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Fetchin' up some Sinker Cypress Logs

Started by Cypressstump, August 21, 2012, 01:47:49 PM

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Cypressstump

Went and fetched up a couple Logs this past Friday. Got a sinker Southern Yellow Pine log and a sinker Cypress. The Pine was not a very solid log, 16 ft. long ,it ended up cutting well, got nice board from it, but they normally are fairly bright yellow all throughout. On the butt,the Pine was ax cut on the felling direction side and backcut with Saw. It sorta surprised me as to while it not being a very large tree at all, it was deemed worthy for taking along with the cypress during the logging heyday. This one was gray around the edges  and yellow in the center. Still got a mess of 8 inch wide 6' and 8' long broad from it. It was crooked , so cut into two pieces.
The Cypress is real nice, 20 inch diameter  and 24 feet long and very solid. Have yet to cut it. Had planned to get two more during the day, but I got my dive pressure/computer pod hose hung up and cracked the hose at the regulator, lost my air pretty quick. Not a sound you want to hear down there in pitch blackness .....

My next door neighbor, Roland went with me. The trip made for a nice morning on the water. This was the first time to use this particular pull raft on a log in deeper water, the cypress was 26-28 ft. It worked sweet. Popped the log up without a grunt or bobble.


The morning trip out - a local landmark in background is blocked out.



The cypress on the tongs-



Logs on the trailer at mill -



Cypress waiting to be milled -



I will open the sinker cypress up tomorrow weather permitting. I have to visit the dive shop today to purchase replacement hoses for my regulator, AND some spares. It sucked not being able to take 2 more larger logs out that day due to busted equipment. I have several located in a small area, jus' laying there waiting...... !
Stump

Timberking 1220 25hp w/extensions -hard mounted
Case 586E 6k forklift
2001 F350 4X4,Arctic Cat 500 4 wheeler wagon hauler
Makita 6401 34",4800 Echo 20"er, and a professional 18" Poulan PRO , gotta be a 'pro' cuz it says so rite there on tha' saw..

Holmes

Now that is just really neat. Great pictures.
Think like a farmer.

Leigh Family Farm

Now that is American ingenuity at its best! I'm gonna say southern ingenuity based upon the hat. Us Yankees tend not to wear them ;)
There are no problems; only solutions we haven't found yet.

isawlogs

 Like your rig,  8)   How many logs can you attach to it before heading back  ???  How far do you go with the logs tied to the rig ???  How hard is it on the blades to saw up those logs , any sand in them ???

  Inquiring mind,   :P :P :P 
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

Norm

Cool thread!

I'd love to see the lumber cut out of the sinker cypress you retrieved.

Magicman

Just the fact that the SYP was a "sinker" will spark interest in the lumber.  That Cypress looked really nice.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Cypressstump

Thanks guys ! It's a fun twist in milling lumber.I love the challenge diving in the blackwater for these things.Kinda like a blind coon feeling around for something to eat down there.

My buddy is not seen much without that old hat, they are both about the same age I think.. ;D

On this raft I have had two logs attached, both underneath, the two in the pictures. I can transfer one off the winch line / log tongs farily easy, since the logs are not that heavy while in the water, still fairly bouyant. I have rigging in the boat to use for attaching one on outside of each pontoon and 2 underneath, dependant on size.

As far as distances, it all depends on where I am pulling from. I can either travel by water from my property the mill is on, or trailer the rig to a nearby boat ramp if closer to the pull site. With these two logs I was able to back the trailer in the water, push the logs onto the tail of the trailer, hook up a trailer mounted winch line to each log, pull them up and tie off, winch the raft onto the trailer cradles, and pull out. On this trip, from backing in trailer on ramp, loading logs and pulling out was less than 10 minutes. Gotta be quick as to not tie up the boat ramp, affecting boaters access/egress,,, they tend to get testy by 'non boat' rigs in their way. I deal with that if needed, but to date, usually people are more interested in the logs than complaining. Normally I load and pull out quicker than most with a boat. I shy away from the weekend traffic during the summer months anyway, go out on a weekday. It's all good.

I have water traveled in the past 12-18 miles with logs in tow before on the old raft, which was bascially the same.On this trip, I pushed the logs out by water to boat ramp maybe 3 miles, drove by road to mill 6 miles with my buddy pulling boat close behind me. The 24 footer was managable on the trailer without cutting it, which would have taken more time at the ramp.
Typically the sinker cypress wood is fairly soft and not much sand/grit inside unless its a pecky log, Not bad on blades at all usually. The wood is some fine looking stuff fresh cut. I'll post pictures of the cypress when I cut it, perhaps this evening.
I should have taken pictures of the sinker pine, but the skies were falling as I was cutting it. I have yet to gather enough fresh pine for a proper shed over the sawmill,,, sigh.. :-\

I'm stashing all the sinker cypress I cut for a house I will soon be building. I owe an ol' ex-coworker engeering friend of mine two 14' beams at 4.5" x 7" for his new retirement home down in Orlando,Florida, may even have to tote them down there after they dry a bit. Get in a fishing trip or two. 8)    I'll bust this log up in some 14's and 10 ft lumber, perhaps mainly 3/4 paneling , besides his beams,dependant on the coloration.

Next week I'll be back in the same area on some more logs I have located, two of which I think will be really large. My goal is 4 logs next Friday.
Stump

Timberking 1220 25hp w/extensions -hard mounted
Case 586E 6k forklift
2001 F350 4X4,Arctic Cat 500 4 wheeler wagon hauler
Makita 6401 34",4800 Echo 20"er, and a professional 18" Poulan PRO , gotta be a 'pro' cuz it says so rite there on tha' saw..

Magicman

With your new hoses, maybe you will have a good day Friday.  Be safe.   :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

isawlogs

 Thanks, only ever saw any swamp logging on tv.. and that is about as real as one can imagine  ::) :-\  I would love to see pics of the sawed wood  ;D

  Are your pontoons 45 gallon drums welded together  ???  I like your rig,  looks good with the logs and rig over the trailer  :)
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

Cypressstump

Quote from: Magicman on August 22, 2012, 08:31:49 AM
With your new hoses, maybe you will have a good day Friday.  Be safe.   :)


Thanks Bud ! 
My dive shop repair guy fixed me up with new hoses and a couple more doodads. He has a used Hookah compressor system I will be picking up from him, once he has it recertified. The Hookah is a gas powered motor which powers a Oil Free Air compressor specifically for diving. I have been wanting one, but new they are too expensive, Used ones hardly ever come up for sale. This unit will supply a single diver up to 100 feet. The advantage of this over a typical tank air supply is, in black water such as what I deal with , there is a zero or even minus visability in the murk. Sunlight only penatrates down 5-6 feet after that there's a black layer with lots of murky silt.The murk keeps you from being able to see your tank air pressure gauge while down. Therefore I need to time my dive dependant on tank volume, using the person above surface for signaling. 5 gentle taps on one of the steel drums sounds like bombs hitting down below, time to surface.... On a full tank 4000 psi at 60 cubic feet volume, there are less issues. When the volume starts getting depleted, timing becomes more critical. When a hose breaks on low volume bad things come to mind... >:(

The hookah offers unlimited dive time. But it also has drawbacks, tangled hose,compressor drawing in exhaust fumes,, theres always compromises.
Thats why theres a prayer said prior to each trip, smiley_thumbsup one for a safe time  and another to help keep the mud monsters away... ;D

Those are 55 gallon drums stich welded end to end, not filled with foam.The drums don't last too long in this corrosive water. They can be replaced kinda easily of needed.
Stump

Timberking 1220 25hp w/extensions -hard mounted
Case 586E 6k forklift
2001 F350 4X4,Arctic Cat 500 4 wheeler wagon hauler
Makita 6401 34",4800 Echo 20"er, and a professional 18" Poulan PRO , gotta be a 'pro' cuz it says so rite there on tha' saw..

Den Socling

How does the sinker cypress dry? Is it difficult? I have some 12/4 coming this week and I'm wondering if it will give me any trouble.

clww

Looks like a bunch of work, but that milled lumber should be worth it.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

Fla._Deadheader


Have you run into sunken trees with the limb snags ??

My Son got tangled up with 11 trotline-crabtrap fish trap lines, all snagged up in a treetop. He kept his senses and had to cut all 11 lines, some more than once.

I had dive gear about nearly strapped on when he bobbed up to the surface.

We talked about a Hookah several times, but, concluded, we would just fill our tanks and be safer.

Den, we never had any trouble with drying Sunken lumber. We put some up in the attic and dried it in a month to 7%. Dried straight and flat.

All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Cypressstump

Yes,  ;D    Have had my share of 'surprises' that coulda been bad. I've had trot line encounters, hooks in both wetsuit and skin, a tree top was what broke my air hose connection at the regulator when my pressure gauge pod got snagged on this trip. The hoopnets are not too bad as the webbing is usually not large enough to get tangled in. But the worst by far was some abandoned gill netting that snagged on my tanks regulator, had to remove the tank , sit on the bottom and cut off the old webbing. I don't like that none too much !

My worst fears are the gill nets and dang big turtles.When you find a turtle,  it's with your unprotected hand, and you never know which end bites at first.Those encounters make for some big air bubbles ! ;D

How's your water down there in Florida Fla_Deadheader ?  Ya'll get some pretty good visibility from what I hear from friends there. The only place we get decent water to see in, is out in the larger lakes, like Lake Maurepas, IF the winds have not stirred up the mud too bad and if there has been not rain for 3-4 days.

Den, just like said, sinker cypress acts well when stickered and drying. I sticker mine 12-14 inches on anything less that 1 1/2" thick and it drys nicely. I do not yet have a kiln, but have a fairly airtight uninsulated shed I store my board in with box fans blowing. On some sinker 4/4 16" 18" wide, it has dried out really good in 5 weeks already. Do not have a working mositure meter yet, but it is lightened up a lot, enough so for interior paneling.

Currently with the wet pine I have stickered and the other cypress still drying out, each evening I open up the shed to air out. It's like a super muggy and hot sauna in there. I open the end doors and turn on 4.5 foot mondo fan at an entrance to blow the moisture out, then close it back up till the next evening.
Stump

Timberking 1220 25hp w/extensions -hard mounted
Case 586E 6k forklift
2001 F350 4X4,Arctic Cat 500 4 wheeler wagon hauler
Makita 6401 34",4800 Echo 20"er, and a professional 18" Poulan PRO , gotta be a 'pro' cuz it says so rite there on tha' saw..

Fla._Deadheader

 
QuoteYa'll get some pretty good visibility from what I hear from friends there.
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

You have some very uninformed friends, unless they live away from the swamps, where the silt and Tannins disperse some. I have photos in my gallery, showing a light illuminating the white sand bottom, at 6" away, 12" away, and 18" away. What we have is very dark "Tea" colored water. Sun sets at 6' most days.

We used a styrofoam ball float hooked to the divers tank strap. That way, even in fast current, I could tell where he was at any time.

We also made up a couple SS probes, with a nice tube cross handle, to probe the sand and silt and mud. We worked in tidal waters, even though we found most of our logs way upstream in a small river.

I have 2-3 stories in the Forum archives. One is "Lost My Diver", another is "A Day in the Swamp", another deals with a wreck we salvaged for cash money.  8)

Personal problems is why we are not doing the log recovery any longer, and why I moved to Costa Rica. We built an oversized woodmizer to saw the 36"+ logs as table slabs, and wide boards.
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Cypressstump

I'll check out your posts, good to have another sinker fetcher upper here !

I think the guys I know go the them spring feed rivers, Sauannee (spl ?) and around Tallahasse and Jacksonville areas.

The area pictured still has several logs accessable that are lightly covered, the silt is usually up to my knees, when I can stand/walk when less current from rain events makes itself available. I've used some green cane, 1" dia. cut to 4-5 feet long, with the top section cut to provide a long hollow cavity between joints in the cane. Inside the cavity I'd tie 20 feet or so depending on depth, nylon trotline string, push that string into the cavity and on the last part of the string tie a nice cut-to-size saltwater popping cork to stop up the end of the cane. Upon finding a log down deep in the mud, push that cane deep at the logs end and release the cork to float to the surface. That way I could find the log again by following the string back down with tongs in hand. Otherwise, beings absolute darkness, I'd never find that mudded up log again. That was when free swimming/walking the bottom.

Now days, I usually have a 20-25 foot long nylon rope, one end tethered to my BC vest, and other end to a carbineer which is snapped to the log tong/ winch line.  Get to the area, drop them 40 pound tongs to the bottom with a bit of slack. It acts as an anchor in slow water. The nylon rope has knots tied at 10 intervals. I hold all the rope and slack in one hand, I try and do circles around the 'anchor', use the cane stuck in the mud as a stop / start point. Once a full circle is made, nothing found, pick up cane, go out to the next knot 10 feet further out, circle again, again, again, again.
If I find a log, I can sit on it/stradle it, pull the tongs to me with the nylon rope attached to my BC. Hook up tongs, use hard end of dive knife to smack the tank to signal topside guy to ease up on the winch till the winch line gets snug, head top side and await yer log as it comes up.
People don't realize in that muck, without a system, you can be thinking your covering some good ground crawling around down there , but when you surface the guy top side says, " you been in the same exact area all this time !!"  :o  DanG ! ! ! :-\
Stump

Timberking 1220 25hp w/extensions -hard mounted
Case 586E 6k forklift
2001 F350 4X4,Arctic Cat 500 4 wheeler wagon hauler
Makita 6401 34",4800 Echo 20"er, and a professional 18" Poulan PRO , gotta be a 'pro' cuz it says so rite there on tha' saw..

Fla._Deadheader


Yea, I had a partner that could swim perfect circles for over an hour, and cover a 10' area.  :D :D

We welded up a grapple and drug it from the front of the boat, as we backed up. Hooked a decent log and before the diver could get a good GIG on the log, the tongs slipped off. He never could find that log, even as we swept the whole area for over 2 hours.

I ran the boat and my son did the diving, after the partner bailed out. With him in the water with the float, I could anticipate his moves, and, when he was ready to hook the tongs, I would ease up over him, with the tongs just skidding in the much and sand. He could hear them rattling as I got close. Once he got them hooked, he would yank the cable and I raised the log with the winch.

We hung chains on the front and rear beams and would wrap the chain around the log and let it cradle, as we went looking for more.

We also had the "Swamp Rat", a junker tri-hull we ran searching the small feeder creeks.

We even brought back logs tied on either side of it.

One day, Son was running it, and with 2 logs tied on, started to cross the main river. Storm had moved in and waves were kicking up big time, for a river. He nearly swamped up twice, but, got things under control as I was bailing like crazy with the bilge pump also running full tilt.  :D :D ;D ;D

We had lots of fun doing this type of logging-sawing.

Don't remember if I ever posted much about the "Guvner" of Palatka taking us on wild excursions. He knew the river like his back yard. Did some crazy stuff, also.  :D :D :D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

shelbycharger400


Fla._Deadheader


From whom ??  Most of mine are in my gallery.  ;D  This is Cypressstump's thread.  ;D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Fla._Deadheader


Been cruisin through the swamp and found this little story I wrote.

LINK

Cypresstump, if this is not wanted in your thread, just say so and it can be removed.
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)


Roxie

I read about that a few days ago on the BBC in the science section.  Isn't that amazing!?   :o
Say when

Ron Scott

~Ron

Magicman

Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

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