To start this week, I finally got my second video done. However, unlike my other video, I used CapCut on my phone rather than DaVinci Resolve on my computer. I felt that this was easier because it bypasses having to upload all of the clips to my computer before being able to edit the video. It also is user-friendly for being on an phone and allows me to put together the videos at school during genius hour time on Wednesday. The next thing I was able to get done this week was cut a log. The first thing my dad and I did was file the chainsaw as well as gas & oil them. Next, we headed over to where the logs were, and when we got there, my dad positioned a log to where I could cut it. After that, I measured the log to see if it was long enough to go to the sawmill for money, but it was not. I then cranked up the chainsaw, and my dad helped pick where I should cut the log. After that, I started cutting until it was time for my dad to flip over the log so I could cut again. However, on the second cut I did, it was at a different spot which made the process longer than it should have. But after flipping the long once more after the second cut, I was able to finish cutting the log. Next week, I hope to be able to complete editing more of my videos and hopefully finish doing so. I also want to work on trimming a limb when it is on the ground. Because when a limb is on the ground that is too heavy to drag, it is best to cut it up so you can move it out of the way. I am also hoping on good weather for the upcoming weeks as I close in on wrapping up this project.
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I have now made it to week 8, but this week did not go as I planned. At first, I wanted to practice/learn skills with the chainsaw. This, unfortunately, did not happen because my parents went out of town this weekend, leaving me with no one to help me with the chainsaw. Even though my plans did not work out, my brother came over on the weekend, and I helped him replace a part on the dump truck. To start, we grabbed a 5/8 wrench and a 15/16 wrench. The 5/8 wrench was used to take off the old part, and the 15/16 wrench was to put on the new part or sensor. After that, we opened the hood and climbed up to where we could reach the sensor. Using the 5/8 wrench, I loosened the part until I was able to take it fully off. Then, we prepped the area for the new sensor by using a rag to wipe the surface clean. My brother then gave me the new part, and I was able to screw it in with no problems. My brother then did what was necessary to connect the sensor, so it was able to work, and we were finished. Finally, we closed the hood and then realized the front left tire was low. After realizing the tire was low, my brother decided he needed to test drive the dump truck to see if the part fixed the problem. So, I rode with him up to the truck stop, where he filled up all the tires on the dump truck just in case. After arriving back at the house, we checked under the hood to see if there was still leaking where it leaked before we installed the new sensor. And there was no leaking, meaning we successfully fixed the dump truck.
I have now made it to week 7 of genius hour, a little past the halfway mark, and feel I have accomplished everything I have set out to do including this week. However, this week has had me stressed with lots of tests and quizzes throughout the week to get ready for spring break. While fighting through a tough schedule this week, I chose that it would be best to learn how to load a good-sized log into an approximately 10-12 foot tall dump truck. So to accomplish this, I went with my dad to work where he needed to get logs for his trailer to lay boards. When we arrived my brother cut up the necessary log into a 6-foot log. Once that was done, I climbed in the skid-steer and grabbed a hold of the log. This took me a couple of tries because the first time I tried to grapple it, it slipped out and fell to the ground. The second time I was able to position the log securely into the grapple. I then backed up, and aligned the skid-steer parallel to the dump truck. Finally, I raised the boom on the skid-steer and crept up to the dump truck until I felt it was safest to drop the log into the dump truck. After dropping the log, I backed up slowly and then proceeded to park the skid-steer. I felt that I did a good enough job to be able to move on from the skid-steer and focus on learning something else. So for the next week of genius hour, I plan on possibly cutting logs with a chainsaw or just continuing to practice with the chainsaw. But for now, I am comfortable where I am in this project to head into spring break unstressed. Edited 10:20 AM 4/20/22
For this week, my dad taught me how to load logs into a dump trailer with a skid-steer. First, my dad demonstrated it to me so I could learn. Next, I got in the skid-steer, and he showed me the control to work the grapple. After that, I tried by myself while my dad watched for any mistakes. First, I slowly approached the log and made sure to get a tight grip on it with the grapple. Then, I steadily raised the arm of the skid-steer and maneuvered my way in line with the dump trailer. While I slowly approached the trailer, I rose the arm high enough to clear the side of it. When I reached the trailer, I used the hydraulics to position the log above it and dropped it in. After doing it once, I decided to get some practice at it and load the rest of the logs. It went well, and I did not require much help from my dad as he continued watching for me in case of an emergency. This week helped me practice being smooth with controlling the skid-steer and helped me prepare myself for next week. This is when I will be loading logs into a bed of a dump truck which is much higher than the dump trailer. With the dump truck bed being taller, you have to be way more careful because if the log weighs too much, it will cause the skid-steer to tip over. This is why my dad wanted me to start with loading into the dump trailer first. Finally, this week I thought about how I wanted my final week to go to show fully show the progress of this project. After thinking, I decided after cutting down the big poplar tree to show I can run a tree business and cut it all up and move it with the skid steer to dispose of it.
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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 |