The Old Maple tree

[tim0625]

As a kid, we had a silver maple tree at the corner of the house. In that day (late 60s) our TV antenna pointed south toward the 4 TV stations.  Sometimes dad wanted to watch USC basketball but that was broadcast on a TV station to the west.  At about 10 years old, I would climb the maple tree, get onto the roof, and turn the antennae to the west until the TV station that carried USC basketball came in clear.  From inside, dad would holler "HO!!.....BACK!!" A slight adjustment and we were in business. Ah the days....now, dad's gone and the 60 year old maple has died and DRIED. Truth be known, I should have taken it down 2-3 years ago. Like a special pet, I put it down yesterday. NOW....I have blocks from the dead and dried maple....friends, my chain saw with a sharp chain, wouldn't hardly cut it up so that I could haul parts of it off. I'm wondering if it is going to be any easier to cut it with the long grain to get halves, to make bowls?  Does anyone have Ideas? Am I in for problems when I turn it? Whatever you see that I am not seeing, please tell me.  Thanks

[wdwerker]

You could score it with the chainsaw and then split it with a wedge. Silver maple is classified as "soft maple" but it's still far harder than most domestic hardwoods.

Maybe it's time for a new chain or a better sharpener? I like the little stone that fits in my Dremel tool over a hand file

[Tom King]

Here's what we did with a dead Silver Maple.  It had been dead long enough for most of the limbs to rot and fall off.  I got called to take this tree out because there was only one spot it could hit in the yard without damaging the house or other large shade trees.  I was expecting the trunk to have some rot too.  After we had it on the ground, I found that it was not only okay, but mostly cured, and realized it was the right size to get some 10x13" beams that we needed out of. 

 

We thought about using an Alaskan mill, but I figured it would require way too many stops to sharpen the chain, so the guys chunked it with a couple of axes.

 

I heated shaped and retempered an adze to match marks on the pine beam that termites had eaten that we were replacing.  It didn't work too good, but I decided we were going to go with it anyway.  When we were over installing it in the old house, I noticed that the oak sills around the outside had the same pattern from an adze, so it was not just us not being able to do it, but the hardness of the wood.

 

http://www.historic-house-restoration.com/structural.html

[duckkisser]

I think the problem was a non sharp saw. maple is great to turn if you turning tools are sharp you can get an almost finished surface right from the get go if you use your bevel and slice it instead of scraping it.  you can start your sanding at 320-400 rather then around 100 if you cut it right.