CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Doing the math, 14mm
How'd it go today?
- Thread starter MasterBlaster
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SeanKroll
Treehouser
Best of luck with that. Could be a good mix.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
I can always have Rob run rope and use Frank and Co. on other facets. Hardly lazy.
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
Anyone got a couple tractor trailer loads of premium 20" black locust laying around? Just had a request for 320 2"x12". 
Nutball
TreeHouser
Quick growing, and quick formation of heartwood color are 2 different things. Otherwise it is quite the opposite of black.
Locust's lifespan is ~70 years. I don't know, but a conservative estimate would 40 years to harvest to reduce the odds of heart rot. I think that's pretty quick turnaround for a tree. It wouldn't be ready tomorrow, but sometimes you just gotta wait.
When my oak came down, it cracked a maple limb pretty bad, but it kept living. I've been wanting to remove it, but it was threaded between telco wires. Due to the geometry, removing the limb would cause it to thread into the wires more, and the weight could damage them and/or leave a dangerous hanger...
After looking up polesaws, I decided they were too expensive for one job, and figured I'd make my own. Searched my yard for a suitably long branch, and dug up a half decayed piece of apple(I think). We'll try it! Gather the materials, and bring them to my state of the art fabrication shop(a locust stump I use as a seat out back), and voila! a polesaw!
Took off a lower limb as proof of concept, and it worked! Got 75% of the way through the target limb, and my stick broke :^( Since I have a fully supplied storehouse of sticks, I found a piece of poplar to repair my new polesaw...
Can't believe that shit worked. Success!
Now I can remove the larger branch. A ladder would work, but that's stupid, right? We'll bring the climbing stuff from work, and do it like a pro. Maybe some time next week.
After looking up polesaws, I decided they were too expensive for one job, and figured I'd make my own. Searched my yard for a suitably long branch, and dug up a half decayed piece of apple(I think). We'll try it! Gather the materials, and bring them to my state of the art fabrication shop(a locust stump I use as a seat out back), and voila! a polesaw!
Took off a lower limb as proof of concept, and it worked! Got 75% of the way through the target limb, and my stick broke :^( Since I have a fully supplied storehouse of sticks, I found a piece of poplar to repair my new polesaw...
Can't believe that shit worked. Success!
Now I can remove the larger branch. A ladder would work, but that's stupid, right? We'll bring the climbing stuff from work, and do it like a pro. Maybe some time next week.
Marc-Antoine
TreeHouser
First class tool, even better than the street repairs shops in Pakistan. Seriously, I'd hate to take the saw on the nogging after the pole broke.
Ladder's aren't stupid, people just use them stupidly. Tie the top of the ladder to the tree, set a high tie in with a throw line or use your fancy pole from the top of the ladder while lanyarded to the trunk. Now you are tied in twice with both feet on a secured ladder and both hands free for cutting. Shorten the ladder and come back up to finish your cut as needed.
It's low enough I could use a step ladder. I just prefer using my fancy gear. Get more value out of it, and it's more fun. Polesaw's already disassembled. That was a one time thing, and I'm amazed it worked for that single branch. The wood "handle" was in really bad shape. I could rip another one out of a small poplar I cut down and saved, but meh... I don't really need polesaws. If the time comes when it's needed again, I'll build another one. I know the concept works now. It took longer to hunt down a stick than it did to put it together.
flushcut
TreeHouser
Basswood poles .
Treeaddict
Treehouser
From what I understand, black locust is considered invasive in many/some parts of the country. Papers have been written and studies done on its viability, especially since it’s so rot resistant. I think the invasive nature paints this tree in a bad light. May be some other issues too that I’m not aware of.
It definitely spreads. If you have one, you have a hundred. I consider that a positive if raising as a crop. It isn't suited to nice even rows like pine, but it's self replacing, and only requires periodic thinning. Also grows in poor soils.
Treeaddict
Treehouser
I have seen a lot of groves there the trunks are bent or angled. Maybe that’s part of the reason. Not generally a straight growing trunk?
I'd love to hear some detail on this
They grow like spider legs :^D Yea, if you want a grove of straight boards, locust won't do it for you. Not sure how profitable it would be for the big guys to get into it, but I think smaller players could make a solid living growing locust.
They're cool trees. I've grown to like them more and more as the years go on. The flowers smell great in the spring, and they're interesting to look at in an understated way.
They're cool trees. I've grown to like them more and more as the years go on. The flowers smell great in the spring, and they're interesting to look at in an understated way.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
I saw a video on a forum of plantation black walnut. Forces upward growth.
Dunno.
Dunno.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Treeaddict
Treehouser
stikine
Treehouser
Is their acreage adjacent to you Jim?
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Oak's my favorite wood. Favorite tree also. What kind of legs ya gonna get? I just did a quick search of amazon looking to find decorative park bench style iron legs, but saw some made from iron pipe. Might be cool to use something like that. I like the industrial look also.
@BlackSmith would likely know where to get what
