Dodged a bullet Saturday

I was using a buddies MS310 to cut down a 30 inch dead white oak tree for firewood at our deer camp. Get the tree on the ground and got all the limbs cut up. Then i started on the trunk, On the third chunk about 3/4s down i hit something. The fairly new stihl chain broke a flew back at my legs.Luckily it didn't hit me. The saw was having a rough time cutting the hard oak so it wasn't running fast, Thank goodness. I'm just glad it wasn't my 460 cause it would have been humming and it would have flew back harder. When we finally got the log apart it was a friggin railroad spike. Needless to say i didn't finish the log. When we split the two chunks their were two other spikes in them. Now they have been in there since this tree was about twelve inches across and now it is about thirty. How many years have them tree huggers been spiking trees. These spikes have been in there a long time, I thought at first it used to be a treestand but the tree would have been too small and why the hell would you use railroad spikes. I got to thinking it's gotta be tree huggers that done it, But it was a long time ago maybe a hundred years. I'm just glad the saw was bogging and not running wide open. Thankful to have all my bodyparts. I know you guys deal with them idiots all the time, Just hope and pray that none of ya'll ever hit one of their spikes.

Never have hit a spike in a trre, jsut a comment on tree huggers.

Just think how many trees they could lant to replace the one tree they are spiking, or better, those tree sitters. They spend days,even months, sitting up high in a big old (usually dying) tree to "save it". Then they climb down, and usually get arrested for trespassing since the tree is usually on private property. Then the tree gets cut down anyway:monkey:


Let us see....spend 3 days sitting in a tree, lets say it takes 2 minutes to plant a seedling. Planting for 8 hours a day, for 3 days = 30 trees per hour; 240 trees per day; 720 trees over the 3 day span...But no, they wanna "save" that one tree... don't get it

happend to me earlier this year Chaincatchers are a must!

Really doubt it was tree huggers. Maybe railroad spikes was all that was available when they were doing whatever it was they were doing. 18" of tree ago, people didn't run down to Ace, they used what they had on hand most of the time.

huskydave said:

happend to me earlier this year Chaincathers are a must!

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After this episode i may have to get one for each saw.

Husky137 said:

Really doubt it was tree huggers. Maybe railroad spikes was all that was available when they were doing whatever it was they were doing. 18" of tree ago, people didn't run down to Ace, they used what they had on hand most of the time.

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Yeah you're probably right. It would have been too long ago for them.

Found in a tree

I found a railroad spike and an old wrench in the ashes of my wood furnace. Somehow I managed to cut through the logs, split the pieces and load them into the fire without discovering either of these.



Mark

heimannm said:

I found a railroad spike and an old wrench in the ashes of my wood furnace. Somehow I managed to cut through the logs, split the pieces and load them into the fire without discovering either of these.

Mark

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Throughly heat treated!

I've never hit any metal while sawing but I have found a few ancient cut nails in the fireplace ash.

I've read about those shade tree mechanics but always thought they were a beer drinking myth. Now we have archaelogical proof.

Was there a rail road around?
Some of the "old timer's" here have said that they would have spike driving contest's, and would use tree's that would not be cut for tie's. I use that to account for some of the spike's I've found.

Andy

redprospector said:

Was there a rail road around?
Some of the "old timer's" here have said that they would have spike driving contest's, and would use tree's that would not be cut for tie's. I use that to account for some of the spike's I've found.

Andy

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There's an old railroad tram about a quarter of a mile from there.

man you got lucky

spike or any foreign garbage can ruin you day. i fell a SPIKED tree, came close to being gelded from the shrapnel:help: it missed my family jewels by less then a 1/4". metal in trees is a suprise when there is no apparent sign of tree wounds

I have cut metal stakes that were drove to help hold the tree when it was younger. Had the tree notched and back cut almost all the way through on a 30'' maple that was just a notch and drop tree. HA!!HA!! The thing was app. 65-75' tall and would not fall! Things got a LITTLE HAIRY!!! It took about 10-12 minutes to cut through a stake that measured 5/16'' x 2 1/2''.
It was nothing compared to cutting a coon in 1/2 that was in a hollow limb! Dropped a hollow cottonwood for a buddy that was huge. Cut the whole tree trunk and made my way up a big hollow limb all the sudden blood, guts, hair and little intestines strung 12'-15' out the back of the ole poulan 306A!!! I'll never forget that sight of what a saw could do to the human body. :jawdrop:

Up here in BC, some of the real extreme environmentalists have spiked trees with ceramic spikes. You should see what happens when one of those hits a big bandsaw or chipping head in a mill. Total carnage.

I wonder if the idiots that spike those trees realize that they could kill or injure someone. I know their thinkig it will just mess up a saw, But i can imagine how serious it would have been with a 880 and a 50 or 60 inch bar.

Not huggers..........

...........though there were some preservationists a hundred years ago most citizens were much more pragmatic. I've hit at least two R.R. spikes, sickle bars, steel fence posts, bullets, axe bits, chain links, etc... and of course the ubiquitous construction nail. But have to say nothing devastates a saw chain quicker than a R.R. spike.

My guess it was either a couple of good ole boys screwing around or possibly surveyors, or property owners marking the tree. R.R. spikes were quite commonly used to mark corner/boundary trees. The ones I hit were most likely boundary maintenance items. Any chance you were near a current or old boundary line? The other stuff is usually someone just hanging stuff in the tree and forgeting about it, for a few decades.:monkey:

stihl sawing said:

I wonder if the idiots that spike those trees realize that they could kill or injure someone. I know their thinkig it will just mess up a saw, But i can imagine how serious it would have been with a 880 and a 50 or 60 inch bar.

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They know. Some of them think a person should get the death penalty for harming a bird's eggs.

adkranger said:

...........though there were some preservationists a hundred years ago most citizens were much more pragmatic. I've hit at least two R.R. spikes, sickle bars, steel fence posts, bullets, axe bits, chain links, etc... and of course the ubiquitous construction nail. But have to say nothing devastates a saw chain quicker than a R.R. spike.

My guess it was either a couple of good ole boys screwing around or possibly surveyors, or property owners marking the tree. R.R. spikes were quite commonly used to mark corner/boundary trees. The ones I hit were most likely boundary maintenance items. Any chance you were near a current or old boundary line? The other stuff is usually someone just hanging stuff in the tree and forgeting about it, for a few decades.:monkey:

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Yeah the more i think about it, It wasn't a hugger. Just weird how they got there.

Stihl sawing, you got me my 2nd nova! I tried to rep ya but I gotta spread more around first.

BaldSawRunner said:

Stihl sawing, you got me my 2nd nova! I tried to rep ya but I gotta spread more around first.

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You're most welcome my friend, and thanks for the try.