Blowing Up Trees With High Explosives (Tons of Explosions!)

[@OrdnanceLab]

This is not our "how to blow up trees with explosives" guide. It's more of a last minute idea that turned into a multi-day project as Texas as hot right now and we couldn't film all day deal. We blew up a few other trees outsides this video. We just figured we show everyone different methods of blowing up the evil huisache tree that plagues the range. Note: no oak or mesquite trees were harmed in the filming of this video. We like those trees and planted a few more in other parts.

[@Horus2Osiris]

How small could you keep the n option, whilst attaining your desired outcome? ;P

[@steveshoemaker6347]

lt is good to see you guy's blowing up stuff instead of talking it.....Shoe🇺🇸

[@00zero11b]

Is there different size det cord?

[@minhducnguyen9276]

I'd expect the linear shaped charge to slice all the way through the tree. But for the amount of explosives used it was the most efficient thing you throw at the trees. Besides, since shaped charges are material and distance dependent, maybe the tree was just too thick and copper wasn't the optimal liner material for wood. Speaking of liner material, I read it somewhere that while copper works better on steel, aluminium work better on concrete as a shaped charge liner. Can you confirm this?

[@sjcwoor]

I was suprised with the linear shaped charge. I thought they should be able to go through steel RSJ I beams and bring tower blocks down.

[@jlambuth]

What's going on fellow energetic enthusiasts? As we are trying to do maintenance on our range, we figured we make this into an interesting video with tons of booms. We didn't realize how long it was going to be until I finished editing it. But, if you want gratuitous explosions you got it! Be sure to comment on any new topics you would like to see and we will try to do them.

[@Shad0wBoxxer]

JAKE damn lol gotta get them trees ehh? Thanks for busting the myth that detcord would make a lz in no time lol

[@kreator5092]

Make a MOAP v2 and use it on the biggest tree you got there 😏

[@klutch545]

I wonder if drilling a hole, filling it with water, and placing the charge in the hole will work on trees. It works pretty good on cracking boulders. Also, I wonder if more stand-off will work better with the linear charge, maybe even cut a notch and place the linear charge over the notch.

[@jlambuth]

@@klutch545 The stand off for the shape charge is what we found to be most effective for this bottle shape. As for tamping with water, it's def worth testing.

[@scrappydoo7887]

@@Shad0wBoxxer in fairness it will work but it has to be thicker cord and only really works on saplings to small adult trees. It also helps when uncle Sam is paying for it so you can use as much as you want lol

[@poppy3879]

That linear charge was really cool. It would be interesting to see you try cutting clean through different things with one of them. Maybe in a later video?

[@burneracc2567]

There are videos of linear shaped charges cutting clean through steel panels out on youtube, would love to see these guys to make a video on it tho.

[@F0rs4k3ndJ]

69 likes Sheeeeesh

[@spaxxor]

you guys are the epitome of Jaime Hyneman's "When in doubt C4" line, and it's GLORIOUS

[@billkaldem5099]

I loved c4

[@kittty2005]

@@billkaldem5099 I liked ANFO in the cement mixer the best.

[@donjohnson5424]

Lol at the face when he realized he shouldn't admit to using diesel. 🤣

[@jlambuth]

We have to ration it. Not cheap right now.

[@donjohnson5424]

@@jlambuth man, isn't that the truth... paid over $150 to fill my tank the other day.

[@tsufordman]

The instructions on Remidy call for diesel as a surfactant.

[@donjohnson5424]

@@tsufordman huh, I didn't know that. It's illegal in my state to use diesel or gasoline as a herbicide. Thanks for the info.

[@leviethan4804]

@Don Johnson My dads a trucker and literally half his monthly pay is going to gas.

[@Fiirow1]

I don't know how much this matters with different explosives, but I was taught that the direction of the detonation matters as much as the placement. If you detonate from a less ideal direction, a large portion of the force will follow that path of detonation - so for trees you'd want to detonate it towards the tree for best effect... Plus with trees specifically, simply removing the large bark layers, should result in a much better effect on target - the bark serves as a buffer for the tree and prevents the detonation from directly impacting the tougher and harder core. Plus you could always just cover (forget the english word) the charge with sandbags or waterbags, which would serve to "focus" the energy on target. Idk ^^ Still quite enjoyable to see creative uses of explosives.

[@davidkudrav7018]

Yes, tamping all the charges (& tamping the one tamped charge better) would yield better results. When detonating explosives in blast holes, for quarrying say, there are calculations for the recommended amount of stemming; under stemming wastes energy. Similarly, lack of tamping or covering these charges results in energy directed toward sound and physical shockwaves at a distance, but less work done locally, where the charge was placed.

[@Fiirow1]

@@davidkudrav7018 Yea^^ So tamping was the word I was looking for :)

[@BazilRat]

I was pretty sure the charge under the tree had gone up entirely because of how deep the thump was when it went off. Yeah it was quiet, but it was a bassy THUMP akin to a quarrying detonation, rather than the weaker noise of a milder det.

[@embers_falling]

If you surround the detcord with water bags, it’ll direct the force more and do more damage I would also really like to see what either nomex or Gemini would do in the hole created by the wine bottle shape charge. Especially if either side of the hole were packed with clay

[@denniscampbell4272]

Maybe you mean Nonex? Unless you're trying to keep the tree from catching fire.

[@ch3no2killz]

We just packed it with damp clay, very dense, for sure better than nothing!

[@embers_falling]

@@denniscampbell4272 yeah I did. I’ve heard it said but never really seen it spelled lol

[@rkirke1]

IIRC they did a video a while back on breaching doors or something where they showed the effect of water bags, certainly opened my eyes!

[@Marcus2750-u1t]

All of these should be available at any hardware store.

[@basicgaming266]

agreed. I hate treeesss!!!!

[@plirh987]

@@jsgamerpro23 i mean it’s really not hard to build a bomb, the only reason people shoot up schools instead of bombing them is because they get free 24/7 news coverage and fame automatically because of the toll they’re using

[@mindfulnessorganix1588]

@@jsgamerpro23 bruh lol

[@CunnyRadishElf]

@@basicgaming266 u know you're alive because of trees right?

[@pro2a89]

@@CunnyRadishElf chill out

[@MarkHahn]

"our problems were solved with high explosives" Love it! Coolest channel on KZbin!

[@sski]

The shaped charge going through that trunk totally surprised me. That was amazing! I think you have it down, Jake.

[@darylcav6285]

This is the most American thing I’ve watched in a long time, thanks guys

[@Wow55579]

“Dry as a British comedy”? British comedy is way better than anything we have 😂

[@joshuawilson7629]

I'm so bummed out more people don't watch this channel; and I am utterly depressed that youtube is treating you guys like shit for no reason. I really wish you guys had the financial resources to completely annihilate every single one of those trees into sawdust. stay strong you guys, your content is solid gold.

[@mariahmayers8869]

KZbin only cares for soulless "content" and money. Not people who actually try to entertain people. Hopefully KZbin gets better.

[@tomshepherd4901]

If I'm not mistaken, building demolition teams use copper pipes full of explosives to produce a shearing effect on concrete collumns. Maybe that with some sand bags or water containers to focus the shock wave would work better. If only you could use a BLU-82!

[@christinenevistiuk7906]

Great video as always. Iam using my wife's iPad because mine is in the shop. I worked underground for 30 plus year now retired. Used a lot of explosives in my time . On rock so nice to see how it's use on surface. Thank you guys .

[@lt.guppypatrollt.guppypatrol]

this stuff is ggreat to watch, its a good teaching channel

[@sarchlalaith8836]

For cutting barbed wire some militaries still offset bangalore torpedoes but updated with 4 pieces of angle iron welded onto the case, perhaps something like that would be useful here for severing root systems? Did you know despite being soft, balsa wood is a hardwood. Softwood simply means ever-green in simplest terms.

[@minhducnguyen9276]

The new Bangalore charge use fragmentation, thus the use of the iron casing, to cut the wires so it might not be effective against the roots.

[@davedave9552]

I really love your content brother, I’m so glad I stumbled upon this channel!

[@Dragonwolf920]

watch this channel every time a video comes out and it was crazy to see him in The Terminal List

[@lllllREDACTEDlllll]

We made linear shape charges with pickets and C4. Try from both sides of the tree offset by 6-8 in.

[@danielneeley5480]

Too much fun guys!! Your right about having to be present and experience the explosion to appreciate it. I enjoy watching you obliterate test subjects-for educational purposes of course.😉👍

[@lewis9888]

I have some trees that were cut about 20 years ago so I have been burning and digging up some of them. It's kind of amazing how easy they are to dig out of the ground with a shovel. Be safe my friends.

[@WvlfDarkfire]

An arborist would say a Silky saw will cut the trees down in a second. I'd say this is so much more satisfying

[@trixrabbit8792]

As a 12B my unit got to do some fun demo projects. On one of them we strapped 300 lbs of C4 to a 12 inch pine tree that was laying across a gully. After the blast we found a root.

[@systemsrenegade9888]

My father in-law used to blow trees out of the ground by first drilling a hole under the tree in the roots blow 1/4 - 1 full stick of gelignite then filling the hole with anfo then watch the tree stump go away .

[@talldave1000]

It's been a while and I'm glad you are doing something fun with a purpose!

[@Shad0wBoxxer]

Yay more content for the RCMP

[@Shad0wBoxxer]

Just in case anyone is thinking im being a dink and reporting them… im not i just think its god damn hilarious that they think the rcmp is actually going to be bothering with you boys

[@DJTheMetalheadMercenary]

EXPLOSIONS!!!!! This pleases my jimmies.

[@GlennCheriton]

He is a history major and that tree is history!

[@tinkeringclaws5559]

you guys should recreate the Japanese ceramic grenades from ww2 or the byzantine clay grenades. would be really cool to see how affective they actually were. the American civil war Ketchum impact grenades would be neat to see tested aswell.

[@xXrandomryzeXx]

I was about to go to sleep, but then I saw a new Ordinance Lab video. Lovely explosions. Really impressive how much explosives you detonated for a single video.

[@shadowbanned3716]

Im glad for yalls channel. It educates people about explosives and safety and gives the viewers some general idea of how to identify such things AND i get to watch yall do a bunch of dangerous cool stuff i dont even wanna mess with

[@termiterasin]

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the amazing developments you + 3d printing will make!!!

[@luckygunner8089]

Just awesome guys! Outdid yourselves once again!

[@oigliyj]

I'm going to make sure the RMCP sees this! Wouldn't want them to miss out on a cool video 😎

[@antonolesen4223]

Another awesome video from the most under rated channel on youtube. Thank you very much :)

[@Waffles-sb9fy]

That detenation twisty thing is SOOOOOO satisfying

[@frenchroast1355]

Need to send this vid to your favorite tree hugger....

[@TheRojo387]

You and Sean truly embody the proverb of "boys will be boys". Just hope you don't attract lawsuits from Schweiss!

[@entropyachieved750]

Great little experiments i guess we are always learning... thanks for sharing

[@natehayes82]

Tremors references for the win

[@belushipumpkin]

I truly appreciate the nod to Dre and Snoop Dogg, with your frequently referencing "back to the lecture at hand"!

[@cjvoges6563]

Loved this video. Have you ever thought about a protective shield for your cameras?

[@charlesmatteson888]

By far the best way to take down trees lol love it thanks guys

[@bjoe74fm]

As a Chemist myself, Stanislao Cannizzaro and Alfred Noble must love your work hehehehe, well done, cheers from Oz

[@MacksCurley]

What would the effect of placing a plastic bag filled with water to direct the charge?

[@mdk2066]

Can't get at it with a dozer - said no dozer operator ever. But it is enjoyable watching them blow up.

[@zeroed4x]

Wow that was fun to watch. More please, thanks

[@disgruntledegghead6923]

A normal person would have kept going with the chain saw. But I digest, this is far more entertaining and interesting. And more expensive. Thank's for filming it.

[@Carv97]

Thank you guys this was a great video and expensive I’m guessing XD thanks y’all !!

[@grzli3675]

This was some smoking good raw explosive serious content. Keep such good, high boom material stuff coming guys !

[@shawnwolf9240]

I love your channel keep up the amazing work. I love explosives also. Hello from Tyler Texas

[@nerfspartanEBF25]

I've always wondered if the nearest humans hear these regular explosions from this range and if they do, what goes through their mind when they're having their morning coffee and hear a quiet, distant explosion.

[@rippertrain]

I used to work with explosives in the oilfield. Mainly perf guns and blasting caps and Det cord with shaped charges. I'm loving this channel. Edit: I saw that according to the manufacturer some of our charges were good up 48 inches of depth. I don't remember the exact numbers

[@keiyoshi5232]

Since huisache trees are so resilient, wouldn't they make good wood for something?

[@eric81872]

Thank you for the video! ☺♥

[@termiterasin]

romex bent into a spiral, 3d printed shell, tannerite, and black powder igniter. What do you think it makes?

[@seymourpro6097]

I once saw a shape pierce a hole through 24" of hard steel! Much fun was had that day.

[@scrappydoo7887]

That wine bottle charge is really really impressive against wood given how much shock it can dissipate. Very good job

[@arpioisme]

This is a practical knowledge education. Right here.

[@kylehowat6775]

Isn’t Gemini the same thing as PLX? If not, what’s the ingredients? Very fascinating!

[@lucassmith2332]

Love your channel. Everyone who doesn't work with explosives think there's a lot more power then what some of them really are. Including me

[@Henfredemars]

This is an extremely effective use of my KZbin subscription.

[@nickhetu4829]

Cool as always! In your opinion what type of charge do you guys think was used to detonate the georgia guide stones?

[@markmathews6876]

Blew some big red gums out years ago with nitropril & gelly. hard to judge how much is required depending on how solid the tree is, one took two goes & another was spread all around the paddock in a 100m radius , we were stick picking for days !

[@raultheafghanssb2191]

Man I love ur tutorials

[@homersimpson6969]

Awesome as always.

[@rkirke1]

Chainsaw (noun): A mechanical, usually gasoline powered tool used for felling trees. This is accomplished by putting small notches in the trunk, which is then packed full of explosives and detonated.

[@alex7x57]

A great deal of energy is dissipating into the air without having much effect on the trees. As others have said, bags filled with mud might help concentrate the force of the blast more effectively and shear the trunk the first or second time.

[@terryqueen3233]

Thank you so much I always love explosions

[@aegrisomnia]

We actually use explosive toblerone sticks for tunneling and mineing work. Sadly there doesn't seem to be an export version yet.

[@davebud5658]

That seems like a job for linier shaped charges

[@doejohn8674]

The linear charge was quite efficient, would it be possible to make it sort of round like a half donut to fit a tree trunk? This should cut it cleanly.

[@tompa8945]

Always enjoy your videos 👍😊👍

[@logi7671]

My great grandpa told me about the business his father employed him in, removing stumps with dynamite. They would go to the general store, buy dynamite then, go dig a hole and blow it out. He said they usually used a 1/4 stick but, sometimes they used a 1/2 stick for big stumps

[@patrickw9520]

And with detcord and trees, you need an auger bit, drill holes across like a + so they are close but not intersecting.

[@robm5008]

that futurama reference was much needed !

[@leepalmer3634]

Woods ability to dissipate explosive force is why Soviets still drape telephone poles/logs on older tanks.. or so I saw on youtube ;)

[@mfree80286]

Yeah, YT is pulling your leg as usual. It's for getting unstuck from deep mud.

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

Tree go BOOM 👍 Great video!

[@WvlfDarkfire]

Linear charge! So excite!

[@shrapnut7612]

Do you guys still use a "mud pack," on top of the charge? Years ago they used a charge under a mud pack on top of a large rock . It supposedly directs the force downward, it worked well.

[@brett567]

If you put a shape charge on a standing tree at 45° then filled the resulting hole with liquid explosive would that blow it to bits as it's right inside?

[@garageofpower2891]

IIRC the recommended engineering approach is to bore a 1" hole into the tree (ideally all the way through, and use a charge in the hole..

[@markwoodger2]

I saw some early footage of the use of linea shaped charges. very impressive, theu were using them to break up old military equipment.

[@mikewilliams8151]

Ellie is probably thinking, time for a new homan. Not getting near that snake🤪🤪🤪

[@Hogbellylife]

Great video guys! It would be cool if you had a armored box with a replaceable viewing window. Then you could put a camera close to the explosion & it would be protected.

[@veteranironoutdoors8320]

I wasnt gonna give the video a like, but I do appreciate that tremors reference. So you get a like and that sweet algorithm influencing comment.

[@iamnolegend483]

Ten extra points for mentioning the RCMP!!

[@The_Professor_]

Have you been basing your calculations on the US military tree cutting formulas? I’m curious if so, just so I can better understand my own tradecraft. Typically we prefer burrowing holes into the tree or down to the root system.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

I use 2,000 pound JDAM's. Works on every tree under 5 feet in diameter. If bigger than 5 feet diameter I use 2 instead. Only problem is they are really heavy, hard to lug around. We graduated to laser guided bombs, paint laser light on side of tree and buddy in F/A 18 overhead drops required number of 2,000 pound 'tree cutters'.

[@richbattaglia5350]

Any thoughts on playing with black powder or guncotton?

[@briancombatengineer12b91]

Very nice work, how does one that has experience in military explosives apply for a job such as this?

[@maddscientist1644]

You guys are awesome!

[@kenrussell1093]

This channel appeals to the little boy in every man. I got to witness some blasting on a ranch when I was in high school, where they were building a conservation lake. In Texas, the limestone bedrock is very close to the surface, and they had to remove a bunch of it. When the blasts went off, it would blow chunks the size of a Volkswagen about 100 feet in the air. Do you have a license for this type of explosive device? I would love to see something like that again!

[@sarchlalaith8836]

06:20 is that music "you don't love me" in the background?

[@omniwing]

Ordnance Lab, you guys should try putting bags full of water on the other side of the explosive. It might help direct the blast into the tree.

[@trackpackgt877]

5:30 Hector going after Angel with a chainsaw early '80s Miami got to be Scarface great video awesome explosions

[@nerd1000ify]

I've heard many stories of my farmer relatives removing tree stumps with dynamite. Generally the objective seems to have been to lift the stump out of the ground with a blast underneath it. My grandfather tells a memorable one where a family friend by the name of Mick put way too much explosives under the stump. They were taking cover behind their ute, and after the blast were bombarded with a rain of wood chips and dirt clods, the stump having been replaced by a substantial crater.

[@daveeyes]

My Dad told me similar stories!

[@ChipBurn6]

What is the difference between these trees and mesquite?

[@johnconnell5115]

How would the 20' of cord do with a balest wrapped around it?