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  1. #1
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    DIY...Tree Removal

    I had a large lamyai tree in front of my house, it needed to come down. Because of where it was at it had to come down in pieces, there was no just falling the tree. It hung over the house and over the power lines. The Thai family said this tree was almost 50 years old. What I was most worried about was a big storm and this giant tree falling over and crushing my little house, besides that it was messy and full of red ants. When I first started out I was just going to trim it way back, then I'm thinking if I just trim it, five years from not I will be 5 years older and up there trimming it again, better just to take it out. Down low I would have used a chain saw, but the thing is I don't own a chain saw, I own this Milwaukee Sawsall Plus 75th anniversary limited edition, made in the USA. I found these blades at Thai Watsadu? They are high quality made in Switzerland. They call it a 10" blade but you get about 8" of cut, so if you sink in clear in you can cut a 16" log.DIY...Tree Removal-dscf0787-jpg

  2. #2
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    Still not good at posting pics so I will break this up. I have no fear of climbing, I have been climbing my whole life. My first construction job we used to reroof hip roof barns, you would spend your day on the vertical part of that roof walking on an inch and a quarter wide ledge. Inch and a quarter because we were not using 2x4's, we were using rough sawn hard wood. When I read about office workers going rock climbing on the weekends for the adrenalin rush, I laugh. You spend you week working on a barn roof you didn't need to go rock climbing to get an adrenalin rush, your whole week was an adrenalin rush. Then moving on to HVAC man, you spend your day on a ladder, up in the rafters or on the roof, there is no end to the climbing.
    OK back to the tree. First thing was kill those fucking red ants, I could not work up there crawling with red ants. So I would go up and spray the ants, come down and drink a coffee, then go back up and get to work. Then build steps to work off of. I have a friend that has a mountain of used lumber, so the boards were free. You don't want to be standing up there and have a step break lose, so ever step was notched in. Shallow cut and then the claw hammer to dig a notch. Another reason for the Sawsall, when you are up there standing, holding on with your knees, you don't want to mess around trying to start a chainsaw. So I start cutting, catch and lower every piece. Every single piece of that tree was lowered down.DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5789-jpgDIY...Tree Removal-dscf5791-jpg

  3. #3
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    DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5791-jpg

  4. #4
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    I had 3 minor mistakes in the project. First I dropped one of those boards from way up there, punched a hole in the porch roof. No big deal, easy repair, I was more careful after that. Second mistake, when the branches started getting heavier I took too much and snapped that skinny rope. I switched to heavier rope and catching with a chain. I would catch with the chain, then release the chain and lower with the rope.DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5795-jpg

  5. #5
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    Third mistake. In that last picture, my next cut, a big storm was coming. Of course I wanted to finish that cut before I came down. But the storm came hard and heavy so I had to head down. The ladder was not folded like in the picture, it was extended up on the branch. I had just stepped off on the ladder when the piece I was cutting snapped, swung like a pendulum, hit me in the head and knocked me off the ladder. no serious damage, just a sore head, but that is normal for me being a sore head.DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5801-jpg

  6. #6
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    DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5802-jpg

  7. #7
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    The last two cuts, I sink my blade clear in but still couldn't reach. I had to finish the last few inches with a hand saw. So that last cut was about 20" across.DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5811-jpg

  8. #8
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    So here I get a message No Assets, it won't let me load more pics.

  9. #9
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    DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5807-jpg

  10. #10
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    DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5814-jpg

  11. #11
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    But I didn't stop there. I stared at that stump for maybe a year and then sent Trina out to dig the stump. I tried to cut the roots in the right order so the stump would kind of fall over and out of the hole, of course that didn't work. When I made my last cut the stump went straight down. No problem, my neighbor has a backhoe. He reach in the gate and lifted the stump out for me and drug it outside the gate. The charcoal man was happy to have it.DIY...Tree Removal-dscf5936-jpg

  12. #12
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    Last pic. This is where the tree used to be, and the log is whats left of the lamyai. Maybe I will turn it into a table top, if that doesn't work out maybe a bench, if that doesn't work out I will make firewood and cook a steak. Project complete.DIY...Tree Removal-dscf0779-jpg

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Top Job and thanks for sharing.

    I've dropped a few treas over the years, but nothing as large as yours, not in such a tight drop zone.

  14. #14
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Damn, that's a serious job. I thought it was going to be like LoyToy's tree stump story!

  15. #15
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    We just cut down a tree for a neighbour a few days ago, also using a Sawzall.

    DIY...Tree Removal-tree-cutting-1-jpg

    DIY...Tree Removal-tree-cutting-2-jpg

    DIY...Tree Removal-sawzall-1-jpg

    It was done by our gardener. He originally wanted to use a gas powered chain saw, but I convinced him that the Sawzall was better suited to the job. The area he was working in was fairly clear, so he cut them off in roughly 12" sections and just let them drop to the ground.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat russellsimpson's Avatar
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    Hell of a job tunk. Congratulations. Job very well done.

    I would never have tackled the job without a good hefty chainsaw.

  17. #17
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Face it russ, the only job you could tackle with a hefty chainsaw these days is hefty chainsaw oiling.

    As it happens, we're getting one of ours cut down tomorrow for 1500 baht.

    Team of five blokes, apparently.

    Hopefully that will give loytoy some much needed new material.


  18. #18
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post

    Hopefully that will give loytoy some much needed new material.
    oiling 5 blokes?

    An ordinary Friday night for him!

  19. #19
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    Good job Tunk!

    Looks like hot work.

  20. #20
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    That's a brilliant job, Tunk . . .

  21. #21
    กงเกวียนกำเกวียน HuangLao's Avatar
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    Beneficial to have a skilled lumberjack as a neighbor.
    Well done, Tunk!


  22. #22
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    If I can find a sawmill that would rip that log for me, I would really like to have a table. There is something special about a table made from your own tree. It is like recycling or giving the tree new life. For almost 50 years that tree gave shade and lamyai, if I could turn it into a table, for the next 50 years my daughter could use it. Probably I won't live long enough to see my grandchildren from this daughter, but I like to build things I think they will use and know grandpa built. In America my grandchildren are using things I built. And thanks for the compliments.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by tunk View Post
    I had just stepped off on the ladder when the piece I was cutting snapped, swung like a pendulum, hit me in the head
    Good thing it did not hit you on anything you use often . LOL

  24. #24
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    Good old Sawzall . Give me a Sawzall a big hummer, a vice-grip pliers, and a role of duct tape, and I can do anything. LOL
    God job tunk, I enjoyed reading your thread very much,
    Having being hit on the head many times myself I can can tell you not to worry about it. even though I don't think I have any, The good thing about brain damage is you don't know you have it LOL
    The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

  25. #25
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    Do you remember the Clint Eastwood movie where he is tutoring the young Hispanic ? The young man is so envious of Clints tools. Clint tells him here I will get you started, he gives the boy a pair of vice grips and a roll of duct tape.

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