see tree, visualize mast

[Ken Hutchins]

My sailboat needs a mast of 10 inches dia x 43 feet long, so:
Step 1 is find a suitable tree, Ah! I found one, smile.gif a rather nice red pine.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p49d9c3ecbd89a112f8e7c1cb4a85c4ab/f5376f66.jpg
Now that I found a suitable tree I must get writtem permission from my neighbor to cut it as it is about 5 feet over the property line.
Next is to prepare a bed for it to land on so as not to fracture it. The bed was made from a hemlock which was standing near the red pine.
Now the fun cut down the pine while a friend is ready with camera while tree is falling.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p1f4c04c262659bf48ae46973434d261d/f53761bb.jpg
OK the fun part is over, work time, get it limbed out, cut to the necessary length and move the top log out. All that done it is time to start moving the mast log 24 inches dia at the butt, 16 inches at the top and 45 feet long about 3 tons of log to be moved with a little Kubota tractor that weighs less than the log.
The first 150 yards of the move is rather difficult, not much room to work, lumpy terrain but at least it is basically level.
Here is the log where it fell and the top limbed and moved out of the way.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pae1601482428ff89f82d9cf5689da1b9/f5376f6b.jpg
The following shows the tackle rigging, chained to the log, suspended from a tree to provide some lift and anchored to another tree.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pb4da1bc87d2c5e952faac42b4b0fd28b/f5376f70.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p8d1f8ef32c94fd176aff7d123a109302/f5376f6d.jpg
The process goes like this, move in all the equipment, rig the tackle, move tractor into position, tie the fall of the tackle to a hook on the tractor bucket, back up tractor thus pulling the log, unhook line, move tractor foreward, re hook the line, back up tractor, repeat as necessary until the tackle needs re-rigging, repeat process. Each move of the tractor moved the log anywhere from a few inches to as much as 20 feet.
Occasionally it was necessary to lift the foreward end with the come-along suspended from a handy tree.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p1f384591d0bbd337cbc0af43c42f5dfb/f5376f72.jpg
A few times I also had to put a spring line on it to warp it around a corner.
More tomorrow, moved it 150 yards and only 3/8 of a mile to go.

[Bob Smalser]

Very nice.

Wanna borrow a bigger tractor next time?

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3075040/29565646.jpg

[Ken Hutchins]

Bob, yes many times I wish I had a bigger tractor, but then I would have to cut more trees to fit it through. My little Jap. mountain goat does get the job done eventually. It does a good job climbing around on New Hampshire granite in spite of the fact it was designed to paddle around rice paddys.

[RonW]

MULES - a american creation.

[Ed Harrow]

Geeze Ken, you ought to be able to find some stout horses, or maybe a couple of oxen to bring that baby out. They sure come out for the Sandwich, NH fair.

For those who've never seen, watching a team of horses do their thing is not a soon-forgotten event.

[Stiletto]

Good on you! A nice bit of your boat's history you'll always remember.

Best of luck with the rest of the move. smile.gif

[sbsbw]

Yeah, about the tractor,

I often wish that i have the time and money to be able to get a team of draft horses to log with.

Instead I'm stuck with a huge tractor that tears up anywhere it goes, i wouldn't even think of taking it into the woods. :(

but good luck. whats the hp on that tractor?

SBSBW

[Ken Hutchins]

sbsbw, it is a 25 hp, got it in '76 with it being small and 4 wheel drive it doesn't tear up the ground very much. A team of horses or oxen would have been ideal for this move. Moved it a fair distance this morning, but the warm weather has really slicked up the snow and ice, so I let it sit untill conditions improve. I have a trailer for moving logs, but this is too long and if it were on the trailer it won't go around the curves in the wood road.

[J P]

I'm looking forward to following this. What are your plans for seasoning the log? What conversion methods will you use to get your mast out of it? Looks like fun.

[PeterSibley]

Good post Ken .I've got a similar job coming up,slightly smaller log but much steeper country .Fortunately I have a mate with an old 45hp 4wd UTB ,its going to be slow though.

I'd appreciate LOTS of photos of the shaping ! smile.gif

[Ken Hutchins]

I do intend to post the conversion of the log to a mast, I won't be starting that for about 3 to 4 weeks, but briefly I have a Johnsered mini mill that I've lengthened the bed to 50 feet :D which I will use to saw the log to 16 sides (8 at the partners), then a bit of planing and sanding with a reversed sanding belt. For seasoning I'm gonna drench it with Cuprinol to slow the evaporation of moisture and set it up on rollers with a slow or timed motor to keep rotating it until it is needed.
Here is the mill cutting 2 x 12 x 16' Hemlock before extending the bed. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid94/p259dd2671cfcfb4639b120f931832532/fa35d7e2.jpg
edited to add pic.

[ 02-07-2005, 06:34 PM: Message edited by: Ken Hutchins ]

[Hughman]

Ken, You're having too much fun!

Hugh

[sbsbw]

Just an idea, you must have tried this already, but...

what if you suspened the log on a chain on your three point hitch then take a cable from the dray bar back to an ideal place on the tree to pull from?

Just an idea.

FYI I have a 60 hp 4wd that weighs in at about 10,000#. It can pull almost anything (that i can get my hands on). but you get it in soft ground and its like a skidder it will go thru, but it tears it up like all hell.

-SBSBW

[Ken Hutchins]

SBSBW, that's how I usually pull them, but this log won't go around the turns in a few places so I have to use various other means of moving it.

[essaunders]

bump...

[Art Read]

I, for one, can't wait to see the mast STEPPING pictures... Imagine how you're going to feel, that first time, as you look aloft at a fully rigged mast leaning to the breeze on your "maiden voyage" and remember first spotting that tree in the woods. This is the stuff poetry is made of...