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carving cavity in tree trunk

12/8/14       
Mark Member

We are involved in an ecological study for endangered species, we create a cavity within a live tree trunk with the tip of a chainsaw through a 50mm (2") wide 'door' but it is slow. After doing a number of boring cuts we would then like to hollow out the area more easily with some type of fast, aggressive router head or similar but can't find the right tool and implement. Final outcome needs to be about 25cm (10") round diameter cavity, doesn't need to be 'finished' just rough. While still maintaining a small opening no wider than 50mm.
Hiking in and working remotely, also 10 to 30 metres above ground on rope and harness so cordless tools (petrol or electric) are required. Any suggestions?
Much appreciated.

12/8/14       #3: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
rich c.

No idea how to solve your dilemma, but aren't you opening up the tree to insect problems and disease? Kinda like putting rare animals inside a cage to study them before they die. And they die in the cage!

12/8/14       #4: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Dale Lenz

Website: http://www.beautifulwoodworks.com

How about cutting a 10" dia. cavity in the tree, using a chainsaw. Then on the outside radius of the tree, make a flat plane and attach a piece of rough sawn decay resistance wood with the 2"X2" opening.

Please do this to a cull trees and not a decent sawlog tree.

Dale.... a Forester, :)

12/9/14       #5: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Mark Member

Website: http://www.treetec.net.au

Yes tree will be damaged.
Need to keep the wound to a minimum, the outer shell (sapwood) is essential for structural integrity. We can do face plate options but it's not a good solution.

Really need a high speed, aggressive hacking, cutting head on a cordless tool, reaching through a 2" X 6" rectangle opening, any ideas???

12/9/14       #6: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Rod Hays

Not sure if the log wizard would work that is in the video below.

12/9/14       #8: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Keith Newton

Hey Mark, I think if I were trying to do this I would use a chainsaw with a carving bar.

I would start by plunging in establishing the outline, then go back in doing a series of cuts across the grain, leaving about 1" of wood between, which you can break off with a crowbar.

Come to think of it, you will need to do some vertical cuts up the middle, # to keep the broken off portions from being too large to extract through the opening.

I'd try to do some practice while standing on the ground, which would make it go easier than learning while hanging up there.

I don't know where you are working out of, but if you are near me in LR AR, I have one you can test drive.

Bailey's Carving Bar

12/9/14       #9: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Mark Member

Website: http://www.treetec.net.au

Thanks Keith. The carving bar actually overheated at the tip, I think it concentrates all the pressure on too small a point. The normal bar works but is slow - 15 minutes and a full tank of fuel. I like the idea of making pieces I can break with a bar, this could work.
The Log Wizard from Rod is exactly the type of thing but I think it is too big to get through the 2" X 6" 'door' . Also the chain is still used so I'd have to take all the teeth off the chain to protect the door, but I can do that easily enough.
The 'door' is 2" wide, 6" high.

12/9/14       #10: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Keith Newton

Yea Mark, I know the carving bars get pretty hot, and certainly would if you were just using it to hog all of that wood out, but probably not if you try my suggestion.

Plus, I think I recall that these bars are titanium, which will hold up under much higher temperature than the standard bars.

By using the approach I suggested, I think you could go at it incrementally, which would allow some cooling time between cutting a vertical column of blocks, then snapping them off, before aiming off to one side and making a few more cuts that you snap off before sawing more.

I'm guessing your study is for RCW. There is a fairly new WMA near my cabin, which is being managed to improve their habitat. I am loving how the burning ever two years is changing the nature of this habitat to a more open savanna. I think the deer population may be improving as well.

12/9/14       #11: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Mark Member

Website: http://www.treetec.net.au

I'll try the plunge and snap idea in the next few days. The carving bar cooked within minutes so I'll stick with the larger tip which works fine.
I'm in Australia, target for this first project is a critically endangered arboreal marsupial.

Any other tools or drill bits or high speed cordless implements you can think of?

12/23/14       #12: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Bill Stuewe

This is used for carving out bowls:
http://www.arbortechusa.com/view/woodworking/mini-turbo/
You might contact them and see it you could get a longer extension to reach into your hole the required depth, Those carbide insert teeth do a job on wood

12/25/14       #13: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
old 243

could you do the carving, on the ground , in a large block ,possibly cedar .Rip it in half with a chain saw. Carve out the required cavity . Then screw the block back togather. It could then be hoisted to where you want it, and bound in place with ratchet straps . Something like building a birdhouse, except larger.

12/26/14       #14: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
Mark

Thanks but that's a nest box. The purpose of this project is look at the feasibility of introducing cavities into trees: Will the cavity be used by the target species, will the tree fail.
Do you know of any really serious cordless options? Something like the mini-grinder from arbortech but with a longer bar?

12/26/14       #15: carving cavity in tree trunk ...
old 243

mark . The tree top will more than likely start to die back when you carve a cavity that size out of it. I don't think you mentioned the variety of tree that you were doing this in. Some of the pines , cedar, hemlock etc might tolerate this better than a hardwood. It seems to me that your big problem in making the cavity is keeping the entrance hole small . This doesn't allow power tools to operate . You might have to put a cover over the cavity with the proper sized hole in it. Have you considered using chisels , to hollow out the cavity rather than power tools. Some of the timber framing sites might help you out. Lee Valley tools come to mind. You also never mentioned what you hoped would live in the cavity.


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