Report No 16 - Hand Lifting Tongs
Two files containing about 65 Head Quarters Mechanical Development Committee Reports from 1950 to 1958 were saved from destruction by Jim Christie former Forestry Commission HQ, Plant Engineer. Jim, from Crook of Devon, has kindly made the reports available for scanning and entry onto this website. Please open the PDF to see this full report.
Report No 16 details some work with two types of timber handling tongs which had been imported from Sweden where they were universally used. These self same tongs really came into their own when the short wood system was developed and extensively worked whereby trees were converted into products in the wood before being extracted. Products, particularly the smaller sized items, had to stacked by hand in small heaps for uplift by cable crane or forwarder and the timber tongs were used extensively in the 1960s , 70s and 80s through until the advent of timber harvesters.
The hand written note by Director Scotland asking Mr Denistown? to chase up those forests that have tongs and get an unbiased report! Additional note from a Mr Hendry saying that one pair of spring loaded tongs had been ordered for Speymouth Forest.
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Groups: Forestry Mechanical Engineering Reports , Tools, equipment and clothing