Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Marine5068]

I keep thinking about that. The cheap ones (~ £120) are 4 or 5 tonne and i suspect work fine on easy splitting stuff but then so does an axe. The 7 tonne stuff is still affordable at about £250-£300 and I'd get one if I knew it would deal with everything my axe or maul can't....but its a bit much on a gamble...I'd hate to find it still couldn't deal with the big gnarly crotchy bits or such like. In the mean time, tough bits (like some of the bone dry apple I've just been swinging the stihl maul at) get set aside, and from time to time the big saw gets to chew on them which is fun, and gets it done.

I suspected as much....its just 'yard tree syndrome' probably, I get alot of that

You'd be very surprised at what the "little" electric splitters can handle.
It's split rounds of very hard Sugar Maple up to 24" in diameter with no problems.
I bought mine on sale for $200 Canadian and have split over 15 cords with it to date.
But let's face it, most of the wood we all split is not too big around. I say most. Most is in the 8-18 inch range and the little splitter does it with ease.
Here's some Maple that I split a while back.

 

[Marine5068]

Don't think the 441 is Mtronic, is it?

I made the mistake of trying to start the 661 (which is Mtronic'd) in the start position when it was warm - cough, splutter, die. Hey that was what the dealer told me to do, and I didn't know any better. Wasn't until I worked out to keep the switch in 'Run' to start when warm that the 661 would start reliably when warm . Wasn't the saw's fault, it was user error on my part.

I hear ya. My dealer didn't know crap about running a saw when I bought a new MS291 from him.
Funny story, Later that month I saw a Stihl 044 for sale on Kijiji and it was nearby so I thought I's have a look see.
The guy seemed to know some about it and then tried to start it with no luck.
So I let him struggle for a bit then asked to try. Three pulls later it was running....lol.
He then said he knew nothing about starting it and I used the rough start to get a little off the price tag....he,he.
Brand new 18" bar and chain on it too.
So I picked it up for $350 CAD.

 

[MustangMike]

We got hit by a storm, no power, I'm on generator. I think we will be out for a week. Surprised the net is working, looks like a war zone.

My SIL's truck got crushed, etc. Trees, power lines down all over the place.

 

[chipper1]

We got hit by a storm, no power, I'm on generator. I think we will be out for a week. Surprised the net is working, looks like a war zone.

My SIL's truck got crushed, etc. Trees, power lines down all over the place.

That's a bummer Mike.
Be safe out there.

 

[chipper1]

Scrounged up a new climbing saw, was pretty much set on a echo 355t until Brett (chipper1) told me about the new 2511t View attachment 650706Tried it out the other dayView attachment 650707So lite! Not bad power for being so small. (No I didn’t use the ladder it was the homeowners).

Nice work Nate.

Thanks, I agree trees should have been cut sooner. Sometimes people don’t realize how much of an issue they can become. This guy wanted them removed because of fire danger and constant mess they make. Yeah if your not comfortable with someone’s skill level-experience-standard I wouldn’t hire them.
The echo 2511 seems to be a great saw so far. They say it’s the lightest gas powered saw made (like 5 1/2 lbs.) Like most saws it benifits from a muffler mod (cat muffler) and retune. They come factory set for 1000 ft elevation, mine was actually way too rich for here (4800 ft). August Hunicke has a good video on YouTube about his. I don’t care for the 3/8 lp chain they come with , too much chain for that small saw, I think 1/4 pitch or even .325 would be smoother and cut better. I ordered mine through Arlington power equipment, I think you can order them from Home Depot too.

Does it feel any better since you got it tuned up and have run it a bit, how are you liking the chain now.

 

[chipper1]

You aren’t getting notifications? It happens.

That bugs me .
It seems if you don't check out a thread your watching when you get an alert then you will not get any more alerts on that thread until you've visited that thread again, then why did I set up for alerts on the thread .

 

[chipper1]

Calling @chipper1 got any 7900 or 461 sitting in inventory?

Howdy James.
No 460/461's as I've sold them all and haven't replenished the inventory( I really need a new purchasing agent ), but I have a 440 that will eat either one in stock form . I also have a good inventory of 7910's.
Sorry I forgot to attach the pictures Monday, just realized it today, kinda funny I forgot since I took the specifically for you lol.
This one is the second from the bottom as far as condition goes, the 1st is a work saw and has a lot more hrs on it.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SRfrsz7ABg0UXPy62

View attachment 652259 Why?

Because the wood was wet and they could.
I set those aside until I have a bunch of them and then bust them open and hit them with the little propane torch .

 

[James Miller]

Howdy James.
No 460/461's as I've sold them all and haven't replenished the inventory( I really need a new purchasing agent ), but I have a 440 that will eat either one in stock form . I also have a good inventory of 7910's.
Sorry I forgot to attach the pictures Monday, just realized it today, kinda funny I forgot since I took the specifically for you lol.
This one is the second from the bottom as far as condition goes, the 1st is a work saw and has a lot more hrs on it.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SRfrsz7ABg0UXPy62


Because the wood was wet and they could.
I set those aside until I have a bunch of them and then bust them open and hit them with the little propane torch .

I let those ones sit ants up in the snow and they where gone in the morning. I bet the birds enjoyed there snack.

 

[chipper1]

I let those ones sit ants up in the snow and they where gone in the morning. I bet the birds enjoyed there snack.

That's cool. If you have other black ants at the house you can put them on that pile and have ant fights as they will not co-mingle with another colony, ant fight .

 

[MustangMike]

My SIL's White Truck, and another unfortunate vehicle. My SIL's neighborhood was helter skelter!

 

[nighthunter]

We got hit by a storm, no power, I'm on generator. I think we will be out for a week. Surprised the net is working, looks like a war zone.

My SIL's truck got crushed, etc. Trees, power lines down all over the place.

My SIL's White Truck, and another unfortunate vehicle. My SIL's neighborhood was helter skelter!

hope ye're all ok mike, looks like some major cleanup to be done

 

[LondonNeil]

Could it possibly be Iron wood?

I don't know what iron wood looks like. AFAIK we don't have it, but it is possible. However I strongly suspect isit just 'one of those trees'....ie I've been and found the exception they proves the rule that locust is easy to split.

You'd be very surprised at what the "little" electric splitters can handle.
It's split rounds of very hard Sugar Maple up to 24" in diameter with no problems.
I bought mine on sale for $200 Canadian and have split over 15 cords with it to date.
But let's face it, most of the wood we all split is not too big around. I say most. Most is in the 8-18 inch range and the little splitter does it with ease.
Here's some Maple that I split a while back.

View attachment 652447

I reckon I'll get one in a few years... Maybe when I get older and achy .... Or maybe when I get lazy . I'll keep my eye out for a deal in the mean time.

 

[Philbert]

You'd be very surprised at what the "little" electric splitters can handle.
It's split rounds of very hard Sugar Maple up to 24" in diameter with no problems.
I bought mine on sale for $200 Canadian and have split over 15 cords with it to date.
But let's face it, most of the wood we all split is not too big around. I say most. Most is in the 8-18 inch range and the little splitter does it with ease.
Here's some Maple that I split a while back.

View attachment 652447

I would title that photo 'Ambitious'!

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

We got hit by a storm, no power, I'm on generator. I think we will be out for a week. Surprised the net is working, looks like a war zone.
My SIL's truck got crushed, etc. Trees, power lines down all over the place.

Wow!

Hope that you are OK.

A man with a saw could be quite popular in those conditions . . .

Philbert

 

[95custmz]

I don't know what iron wood looks like. AFAIK we don't have it, but it is possible. However I strongly suspect isit just 'one of those trees'....ie I've been and found the exception they proves the rule that locust is easy to split.



I reckon I'll get one in a few years... Maybe when I get older and achy .... Or maybe when I get lazy . I'll keep my eye out for a deal in the mean time.

If that particular tree was out in the open, it is susceptible to wind shear, thus twisting the grain & making it harder to split.

 

[Cowboy254]

We got hit by a storm, no power, I'm on generator. I think we will be out for a week. Surprised the net is working, looks like a war zone.

My SIL's truck got crushed, etc. Trees, power lines down all over the place.

Glad your SIL wasn't in the truck at the time. Looks like a big mess.

At least there will be plenty of scrounge.

 

[JustJeff]

Wow!

Hope that you are OK.

A man with a saw could be quite popular in those conditions . . .

Philbert

A man with 10 saws could attain Rock Star status!

 

[LondonNeil]

If that particular tree was out in the open, it is susceptible to wind shear, thus twisting the grain & making it harder to split.

exactly, - yard tree syndrome, they tend to be on their own more, so shorter and more branched/knotty and twisted. I ONLY get yard trees so i get a lot of syndrome. I do like oak, and (european)sycamore though....they rarely if ever seem affected in my limited experience. Oddly this locust wasn't knotted or twisted, just tough as iron and stringy!

 

[KiwiBro]

tough as iron

Many yard trees are full of that too. But not as bad as fenceline trees on farms. Worst I've had though was a very old pine tree growing at the junction of a busy intersection. The town grew around it, fixing every imaginable street sign/notice to it, until it was time to be dropped to make way for further development. The first 8' of the 4' trunk was riddled with nails and bolts. Had to get my Luke Skywalker on with every bucking cut, trying to feel the (nail) force. No point using a metal detector, was too much metal to find a path through it with the detector. Wrapped a few nails around the leading edge of the splitter knife but never found one with the chain. Was a freebie job for the good old duck down the road who paid me in tomato sammies. Good they were too. Not sure I'd want to do it again though.

What' the most interesting or noteworthy thing fellow scroungers have found in their scrounges? How about half an opossum? Ceramic insulators? Neither of which have many BTU's in 'em.

 

[dancan]

Geez Mike , play it sake out there !
Aren't you glad tax season is over , now your gonna be busy .