Million Dollar Walnut

[T Welsh]

Got a call to go to this job and grind two big stumps and pick up the logs.need skid steer and stump grinder. that,s what the ticket read. arrived at the job and unloaded and ground the stumps and loaded the logs, leveled the stump grindings out and loaded the skid steer,homeowner comes out and says you forgot the logs in back! we walked back and here is this walnut log laying in the yard? he paid our take down crew extra to drop it and leave. That,s fine. He turns to me and said I,ll sell it to you,looked closer to the log and I saw all the spikes nailed into it, and told him no thanks you can have it. he asked me what it was worth, I said firewood!He said I heard that walnuts are worth a million dollars. told him there,s your million dollars. long story short I took them for free



Lets see if any one can guess why the spikes where driven into the tree :D (hint) in a hedgerow next to a shed! Tim

[Bibbyman]

Was there any reason given for driving all the spikes into the walnut?

[zopi]

Nailed the shed to the tree?

[hackberry jake]

Deer stand?

[jueston]

those look like some highly valueble black walnut trees....

but i am going to agree that i think it was for a deer stand....

[islandlogger]

Back yard weekend warrior tree spikers...!!!??? (or a deer stand or shed or or or...)

[Bodger]

Around here the old timers say it will make a pecan tree produce more if you drive nails into the trunk.  I don't know about production but I know that's good for the guys that sell chain saw chains.

[Carpenter]

     I heard of a guy once, who could throw 16 penny nails and stick them into a 2x4 like throwing a throwing knife. 

     I'm guessing that was his practice tree.

[red oaks lumber]

atleast they used galvanized nails, they won't rust off in the log :D

[Chuck White]

I think the shed was supported by the tree.

[T Welsh]

Yes,there was a reason, and the deer stand was my first guess too. but it is not the reason. keep on guessing guys. next hint(has to do with the tree itself) OK one more hint(look at the spacing of the spikes) homeowner was not a happy camper,he almost insisted that I give him money for the logs. when I pointed out that theres metal in these logs and do you know what it does to walnut,it will turn all black over time(I didnt tell him that hopefully galvinised wouldnt do it) :D plus they go in about 3 to 4 inches and all the lumber that is cut off that side will have holes in them every 12" ;D. he said what do I do with them,I told him firewood,he said he didnt need firewood. I told him good luck I am loaded up and ready to go. he was none to friendly about this whole thing. me,I am smiling and being polite and turned to him and said,look I will unload the machine run back and take them if you want ,but I will not give you a dime for the wood. got back to the shop and asked what the story with this guy was. they filled me in on the reason and I felt a little bad,but it only lasted about 5 minutes ;D Tim

[thecfarm]

Hang Christmas lights on it.

[tomsteve]

checking yearly growth

[metalspinner]

A ten year old boy nailed a ladder up the tree.

After being pulled, the remaining spike holes would probably be slabbed off.  But after pulling them, I would certainly metal detect like crazy.

[Chuck White]

Another guess!

Overkill on nailing a board fence to the tree!  :-\

[logboy]

They had a ladder nailed to the tree to climb up and harvest the Walnuts?

[clww]

Treehouse ladder?
Clotheslines?
Shed nailed to tree?
Tracking the roatation of the earth in relation to the position of the sun?
Measuring the heighth of yearly snow accumulations?
Power boost for his television sets rabbit ears?
???

[islandlogger]

Ive Got It!! It is a very little know and in fact extremely "hush hush" operation related to this!! There is in fact small crews paid to drive around and "scout" out trees that fit the bill for this and sucker the land owner into compliance! The "million dollar walnut" theme is not actually far off. Beleive it or not there are extremely wealthy and very high end home owners that will pay supremely absurd prices for Walnut with a certain "figure" induced into it. The method of nailing in the pattern shown and using Galvy spikes is vital. So here's how it works: the crew spots a good tree and approaches the land owner with a offer saying they have a little known market for specialty wood but it means "dis figuring your tree for a few years" after which they will harvest it for "free" and pay the land owner a flat $10K....well of course the land owner dances to the easy dollar signs!! So the crew spikes the trees up and says they will be by now and then to check "progress" and mantain the pattern. When the tree is "ripe" they indeed harvest it and the land owner gets a nice fat check for $10K and everybody is happy. So this crew takes the tree and mills it out, the results of the slabs taken from where the spikes were placed are carefully sanded down and finished and taken to the home owner who with great delight and put's it in it's "place" in his billion dollar mansion and cuts a great big fat check to the crew. Why? The use of Galvy spikes and nailing pattern induces a almost perfect replica of a Civil War era gattling gun that in it's rapid fire caught various trees in it's attempt to find the enemy there fore "high class" home owners can present this to their guests at dinner parties and brag about this "amazing piece history" that cam from the "battle of so and so" at which the guests will marvel and ooooh and ahhhhh and the home owner will feel ever so high and mighty with his "well worth the money" purchase!! So, that simply must be the answer to this!!  8)

[DR Buck]

I think the box the nails came in was broke and he need a place to store them.  ;D

[Mike@Norwood]

My ethnicity is begging for me to chime in.

My guess is that someone was attempting a game of Polish horseshoes   :D

wait, did I just blow my cover  ;D

Have a great one guys,
Mike at Norwood

[redbeard]

Island logger that's a great story you have my vote.

[Nomad]

     Nah...  You're all wrong.  It's just some Eco-Nut making sure somebody's "million dollar walnut" ain't worth a dime.  (Mostly 'cause HE ain't gonna get the money!)

[Axe Handle Hound]

-rope/wire for a deer fence to keep them from eating his hedgerow
-a clothesline
-ropes to support his hedgerow when it was growing


 

[T Welsh]

You guy,s kill me :D They where nailed in as a ladder,some of you guessed that! OK,so what did the homeowner try to do,with his make shift ladder? this is getting good responses 8). I know I had a little laugh at it. Next hint( he got about 20' up the tree) I am getting a good laugh out of this one. and I also got 2 medium walnuts that exhibit no metal stain ;D Just big wood pecker holes on one side. Tim

[wormy]

-was he peeping at his neighbor's wife?