Dead and Down

This tree has needed to come down for quite awhile. Not often I get too nervous about taking down a tree. They all deserve respect of course. Especially dead ones. In the forest I’ve walked away from a couple to let nature run it’s course.
This one had me nervous enough to break out the ol hard hat. A first for me. Sorry safety guys. Overlooking my new processing area so it had to go.
Struck by corkscrew lightening twice. Was hard to tell how deep those cracks run until it’s on the ground.
Had a decent lean to it too which makes internal damage even more worrisome. Had intended to do a plunge cut until I found the sap wood punky. Punky sides, damage in the trigger area,,,,I decided to just whack at it like normal. Cut a little higher than normal because of the barbed wire in the area. Luckily found none in this tree.
All in all came down very nice. No surprises.

 

Nice work
I remember you posting a thread about this one a while back. I recall suggesting you call in the army to take it down from a safe distance using field artillery Always good to have them come down without incident. Looks like the heart wood is still solid too as an added bonus.

 

Yeah this is the one LOL. Army never returned my calls.
Heart wood is good firewood but it has begun to degrade a little. Ripped out a 4” hinge. The lean had a lot to do with that but I could tell it’s not 100% solid oak fibers anymore.
Oddly enough I cut a 14” dead white oak just 20’ away from it yesterday. I was surprised how much rot the heartwood had. Something about those gypsy moth kills that rots the tree fast. Bottom was still solid but half the tree got pushed into the hedgerow.

 

Clean-up in isle 2! Nice work on the fall. I see some good btu's.

 

I usually wear a hard hat. It took 2 good hits to make me start. Besides gloves it's about the extent that my PPE.

 

Beautiful saw, good job!

 

There's still good meat on that tree.

Nicely done.

 

Heartwood looks solid

 

I’m not against safety. Twenty years in Local 1 with ever increasing standards to the point of ridiculousness has jaded my view tho.
Looking back there was one time I was glad to be wearing a hard hat. Climbed a ladder to the top of a scaffold inside a building. Stood up and got showered with sparks. Bare electrical wires pushed up into the steel beam. Seems the apprentice electrician that strung the temporary lighting was under the impression temporary wiring didn’t require wire nuts LOL. That was one stupid kid that almost didn’t go home that day
Would hate to see what would’ve happened without that plastic between my head and the beam

 

That's a line of perfect hinge wood. Very well done.

 

And he wants to be an electrician? Luckily you didn't lose your balance and topple off the scaffold.

 

Thank You sir. Even I get lucky sometimes.

It did raise a question in my mind when I looked at it. Noticed the fibers almost all tore up from the stump as opposed to down out of the trunk.
Is that something that’s controllable or just luck of the draw?

 

Yeah you could say I was a little shocked even an apprentice electrician thought bare wires was ok. I mean c’mon.

 

Sa-weeet! Great job!!!

 

Yes, good job on getting it down safely and where you want. That is after all the name of the game.

 

Nice job getting it on the ground Joe. Meat looks pretty good despite some twist to it.
I have to ask though. Did you look like a member of the Village People with a hard hat on?
Its fun to stay at the Y. M.C. A. JBYB!

 

Nice work. PPE is important.

Have to say, nice 462

 

ok Young Man. Here ya go. Sorry I’m completely out of 70’s spiked collar shirts.

Now I would suggest you not show that to the missus or you’ll find yourself wearing a hard hat to bed.
Likewise I wouldn’t flash it around town or you may find some skinny biker with latex chaps and a lisp stalking you. Be careful out there. They didn’t call me big sexy for nuthin hahahahaha

 

That was good my laugh for the day.

 

The only thing missing is your liquor glass like Julian from trailer park boys.