Monkey Puzzle

[Mark Bolam]

Recent thread in picture forum (now closed) brought up the question about "unclimbable trees".

 

Has anyone climbed / dismantled a Monkey Puzzle (Chile Pine)?

 

Never been asked to work on one, but one local to me has outgrown it's emplacement, and the owner (regular log customer) has started dropping hints...

[Andy R]

Yeah, I have done a monkey puzzle. Not a takedown but have removed several substantial limbs from a large tree in a churchyard . They are not pleasant, but not as bad as they look. At first glance up the trunk it looks like you about to climb into the mouth of a great white shark. Slowly does it and all will be well....

Edited January 6, 2009 by Andy R

[garth mc garth]

Recent thread in picture forum (now closed) brought up the question about "unclimbable trees".

 

Has anyone climbed / dismantled a Monkey Puzzle (Chile Pine)?

 

Never been asked to work on one, but one local to me has outgrown it's emplacement, and the owner (regular log customer) has started dropping hints...

 

is it that big bugger on the way into tenterden on the left?

[treedave]

I've heard that the sap is a particularly nasty white sticky variety - not so good for ropes or saws. On the up side the wood is wanted by bowl turners and is good firewood, but heavy as hell. All 2nd hand so best served with salt.

[Tommy_B]

I've only taken one down when I was fresh out of college. Thought I was the dogs, quickly wondered if I'd made a poor career choice!! Evil when you first look and have sharp little spikeys. Timber is quite heavy and you'll want some thick gloves!!! All money at the end of the day though.

 

Just remember, Scratches heal and Chicks dig scars!!

 

Not unclimbable though.

[Steve Bullman]

i took one down once.....all cut and drop so it wasnt too bad. really really wouldnt fancy having to do anything too technical on one...certainly do-able, just slightly painful!

[skyhuck]

I've removed a few, just wore gloves, spiked up cutting off the branches as I came too them.

 

Think my groundie had the worst of it, feeding the chipper.

[Ian C]

I have done a couple, Bloody awful, there easy as not a lot of climbing but you get scratched to buggery, even handling the limbs to the chipper is crap make sure you get well paid for it.

[Ian C]

I've heard that the sap is a particularly nasty white sticky variety - not so good for ropes or saws. On the up side the wood is wanted by bowl turners and is good firewood, but heavy as hell. All 2nd hand so best served with salt.

 

Sap is like PVA, gets every where and is a bugger to get off.

Wood turners love it, i have 2 bowls tuned from it, lovely wood just a bitch to handle

[gibbon]

Dismantled a dead one and pruned a live one off a building. Dismantle was easier.

 

One thing to note is that wood turners love it, especially the 3/4inche branches which unfortunatley we chipped. Chog down to retain the unions and see if you can sell it on. I think we got £100 for 2 cabstar loads of trunk wood which is good as I expect its crap for fire wood. Branches would have got us just as much again.