Storm + 40' dead tree + Durba = today

S

stevomiller

Joined
May 4, 2001
Messages
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I had an evil tree in my front yard for the past ten years that sent up suckers every where that grew a foot a week. I'm not sure what it was, looked similar to a locust tree and had inch long thorns all over it and magenta flowers in the early summer. Anyways, it got sick this summer and didn't flourish like normal. I thought it might bounce back next year, but it wasn't to be. We have had alot of storms here in the central valley the last few days with winds up to 40 miles an hour: this morning the wife looks out the kitchen window and sez "look how much our tree is swaying compared to the neighbors. Hope it doesn't fall on their Mercedes". Nuf said; put on the field jacket and go give it a look and see that the roots had died.

Anyways, I grabbed the bow saw and my Durba hornhandled WWII and the tree is now completely dismembered. That dang Durba is just a gem for limbing! I used it on limbs up to 1.5" and the bow saw for everything bigger. I have used the WWII before on seasoned hardwood up to 6", but the saw is just less work on a project this big. Anyhow, this WWII was ground awefully thin with a hollow grind, but I have a convex secondary bevel on it. I am always worried that I will roll or bend the edge on this thing but it never happens:) I have killed some of my other kuks with these hollow grinds, but not this one. The edge is nearly as good as when I started, with only two little nicks where I hit some rocks. No wonder the Duck is so in love with his Durbas!

I think it is time for bed now. My back was already hurting this AM, and I did more than I should have with two buggered disks. A soma and some vicodin and stevo needs to go to bed now. Sorry for rambling, blame it on the meds :o

stevo
 
send your medical bills to the neighbor with the merc "for preventative services rendered". ;)
 
I like the image of this tree..sending up suckers which grow a foot in no time, blooming every summer, having thorns...and finally giving up the good fight and dying. What a tree. Very appropriate to have a Durba munching on the fallen hero.

For delimbing I use something much heavier than a WWll. What doesn't get cut gets broke off. My Village 20" AK is much faster than a chain saw at delimbing. Well, with my bad back, anyway.



munk
 
Kronckew, I would send the bill to the neighbor but he helped me (for a half hour :confused: ) and gave me a beer. Then he said he had to go watch tv! Hah!

Munk, I don't have anything heavier or bigger than my 16.5 WWII. Some 18" siru and kobra and smaller khuks, but nothing with any beef behind it. I am keeping my eyes peeled for a village BGRS, or an 18" jange or samsher. Maybe I'll get an 18" AK or a light 20" AK at some point too.

The wind is blowing at least 40 miles an hour again, the whole house is rumbling. I'm waiting to see if anybodies trees go down (not that I'm vounteering ~ my back is destroyed:grumpy: )

stevo
 
stevomiller said:
The wind is blowing at least 40 miles an hour again, the whole house is rumbling. I'm waiting to see if anybodies trees go down (not that I'm vounteering ~ my back is destroyed:grumpy: )

stevo
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Steve take good care of what back you have left. The surgery works well as a last resort and if you or any of the other forumites here ever have to have back surgery have a long serious talk with the surgeon about how important it is to keep the present curvature your back presently has.

A heavier khuk would be beneficial in delimbing and you have already made some excellent choices as to what to get although I favor the 18" BGRS as if y'all ain't heard that enough.;)
 
Steve, you should have called. I could have been there in, oh, 2 hours or so. I've got a lovely 20" WWII that just doesn't get enough exercise.

We're have the same winds at the moment. Lots of palm fronds and stuff flying about.
 
Aardvark,

what town are you in? I'm in Tracy (low class bay area, or high class central valleyites). 20" WWII, huh? Sounds cool! You know, the HI WWII is kinda fugly in it's profile~ but that long sweet spot sure works good for just about everything I need it for. Not pokey enough for zombies, though;)
 
Steve, I'm real close to San Jose. So, make it about 90 minutes.

And remember that just poking the zombies doesn't do much. You gots to dismemeber them.
 
Yvsa, I am slowly learning to take care of my back. It is tough to do when you have four kids (two ruff neck teenage boys!) only 38 and still want to think that you are invincible. The fact that I'm not is slowly being pounded into my thick skull ~ slow learner with too much pride I guess.;)

Hope everyone has a great day and a prosperous New Year!!!

stevo
 
stevomiller said:
Munk, I don't have anything heavier or bigger than my 16.5 WWII. Some 18" siru and kobra and smaller khuks, but nothing with any beef behind it. I am keeping my eyes peeled for a village BGRS, or an 18" jange or samsher. Maybe I'll get an 18" AK or a light 20" AK at some point too.
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Don't discount the full size GR. It has become my favorite for yard work, limbing, etc. The weight makes the work easier on the body, not harder.
 
Howard's right about the weight. It's your friend cutting; not as close a friendship if you have to carry the GR far!



munk
 
Man oh Man....

I have this 24.5 inch 45 oz GRS that would be fun to hack on this tree a while with. That a a 20 CAK that could use some more use.

next time you should Call for a HI party... I live in Salinas...... Norm lives around these parts... Would 1/2 dozen guys drunk, chopping and bleeding bother your neighborhood much? :D
 
BigJim, I'll have to round you all up next time!:D Actually, no one think it was much different than any other gathering at my household:D This F~ing tree made me bleed because of thorns, but not because I hacked on myself. I did fall 10 feet out of a tree one time with a 20" bolo in my hands (and yes, I still have 10 fingers, 2 eyes, 2 testes, etc. And NONE of them are in a picklejar on my counter!)

stevo
 
stevomiller said:
I had an evil tree in my front yard for the past ten years that sent up suckers every where that grew a foot a week. I'm not sure what it was, looked similar to a locust tree and had inch long thorns all over it and magenta flowers in the early summer. Anyways, it got sick this summer and didn't flourish like normal. I thought it might bounce back next year, but it wasn't to be. We have had alot of storms here in the central valley the last few days with winds up to 40 miles an hour: this morning the wife looks out the kitchen window and sez "look how much our tree is swaying compared to the neighbors. Hope it doesn't fall on their Mercedes". Nuf said; put on the field jacket and go give it a look and see that the roots had died.

<snip>
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Is this the kind of tree you are talking about?
devclub2.jpg


If it is... Then you are correct, it IS evil, in fact it is Devil's Club.:eek:
You can read about someone else's experiences clearing it out HERE.
 
You are kidding me Steve! Talk about similar posts on the same day. I spent this morning and most of the afternoon in similar pursuits. I have (had) an 18' australian willow that got hammered by the storm. We had gusts of up to 55 mph here in Salinas, and the big canopy of this tree was no match for the wind. I was disappointed as with a 7" diameter trunk and being 10 years old I thought it would make it. No rot here.

Last night I found it leaning over the neighbors car, half uprooted. This morning I went out with the best knife I could think for the job: an 18.5" (27 oz.) Sher Villager WWII and a chainsaw.

I knew this knife was a cutter, but it took off every limb I could reach an inch and a half and under on the tree in the first 5 minutes. My wife couldn't believe it, and I even surprised myself a bit.

Once I got half the lower canopy clear, I dropped the whole thing with the chainsaw, and then started taking off the rest of the limbs on the ground. I did some 2 and 3 inch branches, but then switched to the chainsaw for the bigger stuff and the trunk.

I have a bunch of HI knives to choose from but this Villager WWII is so damned sharp and tough it was my first thought. After working with the horn handle for a couple of hours my hand felt fine, and after cleaning it up with a scotch brite pad you can't even tell the knife was used.

It would have been great if we all lived in the same area; I could just see 4 or 5 guys going to work on one tree. :D I should have thought to use the big GRS, but just stuck with the WWII.

I almost lost a cypress and a couple of others, but spent the rest of the day wallowing in mud and propping them up and think I managed to save them.

It was a real loss as this tree was really beautiful, but at least no houses or cars were damaged.

I hope I get a chance to meet you and Jim and Aardvark in Reno this year.

Thanks for the interesting post.

P.S. My neighbor pulled up a lawn chair and watched me. He has always talked about "our" tree that lies between our properties, but today it was "my" tree. I had to drop the whole thing on his driveway to work on it, and he even let me clean up all the leaves and junk afterwards! What a guy...

My back is OK, but my arms feel like noodles. Too fat and too old for this kind of work~!

Norm
 
Interesting report, Norm. Sounds like your neighbour is a real winner. (lawn chair!)

Also interesting since I've been pondering a WWII as my next entry on the 'purchase list' after the pen knife. It really sounds like the WWII villagers are a steal for their price.
 
Kaz, my neighbor helped for half an hour, got us both a beer, then said that he had to go watch tv~ seriously!

Norm, you should have called up bigjim and sweet. You could have a had a Salinas kook :) khuk convention!

James, that tree you showed is not the same thing as what I had. That thing looks positively wicked though!!!:eek:
 
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