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Tricks of the Trade: Building With Cordwood
by Brett R. McLeod | Spring 2017
The first time I saw cordwood construction was in high school when I shadowed a consulting forester for career day. His home office was made… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade: Make Your Own Choker Chain
by Brett R. McLeod | Autumn 2016
Owning just a single choker chain is a lot like having one Crescent wrench in your toolbox. Sure, you can get the job done, but… Read More » -
Woodpile Wisdom: How It All Stacks Up
by Brett R. McLeod | Summer 2016
In 2013, The New York Times ran a story exposing a Scandinavian controversy that has divided Norwegians (and New Englanders) for eons. The question centered… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade: The D-Log
by Brett R. McLeod | Winter 2015
In college, I spent a summer building hand-hewn Adirondack lean-tos. The work required both precision and persuasion. We’d chisel perfect saddle notches, which often meant… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade: Living Fenceposts
by Brett R. McLeod | Summer 2015
Fenceposts have always baffled me. Why would anyone take a perfectly good tree, cut it down, dig a hole to set it in, and then… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade: Small-Scale Charcoal Production
by Brett R. McLeod | Winter 2014
After bucking this year’s firewood, I found myself with a collection of odd-shaped ends and crotches, perfect for charcoal-making. Charcoal is essentially wood that’s been… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade: The Perfect Splitting Block
by Brett R. McLeod | Autumn 2014
Wood-splitting is a rural pastime rooted in tradition and experience – experience that’s often measured in broken axe handles and creative curses directed at knotty… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade: Peavey Proficiency
by Brett R. McLeod | Summer 2014
In the last installment of Tricks of the Trade, we examined the venerable peavey, and offered several modifications to make an already invaluable tool even… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade: Building a Better Peavey
by Brett R. McLeod | Spring 2014
While the mighty axe rightly receives credit for felling most of the timber of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was the peavey that took… Read More » -
Coppicing for Firewood
by Brett R. McLeod | Winter 2013
Of all the silvicultural techniques available to forest owners, perhaps no method is more underused than coppicing. Coppicing is a reproduction method where a tree… Read More » -
Big Tree, Small Bar
by Carl Demrow | Autumn 2013
Is longer better when it comes to chainsaw bars? Personally, I like a shorter bar. It allows me to use a saw with a smaller… Read More » -
Building a Lumber Pile
by Carl Demrow | Summer 2013
The demise of the local sawmill has been closely followed by the rise of the sawyer with a portable bandsaw mill. Usually the sawyer will… Read More » -
Saw Sharpening Tips
by Carl Demrow | Spring 2013
Chainsaws, despite their blunt appearance, are precision tools that need to be carefully maintained to work properly. The chain is no exception to the rule.… Read More » -
Scribing a Saddle Notch
by Carl Demrow | Winter 2012
If you’re considering building a log structure, you’ll need to learn to scribe logs. In most cases, you’ll be scribing for a saddle notch, used… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade
by Carl Demrow | Autumn 2012
When felling trees, Plan A has the tree falling right where you want it to go. Once you hang one up, though - and even… Read More » -
Buying a Chainsaw
by Carl Demrow | Summer 2012
Chainsaws are powerful tools, and you’ll work more quickly, safely, and efficiently if you own a good one. But with all the options out there,… Read More » -
Make Your Own Vacuum Booster
by Carl Demrow | Spring 2012
Vacuum tubing systems have revolutionized maple sugar production, and more and more sugarmakers are getting into the game, drawn by the allure of making an… Read More » -
Build a Bat House
by Carl Demrow | Winter 2011
White nose syndrome, a fungus that attacks bats while they’re hibernating, has been devastating to bats in the Northeast. (Editor’s Note: See our story “Bats… Read More » -
Bore Cutting Basics
by Carl Demrow | Autumn 2011
To fell trees accurately and safely, you need to know how to do a bore cut, sometimes known as a plunge cut. On trees with… Read More » -
Tricks of the Trade: Understanding Low-Kickback Saw Chain
by Carl Demrow | Summer 2011
Some chainsaw chains are designed to minimize the reactive force known as kickback. These chains are found on a wide range of chainsaws made for… Read More »