Splitting "Junk"

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
cityevader

cityevader

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
407
Location
Boulder Creek, CA
just let it pile up where you work up your wood eventually you dont have to worry about grounding a chain. if you cut to far youll just be cutting half rotted bark and sawdust, nothing that will hurt a chain.

:agree2:

However, the main problem for me is the Oak bark which is sometimes over an inch thick...nearly twisted an ankle many times on it.
I've found Locust bark burns nice and hot after an initial smoking, and not much ash, good for getting stove up to temp quick. Oak bark burns terrible/much ash.

I took one full-size pickup loaded to the gills with bark to the dump, cost $12. I've got a compost pile with 5-year old Oak bark still quite solid in there.

The actual "wood" byproducts I lay out on a tarp in the sun a couple days and throw them into lidded plastic garbage cans. Seem to get one can full per 2 cords. Great kindling.
 
Zodiac45

Zodiac45

Paleostoveologist & Sawwhisperer
Joined
May 26, 2005
Messages
2,425
Location
Downeast Maine
I've been thinking about that problem for a while. Actually too long as I now have a "brush pile" worthy of a Vol Fire dept excersize! There was a celar hole on a lot I purchased adjacent too mine. It had been filled in but sunk quite a bit. I've been piling splitter waste and prunings etc...for a few years there now and now have a micro eco system going with birds and others living in there. My whole 3.8 acres are right on the edge of wild garden. Old beach rose and cedar hedges that have grown into trees (cedar). Several terraces going down the hill. There were once formal gardens here 100+ years ago and you can still see the layout. It's sort of cool like this though. I think I could keep a chipper running 24/7 around here! :cheers:
 
woodbooga

woodbooga

cords of mystic memory
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
11,943
Location
Between Gonic and Chocorua
Not much to add aside to say that it takes forever for most species' bark to decompose/compost. If you're using woodwaste for fill, the larger pieces and bark often don't sit real tight in the ground and settling can take a while.

Most bark, slivers, or little chunks go into the kindling pile. As TreeCo said, excellent kindling and good fuel for those borderline days when you just want to banish the damp or chill. Late last season, I was feeding the stove slivers and small chunks from sweeping the woodshed in early May.

Waste not, want not.
 
wkpoor

wkpoor

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Messages
1,305
Location
Amanda, OH
The bark will make real nice mulch in one of those small chippers but....they are real slow about it. You would need a much larger unit with the shredder option to really take advantage of volume.
 
arlen

arlen

Me and my wife at Wild Amimal Park San Diego
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Messages
394
Location
Escondido California
I sell the wood chunks and give away the bark.

So I'm wondering, what do you guys do with all the junk that gets made by the splitting process? I've been raking up the splinters and picking out the bigger chunks to use for kindling, but what about all that bark? I know you could just dump it out in the woods, but it seems like a bit of a waste.

I was thinking of picking up the bigger chunks and getting one of those little MTD chippers just to chip up for my flower beds or possibly to sell. I can get my hands on one of them for about $100 and I know they suck at chipping any real brush but they should handle bark okay.

What ya guys think? I just hate wasting so much of that bark and just letting it rot.


How much do you produce ?:popcorn:

I have probably split 10 cords so far I put the splitter chunks in a 55 gallon drum and sell for $10.- dollars. I use the chunks for cooking and BBQ .

I put the bark in trash cans and give it to customers as fire-starter.

Some I spread some around the yard as ground cover.
 
Joshlaugh

Joshlaugh

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Messages
268
Location
Licking county, Ohio
I still split by hand and most of the bark and large pieces get burned. The smaller stuff get used as bedding for flowers and the area around where I split the wood(grass doesn't seem to grow all that well there)
 
Kemper

Kemper

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Feb 5, 2009
Messages
412
Location
Southeast
So I'm wondering, what do you guys do with all the junk that gets made by the splitting process? I've been raking up the splinters and picking out the bigger chunks to use for kindling, but what about all that bark? I know you could just dump it out in the woods, but it seems like a bit of a waste.

I was thinking of picking up the bigger chunks and getting one of those little MTD chippers just to chip up for my flower beds or possibly to sell. I can get my hands on one of them for about $100 and I know they suck at chipping any real brush but they should handle bark okay.

What ya guys think? I just hate wasting so much of that bark and just letting it rot.


I just use the bark for mulch around the bushes and the fence.:givebeer:
 

AOD

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Sep 22, 2008
Messages
1,976
Location
Under a Funeral Moon
I've used bark to start fires before, theres a trick to it. First it has to be dry as a :popcorn: fart, second, you need to break it into little nuggets that will get hot quickly, trying to burn big chunks of it just makes a lot of smoke. I bet you could fill bins with these little "nuggets" and shovel them in right over a bed of coals to get rid of it and get some good heat in the process.
 
cityevader

cityevader

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
407
Location
Boulder Creek, CA
For all you who use bark for mulch, how small is it? Do you work it smaller somehow (without a chipper that is). Or do you just separate out the big stuff? The chunks I end up with are only good for ankle twisting, and far too large to readily break down for mulch purposes.

I've a hard time thinking the super-thick Oak bark i have makes good kindling. Even quite dry, it just smolders and generates ash.
 

KD57

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
1,975
Location
TX
The bigger pieces of bark and little chunks go into the fire pit, the rest I spread out on the ground where I cut/split. In case it is muddy, I can still work, the chips make a good ground cover. And it also cuts down on my mowing in that area.
 
Raymond

Raymond

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
1,056
Location
Missouri
:computer:Back when I sold firewood I would also throw in a bag or two of that mess. Can't ask for better kindling.
Now I just keep enough wood for myself and spread the rest of the mess around for weed control.
When I need kindling I walk around hand picking the best kindling with a five gallon bucket.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top