Too many wedges?

[stig]

I just realized I could fake it, just use two pieces of firewood to make an illusionary tree.
So here goes: pound one wedge all the way in, inset nylon plate and start the next wedge on top of plate. Pound second wedge in, remove first wedge, inset 2 nylon plates and start wedge on top of them, pound in wedge , go to 3 plates etc ad nauseum.
Usually most trees I work with fall after the second wedge, so I carry 2 wedges and 3 plates with me in my pouch. If I need more I'll fetch them from the truck. I've been working on training the dogs to bring me gear on command, but so far, no luck.
The advantage of the nylon plates are low weight, cheap price and no wedge shoot-out.

Sometimes we stack a LOT of plates to bring a tree over, I might have shown the elm picture before, but here it is again.

 

[Al Smith]

Wow ,that is one fast azzed tree to be tipping with a flush cut .

 

[fallguy]

Stig what are the dimensions on the plates? They look to be 3" x 5"? Good idea, its one of those that a guy says "Why didn't I think of that?"

 

[squisher]

That looks like a slick system Stig but for me when I need to I just double up wedges.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I just pull the rope harder.

 

[brendonv]

That's neat. My wedges always pop out when I stack. Wedge design?

 

[Reddog]

Rub some dirt or sand in between them so they grip each other.
They seem to slip more when new.

 

[sotc]

i like the idea but im a bit baffeled by the big one to

 

[Reddog]

Some need to work on their memory skills.

The big tree is a 14,3 ton solid elm burl, sold to a german veneer factory for 15000$. They cut it into about a square mile worth of 0,6 mil veneer for BMW.
BMW use burly elm for inlay in their top models, to distinguish them from the english manufacturers, who all use walnut.
So if you spring for a 700 series Beemer, you will most likely be driving around with a slice of my tree.

 

[stig]

Nope, Reddog!
That is a different tree, we sure felled a lot of really big elm trees when the dutch elm disease killed them all off.
However, this tree was sold on auktion in Germany, but I don't know who the buyer was. The owner of the tree was going to give it to someone for firewood, I convinced them to take the chance on shipping it to Germany ( not cheap!!). It sold for 5800$, so i had one really satisfied customer.

AL, it is not felled with a flush cut...............do you think I'm nuts?
The face cut has simply closed, so you cant see it in the picture.
The tree had an amazingly low and widespread crown, giving it a very low center of gravity, apart from the stacked plates and wedges, we also had a 5 ton Tirfor winch in it.
All because we were too lazy to top it first. It was right next to a house, so had to fall fairly precisely, which it did in the end.

 

[stig]

Stig what are the dimensions on the plates? They look to be 3" x 5"? Good idea, its one of those that a guy says "Why didn't I think of that?"

I cut them a little wider than the wedges I use (Hardhead) and about 5 " long.

 

[squisher]

Here this guy about sums it up.

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/7167_felling-trees-wedge.htm

 

[stehansen]

Now I know how it's done.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Gawddamn!

 

[Reddog]

Nope, Reddog!
That is a different tree,

Oh well, not the first time I was wrong.

 

[MasterBlaster]

AL, it is not felled with a flush cut...............do you think I'm nuts?
The face cut has simply closed, so you cant see it in the picture.

It DOES look like it was thrown like that, lol.

 

[Al Smith]

Nope, Reddog!

AL, it is not felled with a flush cut...............do you think I'm nuts?

Well,nuts is relative I guess

As for the elm I can't imagine why anybody would pony up that much money for one ,even a big one . I know that a big one is rare but other than split proof wood for wagon tongues or outrigger pads what is it good for --unless of course Danish elm is a lot different than American elm which is tough old stuff .

 

[Reddog]

Al, because it can look like this when made into veneer.

 

[stig]

Well,nuts is relative I guess

As for the elm I can't imagine why anybody would pony up that much money for one ,even a big one . I know that a big one is rare but other than split proof wood for wagon tongues or outrigger pads what is it good for --unless of course Danish elm is a lot different than American elm which is tough old stuff .

Apart from burl elm, normal elm wood is quite beautiful. We don't have many dark colored native hardwoods here, so it's been used for furniture a lot.
I've made lots of tables and countertops out of it, when I was into furniture making.
Something completely different. It was used for building pens for hogs back in the old days. Supposedly the pigs don't like the taste of elm, and refrain from gnawing on the boards.

 

[Al Smith]

I think a hog can gnaw through anything .Elm will bend like a green willow before it breaks and would make a dandy livestiock fence I imagine .

I had heard of certain grain patterns that were desirable for veneer for fine furniture but was under the impression that these were kind of freaks of nature .Much like tiger maple or birds eye ,fiddle back .

Then again you never know what the log holds until it's cut . You could rip a number three and it be full of figure or cut a fine and select and it just be a high grade lumber log and nothing extraordinary . Then too if it gets ripped it's kind of hard to turn it for veneer .

 

[stig]

Burl elm is a "freak of nature".
It is only about one in a thousand trees that have any burl at all, and the ones that are solid burl are really rare.
That kind of veneer is not turned by the way. In turning veneer, you cut along the growth rings, so the grain "picture" becomes unexciting to say the least.
Fine veneer is planed of like you'd cut a log, just in very (0,3-0,6 millimeter) thin boards.
When you make the absolute top grade, like for sounding boards for violins and other musical instruments, you quartersaw the whole log, but not in quarters, rather in hundreds. Each little "pieslice" only about 1/4-½ inch thick. Then after drying and aging the slices are cut through once again and folded out like opening a book. That is how you get the mirror image wood on the top and bottom of a guitar for example.

 

[Al Smith]

Interesting .Regular books ends are of course just pieces left maybe 2 inchs thick then resawn at a later date . Used for cabinetry etc .

Strange as it might seem I have in my living room a huge entertainment center that was originaly purchased in Germany .Book end matched raised panal doors .The kicker is ,it is made of American white oak .Go figure that one .

 

[Newfie]

Here this guy about sums it up.

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/7167_felling-trees-wedge.htm

Darn, I been doing everything wrong this whole time.


Engineers can be some scary fools when they get outside of their field of expertise.

 

[Dave Shepard]

It scares me to think of all the people who go out and buy a chainsaw and are going to go to a site like that for instruction. Reminds me of a joke we used to have at work. "Sure we're the best, just ask us, we'll tell you!"

 

[GASoline71]

It scares me to think of all the people who go out and buy a chainsaw and are going to go to a site like that for instruction. Reminds me of a joke we used to have at work. "Sure we're the best, just ask us, we'll tell you!"

Yup... that joker is gonna get someone killed...

Gary