Saturday, May 04, 2024

Yet another tree branch was cut

I was able to cut another tree branch today from my box elder tree.  I wanted to start the cut yesterday but the pole saw had a problem.  The piece of metal holding the blade to the pole was bending.  The metal is not sturdy.  A few more bends and I was afraid the metal would break into two.  I guess the pole saw was not designed to be cutting thick branches at a 27-foot length. 

I asked Curtis if he could strengthen the piece of metal.  He thought so, but he had another project and would work on the saw later in the day, and when done would place the fixed piece on my gate that is between us.  Still today no fixed piece.  And since Curtis's sabbath goes from noon today to noon Sunday I won't get the fixed piece until Sunday afternoon at the earliest.

I then played around with a few other pieces of the pole saw.  An alternative to the pole saw is an attachment with a rope that one can use to cut like a scissors a small branch.   I modified part of the attachment to allow me to bolt a saw blade onto it.  It works.

Today I cut another large high branch.  Again slow going.  I took a number of breaks to rest my arms.  After a break where I went on a short bicycle ride I was back to sawing the branch.  I expected it would take me another half hour to cut the branch, but after three cuts the branch broke off and fell down.

Earlier I had put a few metal sheets on top of the patio's fiberglass roof.  I expected the cut branch would fall on the patio roof.  And it did.  The roof mostly held.  The end of the branch did reach a fiberglass panel and broke it.

At least another branch has been cut off the tree.

Before and after.   In the before picture the branch doesn't look like much.



Where the branch fell on the patio roof.  First photo was taken from where I was standing to cut the branch.


And through the fiberglass panel.



I zoomed in and here you can see where I cut the branch.   Look for the light-colored triangle.



All the dead parts of the branch broke off when it hit the patio roof.  What is shown here are the live parts of the branch.



I chain sawed up the branch.  I wonder if the dark center part of the branch is because the branch was slowly dying?

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