# Now THIS is a TREE!



## Woody Stover (Apr 22, 2012)

No, I did not drop this Pin Oak.  That's a 34" long splitting ax. It's not DBH but this stump is 70" and pretty much round.






Each of these branches are equivalent to a good-sized tree that I normally cut.









Some guy got an easy load yesterday morning, but I think it's mainly one other guy and I that are working on this monster. I got a late start yesterday so I just got one load. I figured since it was only one load, I would just walk it over to the trailer, about 60' or so. Well, between the cutting branches, splitting the rounds so I could pick 'em up and then walking them over, my legs and my back are roasted! I'm going back tomorrow for more punishment, but will take the quad this time to haul the wood to the trailer. It's about four miles from the house, not bad at all. I'm debating asking the tree service to buck some of the trunk that's too big for my saw, when they come back Tuesday. You guys know I will...I have the disease. 
Here's a pic of the first load. Metered out at 48% MC. Maybe _that's_ why they were so heavy.


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## iskiatomic (Apr 22, 2012)

Damn! That is a monster. There will plenty of BTU's in that. Time for a bigger saw. Much bigger!

What size is the trailer?

KC

Poor Doug


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## Woody Stover (Apr 22, 2012)

iskiatomic said:


> Damn! That is a monster. There will plenty of BTU's in that. Time for a bigger saw. Much bigger!
> 
> What size is the trailer?


I don't know...the guy that lives across the street said the feller's saw had a 48" bar, and he asked him to hold the weight of the saw up while he maneuvered it in the cut.
The trailer is 5x8.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 22, 2012)

I didn't load it too full because of the wet wood but that load pulled pretty light. Probably only 1000 lbs over the towing capacity of the poor old Ciera.


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## woodsmaster (Apr 22, 2012)

Nice tree! With a large saw It will only take two or three hours to cut and quarter that trunk with a helper to turn the rounds. I'm Finishing a tree that size. Still a couple cord to stack. I think it will come in around 8 cord.


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## NH_Wood (Apr 22, 2012)

Yep, that's massive! I'd definitely be asking for help on the trunk - my saw would wet its pants if I walked up to that tree with it. Cheers!


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## heatwise (Apr 22, 2012)

A few years back I had got a call on left overs from one of these, I ended up getting the bottom 12 feet trunk. It was cut into massive discs so I sliced them down to manageable chunks. I will never forget how heavy this stuff is or the oak smell of freshness. You have a gold mine in that tree good score.


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## bogydave (Apr 22, 2012)

Wouldn't even know where to start with a tree that big.
Just start whittling it down to size I guess. 
Nice load of oak, gonna add up fast


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## osagebow (Apr 22, 2012)

w   o   w. Nice score! Lift with your legs, not your back


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## tcassavaugh (Apr 22, 2012)

Was the tree struck by lightning? for the most part it looks pretty healthy. Why did they take it down. I hate to see a grand old tree brought down for no reason. i have a large oak that is at least that in the front yard. i love that tree and the other smaller oaks it has spawned. plenty others i can cut for wood if i need them.

cass


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## Redlegs (Apr 22, 2012)

Lots of wood there - congrats on the score!


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## Gark (Apr 22, 2012)

Man alive, that is a huge beastie! The yellow handled maul looks puny. Just wondering, did anyone count the rings to see how old it was? There is no rush on counting 'em - that stump will be there for years. We got a 112 year old oak at 50 inches dia  so my guess is 158 years old for that monster.


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## ScotO (Apr 22, 2012)

looks like a job tor the 051 or 075 (eh Zap?)  Nice score woody, keep the pics coming!


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## ScotO (Apr 22, 2012)

Woody Stover said:


> Here's a pic of the first load. Metered out at 48% MC. Maybe _that's_ why they were so heavy.


 
Oak, especially in the early sring, is FULL of water.  Thats why they preach the "3 year rule" when it comes to C/S/S your green oak.  And one further note, I can honestly say I've never seen an Oldsmobile towing a trailerload of firewood.......you'd fit right in with me and my crew, Woody!!


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## Blue Vomit (Apr 22, 2012)

Woody Stover said:


> No, I did not drop this Pin Oak.  That's a 34" long splitting ax. It's not DBH but this stump is 70" and pretty much round.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I helped cut a big oak a few years ago. It had some very cool blue/grey coloring near the stump looking similar to your first pic. My friend cut it into pieces, finished it, and made a chess board out of it. The blue coloring came out very nice. He said it had something to do with iron or something? 
Something to think about if you are interested.


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## ScotO (Apr 22, 2012)

Blue Vomit said:


> The blue coloring came out very nice. He said it had something to do with iron or something?
> So.


 Yep iron or steel inside wood for many years will do that to the wood.  The minerals and moisture in the sap slowly eat away at that iron, and it leaves a telltale blue streaking in the wood...


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## Blue Vomit (Apr 22, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Yep iron or steel inside wood for many years will do that to the wood.  The minerals and moisture in the sap slowly eat away at that iron, and it leaves a telltale blue streaking in the wood...



If you were truly talented you could carve a smurf out of that stump!


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## Backwoods Savage (Apr 22, 2012)

Woody, that looks like it was right next to the road or a driveway so getting close should be great for you. As for that carrying, I've done a good deal of pin oak and know what you had to deal with. That stuff is heavy! Maybe you can pay them to cut the butt up for you?


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## tfdchief (Apr 22, 2012)

That is a whole bunch of tree for sure.  Pin Oak takes forever to dry/season, but good stuff when it is ready.  My son has 2 close to that size in his yard.  Pin Oaks often die when they get that age.  They are a first succession tree in the woods and nature didn't mean for them to live that long.


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## cptoneleg (Apr 22, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Woody, that looks like it was right next to the road or a driveway so getting close should be great for you. As for that carrying, I've done a good deal of pin oak and know what you had to deal with. That stuff is heavy! Maybe you can pay them to cut the butt up for you?


 

Do you mean you could't sit and split rounds that size???


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## Woody Stover (Apr 22, 2012)

tcassavaugh said:


> Was the tree struck by lightning? for the most part it looks pretty healthy. Why did they take it down


If you look at the trunk in the first pic, you can see that it was beginning to rot. I think the county decided it had to come down, but I'll get some more info from the guy across the street when I see him.


Gark said:


> Just wondering, did anyone count the rings to see how old it was? There is no rush on counting 'em - that stump will be there for years. We got a 112 year old oak at 50 inches dia so my guess is 158 years old for that monster.


Yeah, my first thought was that it must be really old but now I'm not sure. I didn't look closely at the stump yet but the rings I _did_ see were somewhat widely spaced. It gets a lot of water in that valley and the farmer dumps hog poop on the higher ground behind the tree. maybe it's not all that old, but just had optimal conditions in which to grow? I will try to get a ring count at some point.


Scotty Overkill said:


> I can honestly say I've never seen an Oldsmobile towing a trailerload of firewood.......you'd fit right in with me and my crew, Woody!!


I'm taking it easy on the old girl now...she's got about 220K miles. But back in the day I hauled some HEAVY loads with her. Now the tranny is kind of sluggish to go into gear when it's cool outside... Coincidence? 


Blue Vomit said:


> I helped cut a big oak a few years ago. It had some very cool blue/grey coloring near the stump looking similar to your first pic. My friend cut it into pieces, finished it, and made a chess board out of it. The blue coloring came out very nice. He said it had something to do with iron or something?
> Something to think about if you are interested.


Sounds like it would be cool-looking...unique for sure. Yeah, the guy across the street said the faller was hitting metal like crazy...probably old fence wire.


Blue Vomit said:


> If you were truly talented you could carve a smurf out of that stump!


Alas, I am but a lowly wood-chopper. 


Backwoods Savage said:


> Woody, that looks like it was right next to the road or a driveway so getting close should be great for you. As for that carrying, I've done a good deal of pin oak and know what you had to deal with. That stuff is heavy! Maybe you can pay them to cut the butt up for you?


Yep, Dennis, right next to the road. If you look at the second pic, you can just see the nose of the car. I can park right next to the stump. Walking 'em to the trailer about killed me. Didn't make it back over there today. Quad goes with me tomorrow for sure. 


tfdchief said:


> Pin Oaks often die when they get that age. They are a first succession tree in the woods and nature didn't mean for them to live that long.


I didn't know that. You learn something new every day in the Wood Shed. 


cptoneleg said:


> Do you mean you could't sit and split rounds that size???


I do not own a crane...


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## Woody Stover (Apr 22, 2012)

As I mentioned, I didn't make it over there today. Got up kinda late and didn't want to go for just one load. My body needed the rest anyway; Legs and back are still feeling it. But I _did_ get some bonus wood close to home. Wind must have damaged an otherwise-healthy Shingle Oak branch along the drive, and it decided to fall today. No wind or anything, it just went. A neighbor (whose land it's on) and I trimmed the branches and I bucked and loaded up the wood. It's on the closest pallet in this pic. Biggest round rounds are 10", oblongs are 12" so it was a decent haul. Every little bit helps.  Behind it on the other pallet are a few of the monster Pin Oak splits.


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## maplewood (Apr 23, 2012)

That's a Paul Bunyan tree!


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## Woody Stover (Apr 23, 2012)

maplewood said:


> That's a Paul Bunyan tree!


Unfortunately, I more closely resemble Paul Schaefer. 

Well, somebody was hammering on that thing yesterday. Lotta meat still left for me though. One that looks pretty good is the branch closest to the camera, with the smaller branch forking out of it and the broken branch underneath it. Problem is, the tree wants to roll toward the camera and that branch is holding it right now. I was thinking I could wedge a round under that branch, closer to the trunk, and get some of the rest of the branch. Sound good? I've done this type of thing before, just not on this large a scale with this much weight.  The broken branch in the middle is still there, too...most of it anyway.
I had the wife jump on my back a few times to loosen up the cramped muscles; I'm ready to go!


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## jeff_t (Apr 23, 2012)

That looks like a good time. I'd come and help if you were closer. I like bucking the big ones. You should be able to whittle away most of it with that 460. 

Be careful.


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## Redlegs (Apr 23, 2012)

I've seen where arborist specialty stores (online) offer for sale a sturdy two-wheeler hand truck with over size tires to move trunks and big rounds.  Maybe you or someone you know has a standard two wheeler you could try...at least you woulnt have to carry the heavy pieces so far.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 23, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Maybe you can pay them to cut the butt up for you?


I'd think they would be happy to do it for free, just so they have less wood to get rid of. I'm going to ask the guy across the street to give me a heads-up when the tree guys come back...I'll talk to them then. I'd like to see the trunk wood before I say I'll take it. I just wonder where I would put it all...processing area is pretty full.



jeff_t said:


> You should be able to whittle away most of it with that 460.
> Be careful.


I need to pick up a 32" bar and skip chain, but as it is I've only got a 25" (23.5" usable if you subtract for the spikes, etc.)
And yes, I _will _take care, thanks. The wood won't do me any good if I'm dead. Well, maybe they could make me a coffin from it... 




JeffersonCoKs said:


> I've seen where arborist specialty stores (online) offer for sale a sturdy two-wheeler hand truck with over size tires to move trunks and big rounds. Maybe you or someone you know has a standard two wheeler you could try...at least you woulnt have to carry the heavy pieces so far.


I've got a standard duty dolly but I would need the big pneumatic tires. The wheels I've got would sink into the ground; It's somewhat soft in that valley. I would like to get a better dolly at some point; They come in handy quite often. Plan for today is to take the quad over on the trailer, split the rounds with the 8-pounder and haul to the car trailer in the little quad trailer. I'll have to go back and pick up the quad when I'm done but it's only four miles over there...


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## lukem (Apr 23, 2012)

Woody Stover said:


> I'd think they would be happy to do it for free, just so they have less wood to get rid of. I'm going to ask the guy across the street to give me a heads-up when the tree guys come back...I'll talk to them then. I'd like to see the trunk wood before I say I'll take it. I just wonder where I would put it all...processing area is pretty full.
> 
> 
> I need to pick up a 32" bar and skip chain, but as it is I've only got a 25" (23.5" usable if you subtract for the spikes, etc.)
> ...


 
Some cold barley pop at quitting time or some sandwiches around lunch time will get you a long way with some crews, not just tree guys.  They could buck that trunk a lot quicker than you.  

I would mostly be concerned about pinching the bar on a tree that big, unless you have some equipment to help relieve the stress causing the pinch.  You can just pry it, pick it up, or roll it like you could a "normal" tree....unless you are, in fact, the hulk.  It can be hard to tell how they are being supported...some can be easy and others will shift without rhyme or reason.


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## smokinj (Apr 23, 2012)

Thats very clean for 70 inchs. My back killing me on a baby 50incher! (I Never seen any hardwood yet over 55) Get a tape on it.......


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## Backwoods Savage (Apr 23, 2012)

cptoneleg said:


> Do you mean you could't sit and split rounds that size???


 

Not at all


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## Woody Stover (Apr 24, 2012)

smokinj said:


> Thats very clean for 70 inchs. My back killing me on a baby 50incher! (I Never seen any hardwood yet over 55) Get a tape on it.......


I didn't just pull the 70" number out of...thin air, Jay. I thought you were from IN, the Hoosier State not MO, the Show Me State.  OK, I know, pics or it's not a reality, only a possibility. 
I went over there this AM and got these pics. I also did a ring count...100 give or take. Look at the spacing...pretty wide rings. I'm tellin' ya, this thing must have been fertilized by the hog-poop runoff from the fields above! The guy across the street told me that the faller was running a big Husky with a 48" bar, and was hitting a bunch of that metal in there.


tcassavaugh said:


> for the most part it looks pretty healthy. Why did they take it down. I hate to see a grand old tree brought down for no reason. i have a large oak that is at least that in the front yard. i love that tree and the other smaller oaks it has spawned.


As I said, you can see the bark starting to fail a bit on one side. The county guys said that the guy across the street had been wanting the tree taken down for years, worried that it might fall on his house. I don't really think there was much chance of that and I think the tree could have lasted quite a while before it became unstable. The tree was leaning away from the house, and there is a 30+ foot ridge shielding the lower section of the tree from the heavy weather, which usually comes from that direction. The top of the ridge is also covered with trees which I think would have further protected the giant. That tree shaded that guy's house until noon. Now the sun will be beating on him all day long. Just the sheer presence of that big tree was comforting to me every time I went past it. But I guess a freak micro-burst or something could have sent the tree toward his house, and I think Pins have a shallow root system. Nevertheless, if it was me, I think I would have taken my chances. That tree was a thing of majestic beauty.

I also stopped and talked to a guy I know who lives up the road from the giant Pin. I saw a BIG White Oak trunk there with all the easy pickin's taken already, but it looks like I could get more with the 460. Might be time to get the 32" bar and skip chain that you suggested,Jay...  He's also got a Sugar, a Cherry and a bunch of other stuff lying around out there that has been cut recently. He told me he's paid out $9000 over the last couple of years to tree services! 





















Soooo, after taking a break Sunday and letting another neighbor on the road have at it(and letting my body recover,) I went back yesterday. In talking to him, I was able to inform him of the slow-drying nature of Oak. Spreadin' the dry-wood gospel... 
I swung by there early yesterday morning and saw the neighbor had gotten quite a bit of wood, but the big stuff I said I would work on was still there. This neighbor told me he had called the county garage and they told him they wouldn't be back until today at the earliest. Apparently they had a change of plans. !!






I cut off a couple of big 16"-long rounds from that stub on top of the trunk. Not wanting it to be a wasted trip, I went to plan B.
When I talked to the owner about getting the wood, I mentioned that I had seen a couple other smaller down trees nearby...he told me to have at 'em. There was a BL about 50' up the hill from the car, so I hacked my way through the brush and dragged the wheelbarrow up there. I didn't get a full load so I went another 75' up the hill and, sure enough, found another sizeable broken-off BL branch. Man, I worked harder for these two total loads than I do for most. You guys would have been proud of me...or maybe you would have been pointing and laughing. 
I saw a little broke-off tree up there, no more than 1.5" in diameter, yet the bark was thick and blocky. I thought maybe some type of Oak but I don't see an exact match in the book.Maybe the leaf shape was distorted as a result of it being in a lot of brush, and trying to capture more light. Any ideas on the ID??





Here's the BL load. All the bark fell off or was easily pulled off, which was nice.





Also found some "yaller trash wood"...not sure the ID but it doesn't seem particularly heavy. Ideas??














Here's the total load including the salvaged Pin and yaller wood...





Total Pin haul, a bit shy of two pallets (Shingle Oak from our drive is on the single pallet.) I was thirsty after bucking, loading, hauling and stacking. BL is still on the trailer...I'm tired today. Come to think of it, I'm thirsty too.


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## Flatbedford (Apr 24, 2012)

That is a monster. Lots of wood if you can deal with it. As said above, be careful! There is some serious weight there.


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## smokinj (Apr 24, 2012)

I didnt think you pull it out of the air. Just asking if you did put a tape on it. That could be a state record!! Yes 32 full skipper clean air filter and let that saw rest a little between fill ups....Keep chain very sharp.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 24, 2012)

smokinj said:


> I didnt think you pull it out of the air. Just asking if you did put a tape on it. That could be a state record!! Yes 32 full skipper clean air filter and let that saw rest a little between fill ups....Keep chain very sharp.


Well, even a 32 could not get that one. I got the pics fixed, check it out. You need to get the big saw back and come on down!


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## Woody Stover (Apr 24, 2012)

Forgot to mention, when we went down for the tape pics, we climbed up on the trunk and dropped a plumb bob line down each side, then I measured between the lines. At about what I estimated to be 5' up from the ground, it was 64".


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## smokinj (Apr 24, 2012)

Woody Stover said:


> Well, even a 32 could not get that one. I got the pics fixed, check it out. You need to get the big saw back and come on down!


 
32 will make it. It cant be a perfect circle I will find a flat spot to explot!  But I want nothing to do with the splitter on that one!  Anti-vibe gloves from start to finish.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 24, 2012)

smokinj said:


> 32 will make it. It cant be a perfect circle I will find a flat spot to explot!  But I want nothing to do with the splitter on that one!  Anti-vibe gloves from start to finish.


You can see from the stump pics, this thing is very round but yeah, further up the trunk I could probably make the 32 work. Yep, it would be work splitting up those rounds! I usually split dead wood though, and I couldn't believe how easy I was splitting up big rounds with just the 8-pound maul...


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## jeepmedic (Apr 24, 2012)

Thats one huge tree. Think your going to need a bigger trailer !!


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## Woody Stover (Apr 24, 2012)

jeepmedic said:


> Thats one huge tree. Think your going to need a bigger trailer !!



It's tempting to see what I could do with a 32" bar but it looks like it would be tricky to cut, plus now it's down in the dirt. And what would I do with the pieces I couldn't split? I would need a tractor with a grapple...hey, the owner might have one up at the farm!   Even if the log was in its original position, I'm not even sure how you would go about cutting a round off of something that big. Also seems like it would be tough to make a straight cut all the way through the log.


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## Thistle (Apr 24, 2012)

Pretty sure that yellow wood with the rough bark is Mulberry.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 24, 2012)

Thistle said:


> Pretty sure that yellow wood with the rough bark is Mulberry.


I thought that was a possibility but I believe that's a fairly high BTU wood, and thought it would be heavier. This stuff was dead...maybe it's super-dry. It has a little punk on some of it too...


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## smokinj (Apr 25, 2012)

Woody Stover said:


> I thought that was a possibility but I believe that's a fairly high BTU wood, and thought it would be heavier. This stuff was dead...maybe it's super-dry. It has a little punk on some of it too...


 
Yellow is always good in Indiana..........


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## lukem (Apr 25, 2012)

smokinj said:


> Yellow is always good in Indiana..........


 
The only yellow trees I've ever seen around here are hedge (great), mulberry (really good) and persimmon (good).  That is mulberry pictured above.

That oak tree looks to be about the same size as oakzilla from last summer.  It was ~60" DBH if I remember correctly...the trunk is still standing.


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## smokinj (Apr 25, 2012)

lukem said:


> The only yellow trees I've ever seen around here are hedge (great), mulberry (really good) and persimmon (good). That is mulberry pictured above.
> 
> That oak tree looks to be about the same size as oakzilla from last summer. It was ~60" DBH if I remember correctly...the trunk is still standing.


 
I threw my back out again on the 50 inch white oak. Still got 3 cords to get out of it. (Got to give these big one up)


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## mecreature (Apr 25, 2012)

big tree for sure. 

The wedge and holding wood always looks weird on these big trees. 
It don't look like it should work without pulling it.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 25, 2012)

lukem said:


> That oak tree looks to be about the same size as oakzilla from last summer. It was ~60" DBH if I remember correctly...the trunk is still standing.


I wondered about that and was going to dig up that thread, thanks.


smokinj said:


> I threw my back out again on the 50 inch white oak. Still got 3 cords to get out of it. (Got to give these big one up)


Yeah, I have to go slow, especially if I haven't done any work with my back for a couple of weeks. If I overdo it, she'll spasm on me. I've had spasms so bad that I couldn't even turn my head; I would have to turn my whole body if I wanted to look at something off to my side. Bending over? Forget it. 
I stopped by a guy's house that I know close to the Pin to ask if a White I had seen was on his property. He said yeah, have at it. He claimed it was as big as the Pin but I doubt it. I didn't really look at the butt, I was looking at the top end to see what I could get to start. I'll try to get a measurement when I get over there, but that may not be for a while. Got a bunch of rounds to get split and stacked.


mecreature said:


> big tree for sure.
> The wedge and holding wood always looks weird on these big trees.
> It don't look like it should work without pulling it.


As you can see, he plunged into the middle of the hinge to make sure everything in back of it was cut. That holding piece was bigger to start, then after he had the back cut done he started taking wood off the holding plug until the weight of the tree tore it loose.

I saw the other neighbor's haul, the guy that was there Sunday. He skidded about ten 8' logs, around 16-18", up the hill to his place. I wanted to let him grab what he wanted Sunday since he had to work Saturday...and I needed to give my back a rest. Nice guy. I don't know him well but when I talked to him Friday to see what he wanted, he offered to leave his saw out Saturday so I could use it if mine got pinched. I told him I was bringing two saws, but thanks. I also mentioned "two years drying, split and stacked, on that Oak"...he didn't know that. Dennis would have been proud of me. 
I think everyone got what they wanted, and I don't feel bad about missing out on the rest of it. I got a couple of nice loads and met some people. I got the name of the supervisor at the county garage. After I get caught up, I may contact him and see if he'll give me a call when they have some BL, White Oak or Hickory that's close to my house. And I'm still looking for my first Hedge score...


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## mecreature (Apr 25, 2012)

I seen that plunge cut. 
I guess with the size of that tree that holding wood is bigger then it looks.
A good work out for sure. 

You have to spy out that hedge.
I have some in fence rows around me. I'll get some eventually.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 25, 2012)

lukem said:


> That oak tree looks to be about the same size as oakzilla from last summer. It was ~60" DBH if I remember correctly...the trunk is still standing.


I bet that Pin trunk will be there for thirty years or more. The jungle will engulf it and vines will obscure it from view, but I won't forget that it's there, and will walk back to check on it from time to time...


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## Woody Stover (Apr 25, 2012)

mecreature said:


> You have to spy out that hedge.
> I have some in fence rows around me. I'll get some eventually.


I see it around here too, but so far I haven't seen one that has died and could be gotten. A storm tore a few out last year several miles from me. I talked to the guy about getting some of it but he never called me. There were a few branches that were on the guy next door and he told me I could have it if his kid didn't take it. Then one night I was driving by there and saw a few glowing embers where the pile used to be. Thanks, buddy...


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## woodsmaster (Apr 25, 2012)

smokinj said:


> Thats very clean for 70 inchs. My back killing me on a baby 50incher! (I Never seen any hardwood yet over 55) Get a tape on it.......


 
the measurement is at waist height. The tree did have some bell to it.


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## MasterMech (Apr 26, 2012)

Sure hope that trailer had working brakes, especially with a Cierra in front of it.

What a tree!  That thing would keep me happy for days! I want to see you guys crack those 70" rounds. Sledge & Wedge?


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## smokinj (Apr 26, 2012)

woodsmaster said:


> the measurement is at waist height. The tree did have some bell to it.


 
Awesome clean tree for that size very hard to find them like this one! Great score. Is the new pic's the same tree?


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## Woody Stover (Apr 26, 2012)

MasterMech said:


> Sure hope that trailer had working brakes, especially with a Cierra in front of it...I want to see you guys crack those 70" rounds. Sledge & Wedge?


Trailer brakes? Uh, no, but it doesn't go far from home and I'm creeping along on side roads when I have it loaded. I should probably go ahead and replace the Ciera with a truck.
Judging by how easily I was able to split some 24" rounds with the 8# maul, I think the big ones could be split with a sledge and a couple wedges. I've split plenty of dead Oak...that fresh-cut live stuff was _easy_, the straight-grained wood anyway.


smokinj said:


> Awesome clean tree for that size very hard to find them like this one! Great score. Is the new pic's the same tree?


The last pics are woodmaster's Oak from last year. Don't remember offhand what kind of Oak it was. Not as clean as the big Pin here, but not too bad from the look of it. I've had some sizeable Red/Black that have fallen or blown down here, and the core is sometimes gone all the way up the trunk.


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## MasterMech (Apr 26, 2012)

Woody, the nice thing about a wood-hauler like mine ('89 C3500 2WD) is that they're cheap to buy, and I can move 1 cord of wood in the bed with ease.  Sure the MPG is awful but I don't drive this thing to work (much).  It runs to haul wood or make $$, that's it.    And if you want to get serious about hauling wood , the trailering capacity is unmatched by any SUV or car.  Truck like mine you should be able to locate for under 3k in mechanically sound/visually presentable condition.  Half-tons and 3/4 tons are far more common so even less $$ and they are often 4x4 too for those not so easy scrounges.  Just not so much bed capacity so you'll rely on a trailer more.


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## Flatbedford (Apr 26, 2012)

Don't be afraid of big rounds. They usually aren't any harder to split than the smaller ones, they are just harder to move around. You also get to work on the same round for a while so there's less bending to grab and set the next one.


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## lukem (Apr 26, 2012)

Flatbedford said:


> Don't be afraid of big rounds. They usually aren't any harder to split than the smaller ones, they are just harder to move around. You also get to work on the same round for a while so there's less bending to grab and set the next one.


 
+1

Just work them from the outside in...don't try to be a hero and split a 70" round down the middle...you may be able to do it, but that's a mighty tall order for a 4" impact point...no matter how much it weighs or how fast it is moving....to crack 70" of oak.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 26, 2012)

Got the trailer unloaded. Since the BL has a greenish cast, I thought that beer in a green bottle would be the way to go......so I broke into the stash of Stellas that my neighbor gave me the other day. There's the yaller Mulberry leaning against the pile of Oak and Ash that's leaning against the Pine.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 29, 2012)

This is the last time I dredge this thread back up...promise!  But it's slowing down in the ol' Wood Shed and I thought maybe all the wood nuts out there (like me) might enjoy a pic. This is the BL I got the other day, split and stacked. Looks to be a bit more than half a cord. Added to the Oak I got, probably a little over a cord total. Not a lot but it adds up. A few baby skeeters and gnats were chewing me but I can't fault them for that.  The undergrowth and the ivy is really thick in there until it gets drier in the heat of Summer. Wind and sun? No, this stack won't be getting much. What it _will_ get is time.


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