Well I have been peeling poles.
Sticks really.
I had a couple of cypress trees taken down in my yard (made a splendid
mess).
I had planted the trees maybe 20 years ago. They were supposed to be
ornamental bushes maybe 12' tall at maturity. Just a bit of low privacy
along the fenceline is what I wanted.
A mixup at the nursery. Little did I know they were actually Leland
cypress.
They were rootbound in little pots when I met them. So for about 5
years they sat there and did nothing. Then they began to grow, nearly
doubling each year. They got to about 40' and started leering over my
neighbors house.
I like my neighbor. Never meant to threaten his place.
So I found a guy who zipped up the tree with gaffs, and took them down
in pieces.
A glorious mess made in practically minutes flat.
I saved a few pieces of stump in case they dont crack too bad and make
decent chopping blocks.
They are so loaded with knots I guess they'd be about impossible to split?
And so loaded with pitch I cant see them rotting quickly either.
The limbs are long and almost symetrically curved. Its cypress, so I
hear its rot resistant.
I figure trellisses or maybe a small ornamental fence I could work up?
Well I have sporadically peeled poles with a drawknife for much of my
life now. Pretty good at it, and have several weapons for it.
But I had heard of guys using a shovel. So just for fun I got one out of
my stash and thought, why not?
It took me a couple of tries grinding to get the angles down.
And it takes some skill at directing that angle, in use.
Sharpening I do with just a file, but a single cut fairly fine tooth
file. Back and forth on each side forming a fat burr and then worrying
the burr away, until I get it "sharp enough".
But Holy Mackerel!
3 and 4' strips of bark, and almost completely effortless! I'm sold!
Who knew I had a perfect bark peeler, that I didn't even like that
much as a shovel?
yours scott
http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/images/oldtools/shovelshave1.jpg
http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/images/oldtools/shovelshave2.jpg
http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/images/oldtools/shovelshave4.jpg
http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/images/oldtools/shovelshave3.jpg
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Scott Grandstaff
Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039
scottg@s...
http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
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