Posts Tagged ‘pruner’
Eradication Season
It’s that time of year again. The invasive Common Buckthorn becomes much more exposed in early November, when the leaves of the desirable trees have just dropped to the ground. The deep green buckthorn leaves hang around long enough to make them easy to find.
I have taken a crack at this every fall since we arrived here, and I still get surprised to discover some really tall trees in our woods that have obviously been missed.
Yesterday, Cyndie offered to do most of the strenuous work if I took Delilah and walked the woods with her, pointing out which green leaves to eradicate. It’s not a perfect science, because there is one other bush that holds leaves this late, and its leaves are just barely less green than the buckthorn.
The challenge is compounded by Cyndie’s insatiable urge to wield the pruner with reckless abandon.
As persistent as the buckthorn invader can be at taking over the understory of our oak and maple forests, I take satisfaction in the comparison between our property and the neighbor’s. I have seen no effort to clear their property, and the results just become more obvious every year.
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Those views above are from one spot on our trail. On the left, looking into the neighbor’s land, and on the right, ours.
I would say, our efforts are proving worthy.
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Equipment Maintenance
One of my favorite tools is our ratcheting lopper for trimming tree branches and clearing trails. I have had this thing for decades, putting it through some hard use. In the last few years it has begun to show its age. The blade didn’t close all the way anymore and would leave a small skin still attached at the end of a cut.
Since we use it so often, Cyndie suggested we buy a new one and retire the one that doesn’t cut well anymore. She needed to replace her ratcheting hand pruner anyway, and something in our minds tells us it is better to buy two things as long as we are already logged in to an online store.
When I saw the price for a new one, I changed my mind immediately. I knew these were relatively expensive tools, but I had no recollection of having spent that much money on this lopper. In hindsight, given how long it has lasted and how much use we have gotten out of it over the years, that was a justifiable expense, but it is a large enough amount that I am hesitant to flippantly chuck the old one and fork out that kind of money to replace it.
I decided the old one deserved some tender loving care. I started by sharpening the cutting edge with a file. I could see there was light visible between the cutting blade and the anvil, and closer inspection revealed what looked like two set screws in the edge. This impressive machine was adjustable!
I loosened two nuts and tweaked the first set screw. Sure enough, the anvil rotated a bit. I was able to realign it so the newly sharpened cutting edge would close squarely against the anvil.
Finally, I applied a long overdue coat of lubrication to all the metal surfaces. Wow, did that make a big difference. The lopper is as good as new now, and we didn’t spend any additional money on it.
Why in the heck am I inclined to let things go too long without proper attention? It embarrasses me to admit how often I will struggle to continue using a tool that isn’t working well (dull knives, saw blades with bent teeth), without bothering to take time to do something about it.
Earlier this summer, Cyndie asked me to fix the tires on her garden cart. Those things had been neglected so bad they completely deteriorated. Both tires were shot and the tubes in them cracked and leaky. It took me a while to figure out the tire bead wouldn’t fit over this particular rim. It is a two-piece rim that is simply bolted together. Once I realized that, it was relatively easy to get it apart.
While shopping for replacements, I was told that the original tires they put on carts like this are so cheap, they leave out a chemical that would keep the rubber from coming apart. That won’t be the case with the new tires, he assured me.
I ordered Cyndie a new ratcheted hand pruner. While I was logged in, I decided to buy a new hand saw, too. My old one has been neglected beyond repair. I’m hoping to give the new one proper attention toward timely maintenance this time.
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Relative Something 