Honey Locust...A Love/Hate Relationship

[Constrictor]

Looking at your signature, I would say you may want to rethink your statement.

I doubt those chainsaws, splitter, fuel to run them, maintenance to keep them running and whatever you haul your wood to and from was free......

Its only free as long as the tree is still standing. The minute you decide it will become firewood, its no longer free. :msp_wink:

Wow, i dont frequent the site as much as id like to but i had to come look tonite because my friend Iowa blamed me for getting banned here, I see a name he called me, surely that would not ban someone? He email me several times today about my free wood. Iowa could be a little nicer in my opinion. What i mean by free wood:

6 cord of oak all bucked up by tree service 4 blocks from my house and they dropped in in the yard for me. Father in law brings over splitter and splits wood for me, Grandkids apparently stack wood while i am off riding me scooter to Branson. I didnt leave out any gas so I dont think i provided it, when i said 100% free wood thats what I meant!

 

[Wood Doctor]

:agree2:

There is no such thing as free firewood, unless it is loaded into your stove at no cost to you, at the time it is needed.

And, you still have to clean the chimney after you burn it. That costs me $190 a year because I know that a pro can clean it better than I can. opcorn:

 

[iowa]

Wow, i dont frequent the site as much as id like to but i had to come look tonite because my friend Iowa blamed me for getting banned here, I see a name he called me, surely that would not ban someone? He email me several times today about my free wood. Iowa could be a little nicer in my opinion. What i mean by free wood:

6 cord of oak all bucked up by tree service 4 blocks from my house and they dropped in in the yard for me. Father in law brings over splitter and splits wood for me, Grandkids apparently stack wood while i am off riding me scooter to Branson. I didnt leave out any gas so I dont think i provided it, when i said 100% free wood thats what I meant!

LOL. Steve you're not married, have no kids, and don't have a FIL.. Have you been drinking again? Or bump your head?:msp_wink:

 

[iowa]

And, you still have to clean the chimney after you burn it. That costs me $190 a year because I know that a pro can clean it better than I can. opcorn:

NOO.. everything is free.

 

[KD57]

When I come up on a honey locust, I skirt around it like it was a hive of African killer bees. :msp_ohmy:

 

[banshee67]

i hate the whole "no such thing as free firewood" argument
thatd be like going to pick up a pizza, getting out $20, the guy saying no dont worry about it, this ones on us.. but then saying it wasnt free because you had to pick it up, bring it home, open the box, break the cheese bond between each slice, and lift it to your mouth and chew and swallow. its not free unless someone delivers it free, then chews it and regurgitates it into your mouth like a bird.. right? but then you still have to work your muscles in your throat to swallow it, so technically theres no such thing as a free pizza !

 

[mizzou]

:bang:...:deadhorse:

 

[wampum]

Burning firewood to me is free. Kind of like selling my chicken eggs.
After I feed water and house my chickens I sell the eggs,I make a profit,so the eggs I keep actually cost me nothing.

Firewood is about the same,I have been burning well over 35 years,so my 2 stoves,saws and related items have been paid for years ago in all the savings I did not pay the electric or oil company.

One poster here said he pays $190 to get his chimney cleaned,I have 2 of them and clean them every spring and also clean them mid season if I get a mild day.At $190 a chimney times 4, I save $760.00 a year just on chimney cleaning. ( I guarantee you they are as clean as the so called pro does,you can not get them any cleaner when you are shinning the liner)

Yep if you guys want to argue that technically you are paying for wood that is fine. But in reality the savings are far greater then can be imagined. I have baseboard heat that I use in an emergency.( Sickness or any trip longer then 12 hours from home)The last couple of years they have not been turned on at all. My neighbor down the road says his oil bill is almost out of site,at least $600.00 a month. I would estimate over a season I save at least $3000.00.

Just like eggs I sell firewood when I get more then I need (over a 2 year supply)The firewood I sell more then pays for all of my costs so the wood I keep is basically free.

 

[Mntn Man]

Well, the wood might not be free when considering the cost of gathering, but I can say this:

This is the only hobby that I have that has a negative cost impact on my finances. None of my other hobbies have a return, in fact, they all cost money. I enjoy cutting wood more than fishing or hunting and my family benefits more from the fruits of my labor. Burning wood has never cost me a penny.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Let Locust Dry

Heat has never been free in the history of mankind. Burning firewood produces heat. Therefore, firewood cannot be free, and that includes locust, one of the most underrated firewood species that there is.

Hey, guys, just let locust dry for a year or so. Stop trying to burn green locust. It will laugh at you, just like oak and mulberry will.

BTW, the guy that posted that he spends $190 a year to have a pro clean his chimney correctly was me. Here's the chiminey, nearly 40 feet tall:

Would you like to clean that or let a pro handle it?

 

[Mntn Man]

Heat has never been free in the history of mankind.

Really? I'm interested in learning more, if you care to elaborate.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Really? I'm interested in learning more, if you care to elaborate.

Are you serious? Even cavemen died trying to obtain it. 'Nuff said.

 

[Mntn Man]

Are you serious? Even cavemen died trying to obtain it. 'Nuff said.

Yes, I'm serious.

So you are saying that since they died, that is the cost? I'm not getting chitty with you, did I strike a nerve? I didn't mean to, I am just curious how you came to your conclusion.

I still am.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Yes, I'm serious.

So you are saying that since they died, that is the cost? I'm not getting chitty with you, did I strike a nerve? I didn't mean to, I am just curious how you came to your conclusion.

I still am.

Yes to question #1. Is their a higher price than that?

Well, I suppose if you can lie out in the sun and soak up heat, it might be free. However, in Nebraska, that's not available in sufficient quantity most of the year. So, we buy heat to survive in this state and others do elsewhere. Luckily, heat is available one way or the other, but only at a price, so it is not free by any means.

 

[Mntn Man]

There is nothing wrong with looking at it that way. Differing opinions is what makes this forum interesting.

I just think that if you have to do certain things to live, like gather food, that is just life. If you just picked berries to live off of, I would consider that free. Even if you got eaten by a bear while doing it.

I know that heating my house is going to take money out of my pocket. If I can do something I love to greatly reduce that cost, that is great. If I have a hobby that ends up saving me more money than it costs me, even better. I am not paying to play, therefore it isn't costing me anything. That is even without the health benefits and mental rewards.

Glass half-full for me.

 

[wampum]

Heat has never been free in the history of mankind. Burning firewood produces heat. Therefore, firewood cannot be free, and that includes locust, one of the most underrated firewood species that there is.

Hey, guys, just let locust dry for a year or so. Stop trying to burn green locust. It will laugh at you, just like oak and mulberry will.

BTW, the guy that posted that he spends $190 a year to have a pro clean his chimney correctly was me. Here's the chiminey, nearly 40 feet tall:

Would you like to clean that or let a pro handle it?

Actually would have no problem at all. Mine on the south side is 32 feet off the ground. I have no problem with you hiring someone to do it,thats your business. My point is I do not hire someone to do it so I save that money you spend. As I get older that may change,I may feel better letting someone younger do it.Right at this time,it does not bother me.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I stopped climbing tall extension ladders, walking on steep roofs, and reaching heights like that a few years back. Old or young, the risk is huge.

Yes, the chimney could be cleaned from the bottom up rather than the top down. Top down or bottom up, you have to invest in hundreds of dollars in equipment to do it right, and to say the least, it's a messy job.

You also have to pull the 600-lb stove away from the hearth, and that's a two-man job. My chimney sweep is strong as an ape, and I think he's worth every penny. Just my $.02

Now, this thread was supposed to be about honey locust, right? I'm burning some right now, finally dry after two years. Mulberry and oak play about the same tune when it comes to drying time.

 

[mizzou]

Now, this thread was supposed to be about honey locust, right? .

 

[Woodcutteranon]

Natalie...the Patron Saint of Wood...Please return this thread to discussions about locust!

 

[iowa]

I started bucking and splitting my locust last night. Easy easy.