Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[WoodAbuser]

My heavy equipment:

That rock does look heavy.

 

[djg james]

Got to the new found stacks today. Maxed out my 'heavy equipment' in two hours. I work slow. Worked a little on my saw, but it still didn't cut right. So I finished up with the ms170.
The cut off spring had worked itself under the selector bar so I couldn't shut it off without choking it. Fixed that and its no-idle problem. Thought I had ONE working saw and then I found out it wasn't putting out oil. Arr! It's always something. No big deal. I'll order a kit and replace the pump when I work on my Brother's ms170 with the same problem.

Trailer tires were compressing a little with this load of R. Oak. I'll go back next week for the Mulberry.

 

[Philbert]

So I have gone back to what I was doing and it is fine, although the chain-filing purists would be nauseated (@Philbert ).

I hand file also and do both sides from the same side of the saw. Flip the file around and do a pul stroke on it to do the inside (left) of the chain. So I probably am getting the top angles different and stray from the witness mark.

I am not offended.

One of my key, chain sharpening mantras is:
‘Lots of ways to sharpen: everybody had to find something that works for them.’

Philbert

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

You guys want to talk about scrounging crappy wood? I’ve been working on clearing up a couple piles on my property from 3 years ago when we put in the power line. Cutting a little here and there to feed the stove, and stock piling some.

I live in interior alaska and my land has a lot of permafrost, so small black spruce thats twisted like braided rope. Luckily most of it doesn’t need split, but the stuff that does, if it’s taller then the head on my 27 ton log splitter it’s a night mare. Some of that stuff will have 180 degrees worth of twist in a firewood length. I’ll usually try splitting the butt piece of a tree first with the splitter, and if it goes, cool, if not, I throw everything from that tree thats big enough to need split to the side, and then split it with a chainsaw.

 

[sean donato]

You guys want to talk about scrounging crappy wood? I’ve been working on clearing up a couple piles on my property from 3 years ago when we put in the power line. Cutting a little here and there to feed the stove, and stock piling some.

I live in interior alaska and my land has a lot of permafrost, so small black spruce thats twisted like braided rope. Luckily most of it doesn’t need split, but the stuff that does, if it’s taller then the head on my 27 ton log splitter it’s a night mare. Some of that stuff will have 180 degrees worth of twist in a firewood length. I’ll usually try splitting the butt piece of a tree first with the splitter, and if it goes, cool, if not, I throw everything from that tree thats big enough to need split to the side, and then split it with a chainsaw.

You can add a thin extension to your wedge. Just set it back a little from the knife edge on the wedge. That way the main wedge takes the brunt of the splitting and the skinny one acts more like a knife to finish severing the round.

 

[JimR]

Unfortunately, these sorts of people seem to be propagating...or at least they avenues to share their negativity(social media.) While my immediate neighbors are really cool people that just want to get along with everyone, we're starting to get asshats moving up from the city.

Right now, there is a loud contingent of people complaining about teenagers on dirtbikes. A group of local kids ride their bikes around on the local private roads that they live in. There's no bylaw against it and I did the same thing when I was their age.

They're pretty respectful kids and I know most of them, but a local contingent of buzzkills are up in arms about them riding their bikes around. Us natives don't care about it, and I even give them the "throttle hand" to encourage wheelies when I see them, but the nannies ***** all over that Nextdoor app about them.

The same people that are now complaining about the dirtbikes, are always complaining about something. I've been the targets of their complaints before...my wintertime slash piles are too scary and my chainsaws are too loud.

Luckily, they're still in the minority around here. One of my neighbors is an 80-something year old guy, he's probably a 1/4 mile away, but always drives over to say hi when he hears me fire up the triple-port 066. He says he can always tell exactly what saw it is and figures there's something interesting happening if he hears it. I've asked him if he thought it was too loud...his response was "#@%$ anyone that does!"

I truly know the meaning of cityshit moving to the country first hand. I won't get in to all the details about this person because the POS usually follows me on the internet. Those kind of people are like that.

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

I'm pretty lucky that the only neighbors I have somewhat close by are all pretty good people. But we do have a army base close by so about half the towns small population rotates out. Lots of post on the local facebook groups whining about gun shots close by, kids on dirtbikes, people with load chainsaws blah blah blah, and the typical response from the long time locals is "Get Bent and go back where you came from"

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I have generally filed chains on the bar and have had reasonable results. Earlier this year I thought I should get a bit more serious about it and put the chain in the vice. And I produced a chain that cut sideways. Terribly frustrating.

Long story short, on the bar, I filed the far side cutters on a bit of a downward angle but lateral movement of the chain on the bar countered that and it cut fine. In the vice there was no such compensation so I had a chain filed with one side at different angles. So I have gone back to what I was doing and it is fine, although the chain-filing purists would be nauseated (@Philbert ).

I have also produced chains that when filed over time have had one side cutters longer than the other and it still cut straight and just as fast. I think it has more to do with the angles of the cutters in most cases with people filing one side at a different angle to the other.

Different top plate angles on one side vs. the other side will make a chain run off to one side during the cut.
More hook (round tune) or more angle (square tune) of the side plate on one side of the chain vs. the other will also make a chain run off during the cut. The longer the bar, the more cutters, and amount of wood being pulled all play a part. For example. A 36" bar running FS with slightly different angles per side of chain cutting a four inch limb will run off to one side very little. A 20" bar running FC pulling 18" of wood with very different angles per side. Will run off and bind hard early into the cut. If this all makes sense? Cutter length has very little to do with it provided both cutter plate angles on both sides of the chain are all pretty close to the same!

"And thats the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so!"

Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware!

 

[GrizG]

F
Rumor has it that Filson has taken a turn for the worst. Their gear bags and clothing have gone way up in price, and its said they are becoming "luxury items"

I really hope the talk is just scuttle butt and not the case! I've been wearing Filson tins and wools for almost 30 years! However, it took me months to find a new tin coat. The price was more than I could bare!!!

They don't sell much of the stuff I purchased in the past... Tin cloth, wool... the "good" stuff is gone. Prices are way up... Now, under another "new" management, they are mostly trading on their history and catering to the posers and wannabes at high prices.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

E

They don't sell much of the stuff I purchased in the past... Tin cloth, wool... the "good" stuff is gone. Prices are way up... Now, under another "new" management, they are mostly trading on their history and catering to the posers and wannabes at high prices.

Exactly!!!

It took me a long time to find a tin coat at an unreasonably high price on E-bay through a private seller. And it was at a lower price than what the present average price is!!! Probably the last Filson product I'll ever buy. Unless I find a smok'n deal in the future. However, I feel that is highly unlikely!

 

[GrizG]

E
Exactly!!!

It took me a long time to find a tin coat at an unreasonably high price on E-bay through a private seller. And it was at a lower price than what the present average price is!!! Probably the last Filson product I'll ever buy. Unless I find a smok'n deal in the future. However, I feel that is highly unlikely!

Yeah... Over the years I bought a lot of Filson at end of season and clearance prices as I encountered it. Coats, jackets, pants, shirts, packer hats (wool, Tin and Shelter cloth), brief case, Pullman bag, rucksack, boots... none of it at list. Since they sold many of those items for decades who cares if it was "last year's" inventory!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Yeah... Over the years I bought a lot of Filson at end of season and clearance prices as I encountered it. Coats, jackets, pants, shirts, packer hats (wool, Tin and Shelter cloth), brief case, Pullman bag, rucksack, boots... none of it at list. Since they sold many of those items for decades who cares if it was "last year's" inventory!

Nice! Thats the way to do it alright!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Man I really hate you guys sometimes with all the cool woods you get. Here in alaska we have firewood or no wood

Where do you live? Barrow!?!? A large portion of Alaska has hundreds of thousands of acres of old growth rain forests supporting Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Western Cedar, and Alaskan Yellow Ceder.

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

Where do you live? Barrow!?!? A large portion of Alaska has hundreds of thousands of acres of old growth rain forests supporting Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Western Cedar, and Alaskan Yellow Ceder.

I live in Delta Junction. Pretty slim pickings here.

 

[farmer steve]

My heavy equipment:

That truck looks empty with only 2 saws in it Mike.

 

[Brufab]

Where do you live? Barrow!?!? A large portion of Alaska has hundreds of thousands of acres of old growth rain forests supporting Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Western Cedar, and Alaskan Yellow Ceder.

So alaska is essentially conifer country your saying. No oak, maple, ash, aspen/popple.

 

[gggGary]

Ash on neighbors property dropped towards my tractor road. 60' of trunk to the first crotch.
first 20' of trunk has deer stand climbing steps screwed in and grown into the bark.
Mebby a cord?
Love this ole 044. That it was found at a garage sale 5 years ago for $150 and been cutting 8 cord+ a year since with just bar and chains, icing on the cake.
One tank of fuel did pretty much all the cutting.

about 24 cord or 5 years of heating in the racks.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I live in Delta Junction. Pretty slim pickings here.

Oh ok, Roger. Farm and Bison country! Good on ya!

 

[MustangMike]

That truck looks empty with only 2 saws in it Mike.

I just brought them in case ... I was going there to run the splitter!

I like my (relatively) new trailer. Much more HD than the old one. (3,500 lb axle instead of 2,000 lb).

The owner is the age of my kids but suffered a stroke after being forced to get the Covid shot by his employer.

After several surgeries (in NYC) he is doing fine. Good thing, he is a nice guy and has a young daughter.

 

[SimonHS]

Ash on neighbors property dropped towards my tractor road. 60' of trunk to the first crotch.
first 20' of trunk has deer stand climbing steps screwed in and grown into the bark.
Mebby a cord?
Love this ole 044. That it was found at a garage sale 5 years ago for $150 and been cutting 8 cord+ a year since with just bar and chains, icing on the cake.
One tank of fuel did pretty much all the cutting.
View attachment 1025796View attachment 1025797View attachment 1025798
about 24 cord or 5 years of heating in the racks.
View attachment 1025799

Did you manage to avoid all the metal in the tree?