I need some long, clear pieces of wood for the gunwales, and I just happened to have this beautiful Douglas Fir laying out in my forest. It's on a 30 degree slope, just to make things interesting. I need 16 foot pieces, so I cut off about 17 or 18 feet of the tree. Not having sprung for that $400 Stihl yet, this was a job for the axe. Halfway through, as I was catching my breath, I counted the rings and this tree was probably sprouting around 1900.
The plan is to split the log lengthwise, quarter it, and keep dividing until I have a piece small enough to carry.
