The Ash Tree Felling

Today was the day that the Tree Surgeon turned up to make a start on felling the ash tree.

Prior to their arrival, we removed our cars from the drive and I even relocated my little roadside stall twenty yards further along the verge, to put potential customers out of harms way. I then took a photograph of the tree to record it for posterity.

The first hour was spent positioning equipment and rigging ropes up in to the highest branches. Then Rich climbed up into the crown and made a few preliminary cuts. As each branch fell to the ground, his crew leapt in to action. The brash was cut away and fed in to a chipper. The branches were then cut in to manageable pieces, barrowed away, and dumped in the space between the garage and the hedge.  

Over the course of the day, larger sections of the tree were brought down. One was so heavy, that, when it hit the road surface, we felt the vibrations in the house, over twenty yards away.

This photo shows Rich preparing to fell the large branch on his left. That was the last part of the tree to be removed today.  Everything was tidied up and I can report that we now have a large pile of chipped brash on the drive.*

So, that was the excitement for the day, but I wasn't entirely idle myself. 

In the morning I routed grooves in the door frame components. These will hold the plywood panels in place when the doors are assembled. I had to get a little creative to cut these grooves, and ended up screwing a wooden fence to the base of the router and upending the router in my bench vice. I was then able to slide each frame element over the spinning bit, using the wooden fence to guide it. **

In the afternoon I attempted to walk the dogs, but my recent issues with blood glucose control resulted in me having a massive hypo about as far from home as my walk takes me. I ate an energy bar and had to call 30% to come and collect me, Hobson and TB.

I then spent an hour recovering at home, before returning to the workshop. I cut the panels for the doors and dry fitted them in to the frames. I have to say that they look absolutely brilliant. I am so pleased, as my carpentry skills are basic, at best.

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* 30% and I will need to barrow that up to the orchard over the coming weekend.

** I'm pretty certain that it how routers are supposed to be used. I really could do with a router table, but they cost a bloody fortune, hence the Heath Robinson, or possibly MacGyver, approach ... and I still have all of my fingers!