Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[hardpan]

Bob
What is "pitch wood"? Maybe an area where the pine sap/pitch is super concentrated, burns with a black, sooty smoke?
I too would cut any wood that size and in that location. It is a trade off, burns with less BTUs but I burn less energy making it. There is always a time and place to use it.

 

[Gologit]

Bob
What is "pitch wood"? Maybe an area where the pine sap/pitch is super concentrated, burns with a black, sooty smoke?
.

Exactly right. It's like solid gasoline. We find it in the butt cuts and stumps on pine and Doug fir. Like I said, thumb sized chunks are plenty. If the chunks are small you'll get a very hot centralized fire spot that's good for starting or rekindling a slow burn.
The only chimney fire I've ever had was when my MIL threw a fist sized piece in the stove...sounded like a 747 taking off and I didn't have to clean the chimney for quite a while afterward.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Here's some pitch for you,

Over a cup ran out before it stopped!

SR

 

[hardpan]

Exactly right. It's like solid gasoline. We find it in the butt cuts and stumps on pine and Doug fir. Like I said, thumb sized chunks are plenty. If the chunks are small you'll get a very hot centralized fire spot that's good for starting or rekindling a slow burn.
The only chimney fire I've ever had was when my MIL threw a fist sized piece in the stove...sounded like a 747 taking off and I didn't have to clean the chimney for quite a while afterward.

Thanks. We have no natural conifer forest here but I have cut a few pine and found the gooey pitch wood, burned it in camp fires, too volatile for my wood burner. You bring to light a better use of it, fire starter. One might say you have rekindled my interest in it.

 

[benp]

Here's some pitch for you,

Over a cup ran out before it stopped!

SR

That is neat!!! Never seen that before.

Sure explains why I spent and hour cleaning all of the saws plastics after my neighbor used them during a storm cleanup a few years ago consisting of big Norways.

 

[Gologit]

Nice Tree - Good photo! I think that is a potential nominee for a coveted WoodChuckers Award
Please don't tell me you are also flinging those big rounds onto the back of a truck by hand before splitting them, or I will have to hang up my saws and head for my recliner for good

No flinging. That log laid on the ground all winter with no bark to keep the rain out and it was heavy. Ponderosa pine soaks up water like a sponge. Definitely no flinging. Note the peavey propped up against the log in the first picture. Rolling...no flinging.
Most of the wood went to the Senior Firewood Program...a local deal that provides firewood to elderly and disabled people in our county. The program has lots of young enthusiastic guys to do the grunt work...and the flinging.

 

[MountainHigh]

No flinging. That log laid on the ground all winter with no bark to keep the rain out and it was heavy. Ponderosa pine soaks up water like a sponge. Definitely no flinging. Note the peavey propped up against the log in the first picture. Rolling...no flinging.
Most of the wood went to the Senior Firewood Program...a local deal that provides firewood to elderly and disabled people in our county. The program has lots of young enthusiastic guys to do the grunt work...and the flinging.

Nice work!
Never leave home without the low tech peavey

 

[dancan]

Hey Bob , there's a market for that fat wood , natural waterproof fire starters .
Canto , I'll trade you a ported non flippy cap 026 for the Steiner

 

[Gologit]

Hey Bob , there's a market for that fat wood , natural waterproof fire starters .

You're right, there's a market for that stuff. But that would take all the fun out of it. I spend enough time now trying to make a living in the woods.
We usually wind up giving most of it away at Christmas for stocking stuffers.

 

[svk]

We've got something similar to fatwood.

In 1912, loggers came through our area (our cabin is build on the site of their camp, we've had some paranormal visits over the years but that's another story...) Anyway, when they burned brush there are pine snags all over in the woods that are still solid wood as the heat condensed all of the pitch into the heartwood. It smells strongly of turpentine/kerosine when you cut it so we call it "kerosine wood". It lights right up when shaved or split small. I'll try to get a picture of one the next time we are up there.

 

[mainewoods]

What a great idea, a Senior Firewood Program ! Darn good of you guys for contributing to such a worthy cause.

 

[Gologit]

What a great idea, a Senior Firewood Program ! Darn good of you guys for contributing to such a worthy cause.

Yup, it's a good program. It's all volunteer with very little funding but a lot of community support. We cut mostly pine, cedar, fir and oak. The wood we get is donated by homeowners or dropped off by tree services. Last year we delivered close to 100 cords to elderly or disabled people. We have a couple of splitters of our own and a local equipment rental will give us extra splitters if we need them at no cost.
There's a core group of volunteers that does the cutting. We have a ten acre piece of ground that a local business lets us use for a wood yard. Most of the splitting and delivery work is done by various service clubs...Elk, Rotary, Kiwanis etc. The FFA kids come in to help a lot. The local UPS guys spent all one Saturday delivering wood and the next weekend we had a crew from FedX doing the same thing...all on their own time and with donated trucks. LOL...The UPS guys called later and wanted to know if FedX had hauled more wood than they did. Those guys are really competitive.

 

[svk]

Yup, it's a good program. It's all volunteer with very little funding but a lot of community support. We cut mostly pine, cedar, fir and oak. The wood we get is donated by homeowners or dropped off by tree services. Last year we delivered close to 100 cords to elderly or disabled people. We have a couple of splitters of our own and a local equipment rental will give us extra splitters if we need them at no cost.
There's a core group of volunteers that does the cutting. We have a ten acre piece of ground that a local business lets us use for a wood yard. Most of the splitting and delivery work is done by various service clubs...Elk, Rotary, Kiwanis etc. The FFA kids come in to help a lot. The local UPS guys spent all one Saturday delivering wood and the next weekend we had a crew from FedX doing the same thing...all on their own time and with donated trucks. LOL...The UPS guys called later and wanted to know if FedX had hauled more wood than they did. Those guys are really competitive.

Thank you for your efforts.

It's stuff like this that proves there are still good people out there.

 

[MustangMike]

Yup, it's a good program. It's all volunteer with very little funding but a lot of community support. We cut mostly pine, cedar, fir and oak. The wood we get is donated by homeowners or dropped off by tree services. Last year we delivered close to 100 cords to elderly or disabled people. We have a couple of splitters of our own and a local equipment rental will give us extra splitters if we need them at no cost.
There's a core group of volunteers that does the cutting. We have a ten acre piece of ground that a local business lets us use for a wood yard. Most of the splitting and delivery work is done by various service clubs...Elk, Rotary, Kiwanis etc. The FFA kids come in to help a lot. The local UPS guys spent all one Saturday delivering wood and the next weekend we had a crew from FedX doing the same thing...all on their own time and with donated trucks. LOL...The UPS guys called later and wanted to know if FedX had hauled more wood than they did. Those guys are really competitive.

Great Stuff, nice to see there is still a "good part of CA" ... Hey, you know what I mean, and you could say the same about my State!

 

[mainewoods]

It isn't fair to judge a whole state because of what one particular area is like, but sometimes it's awful hard not too! Even up here the difference between the southern half and the northern half is like night and day. Most of the time it's hard to believe we all live in the same state.

 

[svk]

It isn't fair to judge a whole state because of what one particular area is like, but sometimes it's awful hard not too! Even up here the difference between the southern half and the northern half is like night and day. Most of the time it's hard to believe we all live in the same state.

Isn't that the truth!

 

[MustangMike]

Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer States that are not like that!

 

[mainewoods]

Scrounged some nice ash the other day. Tree trimmers came by clearing the overhead power lines. I did need to walk across the lawn to get to it though.

 

[Philbert]

View attachment 348147 Tree trimmers came by . . . I did need to walk across the lawn to get to it though.

Did you at least offer to sharpen their chains while they filled your wood pile?

Philbert

 

[mainewoods]

No I didn't offer to sharpen their chains, they got homemade donuts and coffee instead.