The great maple!

[cityslicker]

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.

View attachment 309477

 

[cityslicker]

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.

View attachment 309484View attachment 309485

 

[IanB22]

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

 

[discounthunter]

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?

 

[cityslicker]

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!

 

[Leroy in Kansas]

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.

 

[flashhole]

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

 

[cityslicker]

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.

 

[rmh3481]

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

 

[cityslicker]

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!

 

[Dave Boyt]

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!

 

[groundup]

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

 

[cityslicker]

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.

 

[groundup]

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

 

[olyman]

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...

 

[IanB22]

sooo.

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

 

[cityslicker]

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!

 

[john taliaferro]

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

 

[cityslicker]

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.



View attachment 312620View attachment 312621View attachment 312622View attachment 312623

 

[cityslicker]

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.

View attachment 312624View attachment 312625View attachment 312626