You beat me too it. I was going to say "dinner! got to put them in cast iron". I wonder how they taste? Not that I would try.
Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)
- Thread starter mainewoods
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Dang things get under my wood pile and caused it to list. Just got done rebuilding and restocking them. When I have a clear shot, I shoot them from my deck with my 22. If I don't get to the carcass in time, the coyotes get them and carry them away.
They are just as good as the weathermen.
I bet they're delicious, but so long as my wife is running the kitchen it ain't gonna happen.
Unless it would mess up a good log I always drop one from a standing position then lop off two firewood chunks off the stump when I'm done. I'm so slow to get in my feet anymore, if one got squirrelly, I'd be dead!Today's project at my parents' home was to prune dead branches off some big white pines and take down a maple with the top broken off.... The pine pruning was in prep to remove one of the 4 pines as it is dead... choked out by English Ivy I believe. The top of the maple, about 8" DBH, broke off and was supported by two other maples. I used the pole pruner on the pines and my MS261 on the maple. I assumed, incorrectly, that the maple would take maybe 15-20 minutes to fell, buck, and clean up. Nope... turned into an ordeal as the broken top dragging on the other trees kept good hold on the tree. I wedged it as far as I could, even using stacked wedges and a 6 lb., sledge, and it still wouldn't fall. With that I cut the hinge off! Then I beat the wedges out with the sledge and let the tree spin it's way out of the other trees and fall. It lay in a good spot though roughly 160° from the intended direction! After making the face and back cuts it was probably another 35-40 minutes of pounding with a 3 lb drilling hammer, retrieving the 6 lb. sledge from the garage, beating some more, repositioning the wedges, cutting the hinge off with the pole saw, and pounding the wedges out. I was tired after that! Bucking and cleaning up took all of 10-12 minutes.
I was amused to see the chips... I seldom have my saws in live trees so the chips typically range from dust to short ones even with a well sharpened chain. This maple yielded nice long chips... The tree was green and very wet! You can see the water running down the stump in the shot with the wedges.
It was challenging work but I had fun too... running saws you know.
The garage with an upstairs woodworking shop is in the background. Dog run below it--though it did contain an 8 pt buck one time that some how managed to get in it by going through the shrubs at the top. A bear ripped the gate loose going after the dog food another time. Also in the background to the left.. lots of dead ash on the neighbor's property.
View attachment 1157364
The broken top doesn't look like much from the ground and in the photo but it might was well have been a cable!
View attachment 1157365
As far as I could get the wedges with the 3 lb. drilling hammer. I cut the stump lower after felling figuring up front it would be easier to pound wedges if the cuts were a bit higher.
View attachment 1157366
Chips from bucking... not noodling!
View attachment 1157367
My father in law constantly beets me up for not eating them. They are in the squirrel family from what I understand, and vegetarian so should be decent eating depending on the time of year. Just can't bring myself to eat one.... times just arnt that tough right now.
There was a new record high in Central Mass at 62 today and a beautiful day to have the top down running some errands.
I got pissed off when I got home and installed a replacement acetylene tank that I picked up last week. The cover was rusted on solid. I had to beat it with a hammer to break the rust. I put my gauge on it and checked to see if there was 300psi in it. Guess what, the tank had under 10psi in it. The nozzle was taped up but it looked like a retape of the original tape. I didn't have to break it off. I was so friggin pissed. Three years ago I swapped out my Argon mix tank only to get home and find it empty. That tank was also sealed up. First thing in the morning will be a 26 mile round trip to get another tank.
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MechanicMatt
Cut Split Stack Burn
I heard he is right 40* of the time
As someone said, about as accurate as the weather people.
Looking on the interwebs it appears we set a new temperature record by 10 degrees here today. 
Still running the ac trying to get the house cooled down, but with a low of 29 overnight I'll have to start the pellet stove in the morning.
Still running the ac trying to get the house cooled down, but with a low of 29 overnight I'll have to start the pellet stove in the morning.
Maybe I need some orange ones for my trailer(I have 1" orange straps, just no 4").
Some of the places I went they used large straps to remove coils, they had a sleeve on them that protected them, but they were still pretty easy to bend/work with even being huge.
Had the windows open here and it made it to 73 at the airport(that where they take all the climate change temps atLooking on the interwebs it appears we set a new temperature record by 10 degrees here today.
Still running the ac trying to get the house cooled down, but with a low of 29 overnight I'll have to start the pellet stove in the morning.
), I shut them all because it's getting down to 20 tomorrow lol.
WoodAbuser
aka WoodchuckAbuser
Sounds like you should have taken advantage of the warm weather to heat up your cast iron. Then you could stay warm for days.Had the windows open here and it made it to 73 at the airport(that where they take all the climate change temps at
That's where a throw bag/ball and a rope come in handy, and if it's really giving you a hard time a maasdam rope puller works great. Another trick when you don't have a rope but you do have a bunch of wedges, you can make another notch and then add wedges to that backcut. lots of fun to be had on thoseToday's project at my parents' home was to prune dead branches off some big white pines and take down a maple with the top broken off.... The pine pruning was in prep to remove one of the 4 pines as it is dead... choked out by English Ivy I believe. The top of the maple, about 8" DBH, broke off and was supported by two other maples. I used the pole pruner on the pines and my MS261 on the maple. I assumed, incorrectly, that the maple would take maybe 15-20 minutes to fell, buck, and clean up. Nope... turned into an ordeal as the broken top dragging on the other trees kept good hold on the tree. I wedged it as far as I could, even using stacked wedges and a 6 lb., sledge, and it still wouldn't fall. With that I cut the hinge off! Then I beat the wedges out with the sledge and let the tree spin it's way out of the other trees and fall. It lay in a good spot though roughly 160° from the intended direction! After making the face and back cuts it was probably another 35-40 minutes of pounding with a 3 lb drilling hammer, retrieving the 6 lb. sledge from the garage, beating some more, repositioning the wedges, cutting the hinge off with the pole saw, and pounding the wedges out. I was tired after that! Bucking and cleaning up took all of 10-12 minutes.
I was amused to see the chips... I seldom have my saws in live trees so the chips typically range from dust to short ones even with a well sharpened chain. This maple yielded nice long chips... The tree was green and very wet! You can see the water running down the stump in the shot with the wedges.
It was challenging work but I had fun too... running saws you know.
The garage with an upstairs woodworking shop is in the background. Dog run below it--though it did contain an 8 pt buck one time that some how managed to get in it by going through the shrubs at the top. A bear ripped the gate loose going after the dog food another time. Also in the background to the left.. lots of dead ash on the neighbor's property.
View attachment 1157364
The broken top doesn't look like much from the ground and in the photo but it might was well have been a cable!
View attachment 1157365
As far as I could get the wedges with the 3 lb. drilling hammer. I cut the stump lower after felling figuring up front it would be easier to pound wedges if the cuts were a bit higher.
View attachment 1157366
Chips from bucking... not noodling!
View attachment 1157367
.Nice chips!
I cut a good amount of locust, funny going from that to some pine, especially when you hit a cross-section of a larger branch.
Looks like a nice chunk of land. Are those all dead ash trees near the shed, looks like they'd be a good time
. You already know the hazards with those, gotta watch them close when falling them. Drop a bunch and all is well, til that one top comes back right at the stump
.
That's why I shut the windows, that cast should hold the heat now for at least a day
.
That's what I get for packing light for a small job... all the ropes, pullies, cable winch, cant hooks, etc. were at my house... I grossly underestimated how badly those trees would hold onto the broken top!That's where a throw bag/ball and a rope come in handy, and if it's really giving you a hard time a maasdam rope puller works great. Another trick when you don't have a rope but you do have a bunch of wedges, you can make another notch and then add wedges to that backcut. lots of fun to be had on those
Nice chips!
I cut a good amount of locust, funny going from that to some pine, especially when you hit a cross-section of a larger branch.
Looks like a nice chunk of land. Are those all dead ash trees near the shed, looks like they'd be a good time
Yes, 100s of dead ash on the neighbor's property. I took 50-60 of them off my parents' property. The ash are so deteriorated now I'm not willing to cut them... gravity and wind falling only at this point.
MechanicMatt
Cut Split Stack Burn
Old pic of Cailey, but she handles the woodchucks
She has moved up to a Ruger 77/17 with a leupold
She has moved up to a Ruger 77/17 with a leupold
especially the Acuweather app. lol what a farce...
but...does it go "Woo woo!!"?
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