:: Both Sides of the Spectrum :: #3: Podcast Idea::

I’d be interested, Ben. I’ve been considering taking down a tree or two from the 120 acres of woodland that my mother and I inferited from my granfather.

-- JP, Shelbyville, KY

That sounds like a great idea….I always find that stuff facinating.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

I think that would be beneficial to many. Especially the drying process and milling.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

I’d like to know how to get a rotten tree that’s leaning towards the neighbor’s house to fall backwards in three pieces so I don’t have to repair any of my fence.

And I’ve seen portable saw mills in action and am still amazed with their performance. All you have to do is wrestle the tree onto the trailer and away you go. Incredible.

Markrules:: Do you really rule mark?? haha After this piece of advice hopefully you can rule that tree and get it down without hurting your fence.

Depending on the size of the tree the easiest way to do this is to loop a thick rope around the top of the tree (about 2/3 up should do it) and keep constant pressure in the direction you want it to fall. Make sure the rope is longer than the tree is tall or whatever you are using to apply the pressure, whether it be a truck, human, or neighbor’s dog (not recommended) will be demolished. Once the pressure is applied you will have to begin making the notch on the side of the tree facing the rope. This is down by taking out a two-cut sliver about 1/3 of the way through the tree. The first cut should be parallel to the ground and the second should start above the first and come down at an angle to meet in the middle, thus creating a “hinge” on which the tree with pivot. Now the fun part, go directly behind the first cut (parallel to the ground) and begin working towards the notch. This is weakening the only support the tree has left and it will eventually begin to crack and sway in the direction of the rope pressure so go slowly and as soon as it begins to crack let gravity take over.

Hope this helps and once you get good at it you can begin taking bets from your friends that you can drop a tree on a dime, literally. Get your friend to place a dollar bill on the ground and see if you can get the tree to fall directly on to it. The only problem is if you win then you have to find a way to move the tree and retrieve your money… minor details.

Have a good one…

Drunken bandsawing is never a good idea unless you want the neighborhood kids to call you Mr. stumpy fingered mcgee. Haha just thought I would throw that out there, pick it up if you want…

One more thing, I really like these blogs, but I hate proofreading so if you seem grammatical errors please overlook them and realize that it is spell check’s fault and not my own.

Signing off – the real deal bill mcneal

-- E.B.Z. Virginia

I would also be interested.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

After the reading and research I did spurred by Schroeder’s broadleaf maple logs, I’m really interested in the process!

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

It would be interesting to see it in action

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Me tooo…

Drew

-- Drew, Pleasant Grove, Utah

BenZ,

I can just tell that you’ve got “it” bad. I am going to tell you what my clients in Ohio told me (my biggest supporters), “Just do it!” I can tell that you have something in you, that you just have to get out. You just need to do it.

Concerning the logs, I have resawn a few logs into veneer myself and burnt up a bandsaw motor. I turned out some beautiful veneer. The nice thing about going the veneer route (it’s 1/8” thick), is that it dries faster, covers more sf, and is stabilized by the core you use. But it also depends on what you want out of a tree.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://americancraftsmanworkshop.com

I’m in, I think that would make a great subject. I’ve been interested for quite a long time in learning more about falling and cutting a tree into usable lumber. I also am interested in learning more about salvaging lumber from neighborhood trees, urban lumber.
I agree with Todd, “Just do it!”

-- Straight grains & sharp blades

Yeah, how can we get more of our own lumber, cheap, if not free?

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Van Gogh -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

and thanks to BenZ for that information!!
I’ll be tucking that into my little brain for future reference. (Not that I plan on cutting any trees down in the near future..)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)