Old Burl

[Bill Simpson]

Some one already asked "what you did this weekend" and my answer was Fishing... Lake Cumberland is one of the finest pieces of water in the US and after Katrina the corps O Engineers decided that the Wolfcreek dam didn't meet new standards and may devistate Nashville Tenn. along with all the southern Kentucky farmland in between. so they Plumited the water lever by 40 feet (still leaving it to be one of the largest Man-made lakes in the world)

That is where I was and on a fine (Hot) sunday afternoon I happened across this stump that had been under 10-40 ft of water for the past 50 or more years (they lower the lake during the winter to catch the spring rains, but never this low) Is this not an interesting Root Burl? I wonder if it would be worth taking a saw back down they in a couple of weeks and "Rescueing" it.

Got any ideas if it will be of any quality? I know they harvest sunken logs from Lagoons and Lakes all the time and seel them at a fine profit. I am going back in 3 weeks and can take a battery Chainsaw with me.

[Mark Kosmowski]

If you're going to be there already, why not give it a whirl? The worst case is it isn't usable for anything and you had to spend a few extra hours outdoors on the lake. That would just be absolutely horrible - I understand why you want to know ahead of time if it will be good for anything first.

If you have one, you might also take a battery reciprocating saw. Make sure to take three fully charged batteries with you for the job - it looks like 1 fully charged battery will do the trick, so you want at least 2 and if you're taking 2 you may as well take 3 in case you find more beauties to harvest!

I recently harvested a fallen maple from a friend's woods. I even took some of the tree past the first major branching - I know that this is high stress wood, but even if all it gets used for is turning learning stock, the price was perfect!

[Frank Fusco]

Actually, the worst case would be getting caught and arrested by Corps guys. Permits for gathering driftwood from Corps lakes are available but without the permit it can be serious business. We have two Corps lakes near us and the people who get permits for certain areas of shoreline are very, make that VERY touchy about folks taking "their" driftwood. That said, do it in the dark with quiet saws. Looks like an interesting piece of wood.
BTW, we own some property near Kentucky Lake, just a spit away from Cumberland. Fine country there. Almost as nice as the Ozarks.

[Mark Kosmowski]

If it's still attached to the ground is it "driftwood"?

[Frank Fusco]

If it's still attached to the ground is it "driftwood"?

I dunno. Ask the cops.

[Bill Simpson]

Actually, the worst case would be getting caught and arrested by Corps guys. Permits for gathering driftwood from Corps lakes are available but without the permit it can be serious business. We have two Corps lakes near us and the people who get permits for certain areas of shoreline are very, make that VERY touchy about folks taking "their" driftwood. That said, do it in the dark with quiet saws. Looks like an interesting piece of wood.
BTW, we own some property near Kentucky Lake, just a spit away from Cumberland. Fine country there. Almost as nice as the Ozarks.

Actually they encourage gathering "Driftwood" as a watershed lake with its up and down motions, Drift causes a safety hazard... but this is "Structure" If the water were 10-12 feet higher it would make good cover for a Bass so they might balk but I can dumb my way out of most situations and for those that I can't, there is my Lawyer buddies that fish with me.

I'll just cut the Burl root and leave the rest.

Yes Frank it is on the Cumberland river and that feeds Barkley Lake which is next door to Kentucky Lake which is Tennessee River and my uncle once had a place where now is called Land Between the Lakes before the Corp bought him out. I also once spent a segment of my life in Paducah (20 miles away) so I am fond and aware of the area. But it is a Long drive from my Northern KY home (been her for 34 years so I guess this is home) but I reared from Central Ky (Danville) and Harrington Lake. So Lakes are a passion of mine. That is why several of us old crones bought a Houseboat on Cumberland but this chunk of wood is 11 miles by water from the boat. I was just thinking, The club changed the location of our next outing to another part of the lake and that chunk is about 15 miles by water from that location. Sooooooo? What to do?

I am taking the Battery saw next (and future) outings, in case I spy another treasure and I will have more than a pocket knife with me.

I once rescued and carried a hugh piece of Drift from a Lake in Alabama, All week I fished the shore where I saw that piece and admired it, so on the last day I Rescued it, and for over 15 years it adorned my back yard, Time had taken its toll on the stump and Decorating likes have altered so at SWMBO's suggestion, it went away. Appropriately I took it on a fishing trip and fed our nightly campfire. A tear was shed and a Beer Blessed its smoky demise.