DeBorah Goletz on sun 25 aug 02
I've spent the entire summer building, and my train kiln is a week away from
completion! Thanks to Judith Duff's beautiful plans, the building process
has gone very smoothly (albeit slow since most of my bricks are used and
required scraping). She stands a thing of beauty ... unfortunately amid some
very tall, old trees. There is a small clearing above her but I need
information as to how much clearance I need to fire. The trees are over 100
feet tall and located about 15 feet from the kiln. The lowest limbs are 40
or 50 feet up - a couple extend almost/but not quite over the chimney. I
plan to have them pruned but I'm hopeful that I don't have to cut them down
completely. I also have to consider that we are in a drought here in New
Jersey. Any advice?
DeBorah Goletz
David Hendley on mon 26 aug 02
Hmmm, I just addressed this a couple of months ago. I have a HUGE
oak tree next to my kiln. A branch, as big as the trunk of a big tree,
extends right over the chimney, about 15 feet above it.
I installed a heat shield on the branch - a 2 foot by 10 foot piece
of roofing metal, hanging by wires a few inches below the branch.
I at times have flames coming several feet out the top of my chimney,
but never had any problems with the tree branch for years of firings.
A few years ago, the wires holding the shield broke, and it was hanging
crooked, not adequately protecting the limb.
I neglected fixing it for several firings until, during a firing, the
branch caught on fire.
It was not really that big of a deal.
I just sprayed the branch with the garden hose every half hour or so
until the firing was finished.
Of course, I repaired the heat shield, and actually added a second layer,
with an air space between the two pieces.
After 12 years of firings, and even catching the branch on fire that time,
the tree and the branch still look perfectly healthy.
Pine trees and cedar trees are a different matter. The needles will easily
catch on fire.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
> I've spent the entire summer building, and my train kiln is a week away
from
> completion! Thanks to Judith Duff's beautiful plans, the building process
> has gone very smoothly (albeit slow since most of my bricks are used and
> required scraping). She stands a thing of beauty ... unfortunately amid
some
> very tall, old trees. There is a small clearing above her but I need
> information as to how much clearance I need to fire. The trees are over
100
> feet tall and located about 15 feet from the kiln. The lowest limbs are
40
> or 50 feet up - a couple extend almost/but not quite over the chimney. I
> plan to have them pruned but I'm hopeful that I don't have to cut them
down
> completely. I also have to consider that we are in a drought here in New
> Jersey. Any advice?
>
> DeBorah Goletz
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