"Dan doesn't stress the tools or the methods... he stresses results"
HA. BLASPHEMY
"He believes with great conviction that there isn't any significant benefit to be had with using copper. "
Expect villagers with pitchforks and torches now that you're said this in public
You know you're probably going to look back at this experience in a decade or so as you're working on your own collection of huge trees (working with big trees is habit forming. You might find you are unable to work on anything smaller than two feet after you're done) with marvel. You're extremely privleged to have tapped a rich well of experience.
P.S.--I'd say the exercise in unwinding the wire might be similar to the "wax on, wax off" shtick in Karate Kid
Unwinding it unveils how it was done and shows you how to do it--all while doing a REALLY tedious, time consuming, task for Dan.