Any experience riving BIG wood

Thanks for the encouragement (ha)

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>So, Bob, what's the message here? If a kid from the Pacific Northwest can do it, surely you can? Ha! I love it. Great pic. Was your friend in the pic planning on riving all that lumber in the photo? Very impressive :-)

Also thanks for the website link. I've saved it and I'll check it out later. I note they sell wedges - which might be more convenient that searching around for proper glut material.

I appreciate your post.

Regards -

Dave

Correction - Two (2) feet in diameter

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi All -

Finally got around to taking a tape measurer out this afternoon to get the actual size of this tree: 78" around the base. I think that converts into around a 2' diameter at the base.

So, that's bigger than I thought. Does that effect anyone's thinking about the riving effort?

Regards -

Dave

Re: Correction - Two (2) feet in diameter

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>Hey Dave. My guess is that the riving would still be doable with the result of larger usable planks of Cherry. Now Elm... Also I think that once you get the logs halved then they might be movable lengthwise with much less disruption to the habitat.

I have a cable hoist that I could lend you that with a length of chain to tie to could allow a slow slide to the house area. Let me know if you need the hoist. It has a one ton rating so it should be strong enough . JR

Re: Yup, forget carrying them out!

Dale Stansbery

>

Wow. Thanks!

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Joe -

Thanks for your kind offer. I still haven't made up my mind how to tackle this yet, but I want to make my mind before the reduced-winter-rate season is up for the tree guys. If the cable sounds like the way to go, I'll let you know.

Again, many thanks!! I really appreciate it.

Regards -

Dave

Re: Or, buy more beer :^)

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>

Re: Wow. Thanks!

Mike G.

>I make gluts all the time, although they're usually cut out of scrap SYP. I use them to take apart framing lumber that's been nailed together with nail guns. It's funny how if someone has to actually use a hammer to drive nails, they'll only put in enough to do the job, but put a nailgun in their hands and all of a sudden it's like they have a "Thompson sub machinegun".

Mike G.

keeping the tree off the house

Ian in Sydney

>So, if I got the picture ...

your tree is large, 35' from and 20' higher than the house.

I think your No.1 priority is missing the house when you drop the tree (No.2 is missing SWMBO's flowers).

were you proposing to do this yourself or will you use a contractor?

Unfortunately in the game of tree felling gravity holds almost all the aces.

To me, a crane sounds the best way to achieve priorities 1 & 2 and to even the odds with gravity.

The side benefit is that the crane can then drop the big pieces where you want them for either sawing or splitting.

You got that right.

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Ian -

Your're right. Preserving the house is my first priority. In fact, that's why it's coming down. We lost three black locust in Sept 2004 in Hurricane Isabel - two grazed the house. This cherry has the potential to cut the house in half if it fell the wrong way. So, that why I'm taking it down.

Next - you can bet I'm not taking it down. I'll get professionals to do that. I've seen them do it before. They'll climb up in the tree and take it down from the top - a little at a time.

What I don't know is if they can do what I have in mind: take down the bottom in relatively big enough sections while making sure they don't lose control and have them do cascading down the incline into the house (and over my wife's garden).

Thanks for your post. I think you were right on - and have a good grasp of my challenge.

Regards -

Dave

Is that the Pacific N.W. Official Riving Costume?

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>

Re: Is that the Pacific N.W. Official Riving Costu

Bob Hackett

>Cut the pants off just below the knee and it would be the all purpose Maine teen uniform.A sweatshirt W/hood(XXXL)serves as a jacket for those below zero days.

MB

Re: It's hard to know where to start....

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>Dear Dave,

if your're going to work the split down both sides wouldn't you need to start in the sap at 3 and 9 o'clock? I'm a bit confused about that point.

Yes exactly. My mistake. You have the right idea.

I do need to get some glut (or wedges). That's the one thing I don't already have for this process.

That black locust you mentioned would make excellant gluts. I make them similar in shape to metal wedges, but up to a foot long. They can be difficult to remove when short. If you make them with a saw, especially an electric one, I'll find out and track you down. Just remember that the blade of your broad hatchet can never rise above the hand holding the billet. That way you'll never cut yourself. If you are striking end grain (splitting or billeting) then you may not steady the stock with your free hand. Keep the two operations seperate and you'll find greenwoodworking much more enjoyable.

Also save any scraps of that locust for trunnels. I make them with a dowelling plate made from a railroad tie thingy (what's it called?) Oh, for this sort of billeting I place the broad hatchet on the end grain, then smack its poll with my froe cudgel.

Adam

Trunnels?... one slippery slope at a time

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Adam -

Thanks for clarification on the 180� point in your earlier post. Now it all makes sense to me.

As for the gluts - I'll check the firewood pile and see if I have any good black locust candidates out there. I'll try to do this without a saw first, but I don't have a broadaxe. I do have a hatchet, and I'll give it a try - bearing your advice in mind.

The hatchet has a hammer head on the side opposite the blade, and I used that as a strike point when I was riving the pieces for my bowsaw. I must say for the bowsaw strechers, handles, windless bar and handles I tried sawing first, then drawknife - both were painfully slow. Then on a lark I tried riving. Wow - was I impressed. Had my pieces down to rough dimensions (from firewood) in no time flat.

As for the trunnels...unless I'm mistaken, aren't they mainly used for ship/boat construction? If so, I think that's a non-starter around here. I need to start producing some furniture before I even contemplate taking a fork on the slippery slope :-)

Thanks again for the advice.

Regards -

Dave

Re: Any experience

Dave Chatham

>If it isn't finished snowing down your way , why not roll the logs onto a sled and drag them up to the front. Four adults on a toboggan can't weigh much less than one log on a toboggan. Leave some stump to tie the block off for easing her down the hill. Take video in case you mess up and wipe out the house, you can send it off to "stupid stuff people send in to us on video" TV show and win some cash to fix the house!