Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[KiwiBro]

Here's the only wood scrounge I've done in a long time. Too long. Found some native timber when gutting the reno' job a few months back and a few weeks ago finally got the chance to return some of it to the house where it has spent the last 30 or so years. When it comes to timber, for some reason I can't explain, I'm drawn to trying to complete the circle. Getting finished timber products back to where the trees were harvested, or in this case recycle the timber back to where it was as a house-warming gift for the incoming tenant.

 

[woodchip rookie]

finally got the nc30 chimney back together. What a frustrating mess. Every little step was slowed by some other problem created by moving another thing. The last thing I had to do was remove the flashing from the roof, reposition it then reinstall it. In the rain. Got a big load of wood in from the shed. With the quad. In the rain. I gotta clean up the area around the stove, put my cinder blocks back up and fire it up. But its 54 Murkan here now so it may draft a little funny.

 

[rarefish383]

View attachment 682652 @Dahmer if the biggest bar you've used is a 24 a 32 looks huge. That's my 7910 in chambersburg with the 32 looks small in the picture

Hey, I remember that. I'm wearing one of those White Marlin shirts right now. That little tip of bar sticking out on the lower right is my Super 1050 with the ikle 24" bar. I got a 45 for it but I'll be out of town for Steve's GTG.

 

[rarefish383]

My cheap blocks from Northern are very sturdy, and sized just right for 1/2" rope. They even have greasable axles & pivots. 4 ton rating, as I recall. This is way more than I can put on them with a rope, so that is plenty of extra strength.

I have to differ with you on the advisability of using the clevis. There is a whole lot more friction if you went over a branch or around the tree with a rope, and if you drove real fast you might really smoke the rope. I find that running a heavy rope over a small diameter pin causes the rope to break at far less than it's rated strength. I got to fix a stone wall once because I didn't use a pulley & friction device with a modestly heavy chunk of wood coming down. The small 3/4" diameter of my rescue-8 cut through the 7/8" rope like it was butter.

You weren't doing anything very critical with your clevis, so I would probably do the same as you, given the same circumstances.

I probably have enough stuff to last the rest of my life, but, I'd like to see those snatch blocks up close. They look just like mine, except mine have chain hooks on them. I'll have to check and see if the ratings are still on mine, they are 1 inch for wire rope on cranes. That's probably why they were so expensive.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

@svk @James Miller and any other Fiskars fanatic. I did but that Fiskars splitting axe but since I was done splitting for the year I really haven’t played with it much. I split a couple dry rounds with it and seemed to work good. Stopped at my buddy’s place to show him and whacked a few green 14”-16” maple rounds, not near as good. Do you guys use the Fiskars on green wood? Lots of our wood has lots of branches, how do you work around those? I plan on using it this winter on some big oak rounds that we didn’t noodle and couldn’t get the truck/trailer to because of wet ground. Thanks.

 

[LondonNeil]

x27 works well on green wood, I find most wood splits better green, but it isn't always so

 

[JustJeff]

Well then! Call me next time you have a problem branch. At this point in my life, I think I can claim to be professional.

Apart from the huge weight, I didn't think it was too tough. I just trimmed off all the branches that were not carrying any weight until it was a free standing tripod. Then I clipped the two "feet" off of the tripod a little bit at a time until it came down all the way. It probably helped to have a 6000lb bobcat with a grapple attachment to tear it off the tree at the end. It was damned heavy when it came down, though.

A several of my guys got excited a couple of times when the big branch shifted as I cut the supporting branches down to size, but it always did what I expected. As far as behemoth broken branches go, it was very well behaved. I will admit that I didn't think any of my employees were experienced enough to bring it down.

I think that cutting down decayed trees with dead branches overhead is very nerve-wracking, and I have a lot more fear of spring-poles and any other situation where the wood is going to leap at you or split unpredictably. Gravity & trees? That is pretty predictable.

For me it’s a matter of risk vs reward. Unlike a lot of guys on this thread, I’ve only been running saws for a few years and lack the experience and know how to tackle sketchy stuff. I’m young enough to want to do the work and old enough to know what I shouldn’t be doing. I will fell a tree if it doesn’t matter which way it goes but I stay away from anything near houses or power lines or anything that could be dangerous. There’s lots of easier pickings available for me.

 

[Philbert]

I split a couple dry rounds with it and seemed to work good. Stopped at my buddy’s place to show him and whacked a few green 14”-16” maple rounds, not near as good. Do you guys use the Fiskars on green wood?

It depends more on the species of wood than the tool, IMO. Some woods split easier when they are green. Others, when dry. Best to compare tools side-by-side in the same wood.

I probably have enough stuff to last the rest of my life, but, I'd like to see those snatch blocks up close

Search for 'snatch block' on Amazon.com. Lots of options at a wide range of prices. Some are designed more for rigging with cables . Others probably work fine with ropes that have much lower working load ratings, and are very lightweight and affordable for that use.

Philbert

 

[woodchip rookie]

For me it’s a matter of risk vs reward. Unlike a lot of guys on this thread, I’ve only been running saws for a few years and lack the experience and know how to tackle sketchy stuff. I’m young enough to want to do the work and old enough to know what I shouldn’t be doing. I will fell a tree if it doesn’t matter which way it goes but I stay away from anything near houses or power lines or anything that could be dangerous. There’s lots of easier pickings available for me.

Bingo. Exactly the spot I'm in. I have standing easy pickins banks of firewood in several places.

 

[rwoods]

Personally I like to keep my feet on the ground. I must cut in a different environment than others here or use different techniques as I can't remember the last time I stood on a large stem to buck it - trimming a top, yes, but not bucking the stem. Sampling of feet on the ground cutting:

My cutting partner on a recent tree - 36" bar.


4'+ 33" bar



Same day the largest stem I have ever felled 6'+, felled and bucked with a 33" bar.


46" Bucked 25" bar


Large oval 33" bar


33" bar


4'+ 33" bar


Ron

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Personally I like to keep my feet on the ground. I must cut in a different environment than others here or use different techniques as I can't remember the last time I stood on a large stem to buck it - trimming a top, yes, but not bucking the stem. Sampling of feet on the ground cutting:

My cutting partner on a recent tree - 36" bar.
View attachment 682803

4'+ 33" bar

View attachment 682806

Same day the largest stem I have ever felled 6'+, felled and bucked with a 33" bar.
View attachment 682808

46" Bucked 25" bar
View attachment 682810

Large oval 33" bar
View attachment 682812

33" bar
View attachment 682814

4'+ 33" bar
View attachment 682816

Ron

Holy ****!!

 

[MustangMike]

Re: Fiskars X-27 Splitting - Some trees split easier than others. Woods trees are generally much easier to split than yard trees (less branches and waves in the grain).

The Fiskars can be very effective if you put some steam on it, I have split some very large rounds with mine. But it the round does not respond (I can usually hear in a few swings if it is going to split) I will either wait, break out a wedge + sledge, or get the hydro. Most wood will split far better when frozen.

Always be careful you don't over swing and hurt yourself. Sometimes, after a very tough piece, it will just blow right through the next piece. Always be ready for that to happen.

 

[MustangMike]

I split this real tough Chestnut Oak (it was very dead, but also had knots and Ys) with the Fiskars last year. If you do your part, it will do it's part.

 

[JustJeff]

Personally I like to keep my feet on the ground. I must cut in a different environment than others here or use different techniques as I can't remember the last time I stood on a large stem to buck it - trimming a top, yes, but not bucking the stem. Sampling of feet on the ground cutting:

My cutting partner on a recent tree - 36" bar.
View attachment 682803

4'+ 33" bar

View attachment 682806

Same day the largest stem I have ever felled 6'+, felled and bucked with a 33" bar.
View attachment 682808

46" Bucked 25" bar
View attachment 682810

Large oval 33" bar
View attachment 682812

33" bar
View attachment 682814

4'+ 33" bar
View attachment 682816

Ron

That’s way beyond scrounging! First tree I ever felled was a 30” elm, cut with a poulan 5020. So the tree to saw ratio is similar. Lol.

 

[95custmz]

Just got a new Fiskars hatchet on sale at Walmart. Use it for kindling and to remove branches from felled trees. Those little fu**ers are sharp. Had it holstered in my carpenter pants loop and was loading the truck with rounds. As I Swung a round into the truck, the palm of my hand grazed the hatchet. Blood everywhere. Small cut on my hand, but damn, that fiskars is sharp . [emoji2955]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JustJeff]

I like the fiskars. Way less fatigue than my 6 lb maul. The fiskars likes a lot of speed. A maul you can make a lazy loop and pull on the downstroke to gain some speed but I’ve found with the fiskars I do better whipping it around fast full circle. I split on a block so if you blow through one, no harm done.

 

[rwoods]

Holy ****!!

There has been a progression in my cutting. When I first started a diet of large oaks several years ago, I did in fact stand on top of the really big ones. But that got old quick. I started with a 36" bar and acquired a used 50+" bar. I have never used the long bar as I actually progressed downward to a 33" which proved to be a sweet spot with my favorite big saw (123cc). I shifted my favorite 82cc saw from 33" to 25" but stepped the chain up to .404 as the big kerf makes it easier to insert wedges and it also seems to bind less. I have also downgraded to bucking 24" and under with a 60cc saw using a 20" bar.

In the last two years the fellow in the first picture started cutting with me at our local firewood ministry. We like to play with the old saws and we get more big stuff than we want as most try to avoid it.

Ron

 

[rwoods]

That’s way beyond scrounging! First tree I ever felled was a 30” elm, cut with a poulan 5020. So the tree to saw ratio is similar. Lol.

I do a little scrounging for our firewood ministry. I get lots of leads so it is not fair to compare to private scrounging. Fortunately, I don't need much for my personal use. I would probably freeze if I did. Ron

 

[chipper1]

Just got a new Fiskars hatchet on sale at Walmart. Use it for kindling and to remove branches from felled trees. Those little fu**ers are sharp. Had it holstered in my carpenter pants loop and was loading the truck with rounds. As I Swung a round into the truck, the palm of my hand grazed the hatchet. Blood everywhere. Small cut on my hand, but damn, that fiskars is sharp . [emoji2955]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds like a good buy, I'd like to get one of those myself, I currently have the x27 and 25, nice tools.
Used the hydro this week though, trying to get stuff done around here right now, not get me done lol.
Glad your alright .

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Tried to get our church to do a firewood ministry, no dice. So I just help out where I know I can with different people.