Tom,
I take your point.  What if it were a 12” diameter 5’ long log?

I have seen the Folllansbe video that Paul just referenced. It seems manageable,
looking up at it from the ground as it were.
John


John M. Johnston

“P.S. If you do not receive this, of course it must have been miscarried;
therefore I beg you to write and let me know.” - Sir Boyle Roche, M.P.


________________________________
From: Tom Dugan 
Sent: Saturday, May 8, 2021 8:57:13 AM
To: Ed Minch ; John M Johnston (jmjhnstn) 
Cc: Old Tools 
Subject: Re: [oldtools] Chair from a tree

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is safe.

Yeah, I have some experience in these matters. Before you can do any crafting
comes the grunt work.

'Twas many - many! - years ago, somewhere in the 90s, that I had to have a giant
oak taken down in our front yard. Ours was a beautiful red oak, and "only" about
30" dbh, that had shaded the yard for decades. I had them leave an 8' section,
and by the time I was done with the initial split, I'd quadrupled my supply of
steel wedges as well as crafting a number of gluts. It was a stringy, wretched
tree. Even after I'd gotten it "split" over half way, I needed to employ a
scissors jack to pry the halves apart, all the while taking an ax to the
"strings", which were splinters a quarter inch or more thick.

I hated that tree. Did I mention that this was in the middle of a Tidewater
Maryland summer? No shade to work in any more!

Anyway, just food for thought. Especially since summer is coming to Tennessee.
-T

________________________________
From: oldtools@g...  on behalf of Ed Minch 
Sent: Saturday, May 8, 2021 8:19 AM
To: John M Johnston 
Cc: Old Tools 
Subject: Re: [oldtools] Chair from a tree

such a big log will be hard to split by hand, but once it is worked down, let
the fun begin

Ed Minch