Brainstorm-> Ideas for mobile bucking operation w/ hand saw for Joe Blow

[darkbyrd]

Welcome buddy,

There are mostly guys here talking about guy stuff, so frankness is appreciated.

Since you are limited in space, forget the sawbucks and any other logging tools, they will just get in the way, just get a few wedges to hold the kerf open and go to town. Or roll the log over. A lot of the guys here cut amounts of wood that would stagger you, and I am going to guess not many of them are taking sawbucks or peaveys to the woods.

I am seeing the future, it involves an old american truck, filled with saws, and your wife happy that she is married to a man, who makes his own decisions about what is best for his family.

Dan

FWIW, I almost always have a peavey. And I almost always need it.

 

[mountainmandan]

FWIW, I almost always have a peavey. And I almost always need it.

A peavey is a great tool, just not what I would recommend to a guy scrounging craigslist for free wood in a fit.

Dan

 

[darkbyrd]

A peavey is a great tool, just not what I would recommend to a guy scrounging craigslist for free wood in a fit.

Dan

True, everything he handles will probably be small enough. But they don't take that much space. Toss it in the floorboard of the back seat and it takes no space. In fact, a peavey, electric saw, 12 ga cord would all fit in the floorboards with the seat folded down, giving him maximum capacity to overload his hatchback!

 

[Philbert]

Don't forget the 'free delivery option' when scrounging. Some tree services have to pay to dump the trees they cut, and will be happy to drop a load or 2 off if you make it easy enough for them: tell them what you can take, and don't be too picky. Might have to call a few.

Philbert

 

[Bster13]

I talked to a guy at work who did that and it made me wonder how long it would take for me to process it given the volume he described. I pictured a dump truck unloading a massive amount of hardwood, filling my driveway with logs I couldn't possible move around myself. (Thus I didn't want to be too picky )

Don't forget the 'free delivery option' when scrounging. Some tree services have to pay to dump the trees they cut, and will be happy to drop a load or 2 off if you make it easy enough for them: tell them what you can take, and don't be too picky. Might have to call a few.

Philbert

 

[Bster13]

So I'm up in North Adams MA for a wedding and at an old hotel. Got the Fiancée to agree to "do the wood thing" after dinner n drinks. I'd like to take CTYank up on his offer to show me a thing or too and after talking to my landscaper neighbor (who burns wood as a supplemental), research the free wood option from local tree guys looking to dump. He goes through 2 cords a year. I'm going to scavenge wood for a year (back to thinking of a gas chain saw) and If I keep it up with no immediate benefit (as it seasons) then that will convince me to lay out for the fireplace insert.

FWIW, our hotel room has a gas fireplace (which she loves, ugh) and a (I think?) Rumsford fireplace in the lobby....it actually was throwing some decent heat....unlike my masonry at home, haha.

 

[zogger]

So I'm up in North Adams MA for a wedding and at an old hotel. Got the Fiancée to agree to "do the wood thing" after dinner n drinks. I'd like to take CTYank up on his offer to show me a thing or too and after talking to my landscaper neighbor (who burns wood as a supplemental), research the free wood option from local tree guys looking to dump. He goes through 2 cords a year. I'm going to scavenge wood for a year (back to thinking of a gas chain saw) and If I keep it up with no immediate benefit (as it seasons) then that will convince me to lay out for the fireplace insert.

FWIW, our hotel room has a gas fireplace (which she loves, ugh) and a (I think?) Rumsford fireplace in the lobby....it actually was throwing some decent heat....unlike my masonry at home, haha.

Fireplaces just don't do well in the usable heat department compared to about anything else (exception russian masonry style, massive thermal mass). Yes, you can get heat from them, at a cost, you'll burn a lot more wood.

If your GF really likes the ambience, but you want useful heat, you can just get something with a glass front. That's why they make them.

Good luck running the various saws, etc. Once you get into it, given you'll be able to run a saw, and have a proper burner, you'll enjoy it immensely. Chances are anyway. Because...being a gearhead is a gearhead! Just is, is all, and we all here enjoy running an engine to do something..doesn't matter WHAT, just we like it! Now, I don't "joyride" anything,(used to, but stopped for various reasons, primarily I am a long term, generations in advance aware conservationist, I want future generations to have affordable petroleum fuels) but I get my gearhead engine vroom! fix running saws. And I use the wood, it is covered by the practical nature of it, so there ya go, my take on it.

Some people, though, just aren't "cut out" for it (back to just cutting/burning wood) by nature/inclination/circumstances. And a lot of people burn, but have absolutely nothing to do with it outside of purchasing already processed and seasoned wood.

But I'll say this for have a wood burning option..you can always scrounge wood. You have heating and cooking covered in a pinch. You are not able to say that for anything else, not easily anyway, you aren't scrounging propane/natgas/fuel oil/electricity. You can come up with your own supply, but requires investing in the alternate energy devices and whatnot you need (or I guess you could flat out steal it..won't go there)

In an emergency, especially one of any duration with the local infrastructure borked. like what just happened to a lot of folks with Sandy. Just something to consider. Or perhaps even longer term, general economic collapse, etc (no fiat currency system has ever actually survived long term, eventually..they all fail, usually catastrophically. and relatively fast once they start. The fatcats common solution, before they get hung, torn apart by the mobs or etc.. is just start internal and external wars of distraction, etc when this happens, until their empire/nation/whatever totally collapses.

Just some fun facts, and isn't that just special! And the USA is just magically the onliest exception ever,ever, it'll never happen here...because..it's just magic!!! And our esteemed honored fatcats just say so! Trust them, they are just so much smarter than any other fatcats in history!!


Bwahahahaha! It's true though...

Where I am, it is silly to not burn wood, surrounded by it, have the means to gather right at hand. I can burn propane, but why? No need whatsoever. Sitting on a big full tank for some years now, eventually I'll scrape up enough for a propane generator to hook to that tank and run a full house rig with the appropriate cut offs/transfer switch etc for when the power goes out. I have a gas genny now but it is not cost effective to convert it, looked into it. I'll just keep that one for a portable unit and try to score a used but still good shape propane unit, one with a known better quality engine, etc..

more Bwa! that was a lot of random crap I typed... just some random thoughts on burning wood and your situation, try it, see if you can do it and like it (both ways, mass quantities hand saw and chainsaw), that's about it. Has a lot going for it. Stored solar power (firewood is the cleanest form of nuclear power, fusion based), most "green" form of easy/cheap energy out there that you can garner *and* store up. That storing part is quite important...if it matters any, perhaps to your GF, pretty darn good in the "carbon neutral" department. Not perfect, but would score real high compared to a lot of other ways to heat. And I am not worried about my wood stacks getting a leak and EL KABOOMING on me, either.

 

[Bster13]

Husqvarna 435

Husqvarna 435.... decent for a homeowner at a decent price? (two seconds from pulling the trigger...)

 

[CTYank]

Husqvarna 435.... decent for a homeowner at a decent price? (two seconds from pulling the trigger...)

Let me show you, and point out, a couple of options soon.

Most folks here, me too, will tell you about a 2-saw plan. (Don't tell SWMBO yet, though.)

I find that a certain cheapie 35cc saw is the one I use the most, for anything it can cut, because it's so light and "civilized" for a better word, that I can run it all day. Anticipating its retirement someday, I just got a RedMax 40cc- a "pro" saw. Ideal for me, and folks here say good things about it, as I'm preparing to. With an 18" bar, it might be all you need. OTOH, the Husqy 435 is a "homeowner" saw; your preference, your call.

You're welcome to try my 35cc and 40cc saws, for a couple minutes, to get a flavor. Back to the 2-saw plan, for firewooding in our area, I've found that a 50-60cc saw is excellent heavy artillery. And not really that heavy.
Demo available on both. (I don't lend saws- bad way to make friends. Could set you up for a cut or two?)

Do you have a test-site available where we can fire up some saws? Ideally near a road, where the wood can be loaded into a p/u like my Ranger, for drop-off at your place. (I don't suggest hauling lumber in a car; the p/u can tote the better part of a ton, and loves to get dirty.)

There's lots of stuff to discuss. Later. In due course, over cold one. And via search function here. Try PM. I'm retired, and soooo flexible.

 

[dingeryote]

Bster,

Just to set the hook.

Ours heats 2,500+ Sq ft. With ease. Even in the dead of January cold snaps it's rare to have the thing running WFO to keep up.
The GF liked the fireplace and the radiant heat, ya gotta wonder how she will like a next to zero heat bill, Tax credit for the insert, and boost in home equity. Not to mention the asthetics.

Keep at it.


Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Bster13]

Is the tax credit still legit? I thought it ended in 2011, but I couldn't confirm. I wonder when it ends for real?

Bster,

Just to set the hook.

Ours heats 2,500+ Sq ft. With ease. Even in the dead of January cold snaps it's rare to have the thing running WFO to keep up.
The GF liked the fireplace and the radiant heat, ya gotta wonder how she will like a next to zero heat bill, Tax credit for the insert, and boost in home equity. Not to mention the asthetics.

Keep at it.


Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[TreePointer]

Logjack vs. peavy. Lots of chainsaw users just need a peavy for rolling the log to cut the other side. If you're really committed to the manual bowsaw, then the logjack/timberjack will roll the log and get it far enough off the ground for a manual bowsaw. It will move long heavy logs and also those monster rounds that won't budge without a tool's leverage.

I'm currentlly using a Northern Tool 4 ft. Timberjack, but the ones with the big beefy wood handle are just as effective.

Chainsaw? I spent my youth using verious bowsaws, axes, mauls, and wedges & sledges to process firewood, and there's nothing wrong with that. As an adult, I just don't have time to process that way; nor can I afford the downtime for my older muscles and joints to repair.

Here's a short list to get you into a chainsaw safely:

eye & ear protection
gloves
chaps
steel toe boots
helmet (especially when dropping trees)

Watch the Stihl chainsaw movies: STIHL Video Library - Informative Videos about STIHL Outdoor Power Equipment | STIHL USA

Use your brain. (some don't :bang

 

[dingeryote]

Is the tax credit still legit? I thought it ended in 2011, but I couldn't confirm. I wonder when it ends for real?

Ya know...now that you mention it, I thought it was still in effect, but your post had me wondering.

I found this site.
LowCostEnergy.com » Energy Tax Credit, Renewable Energy Tax Credit, Residential Energy Tax Credit, Business Energy Tax Credit

And this one backs it up.
The Alliance for Green Heat - Federal Tax Incentives for Wood and Pellet Stoves - Carbon Neutral, Sustainable, Local and Affordable Heating

Crap...My bust.

Dude's gonna have to make the hard sell without tax credits.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Bster13]

Many Thanks...

...to CTYank.

He spent the day with me talking about chainsaws, demoing his nice new RedMax saw as well as letting me cut with his 35cc Poulan Pro. He taught me some basics and he got to run his new beast a bit more.

I also found out my scavenging wasn't so bad after-all. Turns out the stuff I had snagged was cherry and black locust. CTYank was nice enough to leave a few pieces for me to practice on with my new saw (just ordered a refurb Husky 435). Until the saw arrives I guess I have some splitting to do though. Haha.

I also got a contact at a local tree service who is willing to drop off precut hardwood in my driveway. So perhaps I won't have to scavenge too much afterall, we'll see.

Thanks again CTYank, much appreciated for your time and expertise! Now I need some more protective gear.....

 

[flashhole]

Remember ... How The Grinch Stole Christmas ... the scene where all the Whos down in Whoville came out and sang in spite of the Grinch stealing all the gifts ... "his heart grew three sizes they say"

Same affect chainsaws have on cajones!

You're on the right track.

 

[CTYank]

...to CTYank.

He spent the day with me talking about chainsaws, demoing his nice new RedMax saw as well as letting me cut with his 35cc Poulan Pro. He taught me some basics and he got to run his new beast a bit more.

I also found out my scavenging wasn't so bad after-all. Turns out the stuff I had snagged was cherry and black locust. CTYank was nice enough to leave a few pieces for me to practice on with my new saw (just ordered a refurb Husky 435). Until the saw arrives I guess I have some splitting to do though. Haha.

I also got a contact at a local tree service who is willing to drop off precut hardwood in my driveway. So perhaps I won't have to scavenge too much afterall, we'll see.

Thanks again CTYank, much appreciated for your time and expertise! Now I need some more protective gear.....

Nah, that 35cc demo saw was a "McCulloch" (Jenn Feng) that some folks here totally diss. Has, and still does, work like a mule for me. Like a good mule, you just "give it its head." Doesn't really matter what anyone else says if it works for you. And ... the RedMax GZ4000 is apparently a clone, or vice-versa.

Running chainsaws- it's all good. No body piercings: priceless.

Next seminar: wood-handling tools & basic scrounging. (Keeping fingers intact.) Maybe sharpening intro, once your Husqy is here.

 

[TreePointer]

Good on you, CTYank, for the assist on Bster13. Rep sent.

Bster13, welcome to the insanity of CAD. Remember to use your PPE to prevent STD's (saw transmitted damage)!

 

[Bster13]

Doh, of course I got his brand of chainsaw wrong, haha. Anyway, it worked well and cut just like his other saw as far as I could tell. Just got done splitting and stacking all the wood CTYank cut up for me (many thx). And BTW, CTYank, the park across the street has been cleared of all the free wood just today, doh!

 

[Bster13]

Chaps have been ordered....

 

[mountainmandan]

I just want to say I am so happy for you.

Dan