AOD
Addicted to ArboristSite
On my woodcutting jobs where I have help, which is usually never, I have a division of labor. The job titles go as follows
Serf
Lackey
Minion
Crew Leader
Supervisor
Wood Master
The lowest level is serf. The serf's job is basically to stand there and look busy, and to stay out of the way. A serf occasionally has to pick up some split wood and throw it on a vehicle, or an experienced serf (Serf-2) may even move logs or rounds for a higher level employee to work on. Mostly serfs stand back and try not to get hurt. Dogs and woodland creatures also make good serfs.
The Lackey is where some real work comes in. Lackeys move wood around, sort hand logs for cutting, roll larger logs to be cut on the backside and may even use a cant hook. The Lackey does most of the loading, unloading and stacking of firewood. On occasion, a lackey may get tools or supplies to assist a Minion or Crew Leader.
The Minion is the title for the person who actually does the cutting and splitting of the wood. He is the one that the Serfs and Lackeys are usually standing around watching. It takes 8,000 hours of being a Lackey to reach the Minion status. The Minion first cuts his teeth with the splitting maul, wedges and 20# sledge. After he has proven proficient with these tools he becomes a Minion 2 and is given a Poulan WildThing with a safety chain to cut up hand logs and small limbs. Above that is the Minion 3 position. Here the Minion has a choice of three saws, a Husky 359, a Stihl MS390 or a Poulan PRO 295. The highest level of Minion is Minion 4, who is capable of running any saws up to 75cc's and hydraulic splitting equipment. Above this is the long sought-after Crew Leader position.
The Crew Leader is responsible for keeping all of the lesser employees safe and on track. He sets the pace of the work and assists with more complex operations such as felling trees, handling large logs, using heavy equipment to move wood and using sidescrew type of splitters. Only a Crew Leader and above is permitted to operate saws with no chain brakes, manual oilers, gear driven saws or saws with bars over 24". The Crew Leader also acts as a load master for the proper loading of firewood onto vehicles, as well as the proper stacking and seasoning procedures, placement of skids, tarping and covering the wood as well as keeping track of how much wood is being processed.
Above the Crew Leader is the Supervisor. He oversees all operations from a comfy lawn chair or nice cozy cab of a pickup, and is often seen either drinking a beverage from an insulated foam cup or a silver aluminum can. He is often talking to the Serfs explaining what the Lackeys and Minions are doing. Sometimes Serfs will suck up to the Supervisor, especially the four legged ones, in hopes of being able to get away with more slacking off on the job. It is the Supervisor who decides when breaks are taken and when to call it a day. It is the responsibility of the Supervisor to make sure everyone else is doing their job right and to yell at them or make fun of them when the screw up. Sometimes a supervisor may use a loudspeaker for this. The Supervisor answers only to the Wood Master.
The Wood Master comes by on occasion to check on the Supervisor and lesser employees. A Wood Master may have more than one Supervisor under his control. A Wood Master must know every aspect of firewood from the top of his head, be an expert on tree species, know how many BTU's per cord of each species and the most efficient method of drying. The Wood Master chooses which wood is to be harvested and where it is to be seasoned. When the Wood Master is not busy with his other duties he is often comsuming beverages with the Supervisor or fraternizing with the Serfs. The only person the Wood Master has to report to is the Wood Master's wife or girlfriend.
Serf
Lackey
Minion
Crew Leader
Supervisor
Wood Master
The lowest level is serf. The serf's job is basically to stand there and look busy, and to stay out of the way. A serf occasionally has to pick up some split wood and throw it on a vehicle, or an experienced serf (Serf-2) may even move logs or rounds for a higher level employee to work on. Mostly serfs stand back and try not to get hurt. Dogs and woodland creatures also make good serfs.
The Lackey is where some real work comes in. Lackeys move wood around, sort hand logs for cutting, roll larger logs to be cut on the backside and may even use a cant hook. The Lackey does most of the loading, unloading and stacking of firewood. On occasion, a lackey may get tools or supplies to assist a Minion or Crew Leader.
The Minion is the title for the person who actually does the cutting and splitting of the wood. He is the one that the Serfs and Lackeys are usually standing around watching. It takes 8,000 hours of being a Lackey to reach the Minion status. The Minion first cuts his teeth with the splitting maul, wedges and 20# sledge. After he has proven proficient with these tools he becomes a Minion 2 and is given a Poulan WildThing with a safety chain to cut up hand logs and small limbs. Above that is the Minion 3 position. Here the Minion has a choice of three saws, a Husky 359, a Stihl MS390 or a Poulan PRO 295. The highest level of Minion is Minion 4, who is capable of running any saws up to 75cc's and hydraulic splitting equipment. Above this is the long sought-after Crew Leader position.
The Crew Leader is responsible for keeping all of the lesser employees safe and on track. He sets the pace of the work and assists with more complex operations such as felling trees, handling large logs, using heavy equipment to move wood and using sidescrew type of splitters. Only a Crew Leader and above is permitted to operate saws with no chain brakes, manual oilers, gear driven saws or saws with bars over 24". The Crew Leader also acts as a load master for the proper loading of firewood onto vehicles, as well as the proper stacking and seasoning procedures, placement of skids, tarping and covering the wood as well as keeping track of how much wood is being processed.
Above the Crew Leader is the Supervisor. He oversees all operations from a comfy lawn chair or nice cozy cab of a pickup, and is often seen either drinking a beverage from an insulated foam cup or a silver aluminum can. He is often talking to the Serfs explaining what the Lackeys and Minions are doing. Sometimes Serfs will suck up to the Supervisor, especially the four legged ones, in hopes of being able to get away with more slacking off on the job. It is the Supervisor who decides when breaks are taken and when to call it a day. It is the responsibility of the Supervisor to make sure everyone else is doing their job right and to yell at them or make fun of them when the screw up. Sometimes a supervisor may use a loudspeaker for this. The Supervisor answers only to the Wood Master.
The Wood Master comes by on occasion to check on the Supervisor and lesser employees. A Wood Master may have more than one Supervisor under his control. A Wood Master must know every aspect of firewood from the top of his head, be an expert on tree species, know how many BTU's per cord of each species and the most efficient method of drying. The Wood Master chooses which wood is to be harvested and where it is to be seasoned. When the Wood Master is not busy with his other duties he is often comsuming beverages with the Supervisor or fraternizing with the Serfs. The only person the Wood Master has to report to is the Wood Master's wife or girlfriend.
