Acorn to Arabella - Journey of a Wooden Boat - Episode 95: Harvesting White Oak Knees

Harvesting knees for Arabella turned out to be MUCH more work than we ever thought it would be. In the last episode we gathered a couple of stumps but we still needed a little more and then it was time to tackle the job of cleaning them... not to mention freeing them from the clump of wood, dirt and rocks they made up.
So we cleaned up the hole we made digging up the biggest stump, gathered one more stump and then got to work cleaning them up. The process involved a pressure washer, mattock, air chisel, chainsaw, wedges, sledge hammers, etc. Not a subtle process! We spent days getting them cleaned up and then started cutting wedges out slowly because of the rocks we'd hit. However slow it was, it was very worth it after seeing the first couple of knees we got out of them.
As we were working, we also had to take a small break to fill up a shipping container with the donations for SAILCARGO! We finally got that shipped out and if all goes well, it should arrive right before we get to Costa Rica ourselves and we are so thankful and happy to be able to do this.
Thank you to everyone that was involved and that sent in items to send down. We very much appreciate it and are so proud of the fantastic community that has grown around our project.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sign up for our email newsletter: eepurl.com/hn3Qyv
Acorn to Arabella is a boat building project taking place in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve and Alix started as amateur boat builders building their own 38' wooden boat in their backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and beyond-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project will continue well past launch, when they will travel and learn to cruise aboard the boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acorn to Arabella wishlist:
www.acorntoarab...
Jamestown Distributors Referral:
If you are going to shop at Jamestown Distributors, please consider using our Total Boat referral code: totalboat.refr....
FOLLOW US:
Patreon: / acorntoarabella
Instagram: / acorntoarabella
Facebook: / acorntoarabella
Website: www.acorntoarab...

[@Gladtobeleaving]

I remember visiting, long ago, an oak forest in Canada planted by the English to provide ship-building materials 50 years away; and seeing photos of ship building yards with piles of root systems being hunted by shipwrights for the right shape and bend. An amazing craft.

[@mattevans-koch9353]

Stephen, Alix, you need to make a poster of Stephen standing there in his tyvek suit and covered in mud. This is what building a boat is all about. Thank you for the video and have a great weekend.

[@richardbohlingsr3490]

That looked like a lot of work. You really filled the container and I hope it helps with the boat build.

[@wokkawicca]

Despite all the chainsaw buzz, your neighbors may not agree you're the bees' knees--but you've definitely got the trees' knees now! Can't wait to see 'em go into Arabella!

[@Flatulisti]

I've been following you since the lead pour went somewhat viral, binged all your videos for the second time through during holidays and these two weeks after. Amazing to see where you have gotten so far and your progress as boat builders and filmmakers! Yesterday evening I watched your mind of a boat builder interview and got super hyped. Sailboat is something too big of a deal for me, family and all (maybe sailing some day, taking the whole gang with me) but been dreaming about strip kayak for a long time now. After watching the interview yesterday I made myself a promise that since we're moving to a house from our apartment and I have a space and much of the tools already I will do it by myself. Thanks for being awesome and being an inspiration.

[@AcornToArabella]

YES! We love hearing stories like this. Get her built. You will never regret it, but you will if you don’t. Let us know if you have any questions. Even if we don’t have the answers we can point you in the right direction.

[@salazarpayne3784]

In the ageless words of Doug from SV SEEKER.... "What did you make today?"

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

Doug also added once during the "trial'n error" propeller blade casting age: eventually, we will run out of wrong ways to do it. Do not hesitate. Sell the telly, cancel Netflix and get to work, even with only an hour or two for Your personal project on a usual (work-)day You get A LOT done over time.

[@dadtube1936]

@@manfredschmalbach9023 Agreed! I call my failed efforts 'prototypes'.

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

@@dadtube1936 😂 We had a lot of such sugarcoating going on when I was a boatbuilder in a _really_ innovating madhouse of a yard, we worked 65 hours in normal weeks and four days in a row when baking 14 meter one-off hulls from carbon prepreg in giant styrofoam boxes with 125°C in it (where we partly had to work, of course), every one weirder than the previous one, and You can just stand that with a lot of this "prototype"-sort of humor. We were usually winning the regattas in the end, though. That helps, too, not so much as the humor, but it does help.

[@sidvak9700]

That backhoe is like having a trained prehistoric beast, grunting while it worked. Awesome.

[@spgoo1]

The moment Steve turns to the camera, all that mud!

[@donmoore481]

Back in the 60s in Somerville, NJ there was a restaurant called the Tamarack Dinner. It's dining room interior replicated the cabin of an old sailing ship. Between the booths against the walls were a dozen huge knees from floor to ceiling of tamarack taken from an old sailing ship from the late 1800s that was broken up on the Jersey side of the Hudson River. On the wall was a plaque with the name of the ship that the ribs originally came from and a paragraph about the significance of the tamarack. It was all torn down in the 90s. Seeing these last few weeks video brings it all back. Great work.

[@MrJoelwaddingham]

8 minutes in Steve turns around and there’s mud in his BEARD and now I can’t stop laughing and he’s so matter of fact about it like “this is another day on Arabella”

[@NoName-zn1sb]

Uh oh! Blackface!

[@hrgft68]

STIHL should give you a new saw, I've never seen a better advert for their products, that Oregon chain set is a life saver for you on that job, great video, as usual.

[@piledriver141]

Congrats on falling tree, stump intact. Easiest way to do it as you found out. Great video

[@AcornToArabella]

It's not always possible as it depends on the surrounding forest, but it is very satisfying when it works!

[@aib0160]

Wood turners wood love the bits left over as wood from those areas make for great looking bowls, dishes and such.

[@spaceyboi6651]

Yeah, Frank Howarth would definietly appreciate those

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

Yup, some would pay reasonably for offcuts like that.

[@alexkitner5356]

And the pieces of burl...

[@AndrexT]

Some nice looking cheese boards and platters coming out of those stumps. A nice little sideline I reckon.

[@fanatictsx]

aways amazes me what a versatile toy that john deere 4004 is...

[@mumblbeebee6546]

I must say, I am impressed by what I see! Although I think that Alix is a pretty deft hand at the controls, that probably matters just as much?

[@legend7ify]

@@mumblbeebee6546 I have a great friend who makes it look like ballet

[@MadMulberry]

I love the fact that you say arse, and not ass! 🙂👍

[@robertwelch5584]

As a woodturner, OMG what beautiful wood!

[@michaelvazquez7533]

So I was watching all your videos again cus I love you guys and the project and the scariest thought crossed my mind at the 11:07 mark you say Alix has some chest cold, all I could think of was this was right around the time COVID was making its way to the USA and a few eps before this he took a trip to Paris. The first time I saw this back when it was posted I blamed the snow and all the out door work the two of you were doing for his ailment but knowing what we know now and the timeline, like I said I had the scariest thought. I know he gets over it and can’t wait to see him when he returns for vacation and the amazing work to come. Hope one day I can make over and see Arabella in person one day. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@984francis]

Even with the machinery this is definitely work for young folk. Even more respect for the old timers.

[@genelomas332]

That JD is worth every penny.. what a machine! Great work guys.. 👍

[@dennisdownes9319]

I'm sitting at my warm sunny desk thinking how dark, cold and miserable it seems to be outside cleaning up those stumps. Oh yea, I'm born and bred, and live in New England, and work outside every single day; perspective is a funny thing!! Great video! DD

[@harrygrey1625]

Steve giving real life meaning to why you keep a “ dirt chain” in the chain saw box!😂

[@BigMouth380cal]

Small town Fire Departments love to have targets for Pumping Drills with various high pressure nozzles. I'll bet they would make short work of much of the crud on those nasty ol' Oak stumps.

[@judechandler5102]

every time I hear that intro my day suddenly and inexplicably gets better. Love it soooo much. Keep up the hard work!

[@davelightfoot2913]

Your oaks are sure A different looking tree from our California and Valley Oaks. Keep up the good work. Love your project.

[@AcornToArabella]

They are cousins, as the Valley Oak is in the White Oak family.

[@makeryguy]

That shot at the end! Priceless Haha- You guys are incredible 🤙

[@Dusty10]

Can’t afford to pay you but two thumbs up 👍👍. I pulled stumps as a kid.

[@beneder5772]

i died of laughter when you turned around face caked with mud and an outline of where your goggles were

[@gregorychaney7604]

You must have the most understanding neighbors in the world! Pressure washing stumps and cutting them up with a chainsaw in your front yard? How noisy can you get? I probably would have knocked most of the dirt off with the pressure washer in the woods if that was possible. But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that you are harvesting natural knees. Nothing more beautiful than the natural grain bending where you need it. You have clearly demonstrated why it's so rarely done these days. Sooo Much Work! Maybe bake some brownies for your neighbors?

[@AcornToArabella]

The boathouse is not far behind us, the neighbors are used to worse! The knees are pretty spectacular in person.

[@dansbrown1313]

Regarding stump removal, I was lucky on that front because I raised landrace pigs on my farm. I used a sledge to pound in a 48" lining bar and then filled the hole with grain. Worked great for stumps up to 20 "s or so. Pigs had fun and the stumps had very little soil on them.

[@billmccaffrey1977]

You guys are so blessed to have these resources.

[@jimbranham3281]

Great video! My computer is loading so slow today due to the weather. I could watch a minute, wait two, then repeat, many times! I always wanted an hour long video but that I not how I wanted an hour long Acorn to Arabella video to be, !. LOL, Worth the wait though! I can hardly wait to see the next segment.

[@cgln8760]

That backhoe was a great aquisition ! :)

[@hanshogqvist7927]

The vise words "The clothes makes the man" comes to my mind. Well done you guys!

[@davidc6510]

OMG Stephen you looked so hilarious at 8:02 about as filthy as you can get! What a great job on the crating of the Sail Cargo palates. That was alot of stuff to "tetris" into that container. Thanks for the video!

[@Can_non69]

It always saddens me to see a big tree come down but with good woods management, like you guys do, the forest benefits.

[@AcornToArabella]

Some of the stumps were from trees that were diseased, so removing them should help the surrounding trees.

[@authormattchatelain]

Every Friday, I look forward to watching your adventures. Fantastic work and dedication.

[@asciiavatar]

There's some beautiful heartwood in those knees

[@stanmoderate4460]

Got to (continue to) admire your energy and tenacity, with hindsight laminated knees might have been easier but they won't look as pretty once installed and we would have missed out on this hilarious video. Well done!

[@UKPete]

To build your own boat is a amazing, but also when you are out on the high seas far from home you be able to look around the boat and see in your mind where some of the timer actually came from in your own back yard. This will be special!.

[@mathisj6582]

Nice to see a dude who knows how to sharpen his chainsaw..... (judged by what it's spitting back out when you cut :)

[@larrykeenan598]

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[@AcornToArabella]

Thanks!

[@lancedaniels]

Thanks for posting and sharing! I respect and admire your persistence and consistent effort.

[@timford6019]

Tough tree.......tough Arabella!

[@fishtacos2320]

Beautiful dark oak color on the inside of those stumps. Nice work guys, thanks for another great video!

[@SarDog337]

Hummm... I don't know what needs to be dunked in the river more Stephen or the stumps. Love the project.

[@raylansall6764]

My father used to split stumps by pulling them out of the ground, then boring a hole down the center, dropping a couple sticks of stumping powder down them and POW!! It used to open them up along the grain like an octopus….

[@horatiohornblower868]

The guy who'll invent a self sharpening chainsaw gets the Nobel prize.

[@chrissometimes7473]

Already been done. Mind you, they are special chains and I personally still do it the old way, so I don't know how good these are. It is Oregon, so it may be fine. www.amazon.com/Oregon-541662-PowerSharp-Bar-Mount-Sharpening/dp/B003YHGN48

[@EddieSchirmer]

just using a Dremel with the right grinding stone by hand makes quick work of chainsaw blades... i have a friend who is a regular contractor who i work with and he tired it on one of his chains and was Very impressed by the crazy csharp cuts he got after we sharpened it with the dremel. didn't take much time at all, no more or less really than with a file, but the quality of the cut was ten times better.

[@francodeseta9999]

You are great. I have never seen guys with such a determination to make a project. Maybe I, when I was 20 years old. I had the same determination to do things. I always follow you with admiration. If we were neighbors, I would also give my contribution to your project despite the age. Good job. (translated by google).

[@stevereinhart4067]

You guys are some working sons of a guns, love the videos.

[@sinafoch3651]

I am always amazed what you guys manage to pull out of the ground and mold into shapes you want

[@danielesilvaggi]

As you dig up the ground there are dormant seeds that will grow almost instantly. Keep up the good work.

[@dennisreeves632]

You guys are just incredible.

[@chrisrichardson4263]

Hats off to the ancient boat builders who did this without chainsaws, back hoe's and pressure washers!

[@AcornToArabella]

Yeah! We can’t even imagine! Our best guess was tossing them in a fast moving stream for a while but even then. It’s also why they harvested rootstock from swamps (tamarack etc.) less included dirt and rocks due to the mud. But holey moley that must have been back breaking work.

[@idontthinkso666]

@@AcornToArabella You are 100% correct. And that's why we are a society of obese, lumpy blobs giving ourselves type II diabetes. Look at Steve & Alix--they look like boatbuilders or the past. Sure, they are using modern tools and tech, but they are still busting their butts.

[@63256325N]

I know what that's like, dealing with mud covered logs. Firewood was my battle. Bolt wood firewood, really big oak and maple. I got hotter working it than I did burning it. Thanks for the great video.

[@mikepetersen5024]

These are going to look great in the boat and the labor to get them out will be a story you will re-tell over and over.

[@Transit_Biker]

All that sawing and wedging and whatnot showing us just why you want those knees in the boat!

[@raceace]

Like watching two chefs trying to extract as much yield as possible from a truffle.

[@gullreefclub]

I don’t think I have never not used the entirely of a truffle. What I don’t use my plane into shavings, I mince, and if there is anything left after that I use to infuse oil or dry and grind into powder.

[@marvinmartinsYT]

Love the new pressure wash look

[@nic_the_aged_woodworker]

Best picture of the year goes to the pressure washed Steve! Biggest smile of the year for me! Another revenue stream perhaps? I'm sure you could convince yummy mummy's that this is the next big thing in facials!!!

[@mrtank1967]

Great job on the knees and then my bath looked wonderful LOL you are a hard-working men God bless.

[@patrickjernigan1025]

Wow lot's of hard work to relieve the knees from the tree's

[@a.m.v.6938]

This reminds me of a bugs bunny cartoon where they would put a giant tree in a sawmill and it would come out the other end as one toothpick.

[@RealCheesyBread]

The funny and ironic thing about that cartoon is that scene basically sums up what the Boomer generation did to this planet for the millennial generation.

[@DynamicSeq]

@@RealCheesyBread Yes...But the toothpick is nice..

[@legend7ify]

@@RealCheesyBread yes, drones and robots for the kids today

[@matthewbrauer5977]

@@RealCheesyBread Nah, they switched over to plastic toothpicks decades ago.

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

@Just Looking It is waaaay more than just a bit over half the 7.4 billions who are happy enough with the status quo to personally want even a lot more of it. That's the problem with stark Gretel and her apostles: they completely forget about the social component, they're bloody sure to be "right", without even considering there could be people actually WANTING it like it is.

[@fredflintstone8048]

Alex - get well soon! No one can ever say that Steve doesn't get his hands dirty.

[@aaronpreston47]

Fred Flintstone or his face dirty.

[@sdspivey]

No, he had gloves so his hands were clean.

[@MrRay3801]

I dont believe I've ever heard anyone say "remove some of these oaks that are choking off these pine trees" In my neck of the woods oaks are highly preferred as opposed to pines.

[@ericperkins3078]

Almost nothing as satisfying as moving dirt with big machines.

[@RenegadeADV]

Seeing as how hard these were to get apart, I suspect they will be strong enough for the boat!

[@PaulusPHM]

05:30 the best part of the show

[@geraldguyette470]

Did you hear that?

[@PaulusPHM]

@@geraldguyette470 The sound of freedom , but the call of his name is awesome too listen carefully

[@celticpridedrums]

Have you ever seen two guys work harder for something they want, in your life?

[@mgmcd1]

I think just running a sprinkler next to those root balls for a few days might have worked. Anyway, those knees have proven their durability already. Good stuff.

[@AcornToArabella]

That would have made a beautiful ice sculpture! Haha

[@johnjenkins8782]

Explains how they will restore the forest floor for regrowth - hoses a ton of silt into their front yard. Ha! Love it!

[@idontthinkso666]

your comment makes no sense

[@johnjenkins8782]

Restoring the forest floor should be part of the stump removal operation. I assume most people would be a little more concerned with the condition of their front lawn than to make it a muddy mess by washing dirt off of stumps on it. That's what I meant by my comment. No hate no issues. I thought the process was funny.

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

@@johnjenkins8782 But when the frontyard is the place where they have water and current going .... 🚿

[@idontthinkso666]

@@johnjenkins8782 What you call a front lawn, they call a work space. They can't drag water hoses and extension cords into the woods so a little bit of mud stays in the woods.

[@ruperthartop7202]

Haha. Well done guys. That looked hard work. You will be able to look at those knees in the future on the boat and say ' Do you remember cutting those out of the root balls'. Awesome

[@okiesoonernews4645]

Stilh should be a sponsor of your channel

[@Rspri10104]

Alot of beautiful wood inside, once you peal that onion back.

[@desobrien3827]

Bigger chainsaw dudes, my favourite toys....

[@manuelgutierrez1561]

De Tenerife , islas Canarias te mandamos mucha suerte y ánimo , nos gusta tu trabajo de Rivera , te seguimos y esperamos tu evolución , un abrazo y un saludo

[@AcornToArabella]

Muchisimas gracias Manuel!

[@starlight74mike]

That is one heck of a tough job. Glad you guys are keeping your spirits up. Hope Alix gets better!

[@Laz_Arus]

05:57 The reason for the white bunny suit had me *stumped* for a while there 😉

[@daleskidmore1685]

Stephen after the jetwashing reminded me of how a friend of mine looked after he had strimmed a patch where everyone used to "walk" their dogs... Oooh. The sawing of the timber for boats by hand using a pit is well documented, not so the preparation of knees.

[@gullreefclub]

Traditionally the stumps were trimmed with saws and then split with wedges, mauls, and axes to rough shapes and sawn, azded, and wood worked into finial shape which in reality not much different than wood working process for other timbers

[@daleskidmore1685]

@@gullreefclub Thanks for the reply. Watching the process here made me wonder about the way it was done in times past. Lou from tips from a shipwright used tree forks rather than stumps in his vids for knees; I had not really thought about stumps in this way.

[@makeryguy]

Hahahaha 21:13 I almost spit my coffee out hahaha "I wish we could just dunk these in a river for a few days" he says all covered in mud. Man you guys are the greatest! I'm not even finished watching yet- eyes are watering from laughing anywhoo- you should cut that muddy Tyvek suit up in 1" squares and sell them to raise funds! "Swatches From An Actual Uniform From The Battle of Muddy Knee". I'll be your first buyer! 🤣

[@PatrickHRoss]

Keep the forest healthy for the animals

[@fasteddy4929]

Just imagine in days before power tools what it was like to harvest these knees.

[@shackman9566]

@@bluecollar58 Im still digging out stumps by hand. I grew up as a human exavator or at least thats what my father thought I was but I loved it. He worked as a mill wright and got alot of vacation time. We bought a lot near the Allegeny national forest and every day before any fun stuff 7 am to noon my two sisters and I would dig out stumps to clear the way for our cabin build. Shovels pickaxes and me with double bit axe to cut the roots. And when I thought they ready I got to jump in Dads 68 f250 and give them a tug. My other task was to dig and 8'x8'x8 hole for the outhouse sand clay and rock. Over the years my Dad loaned me out to dig some new neighbores stumps and outhouse holes as well as throwing hay bales with some local Amish farmers. Pay off, I destroyed all competition at high school wrestling. By the way the fun after the work was swimming for a few hours at the local lake. When your young you feel like superman after a good days work. At 60 I feel like what hit me.

[@andrewstoll4548]

Would have been loads of fun with a 2 man saw.

[@johnanderson8096]

@@bluecollar58 48 days for me.... turning 62...

[@thomaslemay8817]

anderson seams to be a lot of kids watching this episode. My father waited until I moved away to purchase a chain saw. All heat and cooking was done with the wood I chopped, most of it was dead oak. I learned how to hand sharpen that axe really well.

[@lemagreengreen]

So much of the whole process makes me think about this. Now I know this boat was designed in an era where at least some powered tools were available and used but giant wooden boats were built long before that and the sheer amount of work that must have gone into them is mind boggling, some jobs I just can't even imagine people doing by hand. It's great to see when some of the old techniques are used, hewing and sawing by hand etc. but it makes you realise what a huge job it must have been in the past.

[@eldonerc2524]

We tie a chain to the stumps a drag them. Clears the mud an small roots off the stumps, also clears the brush in the area that's dragged.

[@joekahno]

As a life long gun nut, I feel your pain. The wood that makes the best rifle stocks is a complete disaster for any commercial lumber supplier. I refuse to even imagine what these pieces would cost if they were available through normal channels.

[@jeffreyfenton5649]

So that's how you keep such great skin

[@phaedrusbjb]

can feel your pain on that quickly dulling chain. can't wait to see what projects you guys might take on if you acquire, say, a crane. ;)

[@brucemacsr.6776]

Wow, you really had to work for that knee.

[@KPearce57]

Chain sawing will keep you warm.

[@pete7869]

Nice job!! Keeps going guys!! 👌👍✌😊😇

[@bendavis1559]

Ah, Friday night chillax’n time

[@MatthewJorgensen1968]

You should sell parts of the stumps as "Arabella Oak" so people can make their own keepsakes.

[@Strada62]

Man, those stumps must be like cutting iron! A thought about the donations going to Costa Rica, Awesome job! That was a really great thing you did for the folks at SailCargo. I'm wondering if the mill and other machines that have bare steel surfaces will be in a building, Costa Rica is a pretty damp part of the world, and bare machined surfaces don't like hot humid dampness.

[@ГаражОгород]

Я смотрю и у меня периодически " опускаются руки " - титаническая работа .

[@ferremit]

It definitely looks like one of those jobs where the investment in a Carbide chain would be worth it purely for it not dying whenever you touch a stone stuck in the wood!

[@thomastonelli3272]

Saw the stumps a few weeks ago driving by figured they would be for knees then I drove bu again and they were gone figured you next video would be on them

[@SVSeeker]

Love that yellow mule yall got.

[@AcornToArabella]

She’s a beaut eh? Haha

[@Barastiboy582]

This is everything I believe in

[@fireroadie6654]

One word. Fire hose 🚒

[@idontthinkso666]

That's two words.

[@rong1924]

Love the use of timelapse, esp when some real time audio is edited in.

[@terriharrison6534]

Make a trip to Florida and take back a load of Live Oak tree limbs. They make great stock for knees.

[@fryingdutchman8921]

Just an Idea (maybe a littel bit late) but there are carbide tipped chains for chainsaws. I do not have any experience with them but I think they should last longer in this harsh abrasive environment (but they require diamond files for sharpening). Another idea would be to sharpen your chains with a file. You do not have to remove the chain, you take of less material and therefore the chain lasts for more sharpenings. I am no expert. I just want to make some suggestions to make life easier for you. Thanks for the content.

[@owenrichardson1419]

Cold, Wet and Filthy - What great fun - to watch.

[@DeusHircus]

After you cut the knees out and were bringing them into the boat house, they looked like 2 nice pork loins that you were bringing into the shed to hang!