People think I'm weird...

[Jon E]

... for being a wood scrounger.

Saturday I was asked to help out on an Eagle Scout project for one of the Scouts in my troop (I'm the Scoutmaster). His project was cleaning, pruning and mowing an old pear orchard for a senior citizen's center that owned the land. Two weeks ago, he had cleared brush and there was huge piles of brush and small trees along the road. Saturday he brought in a 12" Vermeer chipper and chip truck and we were to feed the chipper with all the brush.

I waded in there and basically prevented anyone from throwing most everything over 3" diameter into the chipper - I sawed it out and piled it separately. I wound up with a full to overflowing pickup truck load of a big mix of stuff - ash, black walnut, oak, honeysuckle, sumac and of course some nice pear wood from a couple of dead trees. It was probably a bit ridiculous but I look at it as almost two weeks worth of firewood.

Ever do something like that - scrounge something that everyone else would toss in a chipper or a brush pile? I save everything down to 2", sometimes less, if it's a good-burning species like hornbeam or locust.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

if you don't own wwoded land how else do you get wood. I think other people are weird. But I tolerate them.

Got any pics ?

 

[Jon E]

No, no pictures. I'll tell you though, my rusty old truck was just about sitting on the ground. Too much in the bed.

I have woodland, though. I have almost 40 acres I can cut from, 'family' land. It doesn't stop me from scrounging everything I can find, though. All that wood was headed for the chipper.

All the pear wood will either be some small boards for woodworking, woodturning, or cut into small chunks for BBQ.

 

[Billy_Bob]

If the wood is in someone's yard (as opposed to up in the forest), I'll take the branches too (above 3"). There can be a LOT of wood in just the branches with some of the larger trees in my area. The people appreciate my helping them clean-up a bit.

When I'm splitting and stacking, I can alternate between the big heavy pieces and the little stuff. Gives me a bit of a rest.

 

[woodbooga]

Being considered weird by Vermonters is a sure sign of sanity.

Just my .02 from the right side of the Connecticut River.

 

[audible fart]

Scrounging firewood isn't weird. What could BE more fun than enjoying an enormous woodpile holed up in your bunker. Just sitting there warm as can be all winter while watching the nice religious folks blow themselves up, and watching politicians destroy the country while pig flu sweeps the countryside. Then who's weird. No thanks, enjoy your religious wars and socialism folks. I'll be here by the fire. No trespassing.

 

[Henry G.]

Scrounging firewood isn't weird. What could BE more fun than enjoying an enormous woodpile holed up in your bunker. Just sitting there warm as can be all winter while watching the nice religious folks blow themselves up, and watching politicians destroy the country while pig flu sweeps the countryside. Then who's weird. No thanks, enjoy your religious wars and socialism folks. I'll be here by the fire. No trespassing.

Words of wisdom. I stop to grab a log on the side of the road fallen off someones truck. Woodwhore? Yes. A crown I wear proudly!! :greenchainsaw:
My yard signs:

http://readytodefend.com/index.php?..._id=42&zenid=020328098c73c3830ad84c9b66f7660f

 

[clutch25]

About two weeks ago while at my mom's, she came up to me and said that someone had just gone by with a truckload of birch, likely headed to the county brush dump site about 1 mile away. bCorradi and I grabbed the 361 and jumped in the truck....ended up getting 2 new splitting stumps and two truckloads of wood....one all oak! People were just throwing it away!

 

[discounthunter]

nothing wrong with that, your saving other trees from being cut(right now lol). i would however suggest you dont burn sumac not even outside as i can cause allergic reactions in some people.

 

[duane9835]

Pear is excellent for slow smoking pork. I just cooked a "Boston Butt" on Sunday using charcoal and water soaked pear branches.