as all of us.

OlJarhead


Thought I'd post this one too...the video quality is a poor but that's because it was taken on a Canon powershot 5 megapixel camera held by my step-son. 

Also, the road is a private drive so no logging trucks :)  3 miles of road to our cabin which extends to others at various forks in the road -- it also goes beyond us for at least a mile or more.

OlJarhead

Quote from: John Raabe on January 20, 2011, 01:30:19 PM
Are these the type you and Don are using?



Yup :)

Depending on the conditions I will put either just two on the front (hasn't had much thawing so I'm less concerned with Ice) or all four corners (lots and lots of ice).  The grades I'm drive sorta warrants it! haha


OlJarhead

You can get the same chains I have at Les Swab :)  For those in the NW anyway.

MountainDon

Just a caution... using chains on the front only definitely helps with steering. However it does nothing to help keep the rear end behind you. Don't ask, but I only use 4 wheels at a time or rear only, never front only anymore.

It's similar to putting the better tires (2 out of a set of 4) the front of a front wheel drive car. There are occasions, like under braking, when the the rear tires with less tread than the front, will break away. It goes against intuition to put the better tires on the rear, but tire company testing has shown that drivers can have more issues with the better tires on the front than the rear. Same logic applies to chains and ice.

The Vbar are excellent chains. redoverfarm has them too I believe.


I have to do a video too. Thought of it many times; never acted.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

OlJarhead

Quote from: MountainDon on January 20, 2011, 01:53:27 PM
Just a caution... using chains on the front only definitely helps with steering. However it does nothing to help keep the rear end behind you. Don't ask, but I only use 4 wheels at a time or rear only, never front only anymore.

It's similar to putting the better tires (2 out of a set of 4) the front of a front wheel drive car. There are occasions, like under braking, when the the rear tires with less tread than the front, will break away. It goes against intuition to put the better tires on the rear, but tire company testing has shown that drivers can have more issues with the better tires on the front than the rear. Same logic applies to chains and ice.

The Vbar are excellent chains. redoverfarm has them too I believe.

Ah ha! *chuckle* this is where my winter driving training and mountain recovery course comes into play :D

Several years ago (6ish) I was required to attend a course for technicians who, in the course of their regular work, might have to drive into the mountains to cellular towers.  The course was designed to teach some basic winter mountain driving techniques as well as safe snowmobiling (something I'd done plenty as a kid)....anyway this is where I learned something new!

When driving UP hill put chains on the front if you only have two.  When driving DOWN hill put chains on the rear if you only have two.

Apparently it is a common mistake that people make in putting chains in the rear when going uphill (something I always did too) but it was pointed out that the most critical place for traction when going uphill, specially when pulling a trailer, is in the front of a 4 wheel drive.  One, it's where all the weight is and two it's where the steering is -- there were other reasons but I've forgotten them.

Anyway, it is true the rear will not follow as well as if it has chains also but it's almost not noticeable, however, going up sheer ice with chains on the rear can be dangerous whereas in the front it's quite safe.

As a side note, I prefer all 4 but if I'm not too worried and in a hurry I go on the uphill side only.

OlJarhead

http://www.glinx.com/~sbest/4chains.htm
Great write up and test drive about using chains up front vs. in the rear.  His experience matches my own -- the only difference is that I was taught to use chains on the uphill side always (off road only applies).

Again, I prefer all 4 but the uphill side will get you there :)

MountainDon

#624
Yes, I remember reading that years ago. Here's my take on 4WD and chains.

If there are tracks to follow and the snow is not real deep, no drop offs to fear and the like, then rear only works and the front steers okay in the tracks. If there is a need to turn out of the tracks, that could be troublesome.

Braking with chains on the front is excellent, no doubt there. That's why we have vehicles with discs on the front and drums in the rear. However traveling around curves or going downhill, in a forward direction, can be very exciting when the front (with chains), brakes and grips okay but the rear wheels (no chains) lock and slide causing the rear to come around. That probably won't happen if there are tracks/ruts, but on ice my personal experience was way too exciting to want to repeat. Rear breakaway will not always happen and front only does get you through a lot. I used to do that at times too. But after that one time; not again. If the snow is deep enough to drag the diffs then all 4 wheels with chains id preferred, IMO.

Conversely, when going uphill in a forward direction, chains on the front do nothing to improve motive traction at the rear. The front end becomes light on a steep grade and without rear chains the rear do not get traction and slip.  Even lockers don't help that. On flat or not very steep roads there is probably less of an issue. Maybe I have traveled on too many steep grades and have thus encountered more issues. Even in dry weather that last hill going up to our place can not be climbed in a front drive (front drive only car) without a run at it, as front wheel slippage occurs.

If a person has only one set of chains he should not have a 4x4. Harsh as it may be, that's my opinion.

Wet skid pan tests on street tires are where I got the info on worn street tires on the rear, and new on the front, of front drive cars. No link, it was in print years ago.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.