Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Cowboy254]

Saturday was a big sky day here , honey do list was done in the morning so ....

I knew where I wanted to go because I took a run up there last weekend so I figure I'd make a load with a "RoadSide" scrounge .

Big dead spruce in the middle of the second pic but I'll save him for the tractor and winch since I have no Donk .
Birch on the other side of the road .

Since I didn't have Donk ...

A little soft in there but I didn't have to walk out for the tractor lol

It wasn't a bad day at all , way more fun than just going to the woodpile .

Even got a few extra BTU's

Just plain ole black ants , not poisonous , just a pest .
Try and count the growth rings

That spruce is tough and stringy but I won lol

Scrounge on ladies !

Nice work Dan! Did you use a GoPro for those pics, has the fish-eye look to them?

Looks like a bit of work to split. If you had a eucalypt with those growth rings on it, it would burn for a week .

 

[dancan]

I used my LG5 for the pics .
I wasn't in the mood to handsplit those after a couple of rounds so I fired up the splitter

 

[DrewUth]

Scrounged saw that needed 99 cents of fuel line and a little elbow grease to clean it up. Just need two replacement screws and a new chunk of oiled foam and it's completely ready to go.

View attachment 578908

Aw man, thats one of the good ones! With AV! I have two grey ones and a red one all in Craftsman livery, but I have yet to get my hands on a green one. Great find!

 

[svk]

Thanks for the concern and suggestions. I'm lucky in some respects.

1) I'm married to a physiotherapist.
2) I am a physiotherapist.

However, my scrounging time is short and I can feel the weather closing in. The buyout of the Lady Farmer's farm has been delayed by a coupla months so on the one hand I have some more scrounging time, but on the other hand, it also means I feel obliged to cut her more wood while she's still there. So I'm going to have to bang on for a big longer. Since with medial epicondylitis (so-called golfer's elbow), it is primarily flexor carpi radialis that is affected, the downswing is not much of a problem, it is the resisted wrist flexor action on the upswing on the left side that gets me. The X27 with its trivial weight makes this much easier. Using the chainsaw doesn't really affect it, even big Limby since the palm is facing down and FCR isn't doing much. Realistically, it is unlikely to improve much while I continue scrounging, however. I'll nurse it through for the next month or two. After that, I'll get some traction with exercises. FWIW, eccentric exercise is the go for tendonopathies, but I'm sure that's revision for you folk.

Lol I think you got this!

 

[MustangMike]

I don't think "splitting" with the Fiskars causes any problems, it is when the tough round do NOT SPLIT and bounce that head back up, sending vibs through the handle. I split many rounds over 30", and many of them needed repeated strikes, especially the knotty ones. That is the part that is tough.

 

[woodchip rookie]

I very rarely get wood that I can even use a splitting axe on. I have to use my Isocore 99% of the time. I had some silver maple that I got to use the smaller Fiskars on one time. It was nice swinging a lighter/faster axe for a change.

 

[Marshy]

So the county had a tree service go through and cut the power likes right of ways. Lots of ash just off the side of the road on my way to work. Looks like in going to get back to scrounging even though I just cut 8 cord out of my wood this past winter. It's all perfect size too and all limbs removed and chipped. Most of it is 6-20" and straight. I'm running behind on processing g my firewood this year so I will be borrowing a friends splitter soon and going g to knock out a whole lot of wood. Pics to follow this afternoon.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

the downswing is not much of a problem, it is the resisted wrist flexor action on the upswing on the left side that gets me.

For what it's worth: I have had several jobs that required a lot of sledge hammer use. State highway survey crew; concrete road construction setting forms; concrete building and trade construction; etc. Being small and light weight, hitting a form pin and lifting the sledge in an up/down motion was hard on my shoulders and joints. So I adapted a windmill swing approach, or round-house swing using a lighter weight maul. Add a good grunt, or exhale on the down swing.

It is something to try. With a little practice you can hit a round where you want. It becomes rhythmic, but leave the flip flops by the pool, and wear steel toed boot just in case.

 

[SeMoTony]

For what it's worth: I have had several jobs that required a lot of sledge hammer use. State highway survey crew; concrete road construction setting forms; concrete building and trade construction; etc. Being small and light weight, hitting a form pin and lifting the sledge in an up/down motion was hard on my shoulders and joints. So I adapted a windmill swing approach, or round-house swing using a lighter weight maul. Add a good grunt, or exhale on the down swing.

It is something to try. With a little practice you can hit a round where you want. It becomes rhythmic, but leave the flip flops by the pool, and wear steel toed boot just in case.

an old guy like me would require a 4x scope to put the two together. Fatter of mackly trying that I may need shin guards if the sledge can be found since several steel wedges are locateable. and just "won" a small heavy iron plate wood burner at auction for my shed. Local yard waste dump has given up some firewood since saturday, but competition is a little stiff. We respect each others claim til we pull out with a load then the circling buzzards land on their claim .LOL

 

[muddstopper]

Little cemetery job just keeps adding up.

I just wish they could make up their mine about where they want to stop. We cut a bunch and push the brush over the berm, and then they decide to cut one or two more. Have to wade thru the brush, cut the trees, then drag it back thru the brush and then push the brush back over the berm. At least its close enough to my house I can just skid the trees to my wood pile. I'm pushing the logs on top of some other rounds to get them off the ground. Hopefully the rain will wash some of the dirt off before I get around to processing them into firewood.

 

[Marshy]

I pulled over while scouting some firewood and talked with a retired gentleman that had a tree taken down by the electric company. Introduced myself and chatted about the right of way cutting they just recently did and asked if he had plans for the one in his yard. He was going to give it to the neighbor. We talked about his trees and I offered to do some cutting if he needed a hired hand. It might develop into something or it might not...

Most of the wood I scouted out is nearly in swamp. I need the ground to dry before I can get to some. I moved along untill I found something dry, nice straight ash. Buzzed up two poles and huffed them into the truck. Looks like I got about a face cord.

 

[Cowboy254]

I pulled over while scouting some firewood and talked with a retired gentleman that had a tree taken down by the electric company. Introduced myself and chatted about the right of way cutting they just recently did and asked if he had plans for the one in his yard. He was going to give it to the neighbor. We talked about his trees and I offered to do some cutting if he needed a hired hand. It might develop into something or it might not...

Most of the wood I scouted out is nearly in swamp. I need the ground to dry before I can get to some. I moved along untill I found something dry, nice straight ash. Buzzed up two poles and huffed them into the truck. Looks like I got about a face cord.

View attachment 579720
View attachment 579721

I like the appearance of that ash, beautiful looking wood!

 

[woodchip rookie]

Best smelling wood to burn I think also

 

[Just a Guy that cuts wood]

I had a good time yesterday James Miller / Farmer Steve and Brother Bud .
Working on standing dead ash at the girl scout camp

 

[Marshy]

Best smelling wood to burn I think also

Some of it would have made good looking lumber. The one was straight and about 20" at the large end. Oh well. The next tree I scouted is larger and just as straight. The power company had the tree company cut all ash within their right away and even ask land owners if they can cut ash that is just outside the right of way but is leaning towards the lines... Lots of firewood between work and home.

 

[nomad_archer]

I had a good time yesterday James Miller / Farmer Steve and Brother Bud .
Working on standing dead ash at the girl scout camp
View attachment 579784

Look at all that trouble just waiting to happen.

 

[woodchip rookie]

I got Columbia Gas comming through next winter to seven miles of new pipe in the ground. Their riteofway is going to be 50 feet wide and they are taking down every tree in their path. Im gonna be backyard scrounging next winter....

 

[Just a Guy that cuts wood]

Look at all that trouble just waiting to happen.

What a motley crew
I even ran one of Steve's Stihl saws Don't know what came over me

 

[nomad_archer]

What a motley crew
I even ran one of Steve's Stihl saws Don't know what came over me

At the GTG I was pretty sure you were going to accidentally set @farmer steve MS241 in the cab of your truck for safe keeping and storage. I know I thought about it.

 

[Just a Guy that cuts wood]

Yes my wife needs a new saw