Logging tape

[starmac]

I picked up a spencer 75 foot tape today at the saw shop.
I just looked them up on the net to see how much of an Alaska premium I paid (a big one) but all the adds I saw claimed they came with the famous baileys nail in them. Mine did not, Do some come with them and some not, or should I take mine back and switch it for another one. It is not a huge deal, but for the Ak premium I paid, I would like to have it, especially if it was suppose to have it.

[petefrom bearswamp]

I didnt get one with mine from Forestry Suppliers.
I took the hook from a worn out diameter tape and attached it.
works good.

[treeslayer2003]

I picked up a spencer 75 foot tape today at the saw shop.
I just looked them up on the net to see how much of an Alaska premium I paid (a big one) but all the adds I saw claimed they came with the famous baileys nail in them. Mine did not, Do some come with them and some not, or should I take mine back and switch it for another one. It is not a huge deal, but for the Ak premium I paid, I would like to have it, especially if it was suppose to have it.

i prefer the spencer nail, its easier to stick in hard wood.

[78NHTFY]

Starmac--I'd call Baileys and have them mail you one direct in an envelope.
I got one a year ago from Bailey's with the nail included.  However, within a month of using the tape, those itty-bitty screws holding it together started loosening, and one was lost (yeah, try finding one of those after they fall on the ground in the woods :D).  It may be made in America, but that's a major design flaw in my book.  So now I have to carry an itty-bitty screw driver to keep tightening those screws  >:(.  I guess they loosen just from bumping against my leg or the vibration from sawing?  So keep an eye on those screws...All the best, Rob.

[celliott]

Starmac--I'd call Baileys and have them mail you one direct in an envelope.
I got one a year ago from Bailey's with the nail included.  However, within a month of using the tape, those itty-bitty screws holding it together started loosening, and one was lost (yeah, try finding one of those after they fall on the ground in the woods :D).  It may be made in America, but that's a major design flaw in my book.  So now I have to carry an itty-bitty screw driver to keep tightening those screws  >:(.  I guess they loosen just from bumping against my leg or the vibration from sawing?  So keep an eye on those screws...All the best, Rob.

I kept a 75' one going for an entire summer\fall of cruising with my leatherman and duct tape- no joke.
Duct tape the end when it kept breaking, would splice the tape ends together and it would last awhile.

Not much fun taking one apart and reassembling in 20 degrees in November with no gloves on- but the leatherman could do it.


The baileys nail worked fine for me- you can try and find a horseshoe nail locally instead of waiting for one, should be able to make it work.

[starmac]

You guys sure know how to put a damper on my new toy. lol
I did not know there was such a thing as a spencer nail.
I did notice that baileys has the screws and tape ends for sale, now I see why. lol
I have noticed that the ones I have seen loggers use has tape on the ends.
Maybe it would be worth my while to remove and locktite the screws before I use it.
I am also wondering if a piece of heat shrink would work on the end better than tape or worse.
at any rate, sounds like I should order some screws along with the nail. lol

[treeslayer2003]

im thinkin you have the spencer nail. looks like a big stick pin with a large aluminum button head. give it a try, you may like it. after tightening the screws, mine has stayed together.

[starmac]

There was no nail at all with mine, but I just got back from a dump run which takes me right by the saw shop and they had the nails. So I picked up a couple of the ones made out of horseshoe nails.
The funny thing is baileys price is 99 cents, these were 75 cents.
The tape is 25 bucks more here (Ak premium), but I saved a quarter buying the nail locally. lol

[barbender]

Just use a little nail polish on the screws if you have any handy. It holds good enough for something like this, but breaks easy enough when you want to take it apart.

[redprospector]

A dime fits the little screws pretty good.
Having been a logger, I know how hard that is to come up with, but it's cheaper than a screwdriver, and easier to carry. :D

[starmac]

A dime fits the little screws pretty good.
Having been a logger, I know how hard that is to come up with, but it's cheaper than a screwdriver, and easier to carry. :D

I had to save my pennies to get the tape, now you are telling me to start saveing again. lol

[BradMarks]

The small little "give away" chainsaw idle screwdrivers work well on the screws. I would recommend reinforcement taping the last 6-10" of the filler itself to prevent breakage at that point. Always use a controlled retrieve of the tape, not free wheeling.  And paying $25 more than down here is your choice. Something of that nature would cost $6-$9 to ship Priority Mail from my location.

[treeslayer2003]

A dime fits the little screws pretty good.
Having been a logger, I know how hard that is to come up with, but it's cheaper than a screwdriver, and easier to carry. :D

:D :D :D

[grassfed]

Always use a controlled retrieve of the tape

I would second that and add always be very carefull when you are bucking logs in a pile; the end has a tendency to slip between logs while it is returning and then the end gets really jammed sideways.   Taking a moment to watch things while the tape returns will save you much frustration.

[mad murdock]

Always use a controlled retrieve of the tape

I would second that and add always be very carefull when you are bucking logs in a pile; the end has a tendency to slip between logs while it is returning and then the end gets really jammed sideways.   Taking a moment to watch things while the tape returns will save you much frustration.

X3. Most of the issues people have with the tape is from letting it whip back into itself at full speed. I have used a 50'er for years and have never broken the end.

[curdog]

Mine didn't come with a nail, but I saw a guy shoeing horses and got a few horseshoe nails from him and used pliars to bend it around the end. Still going strong after a few years.

[brendonv]

Ive been stiffening the end of my tapes with two layers of 3m hest shrink tubing. About 4". Works great.

[starmac]

The small little "give away" chainsaw idle screwdrivers work well on the screws. I would recommend reinforcement taping the last 6-10" of the filler itself to prevent breakage at that point. Always use a controlled retrieve of the tape, not free wheeling.  And paying $25 more than down here is your choice. Something of that nature would cost $6-$9 to ship Priority Mail from my location.

You are right ofcourse, but there are some benefits to buying local that a guy just can't get shipped up.
We only have 2 real saw shops left here, and the few bucks I could save by mail order comes back to me by way of excellant service, that I wouldn't have if they don't stay in business.

[luvmexfood]

A dime fits the little screws pretty good.
Having been a logger, I know how hard that is to come up with, but it's cheaper than a screwdriver, and easier to carry. :D

This reminds me of something I chuckled about the other morning. Was loading my pockets going out on the farm to cut. Putting some change in my pocket I though why am I taking change? Nearest store or vending machine is 5 miles away. Certainly no need for change back in the woods.

[g_man]

The end of my Spencer tape has two little rivets not screws. Nothing to come loose. The so called "famous" nail is just a soft, sometimes to soft, horse shoe nail bent around the end bail wire thingy. I've replaced the nail a couple times because they bend trying to stick them in frozen logs and finally break.

gg

[SwampDonkey]

When I lived and worked on the wet coast folks just used horse shoe nails as suggested.  ;D 8)

[Corley5]

I've got a Spencer Tape.  I thought it would be better than a stick.  After trying to use it one day I cut myself a fresh 100" stick, put a two foot mark on both ends and went back to the old way.  I was much happier  ;) ;D :D ;D  I did use the Spencer to measure the new stick  ;) ;D  I saw the Spencer the other day in the bottom drawer of the toolbox in the shop.  It's safe    I'd rather use a Stanley Fat Max than a Spencer  ;D ;D 

[wannaergo]

I used to use a spencer, but they liked to fall apart so we bit the bullet and bought a husqevarna tape for $60. It came with a folding hook on the end that works great. Never breaks.

[starmac]

One of the main loggers I haul for cuts his logs at 48 feet, a stick would be a little unhandy to carry around. lol
He also sells several loads of house logs a year that are costum orders, typically so many 34s, some 41s, up to 60 ft.
My other main customers logs vary from 35 on the short end to 50 ft on the long side.
What little I have done so far 20 ft and under, so anything works. I just use a standard 25 ft tape on the mill, but wanted a logging tape because I plan to buy long loads from the loggers I haul for this winter, and my thinking is it will be handier to decide how many and what length saw logs to cut out of a log.
Pretty much just something I wanted, as I already have tapes from 12 ft to 300 ft, just not as COOL as a log tape. lol

[SwampDonkey]

Ones we used came in handy as a backup for a broken DBH-Tape. Would need one big set of calipers to go across an 8 foot tree diameter. Also used to measure reference positions of a cruise point to a tree trunk. And used to measure slope distance when doing tree heights. We also used them on top of waste piles to get an idea of footprint and to measure wasted wood. But back east here in smaller wood, a stick was best for 4' pulp. Not much 4' these days, mostly tonnage and treelength or random. Speeds up the process for the producer since mills have drove prices down to compete with foreign wood. Cutting our own firewood we never measured a stick, 12-22" or so allowed you to just buck it up and no fiddling around with measuring. But commercial guys probably have other methods on those processors, unless some still use saw horses.  ;D On studwood or 100" pulp one could use some kind of light wood I suppose if your a manual cutter. And probably handier when you square up your turns and bucking before pushing the logs up the pile.