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turnerted
21st September 2012, 06:11 PM
G'day
Yesterday, when I finished turning for the day and came out of my workshop, I could hear a chipper working nearby so I had to go and investigate. I wandered up to a house three doors away where wood which I didn't recognise,was being fed into the machine.Always eager to turn a new species, I attempted to communicate with the offsider over the scream of the machine . Eventually he picked up a fruit from the ground and indicated that it was macadamia . Then I saw that the very last log, about 250mm diameter, was disappearing into the chipper.I then went home and tortured myself looking at pictures of macadamia bowls on the web.
Bummer.
Ted

wheelinround
21st September 2012, 06:30 PM
Macadamia ohhhhhh :C Oh Ted I feel your pain.

Just last week I also heard the same sounds I could see the council truck parked down the street opposite but as I was not able to make my way down there my neighbour stopped by coming back from walking his dog. They had just loaded the last Tea Tree logs into the chipper 200 to 300 dia.

jimbur
21st September 2012, 06:34 PM
These blokes should have a license like the duck-shooters - timber recognition and, if it has to come down, the address of local caring woodworkers.
Cheers,
Jim

RETIRED
21st September 2012, 09:06 PM
The problem is ourselves.

I have had people ring me and say that they have a tree come down and do we want it. My answer is always no for a very good reason which I will explain later.

I give them the phone numbers of local woodturning groups but the same things happen. This is the general response from them: What sort of tree is it? How big is it? Is it accessible?

Oh well, we are really only interested if we can get at it easily and it is already sawn up but we can't get there for 2 weeks and we only want the big bits.

The owners, loppers or whoever want the tree gone and all debris cleaned up. Not pick and choose after a fortnight.

I say no because I don't have the equipment to collect it or take the whole lot and to a certain extent I don't have the time to look after it, i.e. slab it, sticker it and move it around.

I have some loppers that drop in logs but they have already done the hard bit.

Pagie
21st September 2012, 09:23 PM
Yes I was trying to give away some blackwood a few weeks ago. This was cut and ready to pick up and still I only got a few takers. Ah well it all keeps the fires burning.

RETIRED
21st September 2012, 10:38 PM
Ps I nearly forgot: They would like it delivered also.

Acco
21st September 2012, 10:51 PM
Yep, they want everything done for them.

Use to offer timber or say when a nice tree was coming down but in the end, stopped doing it as I started getting too many calls saying, when is this guy picking up the other bits, or turner would say, hang on it hasn't been blocked, I don't have a chainsaw, can you cut it here and then here and then we'd ask, do we get a slab of beer or cash for beer, no it's gunna go through the chipper, why should we give you anything we are doing you a favour :doh:

BobL
22nd September 2012, 10:20 AM
A couple of year back I agreed to take a log for nothing on the basis of removing the rest of the tree.

It was a small sheoak so cutting up the bole was no big deal but I underestimated the volume of branches and needles and with only a HIACE for transport (must get a trailer hitch for it) I had to make two trips to the waste transfer station and I missed closing time by 2 minutes so had to go back again the next day.
A couple of hours later the tree owner had the nerve to call me and wanted me to come back and take the half rubbish bins worth of needles out of his wheelie bin because they wanted to do some gardening. The owners were close friends of my parents so to prevent aggravation all round I told him I had hurt my back removing the tree and would be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

artme
22nd September 2012, 11:01 AM
People 2 doors up from us had some trees cut down and chipped yesterday.

I knew it was to happen as I had asked the lady of the house to set the Sheoak trunk aside for me.

Didn't happen did it?:no:

I was so busy all week building a deck that I had forgotten what day it was!

dr4g0nfly
22nd September 2012, 05:09 PM
I find that some people just want the tree gone at nil cost, saving the tree surgeon and subsequent expenses.

The problem is, normal people like us might have the chainsaw but we don't have the insurance - should something go wrong.

And as noted we don't always heave the equipment to move a large bole or slab or store it afterwards.

Christos
23rd September 2012, 11:55 PM
.... Then I saw that the very last log, about 250mm diameter, was disappearing into the chipper.I then went home and tortured myself looking at pictures of macadamia bowls on the web..
Ted

And now you are torturing us as the replies are indicating. :U

Dalboy
24th September 2012, 01:33 AM
For some of us it is not all sad news got given some holly
:2tsup:
233924

Paul39
25th September 2012, 11:21 AM
Sometimes one has to be ready. I saw two pieces of dry maple on the street and asked the owner if I might have them. She said yes, and come look in the back at the walnut you may have. Three loads, only a block away. First two photos, stick 36 inches long.

A week later a friend told me about some cherry along the road. Last three photos. Three trips across town with the poor Festiva (Kia Pride) at full gross weight +. Three triple crotches, and two straight pieces. Stick 20 inches long on termite eaten piece.
234098234099234100234101234102

Christos
25th September 2012, 11:33 AM
One popular saying, you have to be at the right place at the right time.

That just means we have to be more active in our search.

torchwood
25th September 2012, 01:04 PM
There was a beautiful apricot tree in my parents house. Why did it have to die and go into my brothers fireplace a year before I took up woodturning? I even cut it up and stacked it for him to take away.:~

Willy Nelson
25th September 2012, 10:09 PM
I have had a lot of success with this sort of activity. I get offered lots of trees and this is what I do.

I say to the owner, that I will put it to the club. I bring it up at the meeting, and organise volunteers. Luckily, most of the committee members (me included) own 4WD, a trailer, a big saw (660) and a large bandsaw.
We get a heap of helpers and also people who want firewood. I generally organise these events in Winter as the wood isn't as likely to crack.

First thing, is start a bonfire to get rid of the crown and smaller branches. The fire wood people want the smaller limbs. Then when we start slabbing, the offcuts go to the firewood and we get the good stuff. The owner is left with a pile of ash and a stump. We get tons of free timber for the club.

Happy days all round

NeilS
25th September 2012, 11:34 PM
I only do it for family, good friends and close neighbours
AND only if someone else has/will do the tree felling
AND I can buck & rip & green turn immediately
AND the wood is worth the effort
AND I have available storage
AND not too busy anyway
AND ...........
AND .....