Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

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I'll stop saying tulip poplar when everyone else stops saying "cotton" wood.
That one's got a real basis. Cottonwood seed pods produce a cottony byproduct in the spring that help distribute the seeds on windy days. It can be a real nuisance. Poplar does something similar. Tulip Poplar leaves look like White Poplar leaves. I'd probably think they're the same family without the science to say otherwise.

Most of the common names come from observation and association. I enjoy learning name origins for plants and trees. Sometimes it's fairly clear but sometimes a name has been around so long it's hard to trace it's ... uh... roots.

I thought it was a quark of wood. Heating at the subatomic level. One split lasts a lifetime with the proper stove.
Quantum wood. Hate the stuff. Constantly have to open the stove to make sure it's burning.

BTW, when stacking a face cord, is it better to use a famous person or just pick someone's face at random?
creative-wood-pile2.jpg
 
I know quite a few scroungers who carry a small chainsaw, an axe and a hand saw in their vehicles. Many cars have some pretty deep trunks and can hold quite a bit of wood. Of course a pick up or a van ( Dancan) is even better. Sometimes a simple knock on the door asking if the homeowner would like the fallen tree removed, can result in a good score of firewood. I always carry a 10,000 lb. tow strap with me and have pulled many a tree up to the side of the road where I could cut it up easier.
 
Gonna share a few pics of my scrounging heaven right now. This mess was laid over by Sandy just behind my store. First pic is how it looked when I started cutting there late last fall . Second is grabbing another load today. 371 on the log for reference. I'm the only one cutting here, so no need to hurry. Got about a dozen or so loads out so far. Everything stopped after the snow hit.

pBLPKqD.jpg


4ssXEc0.jpg
 
What has been the scrounger's best friend for this project is my pole saw. :clap: What I've done is drop the limbs, some of them good sized, a little at a time instead of having the whole thing crash to the ground in one big mess. What a difference that has made! Pic #2 is what I grabbed today. Don't need to max out every load since I'm here every day. And there's a LOT of wood still to go.

rP6lzDk.jpg


xUZzyDh.jpg
 
What has been the scrounger's best friend for this project is my pole saw. :clap: What I've done is drop the limbs, some of them good sized, a little at a time instead of having the whole thing crash to the ground in one big mess. What a difference that has made! Pic #2 is what I grabbed today. Don't need to max out every load since I'm here every day. And there's a LOT of wood still to go.

Wood lot nice and close to home, doesn't get much better than that.
 
Seems a pole saw would be a pretty handy tool to have for a scrounger, or anyone for that matter. Lot's of good sized, bright, shiny, dead lower branches on the oaks just around here. They could be easily harvested with one of those.
 
Yes. A pole saw is under-rated for storm clean-up and problem trees.

Philbert

Oh yeah, VERY under rated. The 2 logs the pole saw is lying on were in fact dropped with it. It was all one piece and I dropped it in 2 sections. The larger of the 2 was a little too big for the pole saw's 12" bar and I had finish the cut from the other side. Cut was made from the upper right in the pic just to the left of the dead limb.
 
Not trying to De-Rail your thread......

How do you like the pole saw?
I have only used a old electric Remington and was surprised at how quick it was.


Love the thing, and wouldn't want to be without it. Don't have a lot of occasions to use it, but when that's what the job calls for, it's the greatest thing going. This clean up would have been a bear without it, but it's going MUCH easier due to the pole saw. (and a lot safer too :)) Like Clint said, it's a very handy tool to have. When you think of how many conventional saws we have, (and continue to add), a pole saw would make a sensible "next saw" choice for a lot of us.
 
Not a de-rail at all. Anything that enhances, or is related to scrounging, is encouraged. Any tool that makes the tough art of scrounging more successful, and easier, is an important contribution to gained knowledge.:rock:
 
I don't use my pole saw often, but when i need one, it sure is handy!! I mostly use mine for trimming limbs and I feel a lot more comfortable handing mine to a "new-er" chainsaw user, than a regular chainsaw, when we are out tree trimming....

SR
 
I have one of those electric Remingtons - trimmed the lower branches off every tree on the block (15) with it when the City stopped doing this a few years ago, and people were getting hit in the face. Folks on the other side felt left out, so I did theirs the next year.

I mention this partially due to cat-face's question, and partially because the bigger branches went into my stove wood pile.

Been trying one of the cordless ones, which has obvious advantages over a corded electric in the woods, but only an 8 inch bar. Works well within its capabilities, but does not have the speed or bar length of the larger ones. Maybe I could fit a longer bar with skip tooth chain (used on several of the smaller, big box store type saws)?

Philbert
 
Gonna share a few pics of my scrounging heaven right now. This mess was laid over by Sandy just behind my store. First pic is how it looked when I started cutting there late last fall . Second is grabbing another load today. 371 on the log for reference. I'm the only one cutting here, so no need to hurry. Got about a dozen or so loads out so far. Everything stopped after the snow hit.

pBLPKqD.jpg


4ssXEc0.jpg

So that's what heaven looks like :)
 

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