Double Hickory for a Friend

[Jere39]

This Summer a friend asked me to take a look at a dead tree at the edge of his lawn to see if I could take it down, and if I wanted to. He wasn't sure of the type, thought it might be Walnut, as there were several near it. I took a look, the tree was an easy fall, with a natural lean toward his open lawn. I figured it was probably a double trunk Hickory. We waited till the weather cooled. I took this down early in the AS website troubles, and I loaded these pictures, but I guess that was a post lost to the reload.

Anyway, this was the tree on saw day:

I took down the first trunk, bucked it where it fell, and decided some of the rounds would be too heavy (for this old guy) to lift into my trailer so I took out my maul to whack a few in half. Well, you all know what Hickory is like. This old dead tree let go of it's bark when it hit the ground, but it was still extremely wet, and the rounds didn't exactly split, rather with enough effort the maul would have to tear them apart. I decided I could grunt them on the trailer whole easier than split them.

Hauled one load home, had some lunch, went back and cut the second trunk, leveled off the stumps for some bird/squirrel feeder mounting and hauled the rest home.

My assistant and I took a break after stacking the load. He is in charge of security, and as usual, he was on top of everything.

While contemplating the prospects of splitting this stack, another friend stopped by to pick up a cord of my seasoned and ready Red Oak. I guess he is having some problems with his job (like he lost it), and asked me if I'd be able to give him a good price on the unsplit Hickory? You bet I can, so long as he understands this is mean splitting, and won't be ready for about a year. No problem he says, his Son-In-Law (or whatever you call a young man living with your daughter) has a splitter. So, he hauled his Oak home, and came back and took two loads of this off my hands.

Don't usually end up in any of my own pictures, but that is an expression of relief.

 

[zogger]

That worked out well!

On any of the hickory left over, if you do a sort of fat tic tac toe kerf #, the inside square will split real purty and the outside chunks will dry much faster. Plus, you will have the no bark heartwood separated if you want to further knock it down into cooking chunks. I usually sledge and wedge the first splits down the kerfs I have cut (only needs an inch or two), let it sit up until checked like that then, then finish with the fiskars. Also keeps the bugs outta it.

I have found that is the only easy way I can hand split hickory unless it is pretty small.

 

[cat10ken]

That "hickory" looks more like red elm to me, right down to the way the bark falls of in sheets.

 

[mr.finn]

I was thinking Elm also. Hickory doesn't usually just up and die for no reason. The tree behind it looks like a walnut. Still a great score!!!

 

[Jere39]

Well, it was dead, no leaves in the owner's memory, so I could be mistaken. But, there are so few elms in this area. In fact, the only Elm I have ever seen is in the planted gardens at Longwood. It would be rare beyond all likelihood that an Elm had grown in this woods. The wood cut, split, shed bark, and looked like other Hickory I have cut, in areas where the Hickory nuts are still littering the ground under them. Can you point me to a picture of the rounds of a Red Elm? I am always interested in learning.

 

[Circle B MN]

well done, and a fine looking assistant...

 

[Jere39]

I was thinking Elm also. Hickory doesn't usually just up and die for no reason. The tree behind it looks like a walnut. Still a great score!!!

I agree that Hickory does not usually just up and die. The woods on my own property is loaded with Hickory, and I've only ever had one die, except those topped by storm or wind.

The tree behind is definitely Walnut, and still living and dropping Walnuts.