2500 bdft hits the ground

[Ianab]

Clearing out some old Monterrey cypress for a friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR91YyPKPK0

Anyway, 52" at the base, and still 32" at the first major crotch, 42 ft up.

Hopefully will get the bucked logs out tomorrow to mill, have a 12 ton excavator on site doing other work so hopefully he can move the logs.

The wood is an American species, but I believe it's sorta rare and not a commercial species, pity because it's a beautiful and durable wood.

Here it's growing as old hedgerows that are past their use by date and pretty hairy to fall. I've put in a shot of the stump, the experts can work out how I cut it

Cheers

Ian

 

[aquan8tor]

That's a big tree. I'm not even close to sure how you did it with the probably only 24-26" bar. I don't know the vocabulary, but maybe you cut back from the hinge before you felled it, leaving a small strap to hold it? I'm a novice for sure; not experienced. How closely related are monterey cypress to bald cypress? I have a relative with a few on her property. Here's an outline of one:

 

[computeruser]

Looks like you gave that Dolmar a good workout!

 

[Ianab]

but maybe you cut back from the hinge before you felled it, leaving a small strap to hold it?

Yup, bore cutting from each side to leave the hinge wood and a holding strap at the back. Then cut the holding wood and get out of the way fast

The saw has a 28" bar, but that tree is about as big as I'd want to go, had a couple of inches of overlap in the middle. There are some growing locally that are twice that size!

I think the tree is sorta related to your bald cypress, it's evergreen though. It's a popular woodworking wood here in NZ.

Ian

 

[dustytools]

Cool pics. Ian. What plans do you have for the wood and what method of milling are you gonna use. I couldnt imagine cutting that big beauty down, You must have balls of steel.

 

[woodshop]

I'll bet the ground shook when it hit... and anything, and I mean ANYTHING in it's path save maybe solid rock, wouldn't have stood a chance.

 

[Ianab]

Hi Dusty

This thread has some pictures of my mill and the stuff I make from the wood.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=38721

I will be milling the best stuff up for furniture timber, hopefully a few live edge table slabs and the lower quality wood goes into landscaping 'sleepers' (6x4s)

I got most of the tops cleared up today and sliced into firewood, was then able to see where it impacted the ground. Hit first on a dirt knob just above the first major crotch. The 2 ft branch that took the impact was buried and exploded into splinters by the force

If you were silly enough to drop something like this on your head, they wouldn't have to bury you, just smooth over the hole it punched you into

Cheers

Ian

 

[Ianab]

Here is the log after we dragged it out of the swamp / scrub.

The butt log was all that the 12 ton excavator wanted to lift.

Now, just need to get the mill out there and slice em up

Ian

 

[leweee]

Great pics Ian. now the hard work begins. nice to see New Zealand scenery on the other side of the planet. Our winter,your summer.

 

[Ianab]

Got started on the milling... but life is never easy

The O90 broke a starter recoil spring, fixed that after a trip to town for a new one. Then we chewed up a drive belt, now a screw what holds the support for the engine cover has come loose and I didn't have an allen key with me long enough to put it back in... sheesh

Anyway we got the 3rd and roughest log sliced up, moved the mill and opened up the nice butt log before I noticed the engine top cover flapping in the breeze.

Rain tomorrow so I will get the saw fixed and hit the logs again next week.
You can see in the last picture, we have a few trees to play with yet

Cheers

Ian

 

[hautions11]

Ian, it always seems to go that way. Nice looking logs. I am milling in the yard at the moment and it is awfull nice to walk back to the house for details that fail etc. Out in the woods it is a real pain. Good luck with the mill'n.

 

[woodshop]

I am milling in the yard at the moment and it is awfull nice to walk back to the house for details that fail etc. Out in the woods it is a real pain. Good luck with the mill'n.

Exactly... good thing is that after milling with same system for years I do get a feel for what parts wear the most and stock them, what tools I need and have them in my toolbox etc. But there is always the errant unexpected wrench in the fan. I tend to have more tools in my box than I need hoping to then take care of something a little more complicated, but there is a limit to that of course.

Nice huge logs ianab, it looks like your kind of mill is the perfect mate for something that size. Show us a stack of boards. In a good day how many bd ft can you realistically slice from a log like that with a mill like that including setup time etc?

 

[MikeInParadise]

I would love to see some close up pics of the mill mechanism for raising and lowering the saw platform and of the saw platform itself.

Here I can only dream of ever seeing wood that big. There probably isn't one tree on the whole island that big!

So you should just drag that log down to the ocean and just push it in the ocean addressed to me in Holyrood bay and in 6 months I will go down to the beach and drag it up to the woodlot!:biggrinbounce2:

 

[woodshop]

Nope... sorry Mike, but your little scheme ain't gonna work, because I would run down to the Jersey shore and grab it as it passed, before it ever got up to your neck of the woods. Location location location

 

[Ianab]

Got the saw running properly again

Went and hit the log again this afternoon, sawing by myself so it was a bit slower than when I have an offbearer.

The log wasn't perfect inside, a few bark inclusions, which is common in this species.

Still was able to cut some nice 8" boards from around the defects

Got a good load on the little trailer

And there is still the other 2/3rds of the log left.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Ianab]

I would love to see some close up pics of the mill mechanism for raising and lowering the saw platform and of the saw platform itself.

Hi Mike

The pics above show a bit of the carriage raise mechanism. You loosen the clamp and turn the big handwheel to adjust the saw height. There is a matching chain and gear setup at the other side joined by shafts though the horizontal frame. There is another clamp and handwheel for the horizontal position.

The sawhead itself is a swingblade powered by an 090 chainsaw powerhead. The saw and blade swivel through 90 deg to make the horizontal and vertical cuts. Lets me cut up to a 1x8.. or an 8x1 or an 8x8, depending on what the log looks like.

Cheers

Ian

 

[woodshop]

Nifty... I didn't think a swingblade could clean off a plank that wide. I want to see one of those mills in action. So ianab, do you leave that mill all set up on site there like that? Not worried about coming back the next day and it would be gone?

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!

 

[MikeInParadise]

Hi Mike

The pics above show a bit of the carriage raise mechanism. You loosen the clamp and turn the big handwheel to adjust the saw height. There is a matching chain and gear setup at the other side joined by shafts though the horizontal frame. There is another clamp and handwheel for the horizontal position.

The sawhead itself is a swingblade powered by an 090 chainsaw powerhead. The saw and blade swivel through 90 deg to make the horizontal and vertical cuts. Lets me cut up to a 1x8.. or an 8x1 or an 8x8, depending on what the log looks like.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks for the pic...Neat setup!

So ianab, do you leave that mill all set up on site there like that? Not worried about coming back the next day and it would be gone?

I too would worry about someone liberating from my woodlot!

 

[Ianab]

Not worried about coming back the next day and it would be gone?

Not to worried, it's behind my friends house in the MIDDLE of NOWHERE.
I unbolt the powerhead as that might be a bit tempting, and to keep it out of the weather. If it was in a more public place I would probably be more carefull, but it's as safe there as it is on my back lawn

Cheers

Ian