Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[ttyR2]

A neighbor down the street had a large tree taken out a few months back and still had a number of big rounds left (2.5ft+). Desperate to try out my new DHT 28 ton splitter, I asked if he wanted the wood. Nope...feel free to get it. So towed the splitter down and had at it. A buddy thinks it's Chinese elm, I have no clue. The splitter did awesome and I ended up with not quite a heaped pile in the back of the truck for an hours worth of work. No complaints.

Does elm burn ok?

There were some huge grubs in one spot, but the rest of the wood was in good shape, just wet.

 

[3000 FPS]

A neighbor down the street had a large tree taken out a few months back and still had a number of big rounds left (2.5ft+). Desperate to try out my new DHT 28 ton splitter, I asked if he wanted the wood. Nope...feel free to get it. So towed the splitter down and had at it. A buddy thinks it's Chinese elm, I have no clue. The splitter did awesome and I ended up with not quite a heaped pile in the back of the truck for an hours worth of work. No complaints.

Does elm burn ok?

There were some huge grubs in one spot, but the rest of the wood was in good shape, just wet.

Elm will burn just fine once you let it dry out.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

Beats a snowball

 

[3000 FPS]

Beats a snowball

Yep anything does.

 

[1project2many]

A buddy thinks it's Chinese elm, I have no clue. The splitter did awesome and I ended up with not quite a heaped pile in the back of the truck for an hours worth of work. No complaints.
Does elm burn ok?

Chinese Elm is pretty unique. Good wood to burn, but let it dry plenty. Oozes sticky, brown sap when cut green. 2.5' rounds???? Never, never, never that I've ever heard of or seen. 10"?? 12" maybe?? I've posted pictures here or search for images "chinese elm bark."

Siberian Elm gets big, seems heavy when green since it stores a bunch of water. Takes a long time to dry out and is lighter than Poplar when dry. Beats a snowball, yeah, but not for the part of the pile used in deep winter. Also search for "siberian elm bark."

 

[BillNole]

Chinese Elm is pretty unique. Good wood to burn, but let it dry plenty. Oozes sticky, brown sap when cut green. 2.5' rounds???? Never, never, never that I've ever heard of or seen. 10"?? 12" maybe?? I've posted pictures here or search for images "chinese elm bark."

Siberian Elm gets big, seems heavy when green since it stores a bunch of water. Takes a long time to dry out and is lighter than Poplar when dry. Beats a snowball, yeah, but not for the part of the pile used in deep winter. Also search for "siberian elm bark."

Elm burns just fine and is in fact, my absolute favorite wood! Chinese elm burns well also and as mentioned requires a little more seasoning than some other types of elm. I typically have my wood storage completed by mid-Spring and Chinese requires an extra year before getting into without hissing. Most other elm's, I can get into the Winter immediately after splitting, if we don't see an unusually wet Spring and Summer.

I have a trunk on the ground from last Spring to get to as soon as the snow clears enough, that is easily 3+ feet across at it's base end and almost 3 feet at the first branch, about 20 feet away. I'm gonna play heck bucking this with my 18" bar, but I'm determined as it's too much wood to just leave behind. I'd even consider renting a bigger saw for half a day if I could find one nearby, but nobody has anything enough bigger than mine to make it seem worthwhile.

 

[zogger]

Elm burns just fine and is in fact, my absolute favorite wood! Chinese elm burns well also and as mentioned requires a little more seasoning than some other types of elm. I typically have my wood storage completed by mid-Spring and Chinese requires an extra year before getting into without hissing. Most other elm's, I can get into the Winter immediately after splitting, if we don't see an unusually wet Spring and Summer.

I have a trunk on the ground from last Spring to get to as soon as the snow clears enough, that is easily 3+ feet across at it's base end and almost 3 feet at the first branch, about 20 feet away. I'm gonna play heck bucking this with my 18" bar, but I'm determined as it's too much wood to just leave behind. I'd even consider renting a bigger saw for half a day if I could find one nearby, but nobody has anything enough bigger than mine to make it seem worthwhile.

Good reason to get a larger saw..just sayin'

 

[BillNole]

Good reason to get a larger saw..just sayin'

Yeah, I've thought about it more times than I should, knowing that I won't likely ever do it. I cut wood for my own personal use only and just because I enjoy it. I have a "nice little" Dolmar 460, which is pretty good for a consumer/weekend wood warrior, compared to the box store brands I usually see others using. I so rarely come across the need for something bigger, though I realize it's often as much about want, as it is real need.

If I could come across as great of a deal as I've seen some on AS claim to find, I might jump on it, but I can't justify the money for a new really big / high-end saw when I only use it to cut 2-3 full cords worth each year.

 

[ttyR2]

Used Stihl 046's aren't that expensive and can run a big bar. Mine loves the 32" I have on it regularly.

 

[BillNole]

Used Stihl 046's aren't that expensive and can run a big bar. Mine loves the 32" I have on it regularly.

"Aren't that expensive" is a relative term though... $500-$600 is still a lot of money for some people for what is little more than a hobby, when I already have a saw that works for most of my purposes and it's not that high (another relative term...) on the priority list.

I'd love to have something like that, but I've always struggled with buying the unknown and unless you know someone that's selling one yourself, it's a crap-shoot, especially if you're talking CL or eBay, or any other online source for a used item. In some parts of the country, finding a good used saw might be as simple as a phone call to a buddy or two, but in others, they're as scarce as an ice-auger in Miami.

 

[zogger]

Yeah, I've thought about it more times than I should, knowing that I won't likely ever do it. I cut wood for my own personal use only and just because I enjoy it. I have a "nice little" Dolmar 460, which is pretty good for a consumer/weekend wood warrior, compared to the box store brands I usually see others using. I so rarely come across the need for something bigger, though I realize it's often as much about want, as it is real need.

If I could come across as great of a deal as I've seen some on AS claim to find, I might jump on it, but I can't justify the money for a new really big / high-end saw when I only use it to cut 2-3 full cords worth each year.

Well, I used to think one small saw worked, as I only cut a small amount personal firewood. Then the big azz storm and tornado went through..hmmm..all of a sudden a big ole need for displacement and bar reach. ya never know.

Get a used something in 70, cut three extra cords and sell them, that should pay for the used something in 70..perhaps. I have found since I have larger saws the big wood finds me, I am not beating on smaller saws, I am five years ahead firewood and climkbing instead of just one year, and could, if I chose to, sell extra. I can now handle twigs to the absolute largest trees that grow in my state. And everything in between. Not only fun, but "saw storm insurance". And it's always easy to resell large displacement runners if you need emergency cash.

Anyway, that is how my thinking evolved since I joined up here. A tornado completely and utterly changes your outlook when you go to deal with the aftermath.

 

[BillNole]

Well, I used to think one small saw worked, as I only cut a small amount personal firewood. Then the big azz storm and tornado went through..hmmm..all of a sudden a big ole need for displacement and bar reach. ya never know.

Get a used something in 70, cut three extra cords and sell them, that should pay for the used something in 70..perhaps. I have found since I have larger saws the big wood finds me, I am not beating on smaller saws, I am five years ahead firewood and climkbing instead of just one year, and could, if I chose to, sell extra. I can now handle twigs to the absolute largest trees that grow in my state. And everything in between. Not only fun, but "saw storm insurance". And it's always easy to resell large displacement runners if you need emergency cash.

Anyway, that is how my thinking evolved since I joined up here. A tornado completely and utterly changes your outlook when you go to deal with the aftermath.

I've gone through much of that same logic and have looked around, but just haven't found anything I'm comfortable with in terms of getting what I'm paying for. I am however a sucker for a good deal, when it does present itself, so perhaps that special saw will come along and find me some day. Until then, I'll be happy for the wood I am able to get with what I have and will struggle occasionally with wood that's out of my league and beyond my equipment on rare occasion.

It's all good!

 

[zogger]

I've gone through much of that same logic and have looked around, but just haven't found anything I'm comfortable with in terms of getting what I'm paying for. I am however a sucker for a good deal, when it does present itself, so perhaps that special saw will come along and find me some day. Until then, I'll be happy for the wood I am able to get with what I have and will struggle occasionally with wood that's out of my league and beyond my equipment on rare occasion.

It's all good!

Yep, all good!

 

[Dalmatian90]

When I first met him he said he knew a tree is taller than a shrub. It took a year of work before he'd remember to look for needles to ID the tree. But for some reason he still couldn't tell a pine tree in winter. Turns out I'd shown him a Tamarack as one example of a tree with needles so he thought the needles fell off all pines in the winter.

I'm actually pretty impressed he associated the tree through different seasons -- I admit I'm not the best at ID'ing trees other than a few I know well, but I'd only trust myself to recognize a tamarack in the fall when they're yellow, or winter when they're nekkid.

 

[zogger]

I've gone through much of that same logic and have looked around, but just haven't found anything I'm comfortable with in terms of getting what I'm paying for. I am however a sucker for a good deal, when it does present itself, so perhaps that special saw will come along and find me some day. Until then, I'll be happy for the wood I am able to get with what I have and will struggle occasionally with wood that's out of my league and beyond my equipment on rare occasion.

It's all good!

Ha! Just call me mr temptation!

Johnny red 2077 in the tradin post for three benjamins.....

 

[BillNole]

Ha! Just call me mr temptation!

Johnny red 2077 in the tradin post for three benjamins.....

Can I buy a vowel? Where is this tradin post of which you speak?

 

[Oliver1655]

"Trading Post" under the Equipment Forums area towards the bottom of the forum listings.

 

[spike60]

I've gone through much of that same logic and have looked around, but just haven't found anything I'm comfortable with in terms of getting what I'm paying for. I am however a sucker for a good deal, when it does present itself, so perhaps that special saw will come along and find me some day. Until then, I'll be happy for the wood I am able to get with what I have and will struggle occasionally with wood that's out of my league and beyond my equipment on rare occasion.

It's all good!

That's a good approach really. Your getting the wood you need with the saw you've got. Being patient and waiting for a good deal to come along is better than the "gotta get it quick" mode which is how guys get burned. Especially with online sales.

But like Zogger said, and it's come up a couple times in this thread: Having a larger saw does open up a lot more opportunities for us scroungers. Wood that might be a struggle for your 460 could be easy work with a larger saw.

Been seeing a trend in the store as we are coming out of this brutal winter. The importance of firewood has been driven home after a winter like this, and guys seem to be more interested in investing in that capability. Bitter cold, folks running out of wood and such. Especially the running out bit. Saw sales are really jumping. The 555/2258 in particular. Guys running Rancher type saws are looking for more saw, but not more weight, and that chassis is really the only option for them. And the price of the 555/2258 is about as far as they want to go. Plenty of saw to use on the log pile, but light enough for most anyone who chooses to cut wood. Kind of got that niche all to themselves.

 

[zogger]

Can I buy a vowel? Where is this tradin post of which you speak?

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/forums/tradin-post.132/

 

[mainewoods]

A man with a big saw might seem to have some kind of an advantage when it comes to scrounging wood. He will take big stuff where others, with small saws, would pass. But the tendency seems to be that the guy with the big saw passes on the small wood also. A wise man has saws for both occasions, or the willingness to take the small wood with the big wood. If someone is a scrounger of firewood, restricting ones self to what you will, and won't take, seems to defeat the whole purpose of scrounging.