Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

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I've made a bit more progress on the trailer this week.
The frame was primed.
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Then some fresh paint. Two of the kids liked the primer better than the paint lol.
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Then I ripped some white oak boards to use on the top rails to separate the steel/aluminum. Then I had to cut them a little thinner as the holes in the brackets came out about 5/16 too low on the C-channel on the bed, so I would have been drilling thru the thickest part of the webbing and wouldn't have been able to get the nuts on the bolts :oops: .
The trailer and my black beauty :).
View attachment 1001532 I also was able to head to my buddies and get some of the wiring prepped.
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Hope to buy some aluminum today for the wheel wells and the back of them and make some more plans for the cross bracing for the part of the dovetail where it meets the flat portion of the deck. I need a piece under the wood for it to rest on, and something over it to cover the seam. More money and more time is all that's needed to finish it 😆.
Nice Brett
 
Phew! UK is starting another heatwave with warm air up from Spain/North Africa.... my car still has the Sahara dust on it from the last one in June. Managed to get out between the girls gym and swim lessons so before the heat was too bad... Although it was still hot in all the gear. A tank through the ea4300. A lot was blocking up unsplitable chunks and the chain was getting dull anyway so half way through I got the file out. It went much better after. I'm not far off done. Almost 4 cord CSS still got about a m³ of the big heavy Oak crotches out the front. They will need at least a tank through the 365 cutting into small pieces that I can split and blocking up the stuff that just can't. It's a PITA to do, but a run to the dump is the other option, also a PITA and at least this way I get firewood.

After the girls swim lessons I came out the pool to see a guy working away on a little of logs.... He looked like he had a lot to learn. Don't work in the heat of the afternoon for one, how to sharpen good chain for 2, how to use his axe for 3 as he seemed to be blocking up very splittable rounds with the saw despite a husqvarna splitting axe laying on the pile, and get on with it while the wood is green for 4 (I spotted the pile of delivered logs months ago. Oh and 5, with fuel prices surging if you leave logs right by the street they grow legs (he had a sign on his pile 'please don't take my logs!')
 
While I stacked a cord last night, I didn't take any pics. Today we took my boat out for the first time this season to give it a shakedown and make sure everything was working as it should before a trip next week. My buddy caught this 42" (that's breast high as you can see. 🤣) 20lb pike. This is exceptional in our area and the biggest I've ever seen. Thought I'd share my excitement since this is the scrounging/hunting fishing maple syrup truck and trailer and tractor chainsaw thread!
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While I stacked a cord last night, I didn't take any pics. Today we took my boat out for the first time this season to give it a shakedown and make sure everything was working as it should before a trip next week. My buddy caught this 42" (that's breast high as you can see. 🤣) 20lb pike. This is exceptional in our area and the biggest I've ever seen. Thought I'd share my excitement since this is the scrounging/hunting fishing maple syrup truck and trailer and tractor chainsaw thread!
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Nice gator!
 
I got started on one of those loads of logs today, it's been a while since I ran the BSM, so I figured I may as well start out with the easy logs first,

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and those logs are making some REALLY nice 2x4's 6's and 8's!

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Then I cut and boxed the slabs for drying, so I can burn them this winter to heat my house!

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I'll keep milling a few at a time, as I have time to mill them.

SR
 
Had a little mishap with my garden cart while hauling firewood. Bent and then broke the tongue on the cart. Found out that the wheel bearings were shot too. Haven't looked yet, but anyone have a source for bearings?
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Ace hardware where the nuts and bolts are kept is plastic drawers with deferent kinds of hardware they should have those in the drawers next to bushings and sleeves.
 
Ash (straight grain) and Elm (especially when still green) are at opposite ends of the splitting spectrum!

Red Oak takes much longer to dry than Cherry of Black Locust, but White Oak and Hickory take even longer.
black locust and cherry are my two favorites thing to burn and cherry splits ok and locust can be a pain at times.
 
black locust and cherry are my two favorites thing to burn and cherry splits ok and locust can be a pain at times.
And their often found right in the same area together.
Both are great because of their low water content.

I cut and split a 4 pieces of the red oak I brought home a couple weeks ago. Good buddy had a party for his daughter's birthday and he asked if I could bring some wood. These are all 20-24" long splits, little green yet, but since the center of the logs were hollow only the outside inch or so had much moisture. The top pieces were softwood I cut last fall at the lakeshore, can't remember what you guys said it was, but it's very resinous. Those were cut at 16-18, crazy light compared to the big splits of somewhat green red oak.
Had the minivan squatting a bit lol.
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And their often found right in the same area together.
Both are great because of their low water content.

I cut and split a 4 pieces of the red oak I brought home a couple weeks ago. Good buddy had a party for his daughter's birthday and he asked if I could bring some wood. These are all 20-24" long splits, little green yet, but since the center of the logs were hollow only the outside inch or so had much moisture. The top pieces were softwood I cut last fall at the lakeshore, can't remember what you guys said it was, but it's very resinous. Those were cut at 16-18, crazy light compared to the big splits of somewhat green red oak.
Had the minivan squatting a bit lol.
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Cherry can be cut and split in may and be ready to burn nov-dec.
 
Ash (straight grain) and Elm (especially when still green) are at opposite ends of the splitting spectrum!

Red Oak takes much longer to dry than Cherry of Black Locust, but White Oak and Hickory take even longer.
Exactly.
But ash that's grown in a windy area and out in the open can be some of the hardest wood to split. It's one of the few woods I've seen stop a hydraulic splitter :surprised3:.
 
Nice Brett
Thanks buddy.
Managed to get a little more done today, hear "a little".
Got a bunch of the nuts, bolts, washers. Trimmed the front C-channel on the bed so the jack and whatever brackets I put up there will clear as it was a bit wider than the frame . Also installed the back side of the wheel well crossmember strengthener/tie on the left side.
Gonna be a while before I get much more done. Need to get the jack turned and the handle extended before I can set the bed on the frame and bolt it down. It would be nice to get the wiring and the pigtail tied together before mounting the bed as well, but I could do it later too.
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