Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[dancan]

heck there's firewood sellers down here that can't cut uniform. i agitate the firewood sellers at the hay /firewood auction i go to by walking around with my 16" measuring stick and checking loads. some don't have a clue how long to cut. just because they burn 20" stuff they think that's the norm.

A few years ago a friend of mine had a big pile of logs milled up in the spring and he cut up all the slabwood , fall rolls around and he decides to sell the slabwood , figured 50$ was a fair price for 2 truck loads .
An old fella calls him and asks how long were the junked up pieces , 12" my friend says .
That evening the old fella and his wife show up ready to buy the wood , looks at it and pulls out a tape .....10" to 16" , the old fella explains a cookstove and how big the firebox is , 12" max .
My friend thought about it for a second , told him he could have the wood for free for coming out on misinformation , the old fella was more than happy and thanked him .

 

[MuskokaSplitter]

Just the front row was what i got done today. Mostly maple. man scrounging is hard work

 

[mainewoods]

Before you know it those small loads add up to a cord. Scrounging is hard work for sure. I don't think a lot of folks really understand just how MUCH hard work it is. You earn every stick and then some. It sure isn't like getting a load dumped in your yard. I've never bought wood in my life, and I still enjoy cuttin' it myself. Every BTU means something when you have done it yourself. I wouldn't change a thing and have absolutely no regrets. Never even owned a splitter as far as that goes. Don't regret that either. Wouldn't mind gettin' one though.

 

[mainewoods]

That's a pretty decent friend you got there,Dan. Good things happen to good folks and I hope he is rewarded 2 fold. Bet he does.

 

[MuskokaSplitter]

The x27 gets most splitting duty. I have a hydraulic...but i never usually have enough to want to get the splitter out.

 

[SteveSS]

Looks like a pretty good haul of free wood, Muskoka. Nice work.

 

[dancan]

Hey Clint , it's pretty neat then you grab a stick of wood and you know where it came from and what the weather was like when you cut it a year ago .

 

[svk]

Hey Clint , it's pretty neat then you grab a stick of wood and you know where it came from and what the weather was like when you cut it a year ago .

I was just going to type this!!!

 

[mainewoods]

Yup, sure is. I remember a good many of them too. Kinda nice to reminisce, when you slide one into the stove and feel the warmth from it.

 

[mainewoods]

Glad to hear others think the same way. Thought I was gettin' one step closer to the "home".

 

[mainewoods]

I still remember some of the trees I cut back in the 60's. Some were good memories, some not so good, but at least I remember 'em.

 

[chucker]

I still remember some of the trees I cut back in the 60's. Some were good memories, some not so good, but at least I remember 'em.

like some of them you will never forget! just like a couple of trees that got me when I turned my back on them!! one for sure that knocked me out that was hung up and slid away to catch me in the neck while looking for the pry lever...... wont mention a few other close calls when not looking in the right direction!! lol or not??

 

[mainewoods]

Yeah, them ones you never forget is the reason I'm still alive today. Learn from your mistakes is what I was taught, or you might not be so fortunate next time. It's proved true more than a time or two.

 

[svk]

Those unique crotch pieces, interesting splits, and hinge pieces bring the day back into focus.

 

[cantoo]

I cut a bunch of ash down today. Had a couple of 10" ones that were still standing up pretty straight and caught in maple branches. Decided not to go get the tractor to push them over, I would use brute force instead. The trees were about 20" apart so I squeezed in and put my arms up and shoved like heck, pop snap, Christ, think I cracked a rib. Then I walked the 300' and got the tractor. Then I started the 440, ouch yup cracked rib for sure. Hurt so much to start the saw that I just left it running so I could finish up. Been about 5 hours now and it's sore as heck. Try coughing every few minutes just to see how bad it hurts. I have about 4 loads cut so at least I won't have to start the saw tomorrow.
Just have this little pile of rounds to split so it will be good therapy. When my buddy that borrowed my splitter is done with it that is. Damn I hate borrowers.
The big stack of logs is now the smaller stacks of 24" long rounds. And the big stack of logs has been replace by more logs.

 

[svk]

I cut a bunch of ash down today. Had a couple of 10" ones that were still standing up pretty straight and caught in maple branches. Decided not to go get the tractor to push them over, I would use brute force instead. The trees were about 20" apart so I squeezed in and put my arms up and shoved like heck, pop snap, Christ, think I cracked a rib. Then I walked the 300' and got the tractor. Then I started the 440, ouch yup cracked rib for sure. Hurt so much to start the saw that I just left it running so I could finish up. Been about 5 hours now and it's sore as heck. Try coughing every few minutes just to see how bad it hurts. I have about 4 loads cut so at least I won't have to start the saw tomorrow.
Just have this little pile of rounds to split so it will be good therapy. When my buddy that borrowed my splitter is done with it that is. Damn I hate borrowers.
The big stack of logs is now the smaller stacks of 24" long rounds. And the big stack of logs has been replace by more logs.
View attachment 382925 View attachment 382926 View attachment 382927

Nice load and wishing you a quick recovery. How long does it take for a cracked rib to heal?

 

[SteveSS]

Ouch!! Hope you get to feeling better.

 

[cantoo]

It'll be healed by tomorrow morning cause I'm loading and hauling wood. I work an office job so at least that won't be a problem. I've had broken and cracked ribs before and all they ever do for them is wrap them and that isn't going to happen so they'll heal on their own. We'll see how blue it is in the morning. As long as you don't have to sneeze it's not usually a problem. Also broke a toe last week when I went to kick the dog's toy out of the way and hit the steel leg on my desk instead. The black and bluish tinge is gone now and it's just an ugly yellow so it's fine already. And contrary to what my wife says it had nothing to do with misjudging my distance because I didn't have my glasses on.

 

[svk]

Yow! And I thought ripping my big toenail off while running up the steps of my deck was painful.

 

[SteveSS]

Yow! And I thought ripping my big toenail off while running up the steps of my deck was painful.

That hurts too. I lost a big toe nail two years ago. It took a long time to grow back.

On another note, there's a local craigslist ad here with a John Deere 80ev saw for sale. My research says that it's a rebranded Echo CS-750 (mfd. 1978 - 1985), 78cc saw with a 30" bar and chain. The guy is asking $250 and I offered him $125. Still waiting on a reply. Probably won't happen, but I'm not sure that the saw is worth his asking price.