OldTools Archive

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266003 scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> 2018‑06‑12 peeling poles with a shovel
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

-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
266004 Cliff <rohrabacher@e...> 2018‑06‑12 Re: peeling poles with a shovel
and now comes the  debate over  the terms shovel vs spade
Glad you found a use for it, whatever it is.
266005 gary may 2018‑06‑12 Re: peeling poles with a shovel
I think that's a spade, Scott.

                          d&r---yr ol pl; gam 

How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a blessing one
cares for none of them!
Jane Austen

      From: scott grandstaff 
 To: porch  
 Sent: Monday, June 11, 2018 7:45 PM
 Subject: [OldTools] peeling poles with a shovel
   
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

-- 
*******************************
    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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OldTools@s...
266006 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑06‑12 Re: peeling poles with a shovel
Tell this guy

https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=V9-ltPsbw9g ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9-ltPsbw9g>


Ed Minch

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