HUN Chapter 110: Building a House Starts with Cutting Raw Logs

Lin Yu'an looked at David and added, "Alaska's summer is very short. I must complete all the wood harvesting, transportation, and preliminary processing before summer ends."

"All things considered, I have roughly one hundred days of effective working time."

"One hundred and twenty trees means that, on average, I must complete the entire processing workflow for one to two trees each day, from searching, cutting, delimbing, sectioning, to transporting them back to camp."

"This is a very tight but executable plan."

Lin Yu'an closed his notebook and summarized, "It allows for no slacking, no weather problems, and no major equipment failures."

"David, Mike, are you ready for day one of the hundred-day plan!"

This clear yet brutal plan was instantly infused with urgency, and the logging work was officially on the agenda!

Lin Yu'an dragged out the orange hard case with the "STIHL" logo from the supply pile.

"Lin, is this the logging miracle tool you mentioned?"

David immediately followed, full of curiosity about this new tool that was about to make its debut.

"Exactly."

Lin Yu'an opened the case, revealing the brand-new, professional-grade chainsaw that looked powerfully built.

"Stihl MS 661, my main logging tool. 91cc displacement, 5.4 kilowatt power, equipped with a 28-inch guide bar, sufficient to handle most trees here."

"I chose it because of its reputation among professional loggers. It's powerful and extremely reliable, which is the most important quality in the wilderness."

He didn't start it immediately, but first took out a set of somewhat bulky equipment from another bag and began putting it on.

Orange, thick pants, a safety helmet with a metal mesh face guard and ear protection, and protective boots with steel toe plates.

"Before touching the chainsaw, you must first put these on."

He patted his thigh and explained to the camera, "These are cut-resistant pants with special fiber layers inside. Once the high-speed rotating chainsaw chain contacts them, the fibers will instantly wrap around the sprocket, forcing the chainsaw to stop within a fraction of a second."

"It can save your leg at critical moments. Remember, safety is always first, especially in wilderness areas far from hospitals. Any mistake could be fatal."

David listened with secret amazement. He had never imagined that logging work required such preparation.

"Lin, where do you know all this from? Have you worked as a logger before?"

"Not at all, but I've watched documentaries about Canadian loggers, which taught me a lot."

This answer left David somewhat helpless, but it seemed within reasonable bounds. A top mechanical engineering student learning skills from watching videos seemed quite normal.

With everything ready, Lin Yu'an poured the properly mixed gasoline and two-stroke oil into the fuel tank, then filled the chain lubrication system with specialized chain oil.

He checked the chain tension, then pulled hard on the starter cord.

"Vroom, vroom, vroom..."

The chainsaw instantly came to life, emitting a deep and powerful idle sound.

Lin Yu'an lightly tapped the throttle a few times, and the engine immediately burst into an ear-splitting roar, the sound carrying far through the quiet forest.

He didn't randomly pick a tree near the camp, but led David and Mike deeper into the forest.

"Today our target is to find a giant tree most suitable for core structural timber."

He walked while explaining to David, "We're looking for white spruce. Its wood is tougher than black spruce, with better load-bearing capacity."

Finally, he stopped in front of a massive white spruce.

This tree was at least thirty meters tall, with a base diameter approaching one meter, its trunk shooting straight toward the sky.

Lin Yu'an didn't immediately start work, but took out a professional forestry measuring tape and measured around the base of the trunk.

"Diameter at breast height is about 98 centimeters."

He reported the data, then stepped back a few paces and used a height gauge to aim at the treetop.

"Estimated tree height is about thirty-plus meters, straight trunk, few branches, healthy crown."

"Excellent! This is the one!"

Lin Yu'an caressed the rough bark, his eyes filled with reverence for nature, "This tree has been growing here for at least over a hundred years, maybe close to two hundred. Now it will continue to guard this land in another way."

Before starting work, he first carefully observed the surrounding terrain and finally determined the best direction for the tree to fall.

It was a relatively open area that would provide sufficient space for subsequent operations.

Then he used an axe to quickly clear away brush on the opposite side of the intended fall direction, exposing a three-to-four-meter-long "safety corridor."

"When logging, you always need a clear escape route," he seriously emphasized to Mike's camera.

He started the chainsaw and first cut a "V"-shaped guide notch about one-third the depth of the tree's diameter on the side of the intended fall direction.

Wood chips flew everywhere amid the chainsaw's roaring.

Then he went around to the other side of the tree and began the final back cut at a position slightly higher than the bottom of the guide notch.

As the chainsaw chain spun rapidly, the cutting depth gradually increased. When the back cut depth gradually approached the guide notch, the massive trunk emitted a series of tooth-aching "creaking" sounds, and the entire tree began to tremble slightly.

"It's going to fall! Back up!"

Lin Yu'an shouted in a low voice, quickly withdrawing the chainsaw and rapidly retreating along the safety corridor he had cleared.

Accompanied by a tremendous "crack" of breaking, this white spruce that had grown for over a hundred years fell precisely in the predetermined direction.

With a thunderous "boom," the entire ground trembled, stirring up clouds of snow.

David excitedly shouted, "Success! The first of 120 trees!"

After the giant tree fell, new problems immediately presented themselves.

Lin Yu'an walked forward and first used the chainsaw to skillfully remove the massive branches one by one. He operated very carefully, always keeping the trunk between himself and the chainsaw to prevent the chain from accidentally bouncing back and injuring him.

Soon, a bare, massive log trunk was revealed.

"This tree is of excellent quality. We can cut a twelve-meter main beam from it. The remaining parts can be cut into four-meter short pieces for use as walls."

Lin Yu'an took out a measuring tape and marked the trunk.

He started the chainsaw again and precisely cut the log.

Now before them were several massive logs, each incredibly heavy.

David looked at these big fellows and raised the most critical question.

"Lin, cutting them down is just the first step. How do we transport these things from the forest to the foundation site hundreds of meters away?"

"Your loader might not be able to operate in this complex forest terrain, and the three-wheeler can't drag such heavy things."

Lin Yu'an wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled confidently.

"You're right, heavy machinery isn't the best choice in this terrain, so we need a smarter approach."

He returned to the supply pile and from an inconspicuous engineering plastic container, took out an orange machine that looked like a motor but smaller and more compact, along with a large amount of steel cable, pulleys, and connectors called "shackles."

"What's this? Another miracle tool?"

David asked curiously. His camera sense immediately made him realize that a new highlight was coming.

"Portable gasoline winch."

Lin Yu'an placed this machine on the snow and introduced it, "Don't let its size fool you. Its maximum pulling force can reach one and a half tons."

"Used with pulley systems, the force can double! Enough to move any piece of wood in front of us."

He used special strapping to firmly secure the winch to a sturdy living tree in the distance.

Then he connected one end of the steel cable to the winch drum, while the other end was attached to the front of the longest twelve-meter log using a shackle called a "choker chain."

"In my country, many forestry workers use similar methods to transport wood out of the mountains when they don't have large logging machinery."

"Its core principle is using leverage, pulleys, and friction to accomplish the biggest task with the smallest cost."

Lin Yu'an selected several key large trees as turning points along the log's forward route and skillfully hung heavy pulleys on the trees.

"What are these pulleys for? Can't you just pull directly?"

David played the role of curious student. His job was to interact with Lin Yu'an and record more material, though ultimately his questions would be edited out, leaving only Lin Yu'an's educational explanations.

"No."

Lin Yu'an explained, "Direct pulling would easily cause the steel cable to get caught on trees or rocks."

"Through these pulleys, I can precisely change the direction of the pulling force, making the log move like a snake, avoiding all obstacles."

"Also, look."

He pointed to a pulley system he had just set up, "Using a movable pulley here can theoretically double my pulling force. Although it sacrifices half the speed, what we need most right now is pulling power!"

David and Mike watched Lin Yu'an skillfully arrange all this, completely captivated by this wisdom-filled operational method.

When all the steel cables and pulleys were in position, Lin Yu'an pulled the gasoline winch's starter cord, and the small engine emitted a "buzzing" roar.

He put on gloves, gripped the winch's clutch control lever, and faced the camera with a slight smile.

"Alright, everyone, let's see how this little guy moves this mountain of trees!"

With that, he gently engaged the clutch and started the winch.

The steel cable instantly became taut as a bowstring, emitting a low "hum."

The winch fixed to the distant large tree began exerting force, the engine speed slightly increasing, transmitting powerful torque.

Everyone's gaze focused on that twelve-meter main beam.

One second, two seconds...

The log remained motionless, but the steel cable was like a violin string about to snap, stretched to its limit.

David couldn't help asking, "Lin, can it work? This log is too heavy!"

"Don't worry."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a "creak," and the massive log section shifted slightly in the snow.

Once it started moving, subsequent dragging became smooth.

Lin Yu'an skillfully controlled the winch's cable retraction speed, and that massive main beam began moving forward at a slow pace, being dragged across the snow!

Soon, the first challenge appeared! The front end of the log was about to hit a massive rock blocking the way.

"It's going to hit!" David immediately shouted a warning.

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