Guess who? : Includes discussion about bobsleds

[near horse]

I was looking for some bobsled drawings in my old SFJ’s and in the 1995 W issue (which does have some drawings), I flipped it open and lo and behold, there’s Mitchmaine gathering sap – pictures with Penny and two sons. NICE.

Crazy small world eh.

[jen judkins]

getting smaller everyday….with you westerners coming east:D

[Carl Russell]

Who did the drawings of the bobsled?

Carl

[near horse]

@Carl Russell 22355 wrote:

Who did the drawings of the bobsled?

Carl

Hey Carl,

It says they’re from Pulpwood Hauling with Horses and Sleigh copyright 1943. Two separate drawings w/ an elevation and top view for each.

Jen – we’re coming!:eek:

[jac]

Yea an the brits are movin in from here too:p……
John

[Marshall]

And the pictures are where?

[Scott G]

Hey Geoff,

Can you scan those drawings and post them? The copyright would have expired by now I would think.?? I got some pictures of Carl’s rig when I was back there but more detail is always nice.

Sincerely,
Member of the Western Invasion

[near horse]

I can try and scan the drawings – remember SFJ has pages like 2 ft x 3 ft:eek: I don’t recall if our scanner works or not – I’ll give Kinko’s a shot otherwise.

For those with old SFJ issues – the drawings are in the Winter 1995 issue back around page 60 or 70 (past the story on mitchmaine).

[mitchmaine]

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My understanding was that bobsleds were like lobsterboats. Unique to their locale. A bunch of blacksmiths all making sleds on their own patterns designed to fit the country where they came from. I have a bunch of sleds and irons that are kinda the same but all different. I’ve rebuilt some but always backwards. Filling in the wood to fit the irons, instead of wrapping new iron around patterns I made. These sleds here are different in their bunk irons. Heavy cast iron rockers that let each runner run independent of the other. Take a good look at the irons and if you see them in a junk pile somewhere and wonder what they are, grab them. My pole and rolls are rotted through along with the racks which never last long so that’s my winter project.

mitch

[Carl Russell]

Here are a few images from an article I wrote in SFJ back in the 90’s.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Carl Russell 22395 wrote:

Here are a few images from an article I wrote in SFJ back in the 90’s.

Thanks, Carl. I look forward to reading that. And great pics, Mitch.

[near horse]

Here’s what I got when I tried to scan the images from SFJ.

[Scott G]

Awesome guys, thanks!

I still haven’t sorted through the pics I took on Sunday at LIF. When I get a chance in the next week or so I’ll post some of the best on here.

Awesome day cuttin’ (choppin’:D), ground frozen hard, just the right amount of snow, and a day that just felt right…

FYI, John P.’s video is now online

http://www.plowdenhorselogging.com/2010/11/video.html

[near horse]

@mitchmaine 22393My understanding was that bobsleds were like lobsterboats. Unique to their locale. A bunch of blacksmiths all making sleds on their own patterns designed to fit the country where they came from. I have a bunch of sleds and irons that are kinda the same but all different. I’ve rebuilt some but always backwards. mitch[/QUOTE wrote:

I’ve been wondering about different styles of bobsled for different uses. Some of those logging rigs are beasts! (like Carl’s and maybe even those you’ve got Mitch). Really heavy duty (and heavy) to take some serious abuse. Others, like this one I’m going up to look at (below), aren’t as stout. Also, some use chain(s) btwn front and back bobs while others have a sort of tongue. I’ve only recently become hooked on bobsleds so don’t know diddily!

What are your experiences? Just local variations, different needs or both?

[mitchmaine]

Hey geoff, your sled looks like what they would have called a pung up here. Light sleds for a horse or two with the second tongue between sleds. Bob sleds might have been bigger but had the cross chains like you said. They crossed or made an x between the two sets of sleds and if you turned right the rear sled turned left and you made a tighter turn. Oddly, the bigger sleds pulled easier sometimes probably due to runner length and width. Plain runners had steel shoes the same width as the runners, half moccasin were 4” wood with the same shoe and full moccasin was 6” runners with two inch steel and the wood was beveled back. They floated and turned really well. Don’t know where the name came from. Twenty years ago you could still find piles of old runners and irons rotting away in old grown up logging camps. Harder to find now steel prices went up so.
What I meant about the lobsterboats was you could tell where a boat came from by its shape and size (novies and jonesporters, etc). boats offshore were deep and beamy and more stable than the bay boats that were light and fast, but all had there purpose as long as you stayed put. Same with sleds, each blacksmith had his own patterns. Anyway, I’m ramblin’, must be late. Good luck with your sleds. We found a mountain of old Lombard log hauler sleds once in a gravel pit up in rangely. Huge sleds pulled by a steam tractor. With ten and twelve foot runners and six foot bunks. Meant to haul eight cords to a set of sleds with dozens of sleds hooked end to end like a train on frozen roads. Ever feel like you was born too late? mitch

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