Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[JustJeff]

Got the splitting pile cleaned up, bark and chips to the burn pile. Going to leave splitter and the noodling rounds for a week or two, supposed to help a friend do some splitting and never know, there could be a scrounge. But I think I'm done for the year. Just walking around with a pocket full of firewood money looking for a fishing boat.
Also got electricity run to my chicken coop for a timed light and water heater. Digging a 140' trench in clay is about as much fun as I can stand for one weekend!
Good to see all the pics of everyone's successes.

 

[MustangMike]

I cut the trees for free, the wood is mine, and the owner helps me (clears all the brush, helps move the rounds, and with splitting too). Some of the ones in the back were really rotten at the bottom, and he has 3 young ones, so it is good we got them out of there.

We cut about 13 cord in the spring for this year (at this location), and about 5 cord recently for next year.

 

[zogger]

Epic thread, 10 thou posts!

 

[Marshy]

Doesn't look like I will get a chance to scrounge any firewood this year. I'll be getting my truck engine back and installed just in time to move my fire wood. If I get through that in time before they start salting the roads I know where there are a few scroungeable trees. In the meantime I've been surrounding pallets.

 

[svk]

10,000!

Edit: you guys beat me to it.

I've said it before, best thread on AS right here.

 

[svk]

Another coworker asked for a half cord of wood today. I guess the Yukon is getting parked for the next few weeks and I'm going to be bombing around in the wood hauler. Lol.

 

[zogger]

10,000!

Edit: you guys beat me to it.

I've said it before, best thread on AS right here.

I love it, best thread, best pics!

 

[Ambull01]

I'm fine, just tired a lot, working a bunch and beavering away now and then on the big yard oak. I'm finally in solid 394xp territory now, I can barely get these nubbies off with the three foot bar. I should have put the saw in the pic for scale, that's about six foot across the end of the log with a big nubbie on the left. Got several down today plus one full round, had to cut from both sides then wedge it and crack it off. Mambo rounds ain't the word..bigger than that. That ported 394 can sure suck the mix down! About half a tank a cut, thereabouts. I might be running a scosh rich, not sure, but..that's a big powerful saw. Still running in new rings, too, so a little rich is OK. I have to start it on the ground. I bet it would run a much larger bar, but they are pretty pricey, then you need some loops. Then I would need two stunt doubles to run it..hahahaha! View attachment 453394

That's right, forgot you had that beast. I believe that saw is as tall as you right? I'd be a afraid to run that thing.

Be worth that for parts if its not all beat to death. I paid 50 for an 032av and all it needed was a cleaning and a tune. Ran it enough to know I didn't like the ergos, and sold it for 225. Bought a 3 yr old husky 365 and love it, great anti vibe and lots of parts. The moral of this story is, for fifty bones, you really can't lose.

Nice score on the 032. Can't believe people will sell stuff that only require minor work. I'm hoping this saw is the same although she looks as though her life has been full of hard work.

I had one close call already, had to jump and a chunk hit my leg a little. Believe me, I am looking at every cut six times from every angle. I already have a ton of wood underneath the main trunk, and gonna add some more. There's a few big branches underneath still holding it up, both ends in the air, so I'm watching for big movement. Just those little stem nubbies must be running five/six hundred lbs or so. The main rounds about 3/4 ton estimated. I had some fantastic pics of the tree when it was still in full limb and alive, but lost in the big hack. It was 110 foot wide and 95 foot high.

110 feet, no way! Never seen a tree that damn big. Here I am thinking this white oak rounds are heavy lol.

View attachment 453412Got the splitting pile cleaned up, bark and chips to the burn pile. Going to leave splitter and the noodling rounds for a week or two, supposed to help a friend do some splitting and never know, there could be a scrounge. But I think I'm done for the year. Just walking around with a pocket full of firewood money looking for a fishing boat.
Also got electricity run to my chicken coop for a timed light and water heater. Digging a 140' trench in clay is about as much fun as I can stand for one weekend!
Good to see all the pics of everyone's successes.

Nice line of firewood. How do you like that homemade splitter? I'm still borrowing a friends 27 ton hydraulic splitter. I love the Fiskars but it sure is fun to split wood with the pull of handle. Makes quick work of my loads.

 

[crazywolf]

Is that the 30-NCH? I just bought one after I saw it on sale for $649. Supposed to be here today.



You're going to hurt yourself trying to fill your new scrounge rig up.

Well I figure I couldn't load a truck any more than I can load the van without pieces falling out. I have my eyes open for a trailer though. I'm guessing about 2k pounds in the truck bed, trailer will probably weight 1-2k lbs, then hopefully a cord of wood in it for close to 5k lbs. That sounds like a hefty load to pull.

Also, I thought you mentioned the amount of trouble diesels can give and now you own one?

Are you talking about the stove? If so it's a pacific energy vista. I wish it was 650$ lol

http://www.pacificenergy.net/products/wood/traditional-stoves/vista/

 

[crazywolf]

How do you like your land plane? I've been thinking of getting one.

I love it. Works great for keeping my driveway graded and pulls the gravel to the surface.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[crazywolf]

@crazywolf, welcome to the scrounge club, 4 years and 2 posts? Now that you're here, we'll get you 3 years ahead on wood and probably gain 3 more chainsaws....

PS nice pics!

Yup a true lurker until now lol I already have 4 saws including a Wild Thing. I definitely need to get ahead on wood. I will probably have to buy some this year unless I can find some standing dead.

 

[MustangMike]

Congrats to Clint on starting a great thread, and i was not paying attention, missed it by ONE!!!

 

[MustangMike]

Hey, they are selling 1/2 cord of wood for $275 around here, and that is if you pick it up! Of course, that is for seasoned wood, green wood is less.

 

[crazywolf]

Looks like you don't need any advice from us. Nice install on the stove, looks warm and welcoming. Welcome to the group.

Oh I'm sure that's not true there is always something to learn and I don't know anything about trees other than oak pine cedar lol I also know nothing about felling.

 

[crazywolf]

Hey, they are selling 1/2 cord of wood for $275 around here, and that is if you pick it up! Of course, that is for seasoned wood, green wood is less.

Holy crap! You can generally get a cord of seasoned oak delivered for 150$ here.

 

[smokeykurt]

kurt - listen to what this mike character says he knows what he's talking about. Although there are other 70cc class saws other than the 044/046 but mike loves those saws and for good reason. They are good saws.

This site can cost you and save you a bunch of money. If you start looking at different bigger saws it can cost you but if you read enough you will learn what to check and you can buy used on CL and get some great deals. That 30" oak you tangled with begs for a 70cc saw. Honestly I wish I could find a tree that big just to play with my big saw.

Whatever you do sounds like you need to upgrade to something anything with good av. All the saws I own have good AV. I paid a little more for my ms271 for the better AV but that was my first and probably last saw I ever buy new after what I have learned here. The used saws the CS400 and 365 XT both are good in the AV department. The CS400 surprised me big time with the amount of AV especially for the retail price of the saw. In the chainsaw forum they are having a raffle with $10 tickets where the benefits go to help a member in need. They are raffling off some really awesome saws along with a ton of other stuff. Its just and idea if you want to take a chance.

To bad you arent my neighbor, would have surely invited you out to play with your saw haha. Actually, a friend of mine passed up on helping cut the big rounds entirely, i offered him some of the rounds too, but guess he didnt wanna deal with anything above 20.

I do really want to get another saw. Ive been looking at a Poulan 20inch 50cc with AV (not sure how good of av) cause the price is sooooo right (around 200) And i dont mind tuning it up if need be. The Poulan i have is only 38cc and surely not meant for big trees. Its just all i have at the moment And that tree needed taken care of. I had an old school Poulan Countervibe 3400 that was my dads, but it finally quit on me entirely. I miss it although it was pretty heavy.

I just put in on a raffle at a family members benift for an ms271 over the weekend actually, although didnt win it lol. Good cause though.

Im looking to maybe pick another saw up early next year though. Id look sooner but most of what i have left to cut is relatively small. Any recommendations for the 200 to 300 dollar range? Im ok with the used market...or should i be saving up more?

 

[Marine5068]

Had my Birthday over this past weekend. It's our Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend too so we had Mom up to the house and I made a big turkey with all the fixings.
Great weather and I got most of my Fall yard work done.(except for lots more leaf blowing to go).
Even scrounged some Oak & Elm from the ditches where our power company dropped some troublesome trees near their power lines.
Nice of them to buck them into 16" rounds for me and pile them in one spot. Just three loads in the garden tractor trailer.
I'm off until Wednesday night so today I'm cleaning out the pellet stove and get it ready for cold polar vortex weather. Raining here all day today.

 

[nomad_archer]

To bad you arent my neighbor, would have surely invited you out to play with your saw haha. Actually, a friend of mine passed up on helping cut the big rounds entirely, i offered him some of the rounds too, but guess he didnt wanna deal with anything above 20.

I do really want to get another saw. Ive been looking at a Poulan 20inch 50cc with AV (not sure how good of av) cause the price is sooooo right (around 200) And i dont mind tuning it up if need be. The Poulan i have is only 38cc and surely not meant for big trees. Its just all i have at the moment And that tree needed taken care of. I had an old school Poulan Countervibe 3400 that was my dads, but it finally quit on me entirely. I miss it although it was pretty heavy.

I just put in on a raffle at a family members benift for an ms271 over the weekend actually, although didnt win it lol. Good cause though.

Im looking to maybe pick another saw up early next year though. Id look sooner but most of what i have left to cut is relatively small. Any recommendations for the 200 to 300 dollar range? Im ok with the used market...or should i be saving up more?

Too bad indeed. I would have been right there. I find the big rounds in that size a challenge. Also you would have liked that MS271 had you won it. I am a bit biased. That is the only saw I bought new and I really do like it a lot.

As for you budget, I depends on how bad you want a saw and how your negotiating skills are. WoodNazi picked up a Husky 365 XT for around $300. I picked up the same saw off of CL $175 it had a 2012 manufacture date. I actually spent more in bars/chains than I did on the saw. The Husky 365 XT is a 70CC class saw so it has a lot of power.

On the other end of the equation I picked up a 40cc Echo CS-400 for $75. Both saws run great but what it boils down to is waiting for the right deal and putting in an offer. Both saws were negotiated. The 365 the most as the asking price was $300. I didn't want to spend that money cause I didn't need the saw. When he took $175 I was shocked to say the least.

Your area my be different than mine by on CL I see loads of over price homeowner saws that are over priced. Think MS 290 for $350 or better. Those are nearly new prices. Plus anything that says stihl people think it is gold. But if you wait you can find some good deals. I have been saw shopping CL for 2 years. This year just happened to be really good to me. Good luck in the saw search. If you are willing negotiate and wait you can probably swing some good deals in the used market and fit nicely into our budget.

Here are the used saws. $250 total spent.

 

[nomad_archer]

Holy crap! You can generally get a cord of seasoned oak delivered for 150$ here.

Same here but remember where Mike is located. Things just cost more in NY.

 

[Marine5068]

To bad you arent my neighbor, would have surely invited you out to play with your saw haha. Actually, a friend of mine passed up on helping cut the big rounds entirely, i offered him some of the rounds too, but guess he didnt wanna deal with anything above 20.

I do really want to get another saw. Ive been looking at a Poulan 20inch 50cc with AV (not sure how good of av) cause the price is sooooo right (around 200) And i dont mind tuning it up if need be. The Poulan i have is only 38cc and surely not meant for big trees. Its just all i have at the moment And that tree needed taken care of. I had an old school Poulan Countervibe 3400 that was my dads, but it finally quit on me entirely. I miss it although it was pretty heavy.

I just put in on a raffle at a family members benift for an ms271 over the weekend actually, although didnt win it lol. Good cause though.

Im looking to maybe pick another saw up early next year though. Id look sooner but most of what i have left to cut is relatively small. Any recommendations for the 200 to 300 dollar range? Im ok with the used market...or should i be saving up more?

I've got a Poulan Pro 42cc saw that served me ok for a few years, but when I got wanting to cut more and larger wood for my woodstove, I found it wasn't up to the task and would keep bogging out under heavier load so I saved up for a pro saw.
New saw was about twice as much cash as a new Poulan, but has a 55cc engine and an 18" bar/chain and plenty of power to cut most of what I need cut. It is a StihlMS291, but my next will be a Stihl MS441 ($1120 CAD) or Ms461 ($1240 CAD) to cut larger sized trees. (New Poulan 42cc goes for around $325 CAD and the Stihl MS291 50cc was about $525 CAD)
I still use the Poulan for now, but will probably sell it when time comes to buy the bigger saw.