The reality is that loggers get mad and will continue to get mad. Logging can be very stressful on a bad day. Loggers have been getting chewed out since logging started. It is a man's world, where you talk tough and work hard. Most of us loggers missed Amy Vanderbilt' s school of etiquette. Logging is a historical profession that is the very essence of what built America.
Literally, the wood was used and the hard-working attitudes built America. Do people think Lewis and Clark rented a condo at the beach. I am positive they cut down trees and made a log cabin with there hands. In the early s, Simon Benson , Portland's most famous logger and civic philanthropist, donated the 20 bronze water fountains Benson Bubblers.
He donated most of his logging fortune to numerous good causes. Back then a high climber was paid similar wages to what a doctor made. A logger was respected for his occupation. It may not be as romantic as olden-day logging with steam donkeys and wooden spar trees but people see the physical and emotional work that it takes to be a logger, once again.
We need shows like "Ax Men" to explain logging: how it is done, who does it and to light up the mysteries of logging. Environmentalists have shown it to be a dirty industry no one likes. I believe the silly overdramatized logging show now has millions of people all over the world interested in my profession. Watching a show about logging is a good thing. They want to see me mad over a mistake, happy over a good day.
They can now understand the sacrifices that loggers have made to be loggers. As for the idea of competition and load counts. So what kind of guys do this work? Gritty guys who enjoy running heavy machinery and smashing stuff. And now a word of warning to you guys out there: Before sitting down to watch these shows, you should be very, very secure in your manhood. If not, you just might start to hear your inner wimp squealing in agony.
The least you can do is perform a couple of pushups and maybe sprout some facial hair. On the other hand, what do I have to feel guilty about? When the History Channel decided to base a series around people cutting down trees, none of us could have imagined the colorful characters they'd introduce to the world.
The excitement doesn't end when the Ax Men cameras stop rolling, either. Here are just a few of the things the show's producers didn't catch on film.
Unfortunately for company owner James Frank Smith, this wasn't the end of his troubles. During the time Smith salvaged the timber in question, he was also collecting monthly checks and other medical benefits for two claims he filed with the Department of Labor and Industries, one from and another from According to a surgeon, Smith had complained of "Impairments" in his "shoulders, neck, back, or any other portions of the extremities"—in other words, things that would prevent him from cutting and moving large pieces of wood, as he was seen doing on television.
Logging is dangerous work, and some of Ax Men 's stars have, sadly, lost their lives on the job. For instance, helicopter logger Bart Colantuono, who loved to compete against himself at his job, died in While attempting to airlift some lumber in Oregon, Colantuono's copter crashed; according to witnesses, a rotor came off the chopper and flipped it upside down.
The incident prompted a lengthy investigation. As with any life-threatening job, logging tends to attract unusual personalities. In , Pihl got into an alcohol-induced fender bender and flipped his Jeep, injuring three children—all of whom were his kids.
The owner of the Pihl logging company always came across as somewhat gruff, but his personality mostly seemed to be the result of his blue-collar work and lifestyle. He never really seemed like a bad guy, and he even helped a former employee start his own company that later got featured on the show. What you might not know about Pihl is that he was arrested in for injuring his own children.
It seems that Pihl had a few drinks and decided to go on a drive with his kids. During that drive, he flipped his car into a ditch and was promptly booked for assault and drinking and driving. The DUI charges were reportedly dropped due to a technicality involving driving on personal property. This colorful crew was famous for firing guns into the water to find logs. If that was the case, the History Channel never really clarified the relationship. Around the time that Smith was battling charges related to illegal mining, separate charges were filed against the veteran logger related to his exploitation of disability claims.
Yes, it seems that Smith had applied for disability and medical benefits years ago before Ax Men began filming. However, he never dropped the claims even though he continued to work as a logger.
Remember that era when the History Channel was the place to go to watch history come alive? Still, it was a tremendous educational resource for many viewers.
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