bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - How To Successfully Do A Trunk Chop?

It depends on what kind of trees you are working with and what style you want to develop. Cutting a tree straight across is usually done for a broom style, where all the primary branches come off the trunk from a central location. The more common type of trunk chop would be for developing an informal upright style. In that case you just take an existing branch and wire it up as the new trunk extension and chop the old trunk at the point of the new leader. Keep your cuts angled downward and at the back of the tree. There are more details to it than this but that's the basics.

Tony

11-Feb-2003	#4
Tony bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman Join Date: Jan-2002 Country: USA USDA Zone: 7 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 861	It depends on what kind of trees you are working with and what style you want to develop. Cutting a tree straight across is usually done for a broom style, where all the primary branches come off the trunk from a central location. The more common type of trunk chop would be for developing an informal upright style. In that case you just take an existing branch and wire it up as the new trunk extension and chop the old trunk at the point of the new leader. Keep your cuts angled downward and at the back of the tree. There are more details to it than this but that's the basics. Tony