Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[nomad_archer]

So let's see, your dropping a tree near some power lines & a road, you do your notch & back cut, not enough room for a wedge with the saw still in the tree but you have cut your notch so thin you can't believe the tree is still standing. So you remove your saw and reach for a wedge, just as the wind gusts and tips your tree in the wrong direction .....

Using rope or cable when the fall direction really matters is not a reflection of a lack of skills, but rather reflects common sense. Be safe out there, not sorry. In the woods is a different story, but not near houses, power lines or roads. But always be alert any way, even the small one that you think is no problem can kill you. ALWAYS look for dead stuff and hang ups when felling, and always wear a helmet. To quote a line from a famous book "There are no second place winners" (ie there is no room for mistakes).

Even more reasons I like them already on the ground. Another bit of common sense. "There is no shame in walking away". I wont mess with felling trees when I am not 100% sure where it will go or there is a real threat of property damage if everything doesn't go just right. I just dont drop tree often enough to attempt anything difficult or complicated. When its my property and I need something difficult put on the ground, I have a buddy that makes his living putting trees on the ground. Since we are friends he works for steak. Pretty good deal for everyone involved.

 

[panolo]

Hahaha. They look the part but they're not very venomous and not very aggressive.

I suppose your idea of not very venomous and mine differs. Specially after watching those Nat Geo shows where 20 out of the 25 most venomous animals live in your neck of the wood.

 

[nomad_archer]

I got a care package today from Minnesota. Wow SVK the pictures didn't do these grouse justice. Gorgeous birds and even better prep, processing and packing.

If you pack saws the way you packed those feathers, I wouldn't worry for a second about buying a saw from you.

I can't say thank you enough.

The picture from the work bench doesn't do these justice.

 

[svk]

I got a care package today from Minnesota. Wow SVK the pictures didn't do these grouse justice. Gorgeous birds and even better prep, processing and packing.

If you pack saws the way you packed those feathers, I wouldn't worry for a second about buying a saw from you.

I can't saw thank you enough.

The picture from the work bench doesn't do these justice.

I'm glad to hear they arrived safely. Remember just pay it forward and post up pics of the dry flies you create/bring to life with those feathers!

Oh and I love that usps gives free priority boxes so I could pack them so creatively

 

[nomad_archer]

I'm glad to hear they arrived safely. Remember just pay it forward and post up pics of the dry flies you create/bring to life with those feathers!

Oh and I love that usps gives free priority boxes so I could pack them so creatively

I certainly will certainly pay it forward when the opportunity presents itself. And pictures will be coming as soon as I finish up with the rest of the preservation steps. I am super pumped to use these beautiful feathers.

 

[JustJeff]

In my parts i can run naked through the woods and take a nap in a field, the only thing to worry about is a tick that may have lime disease.

All the rest of the folks in Dan's parts have to worry about are, well,...Dan's parts!!!
Ahahahaha!!!

 

[JustJeff]

Need help identifying this tree. Is this hardwood?

 

[svk]

LMAO!!!

 

[tpence2177]

I hate this time change stuff. Means I can't go out and do anything in the yard/woods after I get off work.

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[svk]

I hate this time change stuff. Means I can't go out and do anything in the yard/woods after I get off work.

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Headlamp!

 

[tpence2177]

Need to put some led headlights on my mower like I did the golf cart and chop some leaves lol

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[chucker]

an hour before work ! work don't have or know time just the worker...

 

[tpence2177]

an hour before work !

Haha I get up at 530 every morning too dark and way to sleepy to have a chainsaw. The headlamp after work is a good idea though.... I have a decent putzl headlamp that I haven't used in a while.

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[Plowboy83]

I hate this time change stuff. Means I can't go out and do anything in the yard/woods after I get off work.

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Ain't that the damn truth

 

[chucker]

like ben franklin said" early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise"... know about the first and last! but the middle I am still waiting for! maybe after the dumpster gets in office he will abolish the tax system and the government will pay us good tax payers for all the torment they have caused an make us all rich? lol and leave time alone where it should be !

 

[Hinerman]

Load 5. All elm we think.

sent from a field

Had some elm like that at a GTG. A big hydro could not split it; and, a Super Split SE could not split it. Had to noodle every single piece.

 

[Hinerman]

Finished up the red oak I posted earlier:

 

[Cowboy254]

No death-defying scrounging today, work and kids ballet etc conspired against me. Tomorrow it's meant to thump down rain so it's probably out tomorrow as well. I'm getting the shakes, I think I'm going into withdrawal. Fortunately, there is beer.

 

[chipper1]

I second this opinion. I didnt think I needed a 70cc saw until I had one. If it needs a 20" bar or more I pick up the 70cc saw. Otherwise the 50cc or 40cc saws get the call. But I run the 365xt more than the others. You really do need to 70cc saw.

I dont plan on keeping it on my hip. Just to help carry it to where I am working. I dont like any handled tools on my belt when I am working wood because they catch on everything. Also I use my wedges mostly for bucking so the x15 is sufficient. When felling I have a 5lb maul, mini sledge, x27 all available if needed. I dont do much felling, I prefer that the tree already be on the ground if possible.

Good morning NA.
You know I'm a husky guy, and the 365 is a great saw, but it's surely not a 70cc class saw, but almost.
The 460 will put a hurt on a 365 since if you are calling the 365 the 460 would be an 80cc saw I'm just adding some saw troll comments to keep things on the up and up here . One of the cool things is the new xtorq 365/2166 is a true 70cc saw, actually they are 71cc and can be easily converted to a 372/2172 by removing the transfer restrictions .

When I was reading through the thread for something to do after my knee surgery I saw the chart that @dancan (I think) posted. It had red gum (e. camaldulensis) in the mid to lower range for BTUs among the North American hardwoods, which was not remotely close to accurate, probably a misidentification. Obviously there's a lot of variation in density figures due to misidentification and also moisture content when tested where there's very little consistency. Over here though, we don't speak in BTUs, but more commonly in kg/cubic metre, which gives a figure easily converted to specific gravity (Southern blue gum at 12%MC is about 900kg/m while Sydney blue gum is 850kg/m or specific gravity of 0.85. Since all hardwoods produce similar BTUs per kilo, it's an easy way to compare species, provided the measurement is being done consistently and species identified accurately (a big IF). This chart was produced by the Victorian government and is probably as accurate as any other source. For reference, osage orange is 950kg/m and white oak 750kg/m (Bootle, 2010).

In my immediate vicinity, the dominant species are peppermint, blue gum, candlebark and manna gum. Fairly nearby are mountain ash, red gum, grey and yellow box.

Hey Cowboy.
Does that work an woods that have lower water content but are very dense.
I'm thinking of my favorite black locust which is lighter than red oak when wet, but heavier when dry and has more BTU's than red oak.
It's pretty cool learning how you guys all over the world do things, lots to learn here .

 

[chipper1]

Load 5. All elm we think.

sent from a field

Looking good Casey.
I was thinking of you when I was at Chucky Cheeses on m-43 by the mall.
Celebrated my daughters birthday and met a guy from eaton rapids to sell a saw, two birds with one stone.

This is all stuff that came out of my neighborhood after the power company went through and butchered stuff. We had had an ice storm a few years back and were without power at Christmas for 10 days. The neighbors raised hell about the delay in restoring power, fought the (egregious) trimming plan in and out of court for two years, and now they're coming in to exact their revenge. Bad for neighborhood aesthetics, but good for people who like free firewood!

Lots of oak, sugar maple, ash (standing dead, generally), silver maple, norway maple, and a few other types. Very little pine. All of it is cut to manageable pieces, either for hand-loading or with the help of the Kubota.

I put a note out to my neighborhood website/discussion board and got about a dozen houses offering up within a day and more offering up as I type this. The power company isn't even halfway done with their work in our neighborhood. And when they're done here, there are two more neighborhoods of similar age and with similar tree cover (and thus removal requirements) that they will be working in over the coming months. Looks like someone is going to be set with firewood for a while!!

That's some good stuff there CU.
We were in Ohio when that storm hit. We found out from Facebook some friends had no power(they were only 8 blocks away from the capital). That was a bad storm for sure. My wife calls all the broken trees like that from wind and storms natural pruning LOL. Our friends came to our place in Lowell and stayed here while we were gone and a little longer, it worked out great as we had a nice warm house when we got home .
Sounds like you guys will be scrounging for a while down there .