Road ditch cottonwoods - pic/vid heavy

[Steve NW WI]

I mentioned a couple weeks ago in another thread that I had some help coming over this past weekend to pull down some good sized dead cottonwoods that were in my road ditch, hanging over the road. Here is some film footage of the fun, luckily for you all that smell doesn't stick to digital pixels. Man that stuff stinks!

Waiting for the help to arrive, and taking down a little one that was in the way of the main process:

Thought I'd be a little different and try a Humboldt notch. It worked OK, not my worst looking stump ever:

Got the little fella all bucked up, time for the fun to begin;

First one set up, rope looks a bit low in retrospect, but it worked.

Stump shot with mandatory saw p((n, 7300 taking a bow:

On the ground, pretty much debarked itself:

Set up for the second one. You can see the fence posts where my stacks will be going. Always nice not to have to transport your wood very far!

Be back with a couple videos and a few more pics.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Video from the second one, notice pieces going everywhere, this thing was brittle, and a bit scary:

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The last one:

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Lots of carnage laying around, gonna be a mess to clean up. But, we had to go to a demo derby instead. Shucks, darn.

Stumps aren't the prettiest, but I ain't used to cutting above my head. These trees were joined together for the first 6 feet. Sometime this winter I'll come back for the 3rd leg of this tree, after it drops leaves and loses some water weight.

Yesterday came around, and my friends wanted to cut wood. I wasn't in favor of it, since it was hot and getting hotter, but I'm not one to turn my back on free help. We did get some bucking done, but mostly took breaks and depleted my Gatorade supply.

This brushpile is just getting started, gonna be a nice bonfire one cool fall evening!

We headed for the lake shortly after this and called it a day. Much nicer down at the cabin in the shade with a breeze coming off the lake.

I'll snap a few more pics as I get it all cleaned up.

 

[Big_Al]

I've never burned cottonwood, how is it for stovewood? Know where some dead ones are if they're any good for heating with. Got plenty of firepit and camping wood already.

 

[Steve NW WI]

It's pretty light stuff, far from my first choice for firewood, but if I'm cutting it, I'm burning it. It does seem to burn pretty hot, just doesn't last. Good stuff to get the chill off in the morning with.

 

[Laird]

It's pretty light stuff, far from my first choice for firewood, but if I'm cutting it, I'm burning it. It does seem to burn pretty hot, just doesn't last. Good stuff to get the chill off in the morning with.

Yeah, OK for a campfire but wouldn't load my stove with it on a cold night.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I made a little progress splitting and stacking today, just gonna plug away at it before work as long as it ain't too hot. There's nothing above 80 in the 10 day forecast, I can live with that. It's 79 as I'm typing this up, was getting a bit too toasty there at the end.

I started with the green stuff from the little tree and some of the bigger pieces that were in the way of cutting up the rest of the trunks. The green was pretty stringy, but Bubba didn't mind. The dead stuff was a snap, literally with some pieces.

Here's today's progress, probably 1/5 or so of a cord. The stack is just over 4' on the right end, plus some S & U (short & ugly) pieces on top. I didn't really even start to dent what's there, I'm thinking well over two cords before I'm done.

Most of the tops of the dead stuff could burn today, but there's still moisture in em down low in the trunk, much like the standing dead elm I like so much. Speaking of tops, I'm gonna have to haul my firewood bucking jig out there to work up all the small broken off pieces. Either that or fire up the saw rig on the M.

 

[MN Ripper]

I agree the smell is not pleasant on cottonwood. I had some dropped off last year that was fresh cut and the smell brought back memories of smells from the pig farm across the road from where I grew up. At least yours looks kind of dry mine took a long time to dry out after it was split-it held its water retention very well. Never burned it before but I figure it can't be much different than the willow or basswood I've burned before in the stove. I'm not picky-I'll burn any tree I cut or get.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I agree the smell is not pleasant on cottonwood. I had some dropped off last year that was fresh cut and the smell brought back memories of smells from the pig farm across the road from where I grew up. At least yours looks kind of dry mine took a long time to dry out after it was split-it held its water retention very well. Never burned it before but I figure it can't be much different than the willow or basswood I've burned before in the stove. I'm not picky-I'll burn any tree I cut or get.

No shortage of stink in this stuff, hope the stink "dries off" for lack of a better term.

The U of NE firewood chart puts cottonwood @ 15.8MBTU/cord, right between Basswood at 13,8 and Willow at 17.6 To no suprise to you, it lists it at 4640#/cord green and 2272# dry - over half water by weight! Mine's pretty dry and light, I'll put the moisture meter on some tomorrow.

Here's today's progress, mostly big rounds. About an hour spent splitting and stacking:

Splitter trash bin filling pretty quickly, Ruby hanging in the shade under the splitter:

Closing in on half a cord. The stake on the left will be a generous half cord, 12'6" between posts, and my stacks average 50-54" high.

Tomorrow will be another short morning's work, Saturday is shot, hope to get most of it done Sunday and early next week, so I don't have to look at it when I get back from vacation next weekend.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

We burn cottonwood because that's what we have. We're on the river bottom in eastern Colorado and the 2002-03 drought killed probably 50 or so trees on our place. They started blowing down a few years ago, so we just cut and split what's already on the ground. Cottonwood isn't bad firewood, but I think ours grow slower due to the elevation, so maybe they're denser? We do us elm for overnighters, or apple or ash if available, but those trees are rare here.

My question is about the smell. I've never really noticed a bad smell from the wood. Is it because we cut ours dry? I know elm smells a lot worse when cut green.

Oh, and the way those splits are stringing, your logs are still pretty wet.

 

[Steve NW WI]

We burn cottonwood because that's what we have. We're on the river bottom in eastern Colorado and the 2002-03 drought killed probably 50 or so trees on our place. They started blowing down a few years ago, so we just cut and split what's already on the ground. Cottonwood isn't bad firewood, but I think ours grow slower due to the elevation, so maybe they're denser? We do us elm for overnighters, or apple or ash if available, but those trees are rare here.

My question is about the smell. I've never really noticed a bad smell from the wood. Is it because we cut ours dry? I know elm smells a lot worse when cut green.

Oh, and the way those splits are stringing, your logs are still pretty wet.

I've never met cottonwood that didn't have a "barnyard" smell to it, green is much worse than this is, but I'd rather be smelling oak. Some love the smell of oak, some hate it, I love it. Some elm - particularly Siberian ("Piss") Elm stinks when green too. I dunno what causes the smells, good or bad, but they're there.

On the moisture, like I mentioned, most of what I've split so far are chunks from the base and the one green small one. I'm guessing the blocks will measure +-30%, and the tops (which pop apart, and feel dry) will be down around 15%.

I was wondering how long it'd be before some of the plains states guys weighed in, I know cottonwood is a lot more common firewood out that way.

 

[Marc]

Thanks for the pictures and vids Steve. What's the iron you've got on your wood splitter? IH of some sort? Front end almost looks like a Farmall C, but the rear end looks... newer or something.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Not newer, just bigger. 1947 M. The big single stage pump on the splitter would be too much for a C if in tough wood, I've had it on my cousin's H and it'll about stall that in a big knot. The M just loafs along, until the operator lets the cylinder hit the end of the stroke, then the governor opens up and she barks a little.

 

[Marc]

Not newer, just bigger. 1947 M. The big single stage pump on the splitter would be too much for a C if in tough wood, I've had it on my cousin's H and it'll about stall that in a big knot. The M just loafs along, until the operator lets the cylinder hit the end of the stroke, then the governor opens up and she barks a little.

Ah, that's it. Shameful of me to mistake an M for a C. We were running a silage blowing demo at the local fair last weekend off an M, a three knife blower/chopper and that didn't make it work too hard either. Glad to see you still use it. We've got a '49 super C, sickle bar is about all it gets used for but it still starts and runs with no issues.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I didn't plan to get any splitting done today, but some other plans changed, so I headed out to the splitter for a while this morning. I'm getting close to a full cord stacked now:

I put the end posts in for 20" +- wood, cutting at 16" leaves a nice little gap in the center. As long as the stacks don't tip over on each other, it won't hurt anything:

There's still well over a cord to split, but now I have a dilemma: Haul rounds to the splitter by the stack, or move the splitter to the wood and haul splits?

 

[blacklocst]

My vote would be to haul rounds to the splitter.

 

[sbhooper]

Wet cottonwood is heavy and smells bad. Let it dry for a couple of years and it is fine and burns real hot. I sure wouldn't pay much for it, but when I cut it, I burn it. It will generate heat very quickly.

I cut down some 30+ inchers the other day and some were like cutting into a water main and the water smelled nasty.

 

[ShaneLogs]

Good Job Steve!

 

[Steve NW WI]

Been a while since I've updated this thread, took a little well deserved vacation last week, and working OT this week. I did get a little done meanwhile, there's some pics in the woodpile thread a few days back.

My vote would be to haul rounds to the splitter.

Good idea. I was leaning towards that:

Some of this stuff is real stringy. I know I should wait for it to dry in the round, but I'd rather fight it a bit now and be done. Besides, Bubba needs exercise once in a while:

Here's where I left off today. I've got probably a cord to split yet. It's looking like a shade over 2 cords total, maybe 2 1/2 max.

 

[MN Ripper]

Steve its funny you should be updating this thread because I've been burning cottonwood the past two nights and again tonight! Been working real well for this time of year even one load a night in the basement stove gets the upstairs almost to toasty, but I just can't stand to hear the gas furnace kick on in the night $$$.

It was cut and split a year ago and its honestly match light ready. Awful to split wet and for kicks I tried hand splitting a piece yesterday just to see and it still don't' split any better-so your on the right track just split it now and be done with it. Thank god for hydraulics's and noodling chainsaws. :hmm3grin2orange:

Same load 18 minutes later the Fleet Farm special is roaring with heat.

 

[thombat4]

Enjoying the pics and videos...nice space you have to work in too! And now that I know how...rep sent yer way