Thank you all for your informative and understanding replies. I will do more research on cutting. I have spent a lot of time in the woods bringing down trees and have never had this happen before (the barber chair). I belive it had to do with having to pull the tree over with my tractor since that is the only new variable in my experience. I cut towards the notch right up until the tree was starting to fall. At that point I always head for cover. In other words, I don't want to hang around and keep cutting further. It looks like the hinge was only about a half inch thick. I'll post a picture when I figure out how. It sure does not resemble a barber chair...As for the other, I have trouble not releasing trout that I catch too, but I can usually bring myself to knock it on the head and enjoy the bounty. I would use pine or fir if they were growing on my property. The oak woodlands in the NW are very limited and under duress which is part of my hesitation. I don't know about personifying. Doesn't that imply that the tree in inanimate to begin with? Or that it only has value if it is like a person? Well, I'll search for the other forum. I put out a bunch of want ads in the rural newspapers for abandoned timber frame barns yesterday and will be knocking on doors. Oh, I didn't understand the recipe/egg metaphor??? -paul