Woodcutting Ideas + Pack frames

Have a new general feature to suggest, or think one should be tweaked? Share your ideas here.
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Dennis
Posts: 218
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:46 am

Woodcutting Ideas + Pack frames

Post by Dennis »

I recently heard the gripes of a woodsman on the COGG Chat about branches overcluttering when sitting there working for a long time in transporting the branches to storage/market and having them vanish and wanted to suggest more forms of branch specific storage to help in transporting masses of items.


Pack Frame
A traditional pack frame is often used for hauling game, lumber, and other things where a backpack is unfeasible. They can be more or less complex.
Link for photo: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fa/18/0f ... 1e9a36.jpg
A simple one's construction consists of:
pine planks
rope
flexible long branch/sapling

Pack frames are very versatile - When worn, for example, you can leverage the upper arch to support heavier, long items like wooden slabs so the weight of the item can be spread evenly among your arms and shoulders over a traditional shoulder carry.

Other woodcutting suggestions:
Naturally generated variable types of trees with unique features. A skilled woodsman should be able to survey an area and tell whether a tree is alive or dead, whether the branches are asymmetrical, how dried out it is, etc. Dried trees often have fewer branches as those have fallen off over time. A branch-less tree trunk is easier to process, though you may lose some logs to rot! Woodcutting is very time and energy intense and having opportunistic moments would make the tree felling adventure more interesting for our woodcutters. Asymmetrically grown trees might be unfeasible for a beginner woodcutter to fell, but a skilled woodcutter would be able to have the know-how to use the right techniques to fell it. Perhaps these trees have greater quantities of straight large branches! The ability to identify these opportunities scales with your woodcutting skill - different trees require different approaches to felling them, after all. Downed trees may be waterlogged and require time to dry before they can be used, requiring a drying rack or drying area. Warped boards can be made level or straightened through LABOR! Of course it'd be great if we could ADJECTIVE target these trees...

Examples:
Dried Large Branchless Pine Tree
Large Asymmetrical Birch Tree
Downed Large Pine Tree

Other transport alternative:
A cheaper faster to manufacture alternative to a handcart would be nice - a sled, for example. As a cheaper intermediary pulling transport object for beginning folk to learn the intergrated connectivity of the market! Of course a sled can hold things other than logs but a rope and sled definitely comes to mind when I think of bringing loads of logs around!
It could be something as simple as wooden planks, nails, and rope! And have greater energy cost to pull around.

More tools:
A hand planer for use in getting those straight boards. Arguably one of those most classic woodworking tools of all time!

New status for tools: Well sharpened tools should have a better bite on wood. A sharpening stone that applies a unique keen-ness to axes and hack tools for construction would be great.

I petition the return of the wood shaving byproduct of woodworking, please.
"Always remember that we are a community before anything else. Before being a 'game' or a 'world' we are a bunch of folk who get together to have fun."
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Zombilicious
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2019 3:51 pm
Location: Under her bed somewhere.

Re: Woodcutting Ideas + Pack frames

Post by Zombilicious »

This would be stellar. The Pack Frames idea would also help people who don't have a handcart who need to transport a large corpse from where they were hunting to where they want to butcher it, also, in case you feel you need to move it.
:verungnr_tentacles: :vodr_trident:
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Lexx416
Posts: 563
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 6:14 pm

Re: Woodcutting Ideas + Pack frames

Post by Lexx416 »

An ability that allows for coppicing and setting up copses of trees would be pretty handy as a way to create value for higher levels of woodcutting.

I also really dig the idea of sleds and pack frames; perhaps allowing the movement of those large items or larger bundles of items, at the cost of being a little less energy efficient than a handcart (since you're lacking wheels in those instances).
"You hear the Woses, the Wild Men of the Woods... Remnants of an older time they be, living few and secretly, wild and wary as beasts."
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Irylia
Posts: 274
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:20 pm

Re: Woodcutting Ideas + Pack frames

Post by Irylia »

I like the idea of pack frames and sleds. A similar type of item (strethcer/litter) was suggested in the bushcrafting suggestions thread a while back, along with a possible hand-held or back-worn folding bag that could hold bundles of branches. I do think that something like this belongs more with bushcrafting or construction though and not woodcutting, though I understand the intent is that it would help with those practicing woodcutting, not be made by them.

I really also like having naturally downed or other tree types be available. It would really help with making the world feel a bit more alive and then wildernessy folks could report any such trees they find. Definitely agree we could use more tools (loathe as I am to have to then maintain such tools).
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