Ax Men
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| Ax Men | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary, Reality show |
| Starring | Jay Browning Darrell Holthusen Melvin Lardy Mike Pihl |
| Narrated by | Thom Beers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 14 [1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Dolores Gavin Thom Beers |
| Producer(s) | Marc Marriott (series) Brian Knappmiller (story) |
| Location(s) | Northwest Oregon |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | History |
| Original run | 2008 – Present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Ax Men is an American television series on the History Channel that follows the work of several logging crews in the second-growth forests of Northwestern Oregon. The show highlights the dangers encountered by the loggers. Following in the footsteps of other shows from Original Productions, like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers, the series is considered part of a recent "real-men-in-danger" television programming trend.[2][3][4]
[edit] Cast
[edit] J.M. Browning Logging
J.M. Browning Logging is owned by Jay Browning, a 34-year veteran of the logging industry. His left hand was torn off in a logging accident, but he now wears a prosthesis that allows him to wield a chainsaw. Jay runs his company with a "hire the best in the business and use the best equipment" philosophy. His son Jesse is scheduled to take over the company one day.[5][6]
[edit] Stump-Branch Logging
Stump-Branch Logging is owned by Melvin Lardy and based in Buxton, Oregon. His crew is a fairly young one, using secondhand equipment and willing to take any job to make a living.[7][8]
[edit] Pihl Logging
Pihl Logging is owned by Mike Pihl. Comments by employee Dwayne Dethlefs are often featured in promotional spots for the show.[9]
[edit] Gustafson Logging
Gustafson Logging Company is a clearcut logging company based out of Astoria, Oregon. [10]
The company takes contracts to cut timber in Oregon's second growth forests. Gustafson Logging is currently owned by three brothers, Clay, Mark, and Wade Gustafson, sons of Duane Gustafson.[10] The company was started in 1974 by Duane Gustafson with only a chainsaw, some old wire, and some other assorted rigging.[10] Darrell Holthusen is the "side rod," or crew foreman.
[edit] Season 1 episodes
Season 1 consists of 14 episodes.
[edit] "Man vs. Mountain"
Original air date of March 10, 2008.
[edit] "Risk and Reward"
Original air date of March 17, 2008.
[edit] "Storm Season Strikes"
Original air date of March 23, 2008.
[edit] "The Big Hit"
Original air date of March 30, 2008.
[edit] "Market Meltdown"
Original air date of April 06, 2008.
[edit] "Reversal of Fortune"
Original air date of April 13, 2008.
[edit] "The Close Call"
Original air date of April 20, 2008.
[edit] "Loggers Under Fire"
Original air date of April 27, 2008.
[edit] "A Logger's Thanksgiving"
Original air date of May 4, 2008.
[edit] "Black Friday"
Original air date of May 11, 2008.
[edit] "Storm of the Century"
Original air date of May 18, 2008. Addresses December 2007 Pacific Northwest storms.
[edit] "The Toughest Season"
Original air date of May 25, 2008. A recap of key events in the previous 11 episodes.
[edit] "Picking Up the Pieces"
Original air date of June 1, 2008. Crumbling access roads and flooded homes leave all four companies reeling.
[edit] "The Final Haul"
Original air date of June 8, 2008. The crews race to get their last loads to the mills as the season winds down.
[edit] Selected logging terms
- Skyline--A cable strung high above a logging site, with a motorized carriage to which logs can be attached.
- Rigging--Securing logs to the skyline carriage, using cinching devices known as chokers.
- Landing--Area where logs are piled up to be loaded onto trucks. Usually at the uphill end of a sloping site.
- Yarder--A machine that moves logs up to the landing by reeling in the skyline carriage.
- Yoader--A yarder that is also equipped with clamps to move logs around as needed once they are on the landing. Eliminates the need for a separate piece of loading equipment (yoader = yarder + loader).
- Side rod--Foreman of a logging crew.
- Timber faller--A person whose primary job is to cut down trees.
- Hook tender--A person who supervises the movement of logs up to the landing.
- Topping--Cutting the top section off a standing tree. Often done when the tree itself is to be used an an anchor point for the skyline.
- Bucking--Cutting a fallen tree into logs of required lengths. May also refer to limbing (see below).
- Limbing--Cutting limbs off fallen trees. Both bucking and limbing may be done before or after the logs are brought to the landing.
- Turn--A group of logs being moved by the yarder/yoader.
- Feller buncher--A machine that can take hold of a standing tree, cut through it, and place it in a pile for later pickup. Most easily used when the site is on level ground.
- Grapple skidder--A machine that picks up piles of fallen trees and carries them to the landing. See above comment.
- Blowdown site---An area in which large amounts of timber have been damaged by storms or high winds. Some trees may have fallen completely over, while others may lean at dangerous angles due to being uprooted.
- Hangup--A dangerous situation in which a cut tree gets caught in a standing one and cannot fall to the ground.
- Jammer logging--A techinque in which the yarder/yoader swings cables and chokers at high speed, throwing them downhill toward the rigging crew. Both production and the risk of injury can be increased this way.
[edit] DVD Set
A DVD set of the series is scheduled to ship August 26, 2008. According to the AETV Store, it will include four DVDs and will feature 611+ minutes of footage, but will contain no closed captioning.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ Ax Men FutonCritic.com
- ^ Collins, Scott. - "Cable TV's turn to trend follower". - Los Angeles Times. - April 7,2008
- ^ Profita, Cassandra. - "'Ax Men' is cutting edge of reality TV". - Daily Astorian. - February 22, 2008
- ^ Tenpas, Jake. - "An ax to grind". - The Oregonian. - March 09, 2008
- ^ J.M. Browning Logging - Ax Men - History Channel
- ^ J. M. Browning Logging & Trucking Official Website
- ^ Stump-Branch Logging - Ax Men - History Channel
- ^ Stump-Branch Logging Official Website
- ^ Pihl Logging - Ax Men - History Channel
- ^ a b c Gustafson Logging Official Website
- ^ Ax Man - AETV Store
