Tree Machine ... Jim Clark, inventor and ahead of his time

jim1nz

Hey TM, what device currently in, or that has been in production closest resembles the device you are going to make/thinking of making? Why not try and contact them, may be they would have valuable EXPERT input...

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SPEED ALWAYS FOLLOWS TECHNIQUE

Tree Machine

It's a conglomeration of the ideal features off of several simple pieces creating a friction controller utilizing both rope-on-rope and rope-on-metal friction, simultaneously in order to control friction with high precision and total control.


That's why it's hard to contact a manufacturer. I say we devise the thing, then invite in valuable expert input. For now, I think Dr. Storrick should be encouraged to enter in and BE the expert input.

I have an e-mail into him.


Calling Dr Gary, all 7 of the guys who have a more or less genuine interest in climbing on devices are beating down the gates. There's going to be a riot in here,


Back,


Back you savages......



Calling Dr. Storrick, click, click, come in, click, click.

Tree Machine

Hey jimNZ,

If I have to, I'll send him caving photos of New Zealand as my wife and I toured both your north and south islands. We spent two months and we brought our lights, helmets and camping gear. Our mission was to do as much caving as we possibly could, and of course, see New Zealand.

I have some juicy photos of Karst formations and caves and springs. I know for a fact he is a caver.

jim1nz

Oh nice one TM great to hear you have experienced Aotearoa, The land of the long white cloud, for you own eyes. I wish i new you then, tourists never get to see the really good stuff only locals know about. Still im sure you would have had a great time and experienced heaps

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SPEED ALWAYS FOLLOWS TECHNIQUE

George Hayduke

While we're waiting, I'm not holding my breath, for Storrick to arrive, start the discussion. You're beating around the stump. I'm beginning to think that you are never going to start the discussion. Again, go back to what has been gained by the guy starting the talk about peanut butter and sawblades. How much different things would be if that casual sharing of knowledge would have been.

It seems like Thompson of Unicender fame should be brought into the discussion. It looks like he's already come up with a tool that has credibility.

Tree Machine

Yea, but the unicender, a good device, is an entirely different animal. It would deserve it's own thread. There should be no comparing of the two. A new piece needs to stand on its own merit.

Now, if we all do this together, do a collective summative calling I really think Dr. Storrick would like to be in on this. After the hundreds and hundreds of hours he's devoted to sourcing out every available descent device on planet earth, to be in on the collaborative creating of a piece that has not even been created, nor sits in his collection yet is conglomerated from part sof the pieces that ARE in his collection, man, I just see him being offended by not being invited and included. Storrick has a place here, he is like a Poobah, y'know, the illustrious magistrate of mechanical pieces.


I'll drop another e-mail.....

Dr Storrick, click, click, the gang is beginning to think I'm full of crap. I'm treading water here, the time has come to spill da beans. Come in Dr. Gary,

Click, click......

Eric Frei

He has joined Jim, and is the 200th member of Tree World.

So now it's time to spill the beans and start thinking.

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gdstorrick

Hi George, don't underestimate the TreeGuy's ability to write an irresistible invitation.

Tho everyone: I collect certain SRT equipment and use my web site to share my evaluations and one-sided ego-maniacal opinions with the world. As you know if you've studied my site, I'm a caver first and climber second, and not an arborist at all. Our needs are not the same (in fact, caver and climber needs are almost entirely different, contrary to what outsiders my think). If my site has helped arborists, (1) great, and (2) I'm amazed, since I don't know the first thing about tree work.

That said, I think I know a little bit about equipment, having tried more than one or two (perhaps 990), and I'd be glad to share my ideas and experiences with people. If we come up with a new idea, I'll probably build a prototype in my garage and test it.

----> Gary

George Hayduke

So...now Gary knows about the discussion. Good to have your ear Gary. I've learned a lot after reading all of your site. Yes...all of the descripitions of the tools.

Now there is no reason that Jim can hold back. Since you've spent so much time thinking about this tool share what you have and let the rest of the design team help modify it. I'd bet that someone here is handy with a CAD program and might even be able to conjure up a working model to look at.

Write out the problems that you think need solutions and then share the solutions that you've figured out.

Tree Machine

Just hold on a minute.

I think its prudent to ascertain that this IS the true Dr Gary Storrick.


I would like to ask THREE security questions from angles that if you are not Dr Storrick, you will ineveitably miss at least two of the three.

First Question; You have your doctorate, yes? What is the title of your Doctoral Dissertation?


Second question; Where is the National Speleological Association annual convention being held this 2007 year?

and Third question; I went caving last weekend, it was my first time dropping one of these. What did I drop, Dr Gary?

The correct three answers will authenticate you. Miss one, and we out you as a troll.

George Hayduke

TM...you're dodging my questions...

How much bigger audience do you need?

gdstorrick

This is for humor's sake, I'm sure. You see, I don't know if I am really me - but this lady who claims to be my mother assures me that I am.

Anyone can find the title of my Dissertation on my web site. I had to look it up myself: THERMOREMANENT BEHAVIOR OF SMALL MULTIDOMAIN SYNTHETIC MAGNETITES. In English, this means, "Gary need to get a life."

The 2007 National Speleological Society convention will be in Marengo Indiana. I'll be there with most of my collection on display.

Your answer to #3 is, "a pit." I've gotten lazy lately, the last pit I did had 240 feet of water in it. I was breathing trimix, not air.

Enough fun & games (until next time <grin>). Let us go design something for my collection (scratch that, I mean, for arborists to use.)

----> Gary

PS: You reversed the order of the second and third questions.

George Hayduke

Is it speleo-speak to say 'I dropped a pit' to mean in the outside world 'I dropped into a pit' ? In outside-speak I would have expected to hear that TM dropped a piece of gear or something.

I'm still not convinced that this is really GS. Over many years I've emailed him a few times. This delivery doesn't ring true to me...call my skeptical.

Tree Machine

Mates, he got all three questions correct, and corrected NSA to NSS.
He's the real deal.

My Arborist friends of the World,

Dr Gary Storrick



We're not worthy!

/

Tree Machine

Wow, Dr Gary. Thank you for coming in. I'm not sure what to say.... except to reply to you.Did I hear that right? You're asking US to design a piece of gear that doesn't exist, so we can add it to your collection.

My goodness. This is like, friction nirvana.

I can't help but feel we are edge of something significant, like get Hayduke from breathin down my neck.

Just Joking.


Hayduke, I gotta acknowledge you for calling me out on this. Nobody's ever shown such an interest. You're the fourth in 5 years of anyone who's even asked me (Mike Maas, TreeCo, Ekka and you), but YOU, George Hayduke, have been persistent. You've outted me as one of the few professional tree climbers who doesn't use friction hitches, and you wanna know how I do it.

Thank you for asking.

I say let's get on with it. Since this is a concept device we plan to design and build for Dr. Storrick's collection, we should call the thread Dr. Storrick's New Tree Device. Who's gonna start it?

Tree Machine

So you are a geek? We like geeks, even though we're more like Jocks.
Yes', I dropped my first pit. I've been in hundreds of caves, but always with Elizabeth; she doesn't do vertical, even though I've got her her own custom vertical rig, a modified frog.

This has been a running joke over the years with my fellow grotto members. I've done thousands upon thousands of ascents on rope, but never one in a cave. Elizabeth was doing stuff for her volunteer activites for the upcoming NSS convention. That left me to go on a trip without her, so I picked the first pit trip and have now formally crossed that threshold.

I tell you this, Dr Storrick, because you know, as a caver, your first pit is like your first love; you never forget it.


Did I hear you right? You will BE at convention? With your collection on display? Whaa, huh???

My head is spinning. I must go breath deep, please excuse me.

Tree Machine

....I'm coming around......

Tree Machine

not yet...

Tree Machine

Are you SURE you said you would be going to the NSS Convention in Marengo, Indiana? Man, I was just there in Marengo three days ago, that's where I dropped this pit. It was called the King Leo Pit, after the pit was nearly four hours of classic wild cave of southern Indiana, a very challenging one, Elizabeth would have hated it. Anyway, I may be leading this trip at NSS, it's part of the reason I was down caving last weekend was in part a logistics weekend with all the NSS planners.

Also I went to inspect the tree recovery from really bad storm that hit there three years ago.


And you'll be there this Summer?????





Cool!

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Eric Frei

New thread for inventing devices here

Dr Storricks new tree devices

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gdstorrick

OK, let's get real now. I'm just a dude that likes to hang around on rope and do a few other things. Call me Gary.

----> Gary

.... and no need to bow, all I did was spend my money on gear....

CU all in the new thread...

gdstorrick

Of course, my 30th consecutive one without a miss.... anI will have my vertical collection there - check out the convention web site for details.

----> Gary

PS: Wouldn't mind some help setting up on Sunday....

Tree Machine

You've been to 30 annual conventions??? That speaks loudly and spells out your dedication to Speleology.

Your collection, though, comes from ALL CLIMBING DISCIPLINES known to man.

Your collection is undoubtedly the most complete and comprehensive anywhere on the planet.


And you're working on a new piece for tree work. Coooool.




Here's the NSS Convention link.

Tree Machine

Hey, look..... they're having a rope climbing contest. I might do OK in that one. Here's the link.


I'm gonna look into the world records they have listed, and see how many I can smash. I've got 73 days from right now to train.

Tree Machine

I'm not meaning to be overconfident or anything, but, I mean, I climb every day, usually all day long, up and down rope. It's what I get paid to do and I get 40 or 50 hours a week in the field so I really have a natural advantage, as would any tree climber. I just need to follow their rules, and I'm not such a great rule follower in general so we'll just cross that intersection when we get to it.

Anyway, I'd be glad to help you, Gary, as my 'job' at convention is really as a floater, doing whatever whenever with whomever to make things go smoothly. And be ready around the clock for emergency and rescue.

By helping you, I will be doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Eric Frei

120m rope climb, that's huge!

Go on TM, ave a go ya mug.

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Sean Freeman

Whoa 120m well footlocking is out then!

Tree Machine

Actually, 120 Metre footlocking is in, if they'll let me. No one's ever broken the four-minute mark.




Heh, heh, heh.

Eric Frei

Man, that's near on the largest tree in the worlds height, in 4 mins ... ya dreaming mate, it's Tree Machine not Dream Machine!

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Tree Machine

Dream large.

How they do it is run a rope through a pulley from above, and hang you on the rope. As you 'ascend', your belay man belays out rope at a rate to keep you more or less stationary. It's not like a 120 metre free hang ascent up to the top of a sequoia. It's not as difficult as actually going fully against gravity in 1:1 SRT.

Still, 4 minutes is a challenge. I used to be a wrestler, sorta used to 6 minutes, all-out format. I really think I should give it a shot

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