Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[JimR]

In my experience it goes bad very fast unless it's milled, and then dried and stored indoors... In one case an associate from the woodworkers club had trees taken down at his home and another member brought over his bandsaw mill and milled the logs into boards. They stickered, bound, and tarped the wood with air flow around the stack that was up on cement blocks. A year or so later I went over to get some. There were insects and fungus in evidence... being "close" to the ground it was too damp. I took a bunch of it home thinking I could pick through it and use the rest for kindling... it all went to kindling as boards I planed and stacked started showing bug dust piles.

In the other case a tree service cut down a bunch of poplar and put the logs aside for me... in a spot that was inaccessible for all but an excavator. When he finally moved the logs he staged them so they could be moved to his log yard on his log truck. The plan was that I was going mill them on his bandsaw mill. That too dragged on... When he finally got ready to move them they were full of insects and fungus and rot had started. He ended up running all the logs through his big tracked chipper. Complete waste as they were nice logs.

From talking to other guys in the club it seems the best course of action is to fell poplar and mill quickly. Then sticker them to dry under real cover (inside a dry building) or kiln dry the wood. The poplar doesn't like moisture at all... and insects do. Don't use it for outdoor projects as it will disappear before your eyes! You might want to take a look at the logs and at the first sign of insect tunnels or fugus walk away...

We used to have a lot of Poplar trees at the farm and woodlot. All of them were cut down and burned as firewood. The wood is garbage if left on the ground more than a few months. I don't miss not having them around.

 

[GrizG]

Mostly on topic for this thread.
View attachment 1172624
Or cook with cast iron.

If that were a law I don't know too many guys who could legitimately have a beard... present company mostly excepted. I wasn't tagged Griz 40+ years ago for no reason...

 

[JimR]

I rebuiltthe carb on the stump grinder and tried it Monday night. The motor ran for just about one minute before it flooded over like before. It has a new new and sat and floats. Once the fuel stopped flowing I loosened the fuel line. Gas came squirting out of that line under a lot of pressure. The fuel pump is the wrong pump on this motor. It is supposed to be a low pressure pump. I have a low pressure fuel regulator coming in today. Hopefully that cures this problem. If not, I will install a small low pressure electric fuel pump like I have on my Rayco stump grinder.

 

[MechanicMatt]

If that were a law I don't know too many guys who could legitimately have a beard... present company mostly excepted. I wasn't tagged Griz 40+ years ago for no reason...

I’m clean shaven, not one for a beard…

 

[svk]

Ahhh duck hunting season, cannot wait, but lots of fishing to do between now and then. Hopefully ground nesting birds have dryer conditions and a better hatch than they did last year...
Currently workshopping ideas for a folding boat blind to fit the jon boat I picked up last month.

Yes indeed.

2022 was our best duck hunting year ever. 2023 was not very good. Hoping last year was an anomaly.

So far things look good for upland birds. LOTS of grouse around despite the fact that we are technically on the downswing of their numbers.

 

[svk]

The meeting with the logger (up at my 50 acres in the Catskills) went well. He is a real nice guy, has a family run business, and seemed very willing to work with me.

To my surprise, he told me that Ash prices are high, but Black Cherry not so much! Since he will be primarily taking Ash, I guess that is good.

We did have to clear a fallen Black Cherry from one of the trails, and since I had the saw out anyway, I figured I'd turn it into firewood. Looks like it should be ready to burn soon! I went up and got the rounds with my ATV trailer after he left.

Sounds like you have some MVBC in your hands.

Question/Clarification-You mentioned the previous owners have timber rights on your land. How does that work?

 

[svk]

Pretty sure that's for "Hybrid, since it's an 026 with a 260 tank .

Sorta Special?

 

[H-Ranch]

Load 8 and counting.

Starting to be safe to work on the pile (my wife's concern with me working alone most of the time on this pile.)

What kind of chainsaw/ax/excavator trickery is this? Lots of the trees apparently came down using this method.

Finished off a 2 cord cherry/maple single row stack and almost there on a 5.5 cord oak double row stack.

 

[WoodAbuser]

Load 8 and counting.
View attachment 1172692
Starting to be safe to work on the pile (my wife's concern with me working alone most of the time on this pile.)

What kind of chainsaw/ax/excavator trickery is this? Lots of the trees apparently came down using this method.
View attachment 1172693
Finished off a 2 cord cherry/maple single row stack and almost there on a 5.5 cord oak double row stack.
View attachment 1172695
View attachment 1172694

Notch and push method.

 

[H-Ranch]

Notch and push method.
View attachment 1172697

OK, I get that, but why all the ax marks? Is that how they separate the tree from the stump? Is it a hazing for the new kid on the crew? Where did the saw go?

 

[singinwoodwackr]

The engine I did in HS was, I had a "63" Impala SS with 4-speed, it came to me with a 283 in it, I pulled it and put in a 348 Tri-power.

SR

2-sp Powerglide?

 

[chipper1]

OK, I get that, but why all the ax marks? Is that how they separate the tree from the stump? Is it a hazing for the new kid on the crew? Where did the saw go?

Looks like they hit it with a masticator after making a notch.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

2-sp Powerglide?

Like I said, 4 speed...

The car originally came with a 409, the 348 is its little brother.

SR

 

[MustangMike]

I don't know what they used to clear the sides of our bike trail, but all the small trees just look like they were "battered" off!

 

[MustangMike]

Sounds like you have some MVBC in your hands.

Question/Clarification-You mentioned the previous owners have timber rights on your land. How does that work?

They had a "one cut" privilege during the 1st ten years, which they used. They no longer have any timber rights to my property.

However, the guy on the other side of me does not own his timber rights. He purchased the land w/o them! (although they did it for the Bluestone).

 

[sean donato]

We have a family tradition going back idk how long. The men (father/grandfather.) Clean shave when the first born is born and don't shave till they have their first born. So my pop shaved when I was born. He didn't make it till I had my first. So I clean shaved when we had our first. If I make it to see a grandchild I'll shave again then. Mind you my beard grows in really slow, so I don't look like a caveman like my pop did. His beard hung down below his belt line till he passed.

 

[bob kern]

I've been busy dealing with some health issues, new knee, AFib etc
Anyway I have been slowly working on my firewood stash for the next two winters.
Less than 2 miles from my house the Amish bought an old house and clear cut 5 acres, they sold a couple of triaxle loads and the pile that was left I stopped and made them an offer, they accepted and I was the proud owner of about 8 cords of mixed hardwoods.
Then a logger that I know called me last Thursday morning and said I could clean up the ends and stuff at one of his landings, about 4 miles from the house and right in a field just off the road, SCORE, mostly Oak. I have to say I couldn't do any of it without my trusty little L2501 and my grapple
first load today from my friends log landing

Get better!!

 

[JimR]

I don't know what they used to clear the sides of our bike trail, but all the small trees just look like they were "battered" off!

Probably one of the side armed mounted brush wackers that highway departments use on the sides of country roads.

This afternoon I started doing work on my neighbor's JD430 with a diesel in it. The left rear axle bolts were snapped off. Those bolts also hold the bracket for the brakes on that wheel. I lucked out with an easy out getting out the two broken bolts. This tractor has this thing about bucking like a mule sometimes. Research told me to check this high pressure piston that attaches to the forward and reverse lever. This small KYB 7 1/2" long piston was $157 and change delivered. My neighbor is going to **** when he sees the bill for that.

 

[GrizG]

I’m clean shaven, not one for a beard…

In my teens it was handy... never got carded for anything. Then it became a thing. Voted "Most distinguishable" by one of my classes in college.

 

[bob kern]

I’m clean shaven, not one for a beard…

I can't cook and my wife ( who is a phenomenal cook) hates a beard. I'll let y'all guess if I shave! Lol