Having worked on On-campus and Off-campus Bonfires for years, I have seen almost every aspect of the current-day project and tradition. I have seen some big mistakes and I have seen some brilliant ideas stem from Bonfires in the past that can be addressed in the Bonfires in the future. The lessons we learned last year (dealing with the mud, rain, etc.) and the year before (location, $$$, structure) and the year before (leadership, re-inventing Bonfire, etc.) need to be recorded for the future generations of Aggies who chose to build it.

I am volunteering to compile a book of how to build Bonfire. It will be a collection of training guides, pictures, how-to chapters, timelines, equipement...
... everything on how we currently build Bonfire, what works, and what hasn't worked in years past (as well as why).

The information within the book will not be 100% open to everyone involved. There is no need for a fish at stack to know (or care) how to work a chainsaw (unless he is getting trained by a brown).

I don't know everything there is to know about Bonfire, but all of us together do. What I am asking is for you to compile what you know about certain aspects of Bonfire in text on your computer and submit it. It can be about the working parts of a crew, how to carry a log, how to correctly drop a tree in the direction you want it to fall... anything. Be specific and detailed. You can include pictures. When someone has finished a segment, go to the studentbonfire.com forum and post it there.

If you want to support the safety and tradition of Bonfire during the down-season, this is a way to do it. I have already put together a fiew pieces on swinging and selecting an axe, and have gotten a promise by Will D (the engineer) that he will compile his stuff for the book.

Thanks in advance for your help and support.

Good idea.

I will write a passage on my specialty... How to deal with helium logs & ways to dispose of those pesky spray paint cans.

Seriously though, I like this idea.

[This message has been edited by Y02 (edited 3/10/2005 4:20p).]

Y,

You get to write a whole lot more than that. Start with "how to carry a log" and then work towards "how to load a truck."

I'll add the good-bull stories (paint cans, etc.) in the back for all to read and never repeat.

Thanks for your help. I look forward to everyone's imput and info.

Y02 - don't forget using rollers. That's the new hotness.

if you have any old red, brown, or centerpole contacts that will open their duct taped band of notepads to you, you will find plenty to write a book.

I'll think I'll leave the rollers up to Crocker, I've got enough homework.


CROCKER ROLLS! WHOOP!

opie, what format do you want this submitted in... word doc?

I would think some pics would be a good way to help explain what is being described.. maybe we could get some pics from the old days as well...

http://studentbonfire.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=13

Soon I will have the uploads function working so we can add pictures and whatnot to that forum.

Update 12:25 3-13-05: the forums' upload feature is only enabled in the Bonfire Book area and the Pots' private areas.

[This message has been edited by slim-jim (edited 3/13/2005 12:26p).]

You know I would figure that some people would finally recognize that Crocker is the most kic ass dorm ever and leave us alone. I guess they're just jealous.

Build The Hell Out'a Bonfire!

MSWord is what I have been using. I sent you an example and I hope it worked out.

As for Crocker, write down what you guys do that makes you so amazing. Make sure it is in Word format and submit it on the studentbonfire.com forum. Thanks.

Chapters 1 through 4 have been titled and worked on. Feel free to look at them and leave comments in the area that applies. These are NOT final drafts, but living documents that can and will be modified from time to time. If you feel anything should be edited or something should be added, author somehting. Write it up and submit it here or on the Student Bonfire forum.


[This message has been edited by opie03 (edited 3/15/2005 5:35p).]

If you get it finished at some point, you should publish it. I'd pay for something like that.

Go to http://studentbonfire.com/forums

and start helping out. You can post your glossary entries here on Texags and I will incorporate them as soon as possible. Any suggestions can be posted in the Glossary area and I will get to them. If you want to try your hand at authoring a section of the book, feel free. I still have to have someone write about 1st Aid, How to Sharpen Tools, Dealing with Problem trees (hung, left on stumps, down swings, etc), Carrying and Dealing with Brush, Other Equipment (pots, axe wedges, tape, files, etc.), The Orginization and Layout of a Cut Site, Leading a Crew on a Log, Timelines, Money....

... Just to name a few. Pick one that you know a little about and write. It is a lot easier for me to edit this stuff than author all of it.

Thanks in advance for your help. If you help out, I'll give you a copy for free.

[This message has been edited by opie03 (edited 3/24/2005 8:08a).]

I thought the book wasn't going to be available to everyone?

Well slap me and call me stupid. The Book site is locked for now while it is under construction. I'll post the glossary entries here and you can add on if you would like.

(EDIT: The latest version of the Glossary has been placed in a later post)



[This message has been edited by opie03 (edited 3/21/2005 11:17a).]

(HERE WAS THE SECTION ON AXES. PER REQUEST, IT HAS BEEN REMOVED PENDING APPROVAL AND FINAL EDITING. ANYONE WHO CARES TO MAKE A SUBMISSION TO THE BOOK MAY FEEL FREE TO DO SO VIA THE STUDENT BONFIRE FORUMS. ANY AUTHORING YOU DO MAY BE INCLUDED IN THE BOOK. PLEASE ADDRESS ANY ONE OF THE TOPICS I HAVE LISTED IN MY PREVIOUS POSTS)



[This message has been edited by opie03 (edited 3/24/2005 8:11a).]

opie, I read through the book and it's a good start. I have some comments, however...

Heaves: You need to mention that you only do one heave at a time. Last year everyone out there was doing 1-2 f-tu and immediately calling 3-4 f the corps. Complete waste of energy, especially on the larger logs. As you correctly state in your description, the heave is for repositioning the log. Too many times out there I saw 2 immediate heaves on heavy logs and the 2nd usually resulted in the crew actually losing position on the log. Of course, on smaller logs several heaves can be motivational and there's noting wrong with it, but when the crew can just barely get one heave up, there should not be a second.

Moving logs with f-sticks: you've got a great start there, but there's ALOT more to it. Not too long ago, on this forum there was a fairly complete description of the process. If you can start with that and then flesh it out more with those of us that have lots of experience doing it, you'll have something.

Machetes: You lay them on the ground or lean them against the tree. DO NOT STICK THEM INTO A STUMP WHERE THEY ARE HORIZONTAL TO THE GROUND. If a crew moving a log (or just someone randomly walking through the woods) walks near that stump, there is the pointy end of a machete just waiting to catch a leg. I lost count of how many times I removed a machete from a stump last year.

Y-sticks at stack: I'm sure you'll be adding a section entirely on stack. The usage of the sticks is completely different than what was being done out there last year. The way they are used now, someone is going to lose a finger. The whole process of slamming a log with or without sticks is much slower than the current process. This can be fleshed out better as well, but the basic process is:
Butt to stack,
clear the stumps,
1-2 half way up,
let the sticks get a bite,
reposition the "lifters",
1-2 half way,
reposition the sticks using an overlapping technique,
repositon the lifters, etc
until you get to a point where you can easily slam the log. It's a judgement call when you go from 1-2 half way to 3-4 slam the stack. It's also a judgement (usually by the Jr in charge) on whether the log requires sticks.

The current process of:
1-2 butt to stack,
3-4 slam the stack (while the sticks rush in and push the log hoping they miss a finger) allows too much room for error.

Hopefully we can get other old guys to review the book and offer input. I think it is a worthwhile cause, but it is going to take some effort. There seems to be a bit of a rift between the old guys and the new guys. The old guys have to be convinced that some of the things we used to do are gone and we have to accept that. However, the new guys need to be willing to listen and realize that just because we worked on the old fire doesn't mean everything we did was completely unsafe.

Scott Coker '92/'95

Just fyi, if you intend to publish something, be it on the web or for private use, you have to have permission to use other people's propery(ie: pictures). Also if anybody was to use the information to build a bonfire and something was to happen the author(s) could be held liable.

Build The Hell Out'a Bonfire!

Thanks, Scott. I'll work on that stuff. A link to the thread with the f-sticks and carrying a large log would be really nice. Any help from Staff would be greatly appreciated.

Cali: Thanks. I don't intend to "publish" it through any major binding process or publisher. The intent is to get all the Bonfire knowledge written down correctly and saved for future use. A 3-ring binder and some plastic sleeves holding print-outs will probably be the most official publishing I will do. The key is to get it written down.

As for the pictures, most of them are from the Bonfire site. The other ones are just holding the place of pictures that we will get or draw and insert. The book will include a works cited page for anything that is ir-replaceable.

The book is never going to be "official" and "sanctioned by SB." It is only ment to be an aid to build Bonfire and continue tradition. With your logic, you could hold the authors of "the Anarchists Cookbook" liable for the Oklahoma City Bombing. Heck, I might as well sue the authors of Ken Lay's Accounting textbook from college for the creative way he avoided taxes and fees. I know I lost a little bit of money in my 401K when that company hit rock bottom, and I want vengance. On a serious note, a disclaimer will be placed in the preface of the book to let everyone know that it is for informational purposes only.

Who else wants to help?

The "heave" and "machete" issues have been edited and placed in the book. I have yet to work on the "stack" chapter.

http://texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=404657&page=2&forum_id=14

Near the end of page 2, 69hustlinone has the description. It's not as complete as I remember but it's a good start.

Some additional things to add:
you must have silence after the intial lift to listen for cracking sticks,
everybody on a stick needs long sleeves,
you need several extras walking with the log to spell those on the sticks if need be,
a heave on these logs is really just a unified "stand up" or shoulder shrug,
the log should be chocked on the sticks so it won't roll,
and there's more that can be added later.

There is one issue with using sticks that needs to be considered. For the most part once the log was picked up, it's not put down unless absolutely required. Getting out from under the sticks when you have them in the crotch of your elbow is not real easy. For the most part, every log we moved with sticks was taken straight to a trailer and loaded. That way, you just set one side of the sticks on the trailer and dumped the log onto it. No one ever had to worry about getting out from under it that way.

Scott Coker '92/'95

[This message has been edited by COKEMAN (edited 3/17/2005 9:50a).]

PERFECT! THANKS!

Done, edited, added, and semi-proof read. All we need is practice.

Who else wants to help?

[This message has been edited by opie03 (edited 3/17/2005 12:19p).]

I need some help. I am uncomfortable writing about how to build and construct stack. I have asked the engineer in charge (Will D) to help out, but he is not going to have something for me until around June.

If at all possible, could someone volunteer to author a few pages about how to put a log on Stack? I already have the material down about how to carry and maneuver a log.

I just need a few pages on the proper use of Y-sticks, Tag-lines, who leads the log, the calls, the actions, and the end results. A step-by-step discussion on what exactly the calls are and what the crew should do, why the short people are at the stump of the log, what to do if you lose your pot, etc., If you feel so inclined to detail how a log is wired into stack as a part of this chapter, I would greatly appreciate it.

Who wants to step up?

(HERE WAS THE GLOSSARY SECTION. PER REQUEST, IT HAS BEEN REMOVED PENDING APPROVAL AND FINAL EDITING. ANYONE WHO CARES TO MAKE A SUBMISSION TO THE BOOK MAY FEEL FREE TO DO SO VIA THE STUDENT BONFIRE FORUMS. ANY AUTHORING YOU DO MAY BE INCLUDED IN THE BOOK. PLEASE ADDRESS ANY ONE OF THE TOPICS I HAVE LISTED IN MY PREVIOUS POSTS) If you can think of any words or phrases that need defining, please post them here.



[This message has been edited by opie03 (edited 3/24/2005 8:13a).]

wow. i'm sure nobody would go for this in old army bonfire, but it could be helpful now that communication is much more difficult.

I'll take a shot at the Y-sticks and Tag Lines but I want to hear from the current Greys if they are going to do it the old way or come up with something new first. I'd also want any old yellows, browns or reds here to edit what I forget.

Scott Coker '92/'95

i thought this was lecknerss job

Scott, write what you want to. The book is to serve as an example of what worked, what didn't and how it is done now. The book is a living document that can be changed.

I know the tag-lines didn't work too well last year because of the absence of a pulley on Centerpole (they were all being used for swings). The Y's didn't do to well either because of a bit of confusion, new people out at Stack, and the danger of getting one's fingers caught between the stick and the log.

If all of this could be written down, it would help future generations of pots to figure out what to do to make the safest and most efficient Bonfires. Even if your info will not become "the way it is done," it will serve as a "way to do it."

In the event the way that the Greys decide to do tag-lines and Y-sticks doesn't work next year, they will need an alternitive. THe way we did it in '03 and '04 needs to be available. Remember that before the use of tractors at Old Army Bonfire, the crews had to carry Dorm Logs up to 1/2 mile to load. That is no longer done, but the know-how and methods to carry the logs needs to be available if it again becomes necessary (i.e. broken down tractor, no tractor available, etc.).

Burger, It is ALL of our jobs to maintain the safety of Bonfire.

[This message has been edited by opie03 (edited 3/21/2005 12:40p).]

What? A half mile? Wait 'til Coker sees this, and he'll tell you about the time Hogs carried Hog Log over a mile to load and blah blah blah.

... in the rain, uphill, buck nekkit, with a pack of rabid midgets chaising them...

Well actually I was thinking more along the lines of ...on F sticks with the truck pot *****in' the whole way 'cause it was gettin dark.

[This message has been edited by brown eyes (edited 3/21/2005 1:00p).]

Well, yeah, but that was The Hogs, other groups should not attempt that.

Scott Coker '92/'95

I guess i have to put joke warnings on all my posts now

quote:

---

I know the tag-lines didn't work too well last year because of the absence of a pulley on Centerpole (they were all being used for swings).

---

By "last year" do you mean '04? Cause I'm lookin' at a ipcture right now of a big log being slammed, and the tagline is on a pulley.

That's not a tag line, Disney

Scott Coker '92/'95