Grand Champion
Robert Long
Tecumseh, ON
Also First Place winner in this category for the Canada Region

Robert Long was a grandfather with a new "toy". One of the first things he wanted to do was use his newly acquired Wood-Mizer LT40 Hydraulic to build a tree house for his beloved four-year-old grandson, Ethan.

After several visits to the library and the internet, he came to the conclusion that he and Ethan should just start building a tree house.

Last winter, while cutting trees in a near by woodlot, Robert came across a hollow oak tree…the perfect piece for the trunk of the playhouse. Excited about his find, he showed the red oak to Ethan and began planning.

Because this was a joint project, Robert would prepare ahead and have a supply of lumber cut prior to Ethan's visit. Then when he arrived, the two would work together not only building the tree house, but also making memories.

The grandfather/grandson team started with cleaning out the center of the oak tree
then cutting and framing the side walls and deck. Using his Wood-Mizer lap-sider, Robert cut a few board feet of siding as well as the shingles used on the roof.

Back at Ethan's house, a concrete slab was poured to anchor the 8' oak tree trunk. With the lumber sawed from his mill he framed a deck on the top of the oak tree followed by 6'x6' uprights to hold the corners and the frame for the swing.

With a little extra help from Ethan's father, the four walls were lifted onto the deck. During the entire project, Robert intentionally skewed all the measurements to achieve the twisted look of a tree house built by kids.

Pleased with his mill, Robert said, "We built everything from wood cut on the Wood- Mizer mill including the ladder, door, door latch, bridge and even the swing seat."

Ethan lives in a split level house with an upper deck allowing him to use the family deck to cross over to his tree house via a wooden bridge.

The tree house also features a lower platform for a slide, an extended beam for a punching bag, and a sand box near by. For final touches, a few antiques were mounted around the outside and tin chimney was placed onto the roof.

After about six months of off-and-on work, Ethan got his tree house.

"Seeing kids at play on what you made is special," comments Robert.