Mcleods Tool

[Julia Kozub]

Becauseof its large and sharp head, the McLeod is an awkward tool to transport and store, and is often considered undesirable. Some McLeod[6] tools are made with a removable blade to partially mitigate this problem. Ideally, it is carried with the tines pointing toward the ground for safety, with a sheath over the cutting edge. The mass distribution makes it difficult to carry in this orientation consistently.[7]

Despite the common issues stated above, the McLeod remains a favorite tool among many foresters for hand tool required ground work. The weight and balance of the McLeod allows for more effective turf busting than its lighter weight counterparts. Furthermore, because of its head design, the tool can be stood upright without needing to penetrate the soil, allowing for a safer "standby" configuration reducing tripping hazards and increasing visibility thus effectively reducing the chances that the tool is lost in the woods. Versions of the tool with flat heads can also be used as a tamp, ideal for building paths.

Being prepared and equipped with essential wildfire gear, including fire-resistant clothing, personal protective equipment, hand tools, and necessary nutrition, ensures wildland firefighters are safe and effective on the fireline.

Skid units are a valuable tool for both wildland firefighters and homeowners. From top and end-mount units to hybrid and ATV units, these self-contained firefighting systems provide the rapid response needed to combat wildfires, even in challenging terrain and remote conditions.

McLeod tool with a 48 in. handle. Produced in accordance with USDA Forest Service Specification 5100-353D, dated November 1992, or latest version thereof. Combination of a rake and a hoe used primarily for clearing brush and other surface debris and for digging in the soil to construct fire control lines on wildfires and controlled burns.

McLeod has devoted decades to writing and teaching about education leadership, innovation, student empowerment, digital technologies and schools relevant for our children and society through an array of books and articles, speaking engagements and his blog, Dangerously Irrelevant. He also created Digital Leadership Daily, which provides one digital school leadership reading or resource per day, tweeted, texted and posted to Facebook. It provides support to administrators during the complex transformations of ushering in digital learning tools and environments.

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RED ROOSTER is one of the fastest growing professional tool lines in the United States. We specialize in the manufacture of tools for agriculture, farm & ranch, gardening landscaping, construction and the arborist professions.

Hoes (adze, grub, or hazel) are great at breaking up sod clumps when either constructing new trail or when leveling existing trail tread. They are also a great tool for clearing out drainage structures. Many volunteers find them easier to carry and effective for most grubbing tasks.

With various applications, mattocks are usually the first-choice tool for any trail worker, especially the quintessential trail work tool, the pick mattock. The pick side of a pick mattock can be used for prying/moving rocks and breaking up hard/compacted soil, while the grubbing side is perfect for moving softer or looser material and finishing up tread definition. Pick mattocks usually come standard with a 5lb head, but for lighter tasks volunteers can take advantage of the lighter 2.5lb version. A cutter mattock on the other hand has a cutter side rather than a pick side. The cutter side is perfect for chopping away at inground roots.

The McLeod is a combination of a heavy-duty rake and a large sturdy hoe. They work best in light soils, such as for reestablishing the tread of the trail after material from the backslope has sloughed onto it.

Any trail that you have walked in your life was no doubt, at least partially, sculpted by a Pulaski or a McLeod. We used these two tools extensively to build the Rambler Trail at Clover Valley Preserve.

The McLeod and Pulaski were designed to fight wild fires but are quite utilitarian. Many of my volunteers have purchased their own for personal use around the house and garden because they are so useful.

In 1905, Malcolm McLeod, a US Forest Service ranger at the Sierra National Forest created the combination tool with his namesake, the McLeod, according to www.fs.fed.us. The McLeod has a longer handle than the Pulaski and is used for accomplishing different tasks. It has a large wide hoe on one side and rake tines on the other.

McLeods also serve as a tamper out in the field. The flat part can be rammed into the earth to pack the trail tread and create a more finished look. When the bench is being cut for the trail, the back slope needs to be formed and the fact that this tool has a wide flat cutting edge, makes it ideal for this task as well. When we build trail, we want the tread to be out sloped so water will run across the trail and not along it. When you stand this tool up on the trail you can check to see if the one to three percent outslope has been adequately captured.

These two tools can accomplish about 75 percent of the work involved in building trail. If we add a shovel, rock bar, wheelbarrow, and a saw, we can conquer all the tasks, barring anything unusual or unforeseen. We do our best to keep our tools sharp and in good working order because a sharper tool is a safer tool.

I am always looking forward to the next great trail tool and trying out new items that hit the market. In comparison, the classic McLeod and Pulaski are unbeatable. If you are not familiar with these tools, I encourage you to give them a try. You will not be disappointed.

I had read that you could check the specific gravity (SG) by dropping the hydrometer into the bucket of glaze to see how far it sank into the liquid. There were numbers on the tube and whichever number appeared at the glaze level when the hydrometer was floating in the bucket was your Specific Gravity number.

Great! I finally had a system that took the decision making process out of adding water to our glazes. I got all the glazes to where I thought they should be thickness-wise, dropped the hydrometer into each one, took a reading and wrote it on the bucket.

Then, when someone would ask me to check on a glaze, I would grab the hydrometer, mix the glaze, drop it in the bucket, compare the reading to what was written on the bucket, and see if the glaze needed water.

The only 2 factors that affect density are mass and volume. So the specific gravity can only change if the mass or the volume changes. If neither the mass, nor the volume has changed, the SG remains the same.

You may still find the hydrometer to be a useful tool if you just want to be able to tell if the viscosity of your glaze has changed since the last time you measured. But to be accurate, I would refer to these measurements as hydrometer readings and not as specific gravity measurements.

If you love learning about and discussing glazes, I'd like to invite you to my free social learning Facebook group called Understanding Glazes with Sue. The group is full of videos and discussions about firing, mixing glazes and fixing various glaze issues. Please join!

I almost purchased a hydrometer. You saved me from this; the initial cost and undoubtable the replacement cost when I drop and break it! Your approach is not only practical but also scientifically sound. Thank for the explanations that will help me be a better potter/glazer.

Hi Sue. I just started Learning about glazes and participated in your online class understanding glazes, which I found it very enjoying & informative. I realize how important SG is for the consistency of your glaze. However I have one question and that is what SG would you suggest to start off with, then make adjustments?

Thanking you in advance for all of your help.

Pat

Thanks!! So presumably you tare a graduated cylinder or metric measuring cup and add a measured volume or tare a syringe and suck up a measured volume and then do the density (mass/volume) calculation? Is it as accurate to do 25 ml as 200 ml for instance if the glaze is well mixed?

The McLeod Tool is primarily used in the Forestry Service. It features a 3/16" plate steel head that has been cut to form deep teeth. The handle is our standard heavy duty tubing with a 1.25" OD and 0.9"ID for maximum strength to weight. The head is attached to the fiberglass handle with two (2) spring pins to allow for field replacement. The back edge is sharpened at an angle that results in a durable edge. It is an excellent tool for clearing undergrowth, leaves and debris. The head can be rotated to expose the sharpened edge for light chopping and cutting. (This tool is also excellent in the garden.)

No, it's not a "McCloud." Yes, we will give you extra points for saying the name with a Scottish accent during our workdays. The McLeod was originally intended as a fire fighting tool for raking fire lines. Now, it is a common tool for trail and restoration work in mountainous areas in the American West. It is a heavy duty rake with large metal teeth on one end of the head, and a hoe-like edge on the other.

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