Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[hardpan]

Ok, here's that trick applied to this small locust that was also down "Honda Ct.".
I love to be able to see this stuff and not just here how to do it, so here's the picture tutorial lol.View attachment 483186 This is were I winched it to, you can see it's ready to get hung up now.View attachment 483187 Here's what I did to the choker to roll the log where I wanted it to go. View attachment 483188 Here's what happened when I started to winch it again. It doesn't always work, but when it does it makes things easier.
View attachment 483189

You're having way to much fun to call that work. LOL

 

[hardpan]

Raw sap is almost flavorless but has a very slight maple flavor. It is not sweet when you taste it. My cousin does maple syrup and maple sugar commercially on his farm and so I have been exposed to sap at every stage of the process. You never process sap in the kitchen because the steam coming off while you cook it down is not just pure water, it can get sticky and you will be in trouble at home if you do it indoors. When I lived closer we would buy an imperial gallon from him every year and never had any left over the next year. He lives just 5 miles north of the Vermont border in southern Quebec. When you get it cheap or free it is amazing how fast it gets used up. His family uses it in place of cane sugar in many things like when making rhubarb pies or sauce. Maple sugar on oatmeal rather than brown sugar is also great. Be careful to not use too much all at one time because maple syrup can act as a mild laxative. I live too far away right now to keep getting syrup at wholesale from him but can see me tapping some of my own trees starting next year.

I talked to an old friend last week who said he was making syrup. I asked where he found so many sugar maple as I don't come across a large number. He said he didn't need them all to be sugar maple, that other maple and even walnut would be fine. I made a face and he quickly replied that the walnut doesn't hurt the taste. Was he pull'n my leg? He also said it was taking too much propane and not enough heat. I told him heat was not a problem because the coal mine I work at was about 2 miles from his house and they would let him hand pick or load his truck. He was interested but now I had a vision of black specs floating in that beautiful syrup. I don't know if he has a chance at this. LOL

 

[svk]

Some guys mix boxelder sap too. It has a different flavor and is bitter if cooked down alone but supposedly added 1/3 with 2/3 maple it is very good.

 

[MustangMike]

Boxelder is in the Maple Family, and all Maple can be tapped, just lower sugar content. Black Birch, Walnut & others can also be tapped, but may change the flavor some. There is a lot of info on line re: what can be tapped. Drinking just the sap from some trees may have medicinal benefits.

 

[chipper1]

The picture appears to be a stem about 3" diameter, protruding about 10 " from the ground, then branches out and no hollow center where you chainsawed it.
Asian Honeysuckle does not generally have a "trunk". Instead there are several stems coming out of the ground or very near the ground from a central wad. The bark of yours isn't even close. The bark is well detailed on the small photo. I've cut a thousand of those. You may get to skip this fun little hobby. LOL

Note the small red berries in the big photo

Not the same, but ours could be invasive as well. The nice thing about this stuff is it's pretty easy to take care of. Two guys and a couple chains can remove
lots of it quickly. the branches go out all directions from the ground, although it doesn't make it easy to get to it sure makes a chain or strap stay right at the base.
I will be removing a bunch of the Russian Olive this spring/summer. we use the same concoction you guys are. We just cut them off then dab the stem with it. I've done hundreds of the Autumn Olive at the school my wife teaches at, it's best is to get them in the spring before they spread, then come back in the fall and cut them again and dab them so the herbicide gets drawn in.
My buddy just bought a place that has bamboo on it, that's a whole different project. Before it was put on the market they trenched around it, but it made it out. We'll have to see what it takes to kill it, any tips anyone. I know some states make the owner who plants it responsible for any damage

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

My uncle bought a house with bamboo in the yard. He bulldozed it all into a pile and burned it. Then he burned the ground it was standing on. Then he sprayed the whole thing with a mix of roundup and fuel oil.

I think he had to go through that whole routine 2 or 3 times, but it eventually worked.

 

[hardpan]

Boxelder is in the Maple Family, and all Maple can be tapped, just lower sugar content. Black Birch, Walnut & others can also be tapped, but may change the flavor some. There is a lot of info on line re: what can be tapped. Drinking just the sap from some trees may have medicinal benefits.

That surprises me, especially the walnut. A long time ago I carved wood and walnut was my favorite. I power carved some and found the walnut dust to be almost toxic when breathed. I never researched the syrup process because there isn't enough sugar maple available around here. I have always felt there is a good chance the cure for some of the bad diseases will be found in nature (some say it already has), but then who could make a lot of money from it?

 

[hardpan]

Not the same, but ours could be invasive as well. The nice thing about this stuff is it's pretty easy to take care of. Two guys and a couple chains can remove
lots of it quickly. the branches go out all directions from the ground, although it doesn't make it easy to get to it sure makes a chain or strap stay right at the base.
I will be removing a bunch of the Russian Olive this spring/summer. we use the same concoction you guys are. We just cut them off then dab the stem with it. I've done hundreds of the Autumn Olive at the school my wife teaches at, it's best is to get them in the spring before they spread, then come back in the fall and cut them again and dab them so the herbicide gets drawn in.
My buddy just bought a place that has bamboo on it, that's a whole different project. Before it was put on the market they trenched around it, but it made it out. We'll have to see what it takes to kill it, any tips anyone. I know some states make the owner who plants it responsible for any damage

I have only seen one patch of bamboo. The people were intentionally growing it for craft projects. A friend stopped by one day when the owner was working on it and asked how do you get it started? The owner replied, "The question is how do you stop it?" She went on to say something like there are some that can be controlled and others that are illegal to plant.

 

[crazywolf]

Not sure if you got your saw yet @svk but here is some light work mine did. It's amazing how fast it cuts. Of course it's my "BIG" saw of my 3ish saw plan.

 

[chipper1]

You're having way to much fun to call that work. LOL

hardpan, I'm pretty sure I didn't call it work anywhere other than when I said I did a "little work" in the GMT
This is all just chores around the house if you will, no real pay involved, when I work I try to make a buck or two
Here's some more "playing" I did today
This is a cherry that had the top broken and still attached. I knew it would hang up if I notched it to fall where I wanted it to go. I was to lazy to move the quads(they are just parts quads anyway) and getting the tractor out for the locust in the earlier post was already in the plan. So I notched it to fall where I wanted and just took a little extra of from the back cut on the side with the quads. It did exactly as planned and leaned right into another tree. What a bummer, oh well, a little tug (very little), little spin and it's right where I nicely asked her to go Here's the cherry and the smallest pieces of the locust. The locust as well as the pieces of the cherry from the broken top went straight into the house.

 

[MustangMike]

Wolf, glad you are enjoying that saw, but snug that chain up before you either loose it or ruin your bar.

 

[nomad_archer]

Little after work scrounge today. Two pick up loads of wood. I didn't unload the second load of wood. I am hoping that the near 60* temps and rain will melt enough snow so that I can drop the wood off at the processing area.

 

[chipper1]

Little after work scrounge today. Two pick up loads of wood. I didn't unload the second load of wood. I am hoping that the near 60* temps and rain will melt enough snow so that I can drop the wood off at the processing area.

That's gotta be one of the best air fresheners your truck has ever had

Help me out with the different types of cherry guys.
Is this the black cherry you guys said was hard to split,
Because it looks a lot denser than the stuff I have in the bucket above

 

[hautions11]

I tapped 4 maples and 5 black walnuts today. I do not mix them. Walnut syrup is awesome. I process the maple separately.

 

[JustJeff]

I may be getting older but I can still spot safety problems. This guy has no hard hat, no gloves, no eye or ear protection. PPE people, HELLO!

 

[abbott295]

I don't think he's about to cut any trees though.

 

[abbott295]

But I wouldn't hold a saw like that anyway.

 

[chipper1]

View attachment 483273 I may be getting older but I can still spot safety problems. This guy has no hard hat, no gloves, no eye or ear protection. PPE people, HELLO!

It's ok everyone it's just one of those toy stihl saws like FS has
But hey you gotta start somewhere

 

[chipper1]

I have only seen one patch of bamboo. The people were intentionally growing it for craft projects. A friend stopped by one day when the owner was working on it and asked how do you get it started? The owner replied, "The question is how do you stop it?" She went on to say something like there are some that can be controlled and others that are illegal to plant.

The people that planted it at my buddies house had adopted some kids from overseas and wanted them to feel "at home" in their new home.
I don't know anything about bamboo except the pandas have very sharp teeth to eat it,
so I will have to make sure my chains are sharp, then the fire is hot

 

[svk]

Not sure if you got your saw yet @svk but here is some light work mine did. It's amazing how fast it cuts. Of course it's my "BIG" saw of my 3ish saw plan.


View attachment 483211 View attachment 483213

I meet my new friend two weeks from yesterday or today.