Very large felled tree and felling tools
The photograph is courtesy of Ian Cameron, Ballater, who has provided the following comment:
‘The picture of the new felled Silver was taken at Dalguise Castle in 1963. The Dalguise estate had just been purchased by the Forestry Commission as it marched with the western edge of Craigvinean Forest. The Castle and its immediate ground were sold on to a Glasgow Boys’ Club, but the F.C. retained the garages, coach houses and stables and that was where I had my workshop.
The new owners of the Castle started selling off mature trees around the polices to recover some of their outlay. This Silver was one of many. The magnificent tree-lined drive of elm and lime trees was also felled.
The timber merchant from Stanley who took on the job was a retired saw miller, Bob Ogilvy, who simply could not stay away from trees. He sought out and bought small quantities of quality trees and worked with a very small squad; his woodcutter, his lorry driver and himself. The trees usually ended up in saw mills attached to bespoke joinery workshops, mostly in the North of England. He told me that he bought the Dalguise elm and lime trees for one shilling the cube and sold them on at £1, (old money and old cubes).
His equipment consisted of: one 4x4 AEC Matador (seen at back of photograph) with channel iron jib, a high Fordson Major tractor fitted with a Perkins P6 diesel engine and carrying a Cooke two speed winch. His truck was a 10 ton Ford. As you see, the power saw used was a McCulloch and the woodcutter was very proud of his Plumb axe, with new handle, that came from war-time Canadians.
Dalguise Castle was of course where Beatrice Potter’s family holidayed, I liked to think that she would have known those tall trees.’
The chainsaw operator has executed a very neat job with his lay in and the final felling cuts all looking very parallel and horizontal. The steel wedge was obviously used to prevent the saw bar from being jammed and possibly to start the tree falling although there is a shackle for a winch rope lying on the stamp as well. This may indicate that some machine pulling may have been used. The wooden wedge would also have been useful to prevent chainsaw bar jamming and offered much less of a hazard and risk of damage to the cutting chain. Great photograph and story!
Any comments and observation welcome.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Other Vehicles and Machines