Coast Redwood

[oldtimber]

Got a flyer from Baileys yesterday, with an add for Jerrys new book Coast Redwood. This book and a bottle of fine single malt will be under my Christmas tree this year. My recliner sits five feet from my glass doored wood stove, and I've got some three yr old white oak set back for the deep winter, life is good. If you don't have one of Jerrys books, your missing something special. His skills with a camera and pen rival his skills with a saw and rope, and those are pretty much without peer............Bill

 

[MasterBlaster]

My books are autographed!

 

[oldtimber]

 

[cory]

My recliner sits five feet from my glass doored wood stove, and I've got some three yr old white oak set back for the deep winter, life is good.l

Dayum, you do know how to live. And you are so right about Jerry's skills. I had HCTF out last week after work, just scratching the itch...

And if this is kind of a Jerry thread, Jerr what ever happened to Wes Burns, he was quite the monster tree climber/cutter in HCTF.

Edit: the 3 year old white oak is key here, as oak often seems to take that long to dry. And I'm envisioning you are burning like 100+ year old stuff, stuff with incredibly small and tight growth rings

 

[gf beranek]

Wes is still climbing and falling timber, cutting burl and milling. He's a working fool.

 

[cory]

Geezly, he must have mighty uncommon drive and physical toughness and durability. Lotta the stuff he was mowing down in HCTF wears you out just looking at it!!

And what about Mike Davis? I think I remember you saying he passed away??

 

[gf beranek]

Yes, Mike passed away in 2003. I was in the middle of writing that chapter about Mike when I found out, too. And it brought me to tears. What a good friend he was. Tough as they come and a Teddy Bear all at the same time.

 

[Al Smith]

My books are autographed!

Mine too as a matter of fact .

On a side note it's pretty tough to beat dried oak for a nice fire .

On another side bar those groves of coast redwood must be quite a sight to see .

 

[gf beranek]

Plan a trip, Al. At your leisure. The redwoods are not going anywhere in the meantime. They will always be here.

 

[cory]

The redwoods are not going anywhere in the meantime. They will always be here.

Never say always...

Did you say Mike D could hold a 395 by the rear handle out level at arm's length? That seems impossible

 

[gf beranek]

I can't recall having said that, Cory. Mike was strong, but he seldom demonstrated it on bets. Now he was a master at Hacky Sac and thumb wrestling. Few could match him at either.

 

[cory]

Ha I bet it hurt to lose to him at thumb wrestling. Sounds like he was an athlete

 

[gf beranek]

It's hard to beat any man at his own game, and when it come to climbing with the flip line and spurs that was my game, and Mike would not go there on a bet. We each have our talents.

 

[cory]

It's hard to beat any man at his own game

Interesting notion, I like it.

 

[oldtimber]

Dayum, you do know how to live. And you are so right about Jerry's skills. I had HCTF out last week after work, just scratching the itch...

And if this is kind of a Jerry thread, Jerr what ever happened to Wes Burns, he was quite the monster tree climber/cutter in HCTF.

Edit: the 3 year old white oak is key here, as oak often seems to take that long to dry. And I'm envisioning you are burning like 100+ year old stuff, stuff with incredibly small and tight growth rings

Cory, most of the old small tight ringed post oaks grow out along the ridge lines, and they take about forever to season out. Some over on Crowleys Ridge in north east Arkansas are said to be 600 yrs old. I usually hunt for larger white oaks off the benches and in the bottoms. The straight grained butts are used to make shakes and basket splits, and a high btu firewood even an old man can split up. There's a nice one here on the farm thats been dead one season and still solid, I'll work it up this fall and burn it late next year and the year after. The oldtimers used those small old trees a lot for corner posts like locust or osage, or for pole barns. the resin and thin sapwood made them good in the ground, many are still around.

 

[gf beranek]

600 years old. Must really be tight grained and heavy wood. How big in diameter, on average, do oaks that old get on Crowleys Ridge, Ol' Timer?

 

[cory]

Good stuff, Oldtimber.

 

[oldtimber]

600 years old. Must really be tight grained and heavy wood. How big in diameter, on average, do oaks that old get on Crowleys Ridge, Ol' Timer?

I've never seen those trees Jer, and can't remember where I read that. I'll try to find out if I can. The old post oaks are extremely tight grained and very heavy wood , and small for their age. Crowleys Ridge was raised during the New Madrid quake. Quote from my dogeared copy of Trees of Arkansas " wood light or dark brown, heavy [ 47 lbs per cubic foot ] hard close grained, durable ". The record in Arkansas was 12 ft 7" circumference, height 102 ft ,spread 74 ft. In Georgia one was 17 ft circumference, height 86 ft, spread 42 ft, but those are huge. They can also be found in sandy bottoms where the wood can be much heavier

 

[ClimbMIT]

Jerry's books are on my birthday/Christmas list as well. I say that because my birthday is December 20th I definitely would like him to autograph mine when I get them. As for white oak I have some Live Oak limbs that I cut from about a 150 year old tree that I cut exactly one year ago. For anyone who has ever split Live Oak they know as I do that it is not an easy task since the grain seems to twist. These pieces are 20-24" in diameter.

 

[cory]

Fundamentals is the bible, packed tight with valuable info, HCTF has the best pictures anywhere. You need them both, for sure

 

[ClimbMIT]

Thanks Cory I will show this to my wife

 

[cory]

These books will cause alot of quiet time, if that's a good thing...

 

[woodworkingboy]

I wish I had been interested in tree work when I was fourteen and then received a copy of 'Fundamentals'. It might have shown me that with a good text book that you apply yourself to, you can actually learn something and be inspired. I might have used that approach with other areas of study as well, rather than thinking that basically it is all just so so boring.

 

[gf beranek]

On editing the second printing of High Climbers I made many changes and included more content. It really made that book better. It's likely I'll do the same with the other two books in the near future.

Glad to hear you're pleased with them, Cory Thank you

 

[cory]

Instant and enduring classics.

Any chance of getting some of the photos in FGTW reproduced in color ala' HCTF? There are some doozies in there.