Explosives

[Reed]

Yesterday's client insisted we share a six-pack and dynamite the three stumps I left him.

Cool.

Okay, so it's not quite spelled-out in the manual, but you had to be there.

The first one (3' dia, six footer) we packed a downblast with clay. 3 sticks and electronic detonator right on top. The other two were same size (all one mott) but we burrowed the charges. 13 sticks of Herculite total.

From the barn 300 feet away he let me hit the crank. Holy Nagasaki, I thought, this guy's nuts.

The most effective blast was the top charge packed down - there was nothing left, the effect being like a claymore directional. The buried charges left two uplifted stumps, held out and swinging on one root, but clear enough to chain-up and drag away leaving a gaping six foot hole in limestone.

Okay, so it made a mess but this ranch was made with dynamite. In his kitchen wall later, we noticed a sharp chunk of oak was protruding between his fridge and sink, his house about 500 feet from the war zone.

I had to wonder how this would go over in one of those gated subdivisions.

Again, ya had to be there.

 

[treeclimber165]

LMAO!

Ya blowed it up real good! Sounds like an opportunity for a new marketing plan. And if the 'Blowed Up Stump Service' idea doesn't fly, you could always use the leftover dynomite for sport fishing!

 

[Jumper]

What a blast!!!

C4 works even better!

 

[murphy4trees]

I saw a tv program years ago featuring a world class specialtist in building demos that got his start blowing up tree stumps.. Where do I get a permit?
Daniel

 

[Jock]

Is this serious? You buy a stick of dynamite and blow tree stumps out of the ground????.......Try explaining that to a british policeman when he stops you.......ahhh officer i'm just going to blow up some tree stumps!!!!!...a bit difficult when you live 30 miles from the Scotland - Ireland ferry terminal....ok thats a joke but buying dynamite here isnt that easy..well at least i dont think it is, although it might be quicker and cheaper than the Verm 252...Jock

 

[Reed]

Hey, this is Texas I'm workin' in.

This was a pretty good size ranch and there's no laws regarding purchase and use, they just want to know who you are and when you bought it. There's also tracer elements in each charge so they can identify it. If that's a problem you can just go to the feed supplier. 'S been done before.

Tell ya what though, I factored in the time, expense, and comparisons to costs with equipment, time, and labor and the explosives calculated out to pennies to the dollar. I think this might work (depending on the client).

Like I said though, way cool, but ya had to have been there. Going for round two tomorrow.

 

[Jock]

Ohh

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

You can do that here, but you need a permit. Not always given out though

Though you don't have to blow them to smithereens. Though only using fracturing charges would take some of the fun out of it.

C-4, a one pound cone shaped charge on the top of the stump?

 

[Reed]

JPS,

I think they get worried about past histories of bank heists, armored car hijacking, math test cheaters, drug dealers, aiding and abetting interstate pornographers and tax evaders. As shown recently I don't think they care much about foreign national insurgent-fundamentally extremist flight students with illegal visas or mafia hit men. Go figure.

Either way, wouldn't want to start pressuring Sherrils to carry cases of the stuff, but it sure works good. By the way, the "spike" that protrudes from my buddy's kitchen wall now's been honored as the coat rack - he's gonna leave it for memories' sake.

 

[xander9727]

Re: What a blast!!!

Originally posted by Jumper
C4 works even better!

Actually C4 has a higher rate of detonation than dynamite. It has greater brissance (shattering effect) but less of an ability to displace and object unless a buffer is used. I like Anfo for stumps. It takes a little more but it's predictable and cheap.

 

[Newfie]

I'm a big fan of laser guided munitions, no stump to clean up just a gaping hole to fill.

 

[Nickrosis]

I like to use Scarabs.

 

[Stumper]

Oakwilt, In view of the new coat rack this seems to be a classic case of overcharging.

 

[Reed]

I don't know about the client, but I sure got a charge out of it.
Several in fact.

It was one of those barter jobs anyway. In spare time I've cleared a 100' right-of-way five miles long for his road, all the live oak timber he let me have for logs which got slabbed into 8/4 which is drying and ready soon. $5.50 per linear ft. sold FOB.

I learned a few things about green live oak. It's squirrely unless quarter sawn, and from now on I'll cure it in the log, then mill. It's beautiful however, especially sparled and marked by disease. Stronger than any other oak, even the Navy has a buyer who wants not lumber, but crotches for use in active historic ship restoration and minesweepers that are still wooden.

All in all, it was a blast.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've been told that live oak is he11 on bandsaws if dried before milling.

Best to cut green then but a lot of weight on top of the stickered stack. Grades out better too.

QS is always a stronger wood, but flipping the log on every cut of the cant is a pain.

Is this sawn dimentional, or natural edge slab? So do you have an ave bf per linear foot? I've been involved with some milling in the past.

My brotherinlaw got underbid on a horse pasture fence; 1 mile, 4 rail 16 foot RGH oak. A guy is bringing the oak up from the south and stll was lowest by $3500. I knew there was a lot of that stuff down there, bu.....

 

[DDM]

Hmmmmmmm This gives me an Idea