Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[1project2many]

my father and i were sitting and having a beer after finishing up for the day. I told him i was surprised this oak tree got leaves as i thought it was dead this last winter. so we get up the next morning and sure enough the tree crack about half way up. The timing just made it funny. guess you had to be there LOL.

I like that. But isn't the universe is a funny place? You say "I'm surprised that tree's alive" and the next day it breaks. But no matter how many times you say "I'm surprised no one's shown up to give me a million bucks" the universe never seems to prove you wrong.

 

[nomad_archer]

New toys...I mean tools showed up last night and look to have survived shipping. The shipping box has had better days.

I took the 27x out for a joy ride last night. Busted up some cherry rounds using the headlights of the truck so I didnt kill my self. My first impression is that I really like it. Just some quick splitting but I didn't feel like I did 5 rounds with Mike Tyson afterwards like I usually do using the 8lb maul. My impression may change but so far I looks like it is going to be a winner. Cherry may not have been the best place to start that is some stringy wood.

 

[mainewoods]

I have been very impressed with these garden carts for hauling wood, rocks, dirt and anything else you can put in them. The large,narrow bicycle wheels are great for rough terrain, and the load weight is distributed directly over the axle. You can stand them on end, and roll large rocks or firewood rounds too heavy to lift, into them, instead of lifting. Flip it back down onto it's wheels and go. The balance and stability is impressive. A scrounger would find one of these carts very useful where mechanized equipment wasn't feasible or discouraged. It only takes one time to realize how good they truly work. The one I have is 400# capacity, but I have hauled a lot more than that in it, many times.

 

[Poindexter]

Dang it, I missed one. Co worker had two widow makers spruce, about a half cord each that i had offered to take down for him back in November.

He said no, then we had a windstorm in April and he had two more good sized spruce hung up - closing in on two cords now. He hired a pro to drop the trees and leave them on the ground for me. I told i would be there on Wednesday June fourth, right after I got back from an out of town wedding. No problem.

So he decided to sell his house, listed it and got in under contract by mid-May, they are supposed to close in August. But the buyer wanted the property inspected right away, and the inspector wanted the downed trees gone, so my friend had to pay someone to take two cords of firewood away.

dang it dang it dang it.

 

[svk]

Just curious. When scrounging are you more likely to go for higher btu wood even if its harder to get to (ie carrying rounds/splits a few hundred feet through the woods to your vehicle) or taking whatever is readily available to drive up to?

 

[MustangMike]

In my opinion, the higher BTU woods are worth a little more work, but if there is lower BTU wood in an easy place, don't let it go to waste. It will also depend on what is available at the time, and how much space you have. For example, I'm holding off bringing some soft Maple to my daughter because the Black Birch and Chestnut Oak that I have for her will pretty much take up all the storage space she has.

 

[Poindexter]

Just curious. When scrounging are you more likely to go for higher btu wood even if its harder to get to (ie carrying rounds/splits a few hundred feet through the woods to your vehicle) or taking whatever is readily available to drive up to?

My biggest variable is fuel cost for my truck. If I can get low BTU wood 1 mile from the house or higher BTU wood 25 miles from the house, I'll take the short trip. Certainly a limit to how far i am willing to hump a round through the woods - but working is working. It's the savings at the gas pump that make scrounging pay for me.

 

[nomad_archer]

Just curious. When scrounging are you more likely to go for higher btu wood even if its harder to get to (ie carrying rounds/splits a few hundred feet through the woods to your vehicle) or taking whatever is readily available to drive up to?

Carrying is overrated. Wheelbarrow makes that task much easier. However if I have the option I will go for whatever is closer to home first.

 

[zogger]

New toys...I mean tools showed up last night and look to have survived shipping. The shipping box has had better days.

I took the 27x out for a joy ride last night. Busted up some cherry rounds using the headlights of the truck so I didnt kill my self. My first impression is that I really like it. Just some quick splitting but I didn't feel like I did 5 rounds with Mike Tyson afterwards like I usually do using the 8lb maul. My impression may change but so far I looks like it is going to be a winner. Cherry may not have been the best place to start that is some stringy wood.

 

[zogger]

Dang it, I missed one. Co worker had two widow makers spruce, about a half cord each that i had offered to take down for him back in November.

He said no, then we had a windstorm in April and he had two more good sized spruce hung up - closing in on two cords now. He hired a pro to drop the trees and leave them on the ground for me. I told i would be there on Wednesday June fourth, right after I got back from an out of town wedding. No problem.

So he decided to sell his house, listed it and got in under contract by mid-May, they are supposed to close in August. But the buyer wanted the property inspected right away, and the inspector wanted the downed trees gone, so my friend had to pay someone to take two cords of firewood away.

dang it dang it dang it.

Well, that sucks.

Tell ya, down here in ye aulde 48, I guess we have the impression there are one million trees per human in alaskee. Gives the appearance of easy scrounging, but I have no idea.

Just musing..if I lived up there maybe buy one acre at a time, clear it, keep the wood, resale it. move on to another acre.

When I was a kid, they offered cheap alaska land mail order in the back of mens and sporting magazines, seems like it was wicked cheap. Wish I had bought ten acres now.

 

[svk]

Well that helps answer my question. I've still mentally inventoried about 1.5 cords of hardwood and close to 5 cords softwood either drive to or short carry. Any oak I've found is either a few hundred feed from the road or would require rounds being loaded onto an ATV (which I can borrow but it's a 200 mile round trip to my buddy's house negating any savings from cutting wood). I'll have the wheeler for hunting season and haul out the oak then for 15-16' heating season.

 

[nomad_archer]

Weather finally cooperated. Everything was still pretty soft and I am still sore from wrestling the oak from Monday. So I took the easy and semi light mostly poplar pile since I was a little short on time today as well. It was easy and it is free and it will burn just fine. There is still a little hardwood left but only another load or two that is the right size and worth the work to get out.

 

[vanhalenps4]

Here's what I was able to get at the small dump site about 8 minutes from my house... It's 90% locust and a similar mystery wood, 5% cherry and 5% oak... More oak on the way.. There are also a few cords of pine rounds waiting for me but I don't know if they're worth the effort right now as I have many trees to cut on my own land. I just couldn't let this stuff get pushed over the hill and covered up.

 

[Mike-M]

Just curious. When scrounging are you more likely to go for higher btu wood even if its harder to get to (ie carrying rounds/splits a few hundred feet through the woods to your vehicle) or taking whatever is readily available to drive up to?

Im picky. I get most of mine for free off criagslist, and theres so much on there to pick and choose from. I also only have storage for 2 cords. I pretty much only take oak, locust, or fruit trees cause I like them, and most of what I take is already cut to rounds and somewhat dried. Oak is the dominant indigenous tree here so theres tons of it to be found.

 

[nomad_archer]

Im picky. I get most of mine for free off criagslist, and theres so much on there to pick and choose from. I also only have storage for 2 cords. I pretty much only take oak, locust, or fruit trees cause I like them, and most of what I take is already cut to rounds and somewhat dried. Oak is the dominant indigenous tree here so theres tons of it to be found.

Wish that was the case here. Craigslist firewood is gone about as fast as its posted. Miss the ad by half a day or so and the wood is spoken for. I get all of my wood off of craigslist and I'm only picky in so far as it is some variety of hardwood.

 

[JB Weld]

I am still working on tornado damage. I cut up a couple of small red oaks this morning and got it split (about a rick) . I am going back this afternoon to cut up a big log of Red oak (3' diameter). Normally I don't like messing with the big stuff, but it is where I can back right up to it, and it will get burned if I don't go get it.

 

[Erik B]

Well, that sucks.

Tell ya, down here in ye aulde 48, I guess we have the impression there are one million trees per human in alaskee. Gives the appearance of easy scrounging, but I have no idea.

Just musing..if I lived up there maybe buy one acre at a time, clear it, keep the wood, resale it. move on to another acre.

When I was a kid, they offered cheap alaska land mail order in the back of mens and sporting magazines, seems like it was wicked cheap. Wish I had bought ten acres now.

Back in the 50's or early 60's I remember a square inch of land in Alaska being offered for a couple of cereal box tops and maybe 50 cents or so.

 

[zogger]

Back in the 50's or early 60's I remember a square inch of land in Alaska being offered for a couple of cereal box tops and maybe 50 cents or so.

Ha! I remember that one! The other ads were for western land, alaska, colorado, whatever, like 100 bucks down and 30 a month or something for like ten acres.

 

[dancan]

Step one towards mechanization .

I wonder how I'm gonna mount this on the back of the UTV ????

 

[mainewoods]

Lot's of welding rods.