Introduction and "The Devolution of Ax Handles"

[Alocksly]

The big stump wasn't necessarily wasted either. After the timbermen finished taking out the trees on a given acreage another outfit would come in and cut up the stumps for shingles (at least on the cedar lots anyways)

 

[300Six]

The big stump wasn't necessarily wasted either. After the timbermen finished taking out the trees on a given acreage another outfit would come in and cut up the stumps for shingles (at least on the cedar lots anyways)

That end use for stumps hadn't occurred to me, and certainly does make perfect sense. Likely there were other trees that were good for shakes and shingles too, such as Tamarack, Chestnut and Cypress. When hand saws came into common use that would have vastly improved the yield, no more huge and wasteful notches.

 

[Steve Tall]

Speaking of what can be done with cedar stumps...

From "the turn of the century", probably in Snohomish County, WA.

http://www.skagitriverjournal.com/NearbyS-W/NSH/Beletsky1-C-T1948.html

 

[Alocksly]

Speaking of what can be done with cedar stumps...

From "the turn of the century", probably in Snohomish County, WA.

http://www.skagitriverjournal.com/NearbyS-W/NSH/Beletsky1-C-T1948.html

http://www.whatcommuseum.org/v/vex3/177D1EEB-B7BD-4BC0-90EC-426104457240.htm

I live up in that area. The Bloedel Donovan logging Co. had a large operation in the area of what's now Sedro Woolley and south Lake Whatcom areas. They took out all the first growth and left some massive stumps behind. I you go up to Baker lake reservoir when the water's low you can see stumps as wide or wider that this one.

 

[harronek]

Interesting topic :thumbup:

Being a newby to Axes I've found this very interesting .
Evolution of tools and machinery is often a two pronged fork , on one side you have a desire to improve performance , on the other it is often only done to differentiate a product from its competition and to speed up production with no real desire to improve anything but the companies profits .
When I get my Hytest that I've just bought I'll be very interested to scrutinise it and see how it compares to what I've read here .

Ken

 

[300Six]

Interesting topic :thumbup:

Being a newby to Axes I've found this very interesting .
Evolution of tools and machinery is often a two pronged fork , on one side you have a desire to improve performance , on the other it is often only done to differentiate a product from its competition and to speed up production with no real desire to improve anything but the companies profits .
When I get my Hytest that I've just bought I'll be very interested to scrutinise it and see how it compares to what I've read here .

Ken

I take it this is going to be your first time going 'onto the tarmac' and with the equivalent of a Porsche or Corvette? When in fact a gas-powered Six or Cummins diesel might have been more useful. Looking forward to hear of your adventures. A racing axe (does Hytest make anything else?) is a very specific 'baby'.

 

[harronek]

I take it this is going to be your first time going 'onto the tarmac' and with the equivalent of a Porsche or Corvette? When in fact a gas-powered Six or Cummins diesel might have been more useful. Looking forward to hear of your adventures. A racing axe (does Hytest make anything else?) is a very specific 'baby'.

lol

I love the analogy in that .
The Hytest I have on the way isn't a Racing axe , but one that they made for the Forrestry division in Australia .
Its a 4 1/2 pound axe , and I'll put up some pics as soon as I get it , but not here as I don't want to divert from this excellent thread .

Ken

 

[Alocksly]

Many trees start their lives growing on 'nursery logs' or 'nursery stumps', the rotting remains of trees that came before them. Over time the roots of the new tree grow down over the stump, encapsulating it. All the wood encapsulating the old stump is worthless.

If you're cutting trees by hand with saw and axe then you don't want to have to cut it again to get rid of the part that the mill won't accept. So they banged on the trees with the polls of their axes, sounding out where the bad wood ended. Then they cut above that.

Here in Washington I've seen roots reaching the ground from atop nursery stumps 20 feet high.

I had to wait for some daylight time at home to go out and take a picture. Both of these are in my backyard and both are growing on the stumps of the logged second-growth. You can even see the springboard notch in the second one. One of my neighbors still has the remains of two huge first growth stumps at his place but they're buried in blackberry vines.

 

[Square_peg]

I was looking online for some good examples like that. That demonstrates it so perfectly. Thank you.


And BTW, NICE AXE!

 

[Alocksly]

My Council jersey. I figured it'd be an appropriate way to show scale.

edit: I also went out today and watched the salmon swimming up my creek. I love my backyard.