At the start of this week, I decided I wanted more of a plan set in stone to be more organized. So, I decided that in weeks 6 & 7, I will work on running the skid-steer. Then, from week 8-11, I will focus on working with the chainsaw. Finally, on the last week, week 12, I will hopefully be cutting down a large tree if I have the opportunity. As the week progressed, I was not focused on Genius Hour and was busy doing other school work and goofing off. Then my dad asked me if I wanted to work with him on Saturday, and I said yes. So on Saturday, we went out to the job, and the first thing we did was walk around the property to see what needed to be done. Next, we unloaded the tractor off the trailer, and my dad started bush hogging the property. As he was working, I got out the small chainsaw and filled it up with gas and oil, preparing it to cut. The next thing I did was I cut down small trees with a diameter of around 4-5 inches. At first, I was nervous, so I started with the smallest trees out of the ones I was supposed to cut. After getting all of the smaller trees down, I went on the slightly bigger ones, and that went well. I then pieced them up and stacked them in a pile. After that, my dad worked with me and taught me how to raise the canopy of a tree, and worked me through cutting the trees around head height. When I raised the canopy my arms started to get tired, and I started using my body to hold the chainsaw up. This week helped me get familiar with the chainsaw and helped me realize how much hard work goes into running a chainsaw. Edited 7:19 PM 4/3/2022
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At first this week, I planned to work on cutting bigger limbs, but that didn't work out. I then changed my plans and worked on something I am more familiar with, the skid-steer. I have used a skid-steer before but just driving it around. I also know how to work the boom, the thing that allows the bucket to go up and down and tilt the bucket. So, this week I practiced the skills while also expanding on them some. The first thing I did was detach the attachments it had on which was the grapple. I needed help unhooking the hydraulic hoses to the grapple, so one of my dad's workers did it for me. It is one of those things you have to do with finesse and experience, which I do not have. Then I attached the smooth bucket. It was easy because the skid-steer has automatic unlocking and locking attachments. Then I drove it around and got my feelings for the controls back. After getting my feeling for the controls back, I used my skills to spread a little bit of gravel. It was difficult to control the bucket just right to spread the gravel well and even. But after spreading a little bit of gravel, I continued to show my skills and loaded the skid-steer on the tilt-trailer. To do this, I backed it up and then made sure I was even with the trailer and slowly backed the skid-steer on the trailer. I used this week to refresh and get myself more familiar with the skid-steer. Next week, I plan to either work on cutting with a chainsaw or using the skid-steer in more complex ways. It will all depend on how my schedule and my dad's schedules correlate because they will be difficult things that warrant more help.
This week I didn't have much time to learn new things, and my dad was busy with work, so I created the video for week 2. I don't have much experience with video editing, besides when I did my group's AP world project video early this year. First, I uploaded the clips from what I learned in week 2 to my google drive. Next, I had to convert the MOV file, a standard file for a video taking off an iPhone, to an mp4 so the video would work in the video editing software. I then, on my home computer put the clips together in the software DaVinci Resolve. Some of the minor editing I did was lower the noise of the chainsaw and add titles. To do this, I broke up the video to make the parts where the chainsaw was running separately. I then right-clicked one of the separate parts and normalized the audio to -8.2 dB. To add the titles, I added a generator, a solid color screen that helps break up the video, and then added a title, basically a text box, on top. I did this to help the viewer understand what was happening next. This video only took me about 45 minutes to make, but I procrastinated and waited till Sunday to do it. Next video, I want to get it out quickly and not a week later. Getting out quicker will help someone traversing my website that sees my blog will understand what is going on in them. This week I used as catch up and didn't get as much done as I would have liked. Next week, I plan to get more into cutting big limbs, and maybe if I get as far as I want, I will cut down a few small trees.
The first thing I did this week was work on cranking a chainsaw. Before I tried to crank the chainsaw my dad went over how to crank a chainsaw and walked me through it. The first thing he said to do was make sure the brake of the chainsaw is on. Next, he said to make sure the stop button is not on. Then you have to hold the chainsaw down and pull the crank, starting the chainsaw. After the chainsaw is running you want to rev it up so it remains running. My first attempt, the one in the photo, did not go well I could hold the chainsaw down, and it almost came back and hit me. My dad told me that there was an easier way, and that is to put the chainsaw on the ground and hold it with your foot. So, I proceeded to put it on the gravel and tried to crank it, but I still couldn't keep it stable. After not being able to crank it on the ground, I hopped on the trailer and cranked it after a few tries. The next thing I learned was how to cut small tree limbs because I am not yet ready for big limbs. My dad walked me through it and helped hold the limbs because they were light and liked to run away from me. To walk me through it he explained how that limbs under binds you have to cut up and when they are not you cut down. He also demonstrated by cutting the small limbs a few times. I did not struggle with cutting the limbs as much as I did with cranking the chainsaw. It went pretty well besides that the limbs kept moving when I was trying to cut them. My dad then held them down, and it was fine after that. After this week, I feel that I still need to work on my chainsaw skills and get more experience cutting.
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Evan GaleHello, my name is Evan Gale. I enjoy spending my free time playing video games and being around family. Archives |