Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[zogger]

View attachment 526125View attachment 526125most of the time i juse dis part for such a job

Good for some wood but not all blocks. A lot of times in twisty wood you can "sink" wedge after wedge and wind up with just a block fulla wedges. Most mauls are too wide and you can't "chase" the wedge right down through the wood. I have found my old style Husky maul to be narrow enough in the head to chase them though. That's all I use that maul for now, the fiskars isocore is better as a maul. They still might not split thouugh, that's the problem. There needs to be a big fat long wide heavy wedge option.

I would really like some BIG wedges that are wider than my sledge hammer head and full length, like 16 inches long. Hmm..I know just the company, let me try this idea out on them, see if they think they can make some..Hey, @DHT

 

[zogger]

I had 3 steel wedges, 2 just like the one pictured above, in some of my barb wire infested Ash yesterday, all buried with no joy. I thought Ash was supposed to be easy to split!

Sucks, doesn't it? Sometimes you get a run of easy wood to split, other times, egads, you want the nuclear device option...

 

[svk]

Sucks, doesn't it? Sometimes you get a run of easy wood to split, other times, egads, you want the nuclear device option...

I had a big hollow silver maple once. The grain grew at about a 45 degree angle and dud direction changes that looked like lightning bolts. I finally gave in and just noodled the whole thing.

 

[Hinerman]

I had a big hollow silver maple once. The grain grew at about a 45 degree angle and dud direction changes that looked like lightning bolts. I finally gave in and just noodled the whole thing.

Been there, done that...

 

[Hinerman]

Good for some wood but not all blocks. A lot of times in twisty wood you can "sink" wedge after wedge and wind up with just a block fulla wedges.

I tried splitting some elm (red IIRC) with a wedge. The wedge sunk into the wood flush with the wood, not one crack or one hint of a split. I might as well have driven the wedge into sand. And I use those wedges with the wings on them from Estwing.

 

[muddstopper]

Since I built my hyd splitter, I cant even remember where my mauls and wedges are at. I remember as a kid splitting locust post, usually 6 to 8 ft long, but occasionally splitting 12ft fence rails. Dad gave my brother and I a 10lb sledge, half a dozen wedges and a chainsaw to buck the logs to post lengths. He also showed us how to make a gullet wedge for those long splits. We made the gullets out of either small pieces of locust or small dia dogwood. with a gullet, you can make it as long or wide as you want it. We would start the split using the steel wedges and once the wood was cracked, we would drive the gullet in and just keep beating on it until the splits separated. I have never seen a round I couldnt split using wedges, but I have seen many that are a lot easier to just put on the splitter and pull the handle instead of doing all that beating and hammering.

 

[zogger]

Since I built my hyd splitter, I cant even remember where my mauls and wedges are at. I remember as a kid splitting locust post, usually 6 to 8 ft long, but occasionally splitting 12ft fence rails. Dad gave my brother and I a 10lb sledge, half a dozen wedges and a chainsaw to buck the logs to post lengths. He also showed us how to make a gullet wedge for those long splits. We made the gullets out of either small pieces of locust or small dia dogwood. with a gullet, you can make it as long or wide as you want it. We would start the split using the steel wedges and once the wood was cracked, we would drive the gullet in and just keep beating on it until the splits separated. I have never seen a round I couldnt split using wedges, but I have seen many that are a lot easier to just put on the splitter and pull the handle instead of doing all that beating and hammering.

Is it a very specific shape and way to make it, or just a wide long triangular wooden wedge? I never heard the term and my google fu doesn't come up with anything.

 

[svk]

First and last time out with the electric saw. Had a couple of scrounge limbs to buck.

I tried a little noodling and fried the motor (it was already smelling a little funky when I was bucking). This saw was scrounged from a garage with a caved in roof so I think the motor had a lot of moisture in it over the years which led to its early demise.

 

[svk]

All packed for tomorrow.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

My cheater scrounge:

$375 delivered. It was from 2 acres that we cleared at work for a well pad.

I see some aspen, oak, and maple. Not sure on the sub-species. Anybody see anything else?

Plenty of supervisors too:

 

[muddstopper]

Is it a very specific shape and way to make it, or just a wide long triangular wooden wedge? I never heard the term and my google fu doesn't come up with anything.

A gullet, (what my dad called it), is just a home made wooden wedge. Take a small round of wood(3-4-5 in dia) and use your chainsaw to sharpen it on two sides. You can make the taper as long or short or wide as you want. Long, thin, tapers with a wide beating end work best splitting posts. just need to pick a wood type that can withstand a little beating with a sledge.

 

[rburg]

All packed for tomorrow.

View attachment 526163

What model Husky is between the 562 and the homelite?

 

[svk]

What model Husky is between the 562 and the homelite?

L65

 

[dancan]

Had another nice day up here so back to the scrounge site I went

Since the distance to the treeline was getting further away I decided to move the tractor this afternoon to save on the choker chasing time since I was the choker chaser .
There are a few nice trees on this lot along with the mix of fenceposts .

The woodpiles are growing , it'll be interesting to see what the final tally will be .

Scrounge on !

 

[svk]

Had another nice day up here so back to the scrounge site I went

Since the distance to the treeline was getting further away I decided to move the tractor this afternoon to save on the choker chasing time since I was the choker chaser .
There are a few nice trees on this lot along with the mix of fenceposts .

The woodpiles are growing , it'll be interesting to see what the final tally will be .

Scrounge on !

Correct me if I'm wrong but logging is your hobby and not your main occupation?

 

[dancan]

Not wrong .
I own an auto repair shop for my day job 5 days a week for the last 20 years, the wood is for heat , I'm only a hack .

 

[svk]

Most impressive.

 

[dancan]

I enjoy it

 

[LondonNeil]

It is impressive, although I rather miss the sled and a mini van loaded to the gunnels.

 

[Erik B]

First and last time out with the electric saw. Had a couple of scrounge limbs to buck.

I tried a little noodling and fried the motor (it was already smelling a little funky when I was bucking). This saw was scrounged from a garage with a caved in roof so I think the motor had a lot of moisture in it over the years which led to its early demise.

View attachment 526160

@svk If you are looking at replacing your little electric, I have a craftsman electric that I haven't used in years.