Monkey Puzzle take down

[Taupotreeman]

Okidoke, in the twenty odd years I've been working with trees I've never had to deal with Monkey Puzzle. I have to price to dismantle a dying tree tomorrow so some advice would be good please. Anything I need to look out for? They same to be quite hard and spiny so is the stuff pretty sharp when handling and what is it like on the gear? Any thoughts would be appreciated ta.

[Pommie]

OOOOOOOO Good luck mate, Felled alot of trees in the last 22 years cant remember many individual trees. However I do remember each of the 3 Monkey Puzzles i have felled.

Can you just drop the limbs or do they require lowering or throwing to a drop zone?

[nepia]

The branches are horrible to handle. If you're thinking of spiking you may find that the thick bark comes off in plates due to shrinkage of the dying wood underneath; you may have trouble gripping in other words.

The wood; cut between the whorls and sell it to turners but not the lowest rings; the eyes are too small.

Some seem to think that the wood's hard to cut but I've had no trouble as long as it's in reasonable condition.

I think that once you've worked out a way of handling the branches (not your job perhaps!) you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Best of luck.

[Taupotreeman]

Yeah thought as much. The top has died back, about 25 feet or so and they don't think it's worth saving the rest. From what I remember there's no lowering required but it's the thought of handling those branches that's giving me the eebiejeebies. Might have to try and find a couple of local turners too as if it's half decent it seems a shame to waste the wood on the fire.

[nepia]

A dead/dying tree produces the best wood for turners due to the slow drying of the wood so if yours is dying and not dead I'd guess you've got A1 turning wood.

[Taupotreeman]

well you learn something new everyday. Better start asking around although I suppose i actually need to get the job first.

[Al Cormack]

When picking up the branches before you tighten your grip, move your hand forwards slightly towards the branch tip and then grip.

 

This action bends the spikey leaves forwards and then it does not hurt - even with bare hands!

 

Only showed my son this yesterday, where there was a small monkey puzzle in the garden.

[slack ma girdle]

Get ready for large amounts of sticky sap. It will gum up everthing. The bark has a nasty habit of acting like a greased glove on the branches, so that you think that you have it secure, and the branch shots out like a greased pig !!!

Enjoy the fact that it 20 years you have not had to climb one, and hope it will be another 20.

[Ross Beaumont]

hate them its just sooo nasty when i did my first it was a red hot day so i was in a t shirt and after id done, it looked like id been draged threw a hawthorne hedge 3 or 4 times and my rope was a sticky mess

[nepia]

I suppose i actually need to get the job first.

 

Did you?