mtngun
Addicted to ArboristSite
A neighbor said I could have this ponderosa pine snag. The top had broken off in a windstorm years ago (a common occurrence around here). Snags like this usually rot quickly, so I thought about bucking it into firewood, but decided to take a chance on mlling it.
The awesome John Deere/Efco CS62 with 20" bar felled the 28" trunk easily enough.
Boy, it's nice working on level ground, right next to the truck. I'm not used to that.
Trimmed to twelve feet and ready to mill.
Note the ponderosas in the background, growing pretty straight and with few lower branches. That's how ponderosas grow when they are protected from the wind, as this location is. When they are exposed to wind, they have a shorter, stubbier form, with more lower branches. The lower branches seem to help balance the trees in the wind. When a windstorm does hit these tall, straight trees, they snap like toothpicks.
Here's what the first slab looked like. Lots of blue color in the butt. A little rot in the middle, and a little punky wood here and there. By the time I cut away the bad sections, I'll only be able to use 25% - 30% of this, but that's OK. It's free wood, and the scrap will go in the wood stove.
Note the 1 1/2" thick bark. The thick bark enables mature ponderosa to survive low-level wildfires, which. like windstorms, are a common occurrence here.
The next cut. Similar color, but less rot.
I cut the slabs 3" thick, and plan to use the wood on a dining table project.
Ponderosa pine is not the greatest wood for furniture, but it is attractive in a rustic sort of way. I like it because it is the predominant tree in this part of the country.
The awesome John Deere/Efco CS62 with 20" bar felled the 28" trunk easily enough.
Boy, it's nice working on level ground, right next to the truck. I'm not used to that.
Trimmed to twelve feet and ready to mill.
Note the ponderosas in the background, growing pretty straight and with few lower branches. That's how ponderosas grow when they are protected from the wind, as this location is. When they are exposed to wind, they have a shorter, stubbier form, with more lower branches. The lower branches seem to help balance the trees in the wind. When a windstorm does hit these tall, straight trees, they snap like toothpicks.
Here's what the first slab looked like. Lots of blue color in the butt. A little rot in the middle, and a little punky wood here and there. By the time I cut away the bad sections, I'll only be able to use 25% - 30% of this, but that's OK. It's free wood, and the scrap will go in the wood stove.
Note the 1 1/2" thick bark. The thick bark enables mature ponderosa to survive low-level wildfires, which. like windstorms, are a common occurrence here.
The next cut. Similar color, but less rot.
I cut the slabs 3" thick, and plan to use the wood on a dining table project.
Ponderosa pine is not the greatest wood for furniture, but it is attractive in a rustic sort of way. I like it because it is the predominant tree in this part of the country.
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