Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Marshy]

Finger lakes has a lot of good white wine, and a very few good reds, mostly Cab Franc or blends.

CA & WA still grow better Cab Sov & Merlot grapes.

Actually, the Cab Franc that does well in the fingerlakes (and here in Millbrook) is a red vine spliced to a white root.

While there, don't pass up the chance to hike Watkins Glenn. You will both really like it.

Good advice. I grew up in a small town just outside of Watkins Glen. Lots of great wine in that area and the gorge is a great time. It could be 95 degrees and muggy but take a walk in the gorge and it will be mid 70s and comfortable. I took my wife there on a 90 degree day and she thought I was nuts until we got out of the parking lot.

 

[SteveSS]

Happy Birthday, Clint. Hope it rocks!

 

[MustangMike]

Happy Birthday Clint! Have a great one! So, you had to get a year older than me, won't last for long!

Been delivering a few loads of wood to my daughter recently, now up to a total of 2.8 cord, including this 1/2 cord of Hard Maple yesterday.

But mostly I've been putting my garden in, cutting the grass, riding the bike, etc.

 

[JB Weld]

I decided to go get some of that wood near my work (~1/4 mile). I spent about 30 minutes loading it and 15 mins getting changed back into "work clothes", so I will just have to work a little bit over today for my time to work out. It was right on the side of the road, but some of it was buried under tops/brush. Over all it was easy to load and I only had to get the saw out one time. I know it is not much of a scrounge compared to most of you guys, but for me it is several days worth of firewood.

The good news is my 8' trailer is squatting from all the wood (I had to air up the tires), the bad news is that there were plenty of wicked, wicked looking vines and I probably got poison ivy (my arms are already getting blotchy!). The wood is a mix of Wild Cherry, Bradford Pear, Blackjack Oak, and what I think is Elm (?). Take a look at that last picture and let me know what you guys think.

 

[Bullvi22]

Sure looks like an elm leaf to me! But I aint no orborist

 

[SteveSS]

I don't see any poison ivy in that pic either. I think you're safe. If you're worried though, head to walgreens and get a bottle of Tecnu. It works.

 

[SteveSS]

p.s.

Nice scrounge.

 

[Bullvi22]

I don't see any poison ivy in that pic either. I think you're safe. If you're worried though, head to walgreens and get a bottle of Tecnu. It works.

Tecnu is the bombdiggity, I don't think I've made a trip to the ER for poison ivy since I started using it. Just don't wait too long to wash with it or it still doesn't help.

 

[nomad_archer]

Fels naptha soap costs about a buck and gets the PI oil off. You can pay for the tecnu but the cheap soap works just as well.

 

[Bullvi22]

Fels naptha soap costs about a buck and gets the PI oil off. You can pay for the tecnu but the cheap soap works just as well.

Ill have to give that a try too, where can you buy it?

 

[JB Weld]

We use Fels Naptha to make homemade washing detergent (for clothes). We buy it at Wal Mart. I normally find it over by the Laundry Additives and it costs about a buck. I used to keep a bar under the sink for when my hands were really grimy, but I am out at the moment.

I dodged the bullet on the PI this time. It was probably some other kind of vine that mildly irritated my skin. The rash is clear this morning, and I am taking a long sleeve shirt with me today. I have to dig through the smaller branches and tops to get to the larger pieces of wood, and that is where I am finding the wicked tangles of vines. I will post a picture of the piles. Hopefully I can get another trailer load today!

 

[nomad_archer]

Ill have to give that a try too, where can you buy it?

Just about anywhere that that sells laundry detergent. It will be with the laundry detergents. I use it in the laundry as well to get the PI oils out of my scrounging clothes. It is really great at getting oils out of just about anything not just PI oil.

 

[SteveSS]

I'm pretty sensitive to PI, and buy the tecnu in bulk from Amazon. It lowers the price drastically that way compared to Walgreens. I even buy the little portable packs and keep them with my wood cutting gear. Never tried the Fels.

 

[JB Weld]

I went back to get another load today (on my break). I did not get quite as much as yesterday, but it will be good firewood. Most of it today was Pear with a little Oak and Elm. I even grabbed a couple pieces of a Mimosa tree! HA! I know it is probably a soft wood, but it looked so nice in its 4' sticks. I will just cut it to length, bust it in half and see how it dries. The first picture is where I was scrounging. It was a pile about 300+ yards long, it goes down that slope and around the corner. The second picture shows my small trailer load and Old Faithful (my 9 year old MS250C). That chainsaw has been rode hard and has never let me down. Be sure to zoom in on my homemade dog!

 

[nomad_archer]

I'm pretty sensitive to PI, and buy the tecnu in bulk from Amazon. It lowers the price drastically that way compared to Walgreens. I even buy the little portable packs and keep them with my wood cutting gear. Never tried the Fels.

Me too. I am sensitive to the stuff. heck I moved a vine that had be dead in my back yard for well over 3.5 years now and didnt shower with the fels afterwards and guess what I got the rash. That was my friendly reminder to show after do anything anywhere near something that may have PI.

 

[stihly dan]

I went back to get another load today (on my break). I did not get quite as much as yesterday, but it will be good firewood. Most of it today was Pear with a little Oak and Elm. I even grabbed a couple pieces of a Mimosa tree! HA! I know it is probably a soft wood, but it looked so nice in its 4' sticks. I will just cut it to length, bust it in half and see how it dries. The first picture is where I was scrounging. It was a pile about 300+ yards long, it goes down that slope and around the corner. The second picture shows my small trailer load and Old Faithful (my 9 year old MS250C). That chainsaw has been rode hard and has never let me down. Be sure to zoom in on my homemade dog!

View attachment 426273
View attachment 426274

That's a hard workin scrounge right there. Many a scrounger would pass that up.

 

[wudpirat]

Nice haul, JB. I've burned mimosa, but don't recall how it burned, but it did burn.
My fav mystery wood is palonia. It looks weird, kind of green/yellow with a very rough bark, burns just great.
Oh! by the way still burning. Had a couple fires durring the week and it looks like I'll have another tonight.
Temps dropped into the 30's durring the night and the house got chilly.
Burned a lot of pine, uglies and chunks.
Anything longer than 18" gets trimmed and thats where the chunks come from. They dry quick and burn great.
To quote the Zogger," a BTU is a BTU".
Six more cords and I should be ready for next winter.

 

[SteveSS]

I was moving my stacks today so I can get started on my wood shelter. Dropped a big ol' piece of red oak on my left pinky toe and that put an end to that. Pretty sure it's not broken, but it swelled up enough to make it uncomfortable to walk on. Guess the rest will have to wait.

 

[MustangMike]

Sorry to hear that, hope you heal up soon, were you wearing good boots? I never play with wood unless I am, and I also always wear gloves. You can still pinch your finger, but it is not as bad! (FYI, I prefer Pigskin gloves, they hold up much better when wet).

Hey, every time I see your avatar, I want to pet your dog!

 

[JB Weld]

I do my best work in Crocks! Ha!