Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[zogger]

Thanks for all the answers and link y'all. I've learned a bunch, and hopefully i can start establishing some good habits and break the bad ones I already started.

I've noticed the saw bogs down after idling, too, Nomad. So I'll be shutting it off more.

MountainHigh, It's 93 here today, and that's about 7- 10 degrees below normal. We have one of those round holz hausen piles that is uncovered other than the bark. The other wood has clear plastic stapled on the top logs, and those piles are stacked against a wooden fence on top of pallets. I'm hoping the TX heat will do it 's thing and the wood will be dry enough to burn this November. That study by the Alaskan dept of something gave me the idea it might be dry enough. I'll come back and insert the link, though I'm sure y'all probably already know about it.

I have one of those little moisture meter cheapie things, but I have serious doubts about it. The electrodes are supposed to be 5 mm in the wood for it to read right. Sometimes, it does appear to be working right, based on what I know about the wood. I'm going to go bang some that I'm pretty sure are dry to see how they sound.

When the regular crib pile is full, it works pretty well for me to noodle on top of it. I did that today. Man, that little saw is so much better than the electric one. Going to see if I can figure out why chain break isn't working, though.

I use those gloves for the saw and dollar tree grip type gloves for handling the wood. I almost always have a kid or two helping, too.

And oh hey, I always, always seem to over fill the gas tank no matter how careful I am. Even if it's just a little bit, i always seem to do it. i even got one of those indicator funnels, but the opening was too big. Any other ideas? I definitely have to fuel a ways from the starting place or kaboom.


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I bought five of those trufuel canned fuel quarts before on markdown, good stuff. I saved the cans. Now I use a small funnel and refill those cans, they work really well to fill saws, even those with difficult small fuel openings or obscured by the handle, etc. Mix in a two gallon plastic, then fill the cans. I guess on filling, can usually hit it close enough to be mostly full and not slop any.

I throw big crotches on top of a stack of rounds to noodle. it helps to have something to keep what you are noodling from sliding, maybe nail a board across, then cut down the same groove all the time.

You get a 50 or 60 or even 70 cc saw, you will see significant power gains over your little mac. IMO, a 60 is an excellent one main saw plan. Run a 16 to a 24 inch bar then. Keep like a 16, a 20 and a 24, use the 20 most of the time.

I don't think there is any huge difference between "fruitless" or regular mulberry. but, I never heard of fruitless mulberry either....regular ole sweet berries on it mulberry lists at 23.2 million BTU per cord, this is excellent.

Stuff that really sucks to split I noodle or just stack it for as long as it takes. If it fits in the stove, good to go eventually. Nightlogs.

always fell trees on the tuesday following the dark of the moon..

..oh wait, that's bullcrap, grandpappy hit the shine too much....

 

[CTYank]

Thank you. Sounds like a plan. Since it gets really hot here (Tx), I was hoping wood would dry quicker here. How can you tell when it's dry enough?

Thanks again for the elm strategy!

You can't tell MC (moisture content) by just looking, or banging. Moisture leaves by diffusion, through the wood. The longer the path for it to leave, the longer it takes, and the higher the MC in the middle. To see how air-drying is progressing, one objective method is to split some sample pieces and insert the prongs of a MM (moisture meter) near the middle of the pieces. You can get a decent little MM from Harbor Freight for ~$10.

Some say 10% MC, dry-basis, is good enough. IMHO, that's just a start. Modern gasifier woodstoves work best with MC below 10%. I stack wood indoors near the stove for a while before burning, and all the splits are 8" long, so that renders it really primo.

To avoid back-torture while noodling, I use a combination approach: set a round on its side on a splitting block and/or go down on one knee while sawing. Never kneel while felling a tree or bucking anything that might move. Never. Ever.

Almost forgot: gloves. Atlas Fit are rubber-palm-coated knot gloves that give you a firm grip without squeezing, and wear like proverbial iron, way longer than leather. Sold by the dozen, like at Amazon. There's also a "Thermal" version for cold weather. Prolly not much use in TX, though.

 

[dancan]

I scrounged some wood today , one of my landscape customers borrowed my log tongs to move some wood , he dropped off a days rent

 

[Deleted member 83629]

I scrounged some wood today , one of my landscape customers borrowed my log tongs to move some wood , he dropped off a days rent


View attachment 358589

how many times have you replaced the rear shocks in that van dancan.

 

[dancan]

Marcy , about little saws ....
Most of the wood I've cut this past winter have been done with my 026's , I did run my MS361 and my J'Red 2171 on a couple and also did several loads with my MS230 .
More than happy with my little saws and have come to realize that I could get by just fine with a little MS230 for anything I can cut and move by hand , just have to do it a little slower .
I also have a Makita electric saw that I've used to cut up polly 100 pallets and some stems of wood , enjoyed running it , no smoke or noise and more than enough power , bought it from Home Depot's rental department for 100$ I think .
The only reason I noodled a half dozen pieces was to be able to get them in the UTV but I quickly learned that it was faster to split and load .

I am fortunate enough to own a splitter (more than 1 and less than 5) but I still split about 90% by hand and even did a load of spruce that was more knot than wood , had to drive 2 wedges with a sledge and an axe to cut the stringy fibre to bust them up(splitter for them kinds next time lol).
If had a piece of wood that I couldn't get the axe to stick or start the split I'd just cut a 1/2" deep slot with the saw and then drive a wedge in .

Hope that helps some .

 

[dancan]

Jake , you know that's only a little load LOL

 

[dancan]

Marcy , about little .....

And it's not always about size , more about how you use it .....

 

[dancan]

Saw that is .

 

[svk]

Marcy , about little saws ....
Most of the wood I've cut this past winter have been done with my 026's , I did run my MS361 and my J'Red 2171 on a couple and also did several loads with my MS230 .
More than happy with my little saws and have come to realize that I could get by just fine with a little MS230 for anything I can cut and move by hand , just have to do it a little slower .

Agree. Last year I had a 50cc and 2 65's. I ended up rarely using the 65's as the smaller lighter saw made up for the slower cutting speed.

 

[steved]

I think the saw should fit the user...

 

[marcy-m]

I bought five of those trufuel canned fuel quarts before on markdown, good stuff. I saved the cans. Now I use a small funnel and refill those cans,

I throw big crotches on top of a stack of rounds to noodle. it helps to have something to keep what you are noodling from sliding, maybe nail a board across, then cut down the same groove all the time.

IMO, a 60 is an excellent one main saw plan. Run a 16 to a 24 inch bar then. Keep like a 16, a 20 and a 24, use the 20 most of the time.

Stuff that really sucks to split I noodle or just stack it for as long as it takes. If it fits in the stove, good to go eventually. Nightlogs.

always fell trees on the tuesday following the dark of the moon..

..oh wait, that's bullcrap, grandpappy hit the shine too much....

I'm going to look for a few of those so I can use the container, then. Great idea. I hate wasting fuel when I overfill it.. I had been cutting 3-4 times a week since the middle of May, so even the ethanol fuel won't sit long in the saw.

Going to see about screwing a board to one of the rounds. That should make a huge difference. Thanks!

I guess I'm just now realizing that one saw can use different length bars. Great advice that I'm saving. I would love to get that Husky 350, but it's not possible at the moment. Hopefully soon, though.

I told my brother in law today that I had some elm logs for his fireplace. Made him super happy. Made me super happy, too. Our stove's firebox is about 12" tall and the door opening is smaller than that. Most of the elm I got recently would need to be split for us to use, but I'm glad he can use it. Happy, happy, happy.

I wonder if your grand pappy chose Tuesdays so it wouldn't interfere with his weekend moonshine hangover? Funny

Thanks Zogger for all the good learnin


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[marcy-m]

To see how air-drying is progressing, one objective method is to split some sample pieces and insert the prongs of a MM (moisture meter) near the middle of the pieces.

Some say 10% MC, dry-basis, is good enough. IMHO, that's just a start. Modern gasifier woodstoves work best with MC below 10%. I stack wood indoors near the stove for a while before burning, and all the splits are 8" long, so that renders it really primo.

To avoid back-torture while noodling, I use a combination approach: set a round on its side on a splitting block and/or go down on one knee while sawing. Never kneel while felling a tree or bucking anything that might move. Never. Ever.

Almost forgot: gloves. Atlas Fit are rubber-palm-coated knot gloves...firm grip without squeezing,...wear like proverbial iron, way longer than leather. Sold by the dozen, like at Amazon..

Thanks for the glove mention. I'll check them out.

Didn't know about the knee, but I'll probably not do that. Getting too old I think I'll do something like you suggest for noodling combined with Zogger's board screwed into the round. So far, it seems like have a lot of crotches, forks and knots to deal with. It would be good to have a noodle station already set up for dealing with them.

Wow, 10% ? I was aiming for less than 20%. I have a little meter, but wasn't sure it was working right. Makes sense to split a piece and check the middle.

We're working on a firewood wall right now. We're working out a temporary snag at the moment because I want it to go around the cut out to the kitchen. We're leaning toward a shelf above the cut out supported by limbs that we change out every year. Closer to the stove than we're comfortable with for permanent wood. We could use metal supports.... So we should get our wood pretty dry too. I've got to remember that shorter cuts are ok...

Do you think elm that was just cut will be dry, without splitting, by November just air drying?

Thanks for all your help, I surely appreciate it.



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[svk]

@marcy-m

Firewood is generally considered acceptable to burn if it's under 20%, and of course lower is better.

I've re-split 5 year old, covered firewood to test the middle with a moisture meter and its hovering from 12-14%. Although we do have shorter, cooler summers than you so things stay more moist.

Most split/stacked/covered firewood will be ready to burn after one summer of drying, with red oak being one exception.

 

[marcy-m]

Marcy , about little saws ....
Most of the wood I've cut this past winter have been done with my 026's ...come to realize that I could get by just fine with a little MS230 for anything I can cut and move by hand , just have to do it a little slower .

I also have a Makita electric saw that I've used ....more than enough power , bought it from Home Depot's rental department for 100$ I think .

I am fortunate enough to own a splitter (more than 1 and less than 5) but I still split about 90%

Hope that helps some .

Congrats on the wood score! I have carried a lot of wood in the back of my van, and I've brought bags and bags of leaves home riding on the top. I have a massive compost pile.

I'm glad to hear that using a small saw is very doable. The way it cut today, I think I'm in love with that little saw.

Haha about how you use a little...saw. Too true. However when little saw combines with inexperience there's lots of room for mess ups. And it's possible the end result will be less than happy. With everyone's help here, though, I'm feeling pretty confident that I'm on the road to knowing what I'm doing with this saw. I'm almost positive that I now know more than the average homeowner thanks to y'all. Very much appreciated!

I agree about the noise with the electric, but that gas saw is just wonderful! great idea buying from HD's rental!

The next wood purchase probably needs to be the fiskars x27. We're using the yellow handle maul from HD or Walmart, I think. 15 year old daughter chooses to split rather than run or do any other kind of PE. She would appreciate a better maul I'm sure.




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[marcy-m]

Do you ever bring a saw to pick up wood? I have the added pressure of being a woman with a chainsaw - a picture that probably scares some people. It sure would be nice to cut some larger logs down to make it easier for the kids and I to load. Appearances are everything, though.


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[Philbert]

I have the added pressure of being a woman with a chainsaw -

I know many women who are very capable with a chainsaw. If you handle it well, people will respect you.

Philbert

 

[zogger]

Do you ever bring a saw to pick up wood? I have the added pressure of being a woman with a chainsaw - a picture that probably scares some people. It sure would be nice to cut some larger logs down to make it easier for the kids and I to load. Appearances are everything, though.


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Noodling on site is where a larger saw with a longer bar would really come in handy. I have to noodle or bust on site some of the big ones I get, just to get the chunks in the trailer. A big oak round around here, stuff that I have cut, can be well over 300 lbs. I have some coming up that will most likely be...have to go look something up and do some math....

hmm, seems high, maybe I screwed up my math, but a big red oak, should hit 1045 lbs per 16 inch round. That's 4 foot diameter and green weight at 64 lbs per cubic foot. Bet yore bippy I'll be busting that up where it sits whatever it weighs, it will be heavy! Most likely, noodling and splitting out big chunks as I cut down the log.

edit: well, I don't get it, the online references don't add up. One says 3800 and change lbs per cord of green red oak. but..if you use their example of 61 lbs per cubic foot, it is 7808 lbs. Hmmm

either way, heavy stuff! maybe they don't give a solid block of wood 128 cu/ft per cord theoretical and deduct some for air space, I don't know.

something ain't right with those figures. I was guessing before I ran the numbers half that weight, something around 550 lbs.

Someone here has run big measured loads through scales, maybe they will chime in with real world weights.

edit 2: They *are* counting air space in a cord, I read further. They say a cord runs 75 to 100 cubic foot, the rest air space to make it 128. This makes more sense now.

so..the big round, which will be solid, is gonna be some kinda stout!

 

[marcy-m]

Either way, that's a lot of log Zogger!

The kids and i loaded a 17dx22l ash and a 14d x 40l ash log, and we were high fiving each other. You woulda thought we won the World Series or something. We use leverage as much as possible, so it's not like we're dead lifting it.

Are you selling as firewood or as a tabletop or something similar?


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[Deleted member 83629]

@marcy-m

Firewood is generally considered acceptable to burn if it's under 20%, and of course lower is better.

I've re-split 5 year old, covered firewood to test the middle with a moisture meter and its hovering from 12-14%. Although we do have shorter, cooler summers than you so things stay more moist.

Most split/stacked/covered firewood will be ready to burn after one summer of drying, with red oak being one exception.

moisture content of my wood is around 13 percent in 6 months if i cut in march and then it would be ready by december.

 

[marcy-m]

I know many women who are very capable with a chainsaw. If you handle it well, people will respect you.

Philbert

That's wonderful! I wish some lived around here. This is the south, and while things are changing, many people have very definite opinions about women doing these kinds of things.

I just look at it like I'm part of a team, and this is what's needed right now. So, I get to learn how to cut firewood. Don't know if it'll always be my job to do, but it is at the moment. Not a whole lot of understanding about that in my neighborhood.

I think if I got a hard hat, wore my hair in a pony tail, and wore chaps, I might be able to fly under the radar. At least until they see I'm not a complete idiot. Ha ha


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