Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Cowboy254]

lol normally i proof read it. i guess i was a bit tuckered out last nite from the big day lol

I don't blame you. Milking a red gum is tiring work!

 

[jr27236]

I don't blame you. Milking a red gum is tiring work!

Hahahaha!!

 

[JustJeff]

Not a scrounge per say but a good chuckle for you all. Little lengthy.

Due to the mild winter last year, last years firewood leftovers were left under a tarp which happened to be a great environment for fungus and mold to grow. Most of it was crappy soft maple anyways but has some cherry too. I listed it for sale on facebook as good outdoor boiler wood that I didn't want. I received a message from a kid that wanted some, he lives about 45 mins north. I said sure, I'll even help ya load it, night or day didn't matter, come get it. Two younger guys (18-22?) show up with a big 4 door F350 diesel truck with a short flatbed. I hopped in my Chevy Traverse and took them down the road to the wood pile thats in the corner of my field. The firewood pile was closest to the entrance (which I should have told them) but I pulled in and drove around my log pile and pointed my lights on the pile from the other side. Well, they first managed to get stuck in 2WD trying to make it around the end of the wood pile. I hopped out of my car I run over and tell them its closest to the entrance and it would be easiest if they back out to the road and then backed in to the pile. Keep in mind, the ground was a little greasy but not muddy and they have good tires. He backs up two truck lengths and was too far to the side so he tries to correct and ends up way off the edge of my drive stuck (WTF, he was only 4-5 truck lengths off the road). I had to go get my 4x4 tractor and pull him out! The kid could not back that truck up for the life of him. As we loaded his truck they told me they were stationed at the base up north and were going to use the wood for a bon fire with his unit. They ended up taking about half a face cord in total. I had maybe 2 fc to get rid of an had it advertised as all for $40. I asked them what it was worth to them and he said $40, I said how about $20 but he said no $40 for it and because I got them out with the tractor lol. I didn't argue and had to direct him out since he still didn't back all the way out after I pulled him out. The funniest part is if he looked on craigslist he could have probably found split/seasoned firewood for $55 per F/C locally to him and skipped the 1.5 hour round trip!

I get a few campfire guys every year. Always happy to pay whatever. Way cheaper than buying bundles from the local store. I get guys coming from up to 45 minutes away. Even try to tell them about local guys but once people see an ad with a picture and talk to me, they seem to want to make the trip. I usually try to save a couple cords of soft maple or poplar for those guys cause it doesn't matter in a bonfire.

 

[svk]

Ran the 272 finally and put a little more time on the 550 and 241.

Bucked up a tree I had dropped earlier this fall and got the top cleaned up on a aspen that literally broke off halfway up and landed right on top of the birch tree I had bucked this spring.

 

[JustJeff]

Ran the 272 finally and put a little more time on the 550 and 241.

Bucked up a tree I had dropped earlier this fall and got the top cleaned up on a aspen that literally broke off halfway up and landed right on top of the birch tree I had bucked this spring.

View attachment 534835 View attachment 534836 View attachment 534837 View attachment 534838

How does the 562 compare now that you have the 550 back from the saw spa?

 

[svk]

How does the 562 compare now that you have the 550 back from the saw spa?

Haven't ran them back to back yet. It's going to be close I'd say.

I want to get as many hours as I can on these three saws (241/550/272) before Christmas to get the rings seated and AT readjusted on the 550. Then when I go out to cut for fun I'll wrap the 550 and 562 up in matching loops of square file and see how things shake out.

 

[Cowboy254]

Well, I've been swingin again.



Took a while. Some of that peppermint grain was ok but other bits were more interlocked and had to hit it a fair few times to make inroads. Perhaps since it was on top of the ridge and more exposed to the wind the got knocked around a bit more during its lifetime. Anyway, made a coupla piles one for me in the foreground and one for the lady farmer at the back.



Then, in a bit of a rare event for me since I like swinging the maul, I had a noodle (my soft girly hands were getting a bit blistery).



I must say, it was kinda fun with my new limbing saw which sprays noodles forward as well as chucking them out the back which the 460 doesn't do so much. I'll finish splitting those partially noodled rounds another time. It was a nice afternoon out on the ridge.

 

[MustangMike]

I'll be delivering another 1/2 cord tomorrow AM, but here are a few pic from the hike the wife & I took with the dogs on Tue. Went to So Mt Beacon, and partly up the fire tower (was very windy, which made it feel cold). It is the highest Mt between the Catskills and the Ocean.

Nice views of the Hudson River, Beacon/Newburg Bridge, Beacon Reservoir, and Stewart airport is across the river in the pic. The fire tower restoration was done as a project last year by the guys at Camp Smith.

While many of the Sugar Maples have dropped their leaves, the forest around this Mt is mostly Oak, and the leaves are still mostly on.

 

[Marshy]

I'll be delivering another 1/2 cord tomorrow AM, but here are a few pic from the hike the wife & I took with the dogs on Tue. Went to So Mt Beacon, and partly up the fire tower (was very windy, which made it feel cold). It is the highest Mt between the Catskills and the Ocean.

Nice views of the Hudson River, Beacon/Newburg Bridge, Beacon Reservoir, and Stewart airport is across the river in the pic. The fire tower restoration was done as a project last year by the guys at Camp Smith.

While many of the Sugar Maples have dropped their leaves, the forest around this Mt is mostly Oak, and the leaves are still mostly on.

Nice pics. The rock formation in your area is amazing to me, so is all the oak.

 

[Tenderfoot]

Feel horrible sawing these into firewood, but I do not have any good way to mill them. A few of these logs were 13' 6" on the dot when I started, but it is cheaper to dump the wood over selling it for a lot of the local guys. So it winds up in the yard. I wear a 13 3E boot for scale. I think most are 18-22in dia.

I mis-titled the 'red pine' image. I cannot remember the species. Vaguely yellowish wood with Oak-like bark. Smells like pitch pine to me.

 

[MustangMike]

Nice pics. The rock formation in your area is amazing to me, so is all the oak.

In a lot of places up there, the exposed granite clearly shows the glacial striations, really cool IMO. Breackneck Ridge is near by, and granite from there was used at West Point, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the steps of the Capital Building in Albany.

 

[nomad_archer]

Well guys I am in business to burn for the year. Just had a small crack in the flue cleaned up by the chimney sweep. Now I can get back to trying to get ready for my archery vacation next week.

I upgraded my headlamp after killing 3 $20 ones in 3 years. I use these all the time hunting, fishing, home improvement, hauling wood in to the house. It was just time to invest in a better light.

 

[jr27236]

Your gonna look like a locomotive with that thing lol
Nice light.

 

[nomad_archer]

Thanks. It's bright that's for sure. It has some extra features that I'm curious to see how they work. Like blue tooth to my phone so I can see how much run time is left and adjust the lighting to the activity. I hope all that works. I really wanted the 300 lumens all the rest is a bonus.

 

[captjack]

Nice 60/70 ft oak - nice and straight - will split up easy - should make boards out of trunk but..... Thats a JD5400 TRACTOR to put the size in perspective

 

[jr27236]

So I purchased a pretty cool tool, thought it may come in handy and for the sale price of $16 shipped I figured I cant go wrong if it is more of a gimmick. It is called the "woodcutters helper" I thought it could help speed things along and give me more uniform lengths, because I need 16" and anything larger I need to start angling and such. You adjust that white ring out (max is 16"from magnet) and stick it to the side of the bar and mark out the log with your chain and move right along taping away with the white ring in the previous notch, then remove it from the bar and cut away at your marks. This may of been talked about before (Its probably been around longer than I lol) and many might find this a waste, but looks to me like I wont have to measure out and mark out 16" intervals anymore. Yes I can eyeball lengths but uniform is what im trying to get out of this and might even make stacking easier?

 

[nomad_archer]

So I purchased a pretty cool tool, thought it may come in handy and for the sale price of $16 shipped I figured I cant go wrong if it is more of a gimmick. It is called the "woodcutters helper" I thought it could help speed things along and give me more uniform lengths, because I need 16" and anything larger I need to start angling and such. You adjust that white ring out (max is 16"from magnet) and stick it to the side of the bar and mark out the log with your chain and move right along taping away with the white ring in the previous notch, then remove it from the bar and cut away at your marks. This may of been talked about before (Its probably been around longer than I lol) and many might find this a waste, but looks to me like I wont have to measure out and mark out 16" intervals anymore. Yes I can eyeball lengths but uniform is what im trying to get out of this and might even make stacking easier?

So you stick in on the bar. Measure. Then remove from bar and make the cut? @farmer steve does something similar but he uses a 16" archer arrow. He is quick and efficient. That arrow never leaves his hand he measures moves the saw and makes the cut. You can probably do similar with that tool. For me the on and off the bar would get tedious. I wonder if you can stick that on one of your felling spikes or bar nuts and get close enough to rock and roll with out the on/off.

Looking at this more. If I was you I would use this as a great excuse to get the outer dawg for your saw. That sucker is a slab of metal that you could stick that magnet to and really be productive.

 

[jr27236]

Haven't used yet, but you stick it (magnet) to the bar as pictured. Then from the white ring to the end of the log, mark your first 16" by making a small cut in the bark, then put the white ring in that cut and mark the next 16" out with another notch cut. Repeat as necessary and then remove the tool and cut all your marks, it has to go fast I'd assume.
Putting it on the spike wont give you the measurement you need for the bar. Below is a picture of the instructions to understand better then i can explain lol.

 

[farmer steve]

So you stick in on the bar. Measure. Then remove from bar and make the cut? @farmer steve does something similar but he uses a 16" archer arrow. He is quick and efficient. That arrow never leaves his hand he measures moves the saw and makes the cut. You can probably do similar with that tool. For me the on and off the bar would get tedious. I wonder if you can stick that on one of your felling spikes or bar nuts and get close enough to rock and roll with out the on/off.

Looking at this more. If I was you I would use this as a great excuse to get the outer dawg for your saw. That sucker is a slab of metal that you could stick that magnet to and really be productive.

thanks Trevor. next time your here we'll make a video.

 

[jr27236]

Hell i guess i could of just used any fixed 16" and do what he does. I wanted to see what this item was though and how'd it work. Guess it wasn't a total waste lol