Recent trip to da U.P.

[Jeff]

I was going to make a big long post with lots of pictures, but because I came home to a rotten bathroom floor and a broken toilet, and I'm still in the midst of getting things put back together, I'll make this several small posts and still have a lot of pictures.

Over last week, Kevin, Burlkraft and Corley5 all came to keep me company and helped me with different projects.  On the first day Kevin was there, we went over and visited Lou and Lou gave Kevin the Nickle tour.  While Kevin and I and Kevin's muddy dog were all together on one of the Quads (yea, that was a site) I saw something in the woods that Lou had been driving by for 20 years without noticing.

How he never saw it I dont know as it was only 30 feet from his high road trail. Anyhow, I forgot to take photos of it that night, but when Steve came ovewr a couple days later, we went back over to Lou's and snapped these photos.  I have not included the one that Steve took of me trying to get up off the ground after trying to sit on the burl for a photo op.  He sure found that funny. :-\  :D  I'd change my name to Burlrider, but that would be a lie as I never made it that far.

What you don't see  in these photos is the root burls that were swelling up out of the ground as well. I found them the hard way. I'm still feeling the one as I sit here and type. :D

[Jeff]

Here is another Burl that Steve and I went and checked out and that we actually have an outside chance at getting and perhaps turning into another "Forestry Forum Event"  The thing is huge. The picture gives you nothing for scale, but I think it would be fair to say this maple burl is around half the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. The tree itself is way bigger then it looks to and would be the perfect swing mill tree. Its probably over 40" in diameter

[metalspinner]

That looks like cherry?  Pretty awesome.

[Jeff]

Spruce.

[Jeff]

I almost forgot about the new type of burl I discovered in this photograph on a Tamarack tree at the cabin.

[Kevin]

That's a canadian larch borer.  ;D

[Jeff]

Kevin and I knocked some trees down. We had one that required a special touch. A Logrite kinda touch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq4IVS3S9Sg

[Kevin]

That was my first experience with that tool and it wasn't much effort to roll that tree off its stump, very impressive!
If they're available at the canusa forestry show next month in the Sault I'll get one.

[OneWithWood]

Excellent!  Now that I have seen Kevin use a cant hook in such a manner I don't feel so bad about having to roll a couple hangers myself.  And to think I thought it was all just my bad aim  :D :D :D

Can;t say enough good things about those logrite hooks.

Lou's burl tree is a thing of great art.   ;)

[Roxie]

It's almost obscene!   

[pigman]

I was not good enough to ride on the back of Jeff's ATV, but he let Kevin and his dog ride.  :'(

[Corley5]

Didya get that tamarack log loaded Jeff  ???

[Kevin]

We left a bit of hinge wood attached to the tree at the stump.
The reason you see me rehooking the tree is because it started talking to us after the first try and I thought it might be on it's way down but it stopped so I rehooked and turned it a bit more.
It saved a lot of time and labour.

[Stump Jumper Jr]

I was not good enough to ride on the back of Jeff's ATV, but he let Kevin and his dog ride.  :'(

Maybe he will let you take it for a RIDE next time ;) ;D

[Jeff]

That wasn't my bike. It was Lou's. 

[Corley5]

Lou



Lou's Dad's Camp on the St Mary's.  The first time he'd been there in 25 years



The cabin and Jeff.  It's just like a time capsule inside.



Looking south along the river



Squirrel nest in an old camp.  Not Lou's



Sugar Shack at the same camp.  We couldn't convince Burlkraft to climb up and sit in the chair for a photo op  ;D



The arch

[Jeff]

Didya get that tamarack log loaded Jeff  ???

Ya mean dis one?

[Dave Shepard]

Is that a Bio-Mizer-Bag on the sawdust chute? :D :D :D


Dave

[Jeff]

Yessirie it is.  Might as well bag it as I make it eh?

[Dave Shepard]

Sounds like a plan to me! I wonder how well it would work to blow into bags with a vac system? We have a Y chute that goes on our grain grinder for filling sacks, just flip the lever to the other sack and switch out the full one. I probably make two sacks an hour, maybe more. Problem would be getting good sacks. :-\


Dave

[Jeff]

That kind of blower system is the way Barnie does it, the member I'm getting sawdust from.

[John_Haylow]

It looks like you guys had a fun trip. Nice pictures. How long a drive Jeff from your home?
John

[Jeff]

Driving the speed limit, and stopping once at a rest area for a bathroom break, it takes 3 hours give or take a few minutes to get there.

[TexasTimbers]

Dave, I sell two species of sawdust to a niche market. I capture it the same way. My tip is to play around with the vent size you allow in the top of the bag. If you seal it off completely it may sound like you would capture more, but my experience is, that although the venthole allows sawdust to shoot out, it builds up considerably faster in the bag than if you seal it off.

There's too much back pressure with no vent. When I have it just right, you can see the sawdust pile grow inside the bag (I use those huge ziploc bags) with amazing speed.

Okay, I have to ask. Why is that chair up in that gable? There has to be a reason peculiar to sugar shacks?

[Corley5]

Yup, that's the one  8)

Didya get that tamarack log loaded Jeff  ???

Ya mean dis one?