Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[sb47]

I've got one that is over 36" that was in the pile of cherry I got last week. I've got a cord and a half, split and stacked, in the shed.

I get request for cherry all the time. To bad it's not a common local verity around here. The only slabs I have gotten to hold together are pecan slabs/stumps. Oak has a flaw and 90% of them split in half as they shrink. It does help to make them very thick but then you run into a weight issue and they are hard to work when they are so large and heavy. I have been successful with a few oak stumps but it's hard to put in the work only to have it fall apart.

 

[sb47]

Might try setting it in the shade, partially covered it and let it dry real slow.

I have tried that but they tend to rot if the dry to slow. Even on a pallet off the ground with a solid cover. It might work if I had a building to house them in till they dry, but I don't have the room for that.

 

[bob kern]

I have tried that but they tend to rot if the dry to slow. Even on a pallet off the ground with a solid cover. It might work if I had a building to house them in till they dry, but I don't have the room for that.

Might try keeping the cover just off the piece so it can breath. I have also seen someone take small limbs from the tree , cut short pieces and epoxy them right in to the split!
people seem to like it actually.

 

[bob kern]

Might try setting it in the shade, partially covered it and let it dry real slow.

I turn bowls on a lathe and for some the more “ character” ( what we call imperfections) the better. Pulled more than one off the lathe to chuck in the stove but someone wanted it just like it was!

 

[sb47]

Might try keeping the cover just off the piece so it can breath. I have also seen someone take small limbs from the tree , cut short pieces and epoxy them right in to the split!
people seem to like it actually.

I have thought about slabbing a stump and then gluing and screwing some plywood to the underside to try and stabilize the slab but I have never tried it.

 

[H-Ranch]

Black locust from FIL's property today. Mostly just from trail clearing in about 40 minutes of work. Was in a bit of a time crunch, otherwise another 20 minutes and the back trail would have been done. Maybe next time.

 

[mountainguyed67]

I have thought about slabbing a stump and then gluing and screwing some plywood to the underside to try and stabilize the slab but I have never tried it.

Same.

A lot of people see my big rounds and say they’d like me to cut off a few inches for a table, I tell them it’ll split and fall apart. Then they don’t like the idea of putting plywood underneath, and give up.

 

[bob kern]

Hmm

I have thought about slabbing a stump and then gluing and screwing some plywood to the underside to try and stabilize the slab but I have never tried it.

I like the idea!! Maybe a band clamp as it dries too??

 

[sb47]

Hmm

I like the idea!! Maybe a band clamp as it dries too??

As you can see in the picture that, the stump already has a crack started in the pith and it has only been cut a few days. I think oak's tend to have a natural weak spot in the pith even before they are cut down.

 

[MustangMike]

They make stuff that will stop it from checking if you cut it for a table top, but it is expensive stuff and takes a while. It replaces the sap as it dries. You submerge the piece in the liquid.

 

[Cowboy254]

G'day scroungers, headed next door to my neighbour's this arvo. He has about 10 acres that is mostly clear apart from one corner that has maybe 20 trees on it. One fell down about 18 months ago and his garden maintenance guy was going to cut it up but he got part way, bent the bar on his saw then got so busy mowing that he didn't get back to it. He said last week that I could scrounge it if I wanted.

There's about equal length on the other side of the small branch that's in the way.







Like many peppermints, the termites found it but it stihl splits up nice.



There's prolly another loose thrown ute-load-and-a-bit left.

 

[sb47]

They make stuff that will stop it from checking if you cut it for a table top, but it is expensive stuff and takes a while. It replaces the sap as it dries. You submerge the piece in the liquid.

Could be (we) I am going about it the wrong way in thinking it should dry slowly when it might work better to force it to dry faster and not giving it time to split. I haven't tried that approach yet ether.

 

[LondonNeil]

My guess (no experience what so ever) is it needs to dry uniformly throughout. I guess normally the outside dries faster and shrinks faster than inside so the outer ring can't reach around the less shrunk middle and must split. Dry slowly and it's going to be more even

 

[djg james]

Could be (we) I am going about it the wrong way in thinking it should dry slowly when it might work better to force it to dry faster and not giving it time to split. I haven't tried that approach yet ether.

A guy on another forum who use to market Flamed Box Elder, did successfully dry some cookies. FBE is prone to splitting when drying, so he had a guy, who had a freeze dry (vacuum) processor, quick dry them. He had some nice heart shaped cookies.

P.S. Found some pics.

 

[djg james]

They make stuff that will stop it from checking if you cut it for a table top, but it is expensive stuff and takes a while. It replaces the sap as it dries. You submerge the piece in the liquid.

Pentacryl, I think.

 

[Lnk]

Hmm

I like the idea!! Maybe a band clamp as it dries too??

One time, at band clamp. Sorry, had to.

 

[rarefish383]

I feel ya between car repairs and medical tests that insurance doesn't cover im stretched thin. I have alot of older fishing reels and vintage Shakespeare rods that I need to figure out how to put on eBay to feed my new old saw hobby

Take a look on ebay before you sell them. I hade a bunch of beautiful 50's reels. The machining on them was like artwork. Only got $10-$15 for them. Have a couple custom rods built in the 50's I still use. Since I'm in MD, most of my collection is Salt Water stuff. One of the pretty Shakespeare's I kept came from my wife's uncle's collection, from Ohio, never saw salt. They were fun to collect because they were so cheap.

 

[rarefish383]

Pentacryl, I think.

They used to use anti freeze, does the same thing, similar chemicle make up. Dangerous around pets.

 

[rarefish383]

The Model 37 says "Deerslayer" on the slug barrel, but has 3 ducks on one side of the receiver and two ducks and a retriever on the other!

The 870 does not have any engraving, but it is my favorite shotgun cause I bought it when I was 18 (first gun I could buy w/o a parent). My Mom had to come with me the year before to buy the Model 94!

I love the 30-30, but I'll chalk it up to your age that you were not impressed with the 95 or 71! How many people do you know that have a lever action chambered in 30-06???

And the Model 71 is a real thumper! I bought it used in the early 70s when I was in college. It was manufactured in 1940.

The cartridge is based on a necked down 50-110, the base is larger than a 45-70.

I had a model 95 I bought from the original owner. He bought it new I. 1910. Chambered in 35 Win. I can't imagine anyone not being impressed with that gun. 250 grain bullet at almost 2300 fps and almost 3000 FP of energy. It used to be my favorite game, to walk into gun shop and ask for a box of 35 Winchester. They would hand me a box of 35 Remington. I'd ask, "are sure this will work in my Winchester, it says Remington on the box?" They would look at me like I was a moron, and say, same bullet, works in both guns. Then I'd pull out a 35 Winchester and say, "OK, but how come my bullet won't fit in your box?" I guess most folks have never seen a 35 Winchester.

 

[svk]

I had a model 95 I bought from the original owner. He bought it new I. 1910. Chambered in 35 Win. I can't imagine anyone not being impressed with that gun. 250 grain bullet at almost 2300 fps and almost 3000 FP of energy. It used to be my favorite game, to walk into gun shop and ask for a box of 35 Winchester. They would hand me a box of 35 Remington. I'd ask, "are sure this will work in my Winchester, it says Remington on the box?" They would look at me like I was a moron, and say, same bullet, works in both guns. Then I'd pull out a 35 Winchester and say, "OK, but how come my bullet won't fit in your box?" I guess most folks have never seen a 35 Winchester.

That’s cool.

I’d like to collect more of the old chamberings. Have my great grandpa’s 30 Remington. My great uncles both hunted with a .25-35. And then delve into the 32’s and 35’s.

There’s a 351 Win Self Loading at my local gun shop. I had read somewhere that a 351WSL was used to take down Bonnie and Clyde but other sources contradict that.