# The great maple!



## cityslicker (Aug 14, 2013)

Here is my latest project which is by far the biggest project for me yet. The homeowner had the tree taken down due to the crown starting to go bad. The log is lying down a fairly steep gully which is great for the actual milling but terrible for the haul up the hill with what will likely be 500# slabs. The log is 60 inches in diameter for essentially it's full length which is about 30 feet. The surprising part is that it is still solid in the middle. Usually maple this big starts rotting from the inside out. 

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## cityslicker (Aug 14, 2013)

I have spanned a cable across the gully from tree to tree so I can use a pulley and chain hoist to lift each slab off the log and up the hill onto a special made slab trailer I am building. The home owner wants as little damage done to his yard as possible and unfortunately there is no way to get a truck or any other heavy equipment into his back yard. So I am building a small slab trailer that will be pulled with a riding lawn mower to escort the slabs from the back yard to the driveway out front. This project will likely take me months to complete and I am even considering hiring a local guy with a lucas slabber to come out and do the milling so I do not wear out my saw. Here is a few photos showing the chain hoist and cable. 

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## IanB22 (Aug 15, 2013)

*Damn*

That thing is a giant! Looks like there may be some metal in the tree, but who cares, 60" maple. That is awesome.
Photo's of the first few slabs please!
Ian


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## discounthunter (Aug 15, 2013)

man,you got your work cut out for ya! should make some nice slabs.not sure on the lucas,but dont think it will be able to be set up on that hill?


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## cityslicker (Aug 15, 2013)

I have not seen any signs of metal yet, the homeowner has lived there for 26 years which may be the age of the house and he has not put anthing in it. The black on the butt of the log is from him burning all the branch wood. I suppose you never know though, but my fingers will be crossed! 

Discounthunter the slope worried me as well for the lucas. I have never ran one so I do not know that the limits are for it. But it sure would be nice if it could work on this log!


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## Leroy in Kansas (Aug 18, 2013)

cityslicker said:


> I have not seen any signs of metal yet, the homeowner has lived there for 26 years which may be the age of the house and he has not put anthing in it. The black on the butt of the log is from him burning all the branch wood. I suppose you never know though, but my fingers will be crossed!
> 
> Discounthunter the slope worried me as well for the lucas. I have never ran one so I do not know that the limits are for it. But it sure would be nice if it could work on this log!



I'm wondering if there is a way you can bring the log back up to top so a Lucus can be used. You already have your line and hoist. Perhaps a winch to pull as you lift??? Just thinking on the keyboard.


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## flashhole (Aug 18, 2013)

Interesting project, please post picks of the slabs. Good luck.


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## cityslicker (Aug 18, 2013)

I wish I could yard it up top to be on more level ground, however I just don't see any way of doing it. According the wood webs log weight calculator this thing weighs 30,000 pounds. The breaking strength of my cable is 26,000 and my chain hoist is only 3 tons. I would have to move up to 5/8" or 3/4" cable to have a decent safety factor but then I would be worried about pulling over the maple the cable is tied to!

I will likley build a simple board walk down the length of the tree on either side to gain some height while milling especially since the far side is over my head.


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## rmh3481 (Aug 18, 2013)

Slicker,
What are you going to do with the wood once you get it out of there?


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## cityslicker (Aug 18, 2013)

It will likely be table tops, counter tops, mantles maybe some really neat bed frames. I think one piece mid-evil style frameless or sliding barn style doors would be cool!


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## Dave Boyt (Aug 19, 2013)

I think that's the most extreme urban logging I've seen yet! Outstanding. Thanks for the photos. I'm sure the wood will be worth it!


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## groundup (Aug 19, 2013)

Do you really need 30' slabs? You could always cut the trunk into smaller sections making the slabs more manageable.


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## cityslicker (Aug 19, 2013)

Ground up, I wish I was going to cut them the full length of the log! But I won't be, my plan is not to actually buck the log into thirds as I'm worried about how to seperate them from each other once cut and also the risk of one of them rolling down hill unexpectadly. I am going to notch the log about 8 inches wide every nine feet in order to keep the lower portion of the log intact and the notch will allow me to get the bar out of the log after each pass. Hopefully:msp_scared:

Extreme urban milling- I like that Dave! I can see it being some wild crazy new tv show.


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## groundup (Aug 19, 2013)

cityslicker said:


> Ground up, I wish I was going to cut them the full length of the log! But I won't be, my plan is not to actually buck the log into thirds as I'm worried about how to seperate them from each other once cut and also the risk of one of them rolling down hill unexpectadly. I am going to notch the log about 8 inches wide every nine feet in order to keep the lower portion of the log intact and the notch will allow me to get the bar out of the log after each pass. Hopefully:msp_scared:
> 
> Extreme urban milling- I like that Dave! I can see it being some wild crazy new tv show.



Got it, that makes sense.

Hey it's like my Grandpop said, If it were easy everybody would be doing it :msp_smile:

Good luck, keep us posted


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## olyman (Aug 20, 2013)

city. when you mill them slabs. before you lift them off,,get them up a bit,,then slide a 4x4 under both ends at least.and lift with these.. otherwise,,you risk cracking the slabs right in half along the length...youll need to either attach the 4x4,,till the slabs are down on a trailer...or semi permanent. the weight of them,,is what will cause them to split...


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## IanB22 (Aug 29, 2013)

*sooo.*

What's the update? This giant still in the canyon?


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## cityslicker (Aug 29, 2013)

Ian22 it is still in the canyon! And it will be for sometime! This saturday I am heading out to finish clearing the area around the log and then I will start building the scaffold along the length of the tree for us to stand on while milling the upper slabs. Pics by monday!


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## john taliaferro (Aug 29, 2013)

Just remember 30,000 lb would make you real sore if you get run down . And take lots of pictures .


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## cityslicker (Sep 1, 2013)

More progress yesterday! I was able to clear almost the entire area around the log. I put a clean cut on the butt end of the log to make the face square to the length of the log and to give me a nice surface to apply anchorseal. Next was to cut the the release notch to allow me to mount my rail system for the first cut and to let the bar out of the wood at the end of the cut. I made the to crosscuts about 8 inches apart and the (very carefully) made a bore cut from both sides to release the wood slice. The first slabs will be 114" long.



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## cityslicker (Sep 1, 2013)

Next was to get mount a 12 foot long 2x12" plank to the backside of the log to walk on while making the first cut. There was a limb that fell when taking the tree down that buried itself in the ground so I used that and a round with a bevel cut on it to give me a base. I still need to secure the round to the log and lower the far end a bit to make the plank more in line with the log and then bolt it down. I also made a log caliper from some flat stock steel to measure and gauge the logs diameter so I can know ahead of time where there will be tight spots! Lastly I started peeling the bark off which thankfully is quite easy on this log.

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## flashhole (Sep 1, 2013)

Looks like you have a crack running down the center that will force you to mill it as two separate logs.


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## cityslicker (Sep 1, 2013)

There is a crack but.... I don't care! There are actually many shakes likely from the fall. I am milling it whole regardless, there will be some imperfect pieces but those are the ones I keep and work myself. Some of the most troublesome wood yields the most amazing results.


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## JasonMS660 (Sep 1, 2013)

cityslicker said:


> I wish I could yard it up top to be on more level ground, however I just don't see any way of doing it. According the wood webs log weight calculator this thing weighs 30,000 pounds. The breaking strength of my cable is 26,000 and my chain hoist is only 3 tons. I would have to move up to 5/8" or 3/4" cable to have a decent safety factor but then I would be worried about pulling over the maple the cable is tied to!
> 
> I will likley build a simple board walk down the length of the tree on either side to gain some height while milling especially since the far side is over my head.


 could you break it down other a CSMS and then lift it to flatter ground for the Lucus mill?


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## Nato (Sep 1, 2013)

It looks like the log is sitting at a pretty high angle. Watch out when your coming out of your cut into your notch, I'll bet those slabs are going to slide down. Get a helper to try to hold the slab as you come out the end. I use homemade wood wedges, not plastic, they seem to hold better. Looks like a cool project that you can talk about for a long time. I always remember the hard to get ones. Oh yeah, hire a sherpa 
Good Luck n8


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## rarefish383 (Sep 1, 2013)

Nato had a good point about the slabs sliding. May not be a big deal, they can only go a few inches, but then getting your saw out may be a big deal. You'll have to slide the slab back to clear your notch. I'd get a 2X8 or 2X10 about a foot long, and after your saw is a foot or so into the log, use some heavy deck screw and screw the slab to the log. That will save you putting wedges in for a few more feet too. It looks like you have it under control. I did the same thing with a Pine log I milled on my farm. The tree went down in a storm, and after I cut the top off the log was just sticking out in the air. Wasn't nearly as big as your log and the slabs were still 2 man slabs, Joe.


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## rmh3481 (Sep 11, 2013)

Hopefully you will get the long slabs and they will have some good color. Good luck with the project.


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## cityslicker (Oct 13, 2013)

My dad and I spent a few more hours out with the great maple yesterday. We were mostly there to work out the bugs and and go through the motions of using the zip line crane, testing out the slab dolly, and milling establishing the first cut on the first section of the log. Everything went quite well, the zip line is going to be a lifesaver throughout this job! Here are a couple pictures of the rail system setup on the log then a shot of the grain. For scale keep in mind that the rails are exactly ten feet long.


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## IanB22 (Oct 14, 2013)

*oh boy....this one is going to be epic*

I am VERY excited to see more of this tree. Crazy that it is solid through to the core. Hope it REALLY shows it's colors as you keep slicing.


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## onegunsmith (Jan 19, 2014)

What's the latest on "The Great Maple"?


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


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## cityslicker (Jan 19, 2014)

Sorry guys for the cliff hanging- I made a few posts during the time this site was having some issues and lost alot of stuff so I will post it again.

We have been out there many more times now, and have managed to mill about 75% of the first section of the log. I made the slabs just over nine feet long and 2.5"-3" thick depending on the width. My 088 that Mastermind toyed with once again sung it's way through upto 58" wide maple with out a care! The overhead hoist works perfectly and this tree would not be possible with out it. Here are a few pics.


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## cityslicker (Jan 19, 2014)

Here are some more pictures. The level in the pictures is four foot.


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## cityslicker (Jan 19, 2014)

I ended up buying a lucas dedicated extra wide slabber recently and we now have it setup around the last section of the log. The section to be milled next is 18' long and 48" wide and the slabs will be full length. It took some work to get the framework safely secured pointing down such a steep hill but we basically used some straps on all corners to stabilize it. I am running a small boat trailer winch mounted to the stump to control the feed rate of the mill, I also have a rope to extend my throttle control up to the winch in order to safely control the engine. I will have pictures of it all setup monday night after I get back from working on it. Here it is milling some "small" sequoia.


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## cityslicker (Jan 20, 2014)

My Dad and I made some more progress today on the acer. We ended up shortening the small end of the log due to substantial decay. The log now is 16.5' long which will make it easier to get each slab off. We made the first cut taking off the very top of the log and the bar started to climb in the cut due to too high of cut speed I think. The next and last slab for the day was cut a bit slower and worked out well. The angle the mill is set on is quite steep so the boat winch is used to control the feed rate, I also have a fancy remote throttle rigged up (just the long blue rope) so that while I am manning the winch I can also control the throttle. Everything is ready to go for next weekend!


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## Jim Timber (Jan 20, 2014)

Just wanted to chime in and thank you for posting this thread. As a future sawyer, these types of jobs are inspirational.


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## Dave Boyt (Jan 21, 2014)

I believe this is the most work I've seen anyone go to for a log. Thanks for posting. Looking forward to seeing more!


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## cityslicker (Jan 21, 2014)

Dave I agree with you! Everytime I stop to think about the amount of time and effort involved in this tree I can't ever justify it. However I am getting alot of nice wood from this tree and I think more than anything the challenge this tree poses is what I find the most rewarding. My dad and I have come up with many very creative solutions which is very enjoyable.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

I suppose I am a true glutten for punishment-


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## Dave Boyt (Jan 22, 2014)

I compare hauling in a big one like that maple to reeling in a really big fish. The challenge is what makes it worthwhile. You and your dad are also getting some great experiences together, and will have something to look at on down the road to remember them by. Trust me, _it will be worth it!_


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## cityslicker (Jan 29, 2014)

I finished the tree last weekend! (Mostly-) I milled and hoisted wood till I litterally could not operate the chain hoist anymore. Here are a few pics of the slabs and such. The big ones pencil out at 200 board feet a piece!


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## kimosawboy (Jan 29, 2014)

Great work, nice to see people getting these larger slabs. Are you going to air dry or kiln??
G Vavra


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## Yellowbeard (Feb 1, 2014)

I am so envious of that log. Hope it dries well for you!


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## jstare (Feb 18, 2014)

Wow, this thread is incredible. So much time and effort put in but such nice wood coming out of that log. I am impressed by all the hard work you guys put in, you are really dedicated!


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