Gotta widowmaker..

[zopi]

little 8 or 10 inch pine came down night before last..stupid wind..busted off
@ about 15'...top hung in the branches of a couple of little sweetgums I was planning on taking out...gunna be fun to get down with all my partses intact...on the plus side I'll probably get a nice little chunk of 1x lumber out of the pine.

there is a nice red oak leaner came across the property line out back...gotta talk to the neighbors about that one..looks like good wood, but a dangerous sob if it doesn't come down.

stupid wind.

 

[stonykill]

little 8 or 10 inch pine came down night before last..stupid wind..busted off
@ about 15'...top hung in the branches of a couple of little sweetgums I was planning on taking out...gunna be fun to get down with all my partses intact...on the plus side I'll probably get a nice little chunk of 1x lumber out of the pine.

there is a nice red oak leaner came across the property line out back...gotta talk to the neighbors about that one..looks like good wood, but a dangerous sob if it doesn't come down.

stupid wind.

I've got a few widowmakers myself , cherrys, hung up on a big white oak. Still trying to figure out the safe way to handle those. Sometimes it just better to hire that stuff out to a proffessional. I've done that before. My life is worth much more than a few hundred dollars.

 

[zopi]

I've got a few widowmakers myself , cherrys, hung up on a big white oak. Still trying to figure out the safe way to handle those. Sometimes it just better to hire that stuff out to a proffessional. I've done that before. My life is worth much more than a few hundred dollars.

I haven't had the chance to look at these in the daylight yet...but my 1st impression wasn't too bad..it looks like a simple case of get a winch line on it,
back off and pull...kind of a wierd angle though...I have dropped worse than these...but there are a bunch in the area around me that i wouldn't attempt short of some det cord...

it is still storming, so maybe by the time i get home it will be a moot point..opcorn:

 

[MikeInParadise]

The funny thing is that the only thing of any size that I cut is always widow makers.

That is because as I thin out the wood lot I only take out leaners. Anything of any size that is straight stays and hopefully gets bigger. Our trees here grow so slow.

Of course it is too dangerous out in the bush with a chainsaw these days as it is like a skating rink in among the trees with the ice.

It was -8c today and we are supposed to get 25-50mm of rain tommorrow. Should make the bush even worse.

Take you time with them. Think it out carefully and leave yourself a clear escape route. Go cautious and slowly.

 

[MotorSeven]

Yeah Zop, 60 degrees here yesterday almost 50mph gusts. I heard all kinda snaping & crashing going on up on my rdges. I thought the carport was going to launch, so i went out there and guy-wired it down. Today it is snowing & 27....what the ????
RD

 

[zopi]

The funny thing is that the only thing of any size that I cut is always widow makers.

Take you time with them. Think it out carefully and leave yourself a clear escape route. Go cautious and slowly.

Me too..I try to take trees, particularly for firewood that will serve no other pupose...


I am always ready to run..a military career teaches you to be ready to duck...if nothing else.."friendly fire....isn't"

 

[zopi]

Yeah Zop, 60 degrees here yesterday almost 50mph gusts. I heard all kinda snaping & crashing going on up on my rdges. I thought the carport was going to launch, so i went out there and guy-wired it down. Today it is snowing & 27....what the ????
RD

jeez..it's raining pitchforks and little green apples here...I can see the tree out the window..doesn't look too bad..I'll make the call when i get down there...either a job for a winchline or I'll fold it out of there..or both...

had to climb up on the chimney last night and replace a piece of trim coil i had blocking the flue...it left for OZ the other night...

Are you close to Knoxvegas? I'm planning to come back to gods country when I retire in a few years...probably settle south of Nastyville...Go Big Orange!

 

[zopi]

awww crap...there are three widowmakers in one tree..the pine snapped, and carried two branches into the sweetgum top..all hung up...

on the plus side, I have some shelter under the other sweetgum..and plenty of running room..it looks like I can notch the sweetgum and strap cut it so they will all fall in a neat pile next to my firewood stacks....this oughta be interesting...

 

[Haywire Haywood]

there is a nice red oak leaner came across the property line out back...

I think I read somewhere that leaners have a lot of tension grown into them and make milling straight boards problematic. How much of a problem is it?

Ian

 

[zopi]

I think I read somewhere that leaners have a lot of tension grown into them and make milling straight boards problematic. How much of a problem is it?

Ian

Not too much..if the trunk is relatively straight, it will grow into an oval or egg shape..trying to overcome gravity and strengthen itself against the lean....you can relieve the tension by opening the log with the oval up and down, open then take a slab from 4 faces 180 out, watching the slab as the saw releases them,
if there is alot of tension the slab will jump up or bow...take your boards off of
alternate faces..kinda like sawing for grade lumber. this lets the log relax a little as you approach the heart. .it doesn't always work, sometimes you are just making skis.

I cut a pine the other day, 2x4's...all of them were pretty straight..little bow in a couple..but one came off the mill looking like a corkscrew...just the one..

Guess it thought it was special...went into the firepit it was so special...

 

[lmbeachy]

Had a white oak that I had cut in order to make some 5 x 5 posts about 9 ft long. Cut the one log up the other day, had some tension but wasn't real bad. Cut the other one this evening, everthing wanted to be a ski. Was able to get the center cut 5x5, it was nice and stright. Oh well, can cut the other boards shoter 4ft, and make stickers I guessor fire wood.

 

[zopi]

Dropped 'em both...no drama from the tree with the widowmakers...notch, plunge...trip the strap...by the time I got 10 feet up the trail and turned around it was on the ground..exactly where I wanted it...and before you fuss at me for turning my back on it..it was tight enough in there that I had to...:censored:

got more drama out of the one next to it...i cut a ridiculously thin hinge..bloody thing didn't want to go over...had to keep tickling it...stupid tree. I bet it was a kite eater in its day...

The 660/20" is just stupid fun...I bucked about half of both trees in 10 minutes flat...the rest is too tangled or small..I'll do it at a more leisurely pace with the 180c...


:greenchainsaw:

 

[MotorSeven]

About an hr from knox, actually 20 min from the Va line. I really appreciate that when on a sunday i reach for a ......NO BEER!, Well by gosh it looks like a trip into good ole Va....the state line runs thru the parking lot of the tiny country store . South of Nash???, tornadee allee??, not for me, i like my steep ridges, keeps the twisters away:biggrinbounce2:
RD

 

[zopi]

yeah..blue laws are sub-optimal legislation...'bout as nice as I can be about that..

i've spent some time in Sevier..tourista trap...good knife store tho'..

I was actually born in Mcminnville...did a tour of recruiting for uncle sam's
canoe club in Clarksvegas...was there in 2000 or so when the tornado took it out...i slept through it..first I knew was seeing a corkscrew speed limit sign on the way to work...