gregb

You got one of the reasons for doing a trunk chop--to reduce the height of a too-tall tree. We also do them to improve the taper of the tree. You say it's 2" @ the base; does it stay 2" all the way up to 26"? Where does the diameter of the trunk begin to decrease? And is there any significant movement to take into consideration? I ask because when a tree is chopped, once is not enough. You want to look for a place where a shoot has emerged along that 26" and cut back to make that shoot become the new leader. I would not do the "v" notch @ the top of a tree. I think you're confusing that technique with another that is to make a broom style tree and that's another subject. When you make your second chop, make the cut in back of the shoot selected as new leader and cut parallel to the angle of the new leader, leaving a little bit of trunk above the new leader. Seal the cut with the putty-type cut paste. It should heal very quickly since this is now the top of the tree. I would select a thin shoot in a position where the taper starts to level out when selecting a new leader.

Your best bet is to go through a few books that have illustrations about doing trunk chops and the earlier issues of Bonsai Today should have some good references about how to do it. Kyosuke Gun's articles on shohin in Bonsai Today feature several how-to illustrated articles about trunk chops for shohin. It applies for regular size bonsai as well.