Kodiak Kid
Idiot with a "power saw"
- Joined
- May 15, 2022
- Messages
- 3,005
- Reaction score
- 26,042
- Location
- Island Terrific in the North Pacific
Agreed!!Nothing better than Squareas long as it’s clean wood .
Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)
- Thread starter mainewoods
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
Kodiak Kid
Idiot with a "power saw"
- Joined
- May 15, 2022
- Messages
- 3,005
- Reaction score
- 26,042
- Location
- Island Terrific in the North Pacific
It is very dry! Ready to burn. Its brash and hard to fir conifer!
I had that thought as well. The Cafe had ham, beans and taters that evening. Nothing tasted funny and Tracey was cooking, so I'm sure it was all cooked right. Didn't hear of any other shift guys getting sick either.
I was just there a few weeks ago. They had one of the side covers for my kubota on hand. Kinda like a candy store but I can't afford the candy lol.
It's always been a hit and miss what my best snow vehicle was but it would be a close ties between the expedition I currently have or my old isuzu trooper. Both do /did very well in the snow. The trooper was more fun to drive though.There are days that I would have to chain up my diesel if I wanted it to even get out of the yard. Instead, I just drive the Tacoma in inclement weather...the smaller vehicles do so much better in deep snow and/or on hills.
I nearly got stuck at the bottom of a local road a couple years back, as there were power lines down and I had to turn around. I was in the long bed Dodge and it took all the skill I had to just barely get back up the hill...wasn't even a crazy amount of snow for us, just the 2500/3500s weigh a bunch w/none of the weight over the rear axle.
The Tacoma...I can get around a lot of places without even putting in 4wd. In 4wd, I've pushed snow with the front bumper before, and it wasn't struggling that bad. Worst case scenario, I have to engage the locker. Lockers are an easy way to spin out at faster speeds, but are like a cheat code when crawling up a hill.
My best snow rig I ever had was an old 90's Toyota pickup that I put a straight axle under. It was built for 37's, but I was cheap and ran 35's on it. Friends and I used to take our rigs out to the national forest in the middle of winter...air the tires down to <5psi and just drive through the FS roads that were deemed impassible by most people.
Last Christmas, we had a storm that reeked havoc...I was without power for 8 days. The snow on the roof is lying, there was actually 2' of snow on the ground in the picture, ended up getting nearly 4' by the time it was done:
Reminds me of the ‘Yard Glider’. I have not used one, but get a lot of their ads. Look pretty impressive, but a few $ more than a used, plastic barrel!
https://yardglider.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInpneupiH_AIVCcJ3Ch0AdwwiEAAYASAAEgI2WvD_BwE
Philbert
I've been burning some bradford pear and elm that I cut last year. Neither lasts very long. Not like oak. I don't think I'll bother with any that comes up in the future. Unless I need some camp wood.
Had to fix my garden cart. Spot weld broke so I bolted on a piece of UniStrut. Used one of my Craftsman socket sets. The ratchet had been repaired years ago with a new kit, but it still doesn't work very well. Someone mentioned about them using cheap kits. With the demise of Sears, I don't guess there's any way to get warranty work done on the ratchets?
Had to fix my garden cart. Spot weld broke so I bolted on a piece of UniStrut. Used one of my Craftsman socket sets. The ratchet had been repaired years ago with a new kit, but it still doesn't work very well. Someone mentioned about them using cheap kits. With the demise of Sears, I don't guess there's any way to get warranty work done on the ratchets?
Sierra_rider
Piss revver
Not much to add to this other than watch out for spring poles underneath logs too. Dude I used to work with received a broken leg after he failed to see a spring pole underneath a log he was bucking.Often on this thread I read post that sometimes read something like "how do you get your wood or how do you luck out that much on your guys' scrounge".
Well I don't know about luck? IMOP, its just like real estate. It boils down to three major things.. Location, location, and location!
The same thing can be said about a safe work environment when on the scrounge! I'm talking type of terrain, distance from help and distance to first aid.
I'm going t post some pics with short info on how I scrounge as safe as I possibly can. I usually keep a lot of my felling and bucking information and opinions on the "Felling Pics" "Show us your stumps" or "Critique this stump" threads. Im not even sure if there is a thread on "safty in the woods", so once again. Im going to give a short lecture on the other stuff and sometimes but not often firewood scrounging thread"That was a joke just in case some of the Stiffs out there are scratching their heads.
Oops! Stand by! I accidentally posted before I was finished!
Now I tip most 90% of my scrounge. usually across a stump or another log if I can. In turn, this does there major things!
One, it keeps it up higher off the ground out of the dirt or mud.
Two, Makes bucking into rounds faster and easier.
Three, it can very possibly make it way more DANGEROUS to work with vs just laying on the ground!
View attachment 1042082
View attachment 1042087
Now the info and Opinions I'm sharing on this post are strictly my own! By no means am I telling anyone of you how how to do it, or implicating you don't know how to do it! Let me make that clear, because there are many different levels of "Scroungers" on this thread! So fir the more advanced, please don't take offense. If you do?
GROW THINKER SKIN!!!
Now I know a lot of you tip trees and a lot of you don't. That being said I really don't suggest anyone purposely teeter timber when tipping trees (say that three times fast!) across stumps or other logs. Unless you really understand and are aware of the dangerous involved. However, many of us find wind fall and windshear already teetered by her herself Mother Nature. The same rules apply to this as well when it comes to bucking it safely if is to be scrounged.
First, If tipping (falling, felling hacking whacking or whatever ever its called in your region. There's a whole thread on what Felling timber is actually called by they way. I know crazy hu?) Ok once again. First if tipping to teeter? MAKE SURE YOUR NOT TIPPING ACROSS SOMETHING ALREADY TEETERED!!! Wether it be log or limb?
Objects can very easily get catapulted right back ot you! Big objects big enough to swat you like a fly and sometimes at speeds so fast you will never have time to react! It doesn't take a very big object to do this either. Wether it be the hammer or the teetered nail getting thrown back your way!
When bucking teetered timber. I try to make sure the log isn't going to roll once it starts getting bucked into rounds or logs! There are several different ways to do this.View attachment 1042099View attachment 1042100View attachment 1042101
I often cripple a section. Then buck into smaller sections. Then roll once with a pevy and finish all the cuts. Sometimes I'll just start loping rounds off. It all depends. However one thing to always remember. Watch out fir teeters on the ground!
The example in these two photos would be devastating to the family jewels if straddling while bucking a round. Once the round drops. You know what happens next!
View attachment 1042092
View attachment 1042093
They can really ring your bell if big enough and even seriously injure you. Depending on the senerio? They can even pin you down against the log, ground or maybe your saw before the chain stops spinning, and IT WILL HAPPEN INSTANTLY!!
Sometimes they can be just out of sight on the other side of the log witch you are bucking.
View attachment 1042106
Sometimes just looking like another limb or small log just laying on the ground. View attachment 1042105
Make sure you're work area is safe and clear fir you and everyone working with or close to you. Also, make sure your pets are safe snd clear as well.
How about a show of hands from anyone that's take'n a hit from any kind of teeter?
Me!
Well gentleman,Thats about all I really have on Teetered timber fir now. I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this post and that it all makes sense. Thankyou, and always remember that when working in the woods. One simple little mistake can get you seriously injured or killed and is one of the many reasons we all must...
Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware.!
Long day but good day.
My son got his first varsity basket tonight. He’s a junior but hadn’t played ball since 6th grade before this year.
My son got his first varsity basket tonight. He’s a junior but hadn’t played ball since 6th grade before this year.
Kodiak Kid
Idiot with a "power saw"
- Joined
- May 15, 2022
- Messages
- 3,005
- Reaction score
- 26,042
- Location
- Island Terrific in the North Pacific
Yes! Thankyou Sierra!
Good on ya! I call them loaded whips! This can also be said about limbs on your timber bowing over saplings once you're timber is on the ground. Wind fall and shear also can and sometimes will load poles, saplings, limbs and other whips!
Sierra_rider
Piss revver
Yes! Thankyou Sierra!
Cutting windfall on dirt bike trails is by far the most dangerous think I do with a chainsaw...falling, climbing, and whatever else I do is much more predictable. Even fire-weakend snags don't raise my hair as much. What makes it even worse, are the saws I'm using, are definitely not the right tools for cutting windfall.
I'd much rather be doing it with one of my falling saws w/ a 32" at minimum...just to give myself some breathing room. The reality of the situation is that I'm not going to pack my 500i out on the bike. I just try to be deliberate with my cuts and have a plan.
Actually the best general tree work/falling advice I could give is to be deliberate...always make sure there is a reason for each cut you execute. Too many people just go all willy-nilly into saw work and don't have good reasons for what they do.
For us, trees that diameter are rarely dry in the middle. Even after many years. It’s more likely if they’re standing though.
About ten/twelve years ago when doing the Forest Service chainsaw certification, the evaluator would find a down tree with a spring pole, and clutter blocking escape routes. Then he would tell us to buck the down tree, we had to do all the necessary steps to complete the task safely. They don’t make an effort to find spring poles on certifications anymore.
Kodiak Kid
Idiot with a "power saw"
- Joined
- May 15, 2022
- Messages
- 3,005
- Reaction score
- 26,042
- Location
- Island Terrific in the North Pacific
Well said. Ive but only a couple things to say about a blowdown patch. The first word that comes to mind is "
DANGER!!!" A few others like "Reach" "Twist Loaded" "Spring Loaded" "Special non typical relief cuts" "Read, look, and think several steps ahead" "Hospital" just to mention a few! Oh yeah, and "change my frickin shorts!"
Kodiak Kid
Idiot with a "power saw"
- Joined
- May 15, 2022
- Messages
- 3,005
- Reaction score
- 26,042
- Location
- Island Terrific in the North Pacific
Yup! bone dry. With the exception of roughly the first eight foot of the trunk that wicks water up out of the ground, and even it will burn good. If mixed with dry wood.
Kodiak Kid
Idiot with a "power saw"
- Joined
- May 15, 2022
- Messages
- 3,005
- Reaction score
- 26,042
- Location
- Island Terrific in the North Pacific
Before.
After
Just like new!
After
Just like new!
^Nice splint.
Those ash trees after EAB bug get it they literally dry up and become so brittle it’s hazardous for sure .
Was just a scratch, buffed right out.Before.
View attachment 1042232View attachment 1042233
AfterView attachment 1042234View attachment 1042235
Just like new!
I eyeballed a few blown down just this Sunday at my ranch (that I dont LIVE on- for those few morons who like to take shots, after too many shots). It was nice to just walk a little an have a beer, and look around with not work to do or biscuits eaters to entertain. I had scraped about a half acre a month ago, wanting to get in and remove some leaners- Basswood and palms for general future clearing and getting some sunlight in. My RC-30 does a great job of cleaving off small cabbage palm and uprooting the wild Privet, juvenile Ironwood and Holly with just a sharp bucket edge.Well said. Ive but only a couple things to say about a blowdown patch. The first word that comes to mind is "
Because I only really take storm damged and blow downs, I'm especially careful to- my late friend from three doors down really hurt himself on clearing when a 6" shot out from under a mucch larger stem he cut, then rolled off the smaller one underneath. He borke four or five ribs and collapsed one lung. His wife found him pinned under the tangles when he was too quiet for too long. He had no phone on him and couldn't yell for help either.
I use my machine to clear my paths to and from, probably even before I start cutting anything. I'll grapple a palm log and cut it into sections and get them under the big stems so they remain off the ground before I section the stems I want into 4-8' bolts. The grapple and the machine safe up the stuff in tension.
I have plans to build a bigger storage for the splits, already cleared the space behind the current shed. I have maybe 8 good Oak and Hickory blown down or damaged to get, without going too far off the driveways or fire trails. My land is heavyily wooded, so the less path busting to get to a victim, the better. Lots of soft ground, and surface roots, a real bumpy ride if you know what I mean.
I just looked at an ad for Pherd 2 in 1 sharpener and they recommend a 13/64" file for 3/8 pitch chain which I have and a 7/32" file for 0.404. I've always used 7/32" and I can't say I've ever seen the other. The extra 64th" can't hurt can it?
I have always used the 13/64 on my Stihl chains.
