Marmaduck
ArboristSite Lurker
So I've been eyeballing this downed Pecan for a couple of mos. and finally asked the elderly couple if I might remove it for them. They are glad to have it removed, so it's ON.
There was no way to move the main trunk, so I milled most of it in place. It was pretty rotted on the bottom but I got 8 decent boards 1.5 in. thick. I couldn't tell from the road, but there are 12 other millable logs (limbs!) and a nice crotch piece buried in the weeds and in considerably better shape than the trunk. Yesterday, I got 3 of the logs on my little utility trailer and am headed back tomorrow with a bigger trailer for the rest. Then, I can mill them at home at my leisure...yeah, right.
Lessons Learned:
1. When its hot, mill in the shade. Dehydration sux.
2. Someone posted a pic using a bag of lead shot to help stabilize the mill. What a GREAT improvement over wrestling it by hand...THANKS!
3. Some way, other than manual labor must be employed to move logs around. The 81 Yr. old homeowner used his tractor with a boom and log tongs to effortlessly lift the smaller logs onto my trailer. That really saved the day.
There was no way to move the main trunk, so I milled most of it in place. It was pretty rotted on the bottom but I got 8 decent boards 1.5 in. thick. I couldn't tell from the road, but there are 12 other millable logs (limbs!) and a nice crotch piece buried in the weeds and in considerably better shape than the trunk. Yesterday, I got 3 of the logs on my little utility trailer and am headed back tomorrow with a bigger trailer for the rest. Then, I can mill them at home at my leisure...yeah, right.
Lessons Learned:
1. When its hot, mill in the shade. Dehydration sux.
2. Someone posted a pic using a bag of lead shot to help stabilize the mill. What a GREAT improvement over wrestling it by hand...THANKS!
3. Some way, other than manual labor must be employed to move logs around. The 81 Yr. old homeowner used his tractor with a boom and log tongs to effortlessly lift the smaller logs onto my trailer. That really saved the day.