Milling Pine Trees for Lumber to Build A Garden Shed

The tree guys call these hazard trees. That’s the professional jargon for a tree that might fall on someone or something.

I called these particular pines spectacular; 120′ tall ancient beings that helped define the character of this garden, in fact, the charm of this entire part of town.  The owners of the garden did too, but since they had to go, I sought a way to use their wood.

My little idea was to take some to a saw mill, have them cut and dried to be used for the garden shed.  Little ideas sometimes take on a life of their own, and, in the end, we called in a mobile sawmill to turn all the trees into lumber: beautiful butter yellow, heart pine that will be used in the garden shed, in the house and to make some tables and mantles as well.

Here’s a little slide show starting with the amazing tree climbers from Sox and Freeman and ending with the mobile mill guys.  Watching the fellas walk up to a tree, climb 90′ straight up and engineer the precise cutting and removal reminded me of a phrase I used long ago, “the eroticism of competence.” There’s something compelling, mesmerizing, definitely erotic about persons who are sure of what they do, who use their intellect, experience and hands to master anything: playing the piano, blowing glass or turning towering pines into a part of the structure, a part of the legend of this new garden.

The best way to see the pictures is to click here to

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