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The things I do for a piece of ash

Started by LogDawg, May 25, 2007, 09:44:11 PM

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LogDawg

  I spotted an ash tree down over a soft banking and on the edge of a swamp that is dead and or dieing. I decided to take her down and see what was in her. The felling went well and landing was as predicted. It looked like to soft of terrain for my old John Deer so I fired up the old dozer. My dozer is a 1952 D2 Cat that my dad use to operate for a local business. Dad ran it for a good twenty years and used to take me to work with him once in a while. The pony motor used to scare the daylights out of me so I would never get on it untill the main was started and the pony was off. I have fond memories of  riding on the dozer with dad as a youngster. She was put out to pasture and replaced with a newer machine. When I inquired about the dozer the business owner new I had special interists in the machine. He gave it to me to haul off and bring back to life. I pulled and repaired the steering cluthes, repaired the maine clutch, freed up a transmission that was locked in 5th gear and filled a lot of sloppy holes with weld. Her tracks and underpinning are worn and wobbly at best but some 4o years after riding with dad on that ol girl I got another ride on her. I don't use her that much but in order to keep the cluthes free it doesn't take much of an excuse to crank her up and go for a quick spin. The old ash tree didn't prove to be much of a task for her. I got the log up to firm ground and then hooked up the John Deer 40 for the final pull to the mill. 
  The old JD puttered and sputtered but seemed quite happy to be put to work. We made it to the mill with log in tow and got the log to the loading forks without event. Tomorrow will tell if this ol log was worth dragging out of the swamp. I have my doubts. I did some milling for a guy the other day that was quite excited about a spaulted maple that was in his pile. I played along like I knew what a spaulted maple was but after it came up in conversation several times I threw in the towel and asked him what in the H### is a spaulted maple. My guess is that my ash is spaulted, maybe a little to spaulted. LOL
Wood Mizer LT40HD
Kubota L4200
John Deer 40
D2 Cat
Home built John Doe tractor
Jonsered, Husky, Stihl

beenthere

The old pony motor still takes off?  My neighbor has a D2, and I used it years back (early 70's). Backing up was a real trick to keep it on the tracks. More'n once had to carefully get back into the tracks  with some careful moves.  The other thing, was digging with the blade and having it want to toss you over the radiator. Good to have that canopy.. :), but seat belt would have been wise.

Anxious to see the wood from that log.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

LogDawg

Yep the pony still runs ok. Main runs like a charm and does not use any oil. You can't make hairpin turns with her. I have never had the tracks completely off but I have had some close calls. If you hear noises like a gun going off your almost there. I usually stop, jump off and survey the situation before going any further. At some point in her life a chain was welded between the two sets of tracks to keep the rails from spreading to far. It seems to help quite a bit. It runs under the base of the engine and is welded onto the idler frame on each side.

I'll get some pics of my spaulted ash and post em for ya.
Wood Mizer LT40HD
Kubota L4200
John Deer 40
D2 Cat
Home built John Doe tractor
Jonsered, Husky, Stihl

DanG

Logdawg, you said "Tomorrow will tell if that ol log was worth dragging out of the swamp."   ::)  :D :D   I can promise you it was worth all the effort if you don't get a single board out of it.  Just putting that old iron to work was plenty of justification for your efforts. 8) 8) 8)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

LogDawg

  Your right about that DanG. It was quite a feeling to pull on the clutch handle and watch that log come up out of the gulley and over the banking.
    We have had temps in the 90's for the past two days which is most unusual for us this time of the year. It was barely above forty a week ago.  While sweating and milling I think about you guys down south in the hot weather. You must have to pick your days. Turns out that ol log was a keeper. I'll get some pics on here as soon as I can process them.
Wood Mizer LT40HD
Kubota L4200
John Deer 40
D2 Cat
Home built John Doe tractor
Jonsered, Husky, Stihl

Don K

We have so many of those days that we just have to keep plugging along. The older I get though the more I dislike them. :(  Don
Lucky to own a WM LT40HDD35, blessed to have a wife that encouraged me to buy it.     Now that\'s true love!
Massey Ferguson 1547 FWD with FEL  06 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4X4 Dozer Retriever Husky 359 20\" Bar  Man, life is getting good!

LogDawg

  Here are some pics of the end result. The log had a lot of stress in it. As I was milling I could here it cracking and popping and watch the flitch curl up. I took heavy flitches from all four sides before digging into the cant. The log was solid at the butt end and punky on the small end. I have never used spaulted lumber before so I don't know how punky it can get before it is not usable. I am going to run a few pieces through my planer and experiment with them. About 10 feet in from the butt end it was good and solid so I got a mixed bag out this log.      The pics that I took of the spaulted end didn't come out very well so I didn't post them.
Wood Mizer LT40HD
Kubota L4200
John Deer 40
D2 Cat
Home built John Doe tractor
Jonsered, Husky, Stihl

Tom

LogDog,
Spaulted is pretty and when dried will usually get solid enough to use.
Punky is a term used for soft and rotten.  If your wood is punky, it will, more than likely, fall apart.

I hope that it is just spaulted, (The beginning phases of the white rot fungus')

That wood is pretty. You sure grow some pretty stuff up there.

DanG

Yep, thats some nice looking stuff.  Put it all in the shed and decide which is good and which is not, after it is dried.  There are even applications where partially rotted wood can be used to advantage.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

LogDawg

  Lol. Punky is a term we use around here for a boat that is not fit to go to sea in. I think we are on the same page though. That log was hard as a rock on one end and wouldn't hold together or the other. I could tell by the feel of the saw the good parts from the bad. I just finished putting the boards under cover. One end will get used for boatbuilding and the other will be endtables. I think.
   The good news is that tree branched off 4 ways and that was the worst branch. The others looked good and lively with all of the bark on them and just as big. More fun to come.
   Had my first 100 bucks handed to me this morning for a sawing job. Wife took it to buy flowers with. Something else for me to run over with the dozer. Hehehe.
Wood Mizer LT40HD
Kubota L4200
John Deer 40
D2 Cat
Home built John Doe tractor
Jonsered, Husky, Stihl

LT40HDD51

A nice piece of ash is hard to find  ;D.  Nice stuff.
The name's Ian. Been a sawyer for 6 years professionally, Dad bought his first mill in '84, I was 2 years old :). Factory trained service tech. as well... Happy to help any way I can...

379hammerdown

Quote from: LogDawg on May 26, 2007, 03:51:44 PM
  Had my first 100 bucks handed to me this morning for a sawing job. Wife took it to buy flowers with. Something else for me to run over with the dozer. Hehehe.

HAHA My wife gets SO MAD at me because even though she points out plants & bushes to me before I mow... I always end up stopping while mowing, looking around for the plant that I KNOW is around here some place... then locating the lump of stick stems stickin out of the ground directly behind me... mowed over!

dboyt

Someone else moves logs with a D-2?  I use a 1956 model (2 years "newer" than me) on a regular basis.  I'd spend an hour on the pony motor just to run it less than a minute.  I built a bracket & replaced it with a heavy-duty Delco electric starter.  It was done in such a way that I could restore the old pony, if I wanted to.  Works great!  Be careful pulling logs with that tricycle!
Norwood MX34 Pro portable sawmill, 8N Ford, Lewis Winch

LogDawg

   I may have to follow up on that replacement starter but for now the pony is still working ok. She has quite a noble wench on her but it is quite a production for one guy to use it working alone.  The old tricycle has been in the family for years and we all have had her dancing at one time or another. We have all gotten to know the warning signs when we are pushing her to far.  I have a Kubota L4200 with a log hitch that I use most of the time but it isn't always here when I need it. I try to be impartial and use them all so that they don't get upset and laydown on me. LOL.
Wood Mizer LT40HD
Kubota L4200
John Deer 40
D2 Cat
Home built John Doe tractor
Jonsered, Husky, Stihl

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