Tree Felling and Splitting

Down They Came

We had a couple oak trees (shared the same trunk) die a couple years ago, and I had a guy come and fell them last Monday. Now I have a big pile of logs and branches to deal with. Both trees were very straight and tall, and I was left with a couple long logs that came from the sections right above the trunk. One is about 12 feet or so long, and about two feet in diameter. I watched some YouTube videos and proceeded to split it. Here are some pictures from the felling and the splitting.

 

 Korte Tree Service came and cut down the two trees. He did a great job, and was the least expensive I could find in our area. He used a bucket truck to get way up in the tree to bring it down safely and quickly.

  

He could position the bucket pretty much were ever he needed.

 

 

Splitting Logs

 

I made some gluts from some of the branches to help split the logs. 

 

I scored the end of the biggest log with a hatchet and started the split with the hatchet used like a small wedge. Then I was able to start driving some regular steel wedges. It started splitting pretty well. Once it split wide enough on the end, I started adding the gluts to hold the split open. I used a 4-pound hammer for most of the pounding. It seemed to work better than a heavy maul. I found if I hit the gluts too heard, they bounced back out, but if I hit them easier, they sank consistently.

 

I started working my way down the log, leap-frogging wedges and gluts until I worked my way all along the length of the log. I love the cracking sound as the split propagated along the log. You could here it cracking and popping long after the pounding stopped. I had to leave it overnight with the wedges buried, and it had split quite a bit by morning, just from the residual wedge pressure.

I finally got it split the next day. I will split each half again and remove the bark and find someplace to store the quarters until I figure out what to make with them. It had a slight twist to it, but not too bad at all. Then on to the other big log, and all the smaller ones too. What to make? What to make?

 

This is after splitting off one third of the left half. I measured it tonight and it is a little over 12 feet and about 15 inches in diameter. I think I will end up cutting lengths of either 6 or four feet depending on what I make. I should get about 12, 6-foot long 2x4s and 24, 6-foot long 2x2s from this log, all quarter-sawn grain.

 

I finished splitting the rest of the halves into thirds, giving me six beams total. I got the process down to a few easy steps. See below for some drawings that illustrate the steps.

This is a side view.

We can start working our way down the log now.

This is also a side view of the log.

The steel wedge is black, the wooden glut has arch shape on it.

You just repeat step 7a and 7b until you are at the end of the log. Each time you move the black wedge down and drive it in, you extend the crack along the log.

Folding Outfeed Table

Why did I wait so long?

I should have made one of these right after I got my saw, like ten years ago. I finally got around to making one a few months ago, and it is great. I used 2x4s and MDF, pocket-hole screws, some bolts to attach it to the rail on the back side of my saw, and a piano hinge so I could fold it down. I used some knobbed bolts to tighten the folding legs in place, and some adjustable feet to fine tune the height. For the most part, I leave the table up but I like being able to fold it down and free up some floor space when I need to. It sure is nice when you are cutting some long stock, and you don't have to worry about it falling on the floor.

 

You can download a Sketchup model of the construction here.

Rack'em Up

Lathe Gouge Rack

I got some new bowl gouges and a new roughing gouge and decided it was time to figure out were to put all my gouges, large and small, so I could get to them at the lathe without them being in the way and falling on the floor.

I saw some great ideas online and copied them.

I am still in the process of making my racks. I might end up with just two to start with, a large and a small, each holding 10 gouges. Here are the images of what I have come up with so far:

 

These are what I have to rack. I won't rack all of small ones, since I won't ever use some of them. I got a crappie set with the lathe and I can keep most of those stored away somewhere else.

 

This is the idea. You cut holes (I used 1 3/4" diameter holes) in a strip of wood, and cut the strip into two halves, then position them along with a slanted bottom piece so that the gouges lock into place with gravity.

   

For the small gouges I had to reposition the guide strips. I marked the position of everything in each configuration , large and small, and will make one for each size. 

 

I got the small one made and mounted on the wall behind my lathe. 

I added a couple blocks to the front rail of the small one to hold a few items. I also finished the large rack and installed it. Now I can get back to turning.

The Plane Truth

You can handle the plane

 I finished the wooden jointer plane tonight. I turned a strike button from a piece of maple and installed it. I chamfered the top edges with my block plane and applied a coat of tongue oil to everything (except the iron). I did some test shavings and it seems to work fine. I also worked on a kanna (japanese plane) I got off of EBay, flattening its sole, and scraping the throat a little, and its works great now too. I am in plane heaven.

Here is the final plane.

Oh, I forgot the button

One more thing

I got the tote done and installed today. I put it a little too close to the iron, but it is OK. I just have to use a little helper piece of wood to reach the top of the iron to strike it. I still need to put a strike button on the toe. I started to turn a piece of maple for a button, but I am missing a part on my lath that holds down the back part. It fell off and is laying around somewhere. I thought I could just glue a piece of wenge on there for now. Anyway, it turned out great. I planed the edges of some boards with it and I was getting fine shavings the whole length of the boards. Yay!

 

I used the tote template shown in the great tutorial by Sumokun at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ7zP4pajYo . I used quartersawn oak and oriented the grain about 45 degree so the little stub sticking out would be strong. I also enlarge the tote to fit my giant hands.

 

This is the plane after installing the tote. I chopped out the mortise for the tote with a chisel and flattened the bottom of the mortise with a router plane.

 

I will add the button, and chamfer the top outer edges and bevel the top edge of the wedge. The last step will be putting some finish oil on it.

Just a tote to go

Almost there!

I cut the mouth in the laminated-on sole tonight and took some more test shavings. I also cut a segment of a branch that fell in the yard and made a push stick out it. I thought about trying to use it as a tote, but it wouldn't work very well.

My Left Foot

Mystery Sprain

After I got the plywood for the display cabinet cut as was shown in the previous blog post, I woke up with a sore left foot and could barely walk on it. That was several weeks ago, and it has been a slow recovery. I have no idea what I did, but I blame voodoo.

 

Link to PDF of tote shape 

Link to SketchUp model of plane 

Anyway I started hobbling around the shop this afternoon and worked on a wooden jointer plane I am building. I got the wood close to final size and am ready to start cutting and gluing the parts. I was nervous about planing the padauk with the thickness planer because of the red dust that comes off of it and goes everywhere, so I got an solid plastic extension piece for my shop vac and cut a slot in it so it just fit over the exit guard and taped up one end of it, and attached the shop vac to the other. It worked great.

 

 This is after planing down a bunch of pieces. There were no chips or dust to clean up, on the back end anyway. There was a bit of dust and chips that fly back out the front, but not much. I measured the width of the guard, and removed that amount from the center of the extension, taking out two ribbed sections worth (you can see about 2 1/2 sections worth in the picture.) I didn't have to screw it on or anything, just a friction fit.

I am using white oak and padauk for the body and sole of the plane. It should end up around 22 inches long. I am using a jointer plane iron and chip breaker, both being 2 3/8" wide, from Lie Nielsen.

 

Trying to visualize what the plane will look like with the iron in place.

 

I am using two layers of padauk for the wedge wall for the plane. The body and wedge walls together are 1/16th inch wider than the blade.

 

I can't stay on my feet very long, but I will try to get back to cutting the plywood for the display cabinet to final lengths, and start cutting the dados. I also plan on making a trimmer/chisel plane. I am waiting for the Stanley replacement block plane iron to come before I do too much on that. It might come today. 

PS: The Stanley replacement block plane iron was in the mail box, so I went back down and made a chisel/trimmer plane real quickly. I used a bit of the body stock I cut off the wooden plane.