Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[PA Dan]

This might be the easiest scrounge in history if it comes through! Neighbor changed careers and bought a dump truck and Kubota excavator. He stops at my house today and says he will be dropping a load of Ash logs sometime next week. He's doing a job for a customer that had a dead Ash taken down and he doesn't want the wood! I'll post pics if it arrives! In the last 4 years I took down 6 Ash trees from this neighbors yard and have been burning some each winter.

 

[tpence2177]

No scrounging today but I did have to cut a small tree down to get a spot ready for our new storage shed we are getting. Ran almost a gallon through my echo backpack blower and put a new carb on a free fs90 and got it running today. Got a good bit done I feel like.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Ginger15]

A company dropped some trees where I work, they don't want the wood so its all mine for the scrounging. Already have 2 loads done. I also have to drop the tree that is marked '7'. The tree company never came back. Will clean up the area as I go. It's 90% pine 10% oak.

 

[Cowboy254]

View attachment 562382 Downside to scrounging is the clean up. This is on my own property but when I'm out and about I try not to leave a mess and get invited back. View attachment 562384I use to think gas was the answer to a hot fire but a blower revolutionized it. View attachment 562385 Having a helper who doesn't complain is great to. View attachment 562388

Great photos! Looks like a beautiful spot you have there.

 

[Cowboy254]

G'day cobbers,

Felt a bit seedy this morning, I reckon that last beer I had last night after the game must have been off. Anyway, I trooped out to the farm. There was this and more left after I loaded up on Wednesday.



I got the trailer loaded up and was half way off the farm before I realised I hadn't taken the obligatory picture.



I got home and unloaded that. There was a little dragon perched up on the pile looking at me and eating the occasional meat ant. He let me give him a pat and as I was finishing loading he jumped down from piece to piece. I sat down on a round and he hopped right over to the bit next to me and was shaping to jump onto my arm. His claws were small but needle sharp so I shifted away a bit and he jumped onto the round I was sitting on. He was a cool little fella.



Then I headed back out to the farm for a second load. All of the rounds I could comfortably lift went in the first load so there was nothing for it but to start swingin. It was pretty slow going - not because the wood was hard but because the splitter was lame - but I got the trailer loaded with the rest of what I cut on Wednesday.



I couldn't be arsed cutting up the remainder of the log today and it's probably not a bad idea to avoid chainsaw use if you're short of your best, so there's something left for next time. There were 6 or so big rounds before the 3-way fork, the biggest at the base was 28 inches, they had the trailer half full on their own.



Then I trundled home. I'll add this load to Mt Cowboy tomorrow.

 

[NormP]

I think I've hit a small jackpot as far as scrounging goes. For the past three to four months I've been driving by a house with a good sized tree that was cut down and left in the front yard. It laid there for 2 months just as it had fallen, then about a month ago I drove by and it had been bucked into 4-6 foot sections but that was all that has been done so far. In addition, it looks like one or two other trees have been felled in the yard.

I finally got tired of seeing it sit there tempting me, so I pulled in the drive and asked the guy in the driveway if he was going to do anything with it. He immediately told me it wasn't his business, that it was up to the landlord. Didn't seem too interested in me being there, but he did tell me who the landlord was and where to find him. A couple days later I stopped by the landlord's office and a lady there gave me his card and said he wouldn't care a bit if I call him. So I called him and introduced myself, told him why I was calling and was immediately told "You can take all of it you want, as soon as you want to get it. That guy that lives there is crazy, and I'm evicting him. I've got the house sold and will close on it at the end of the month, so take all the wood you want." "I had a tree service take the trees down and was going to send some of my farmhands out to clean it up, but you can have it."

I told him I would have it cleaned up before the end of the month and he said "I'm standing at my kitchen window at my farm looking at a pile of wood we pushed up with a dozer, and you can have all of it you want as well. As a matter of fact, tell any of your friends that need it and they can have some too. Let me get your name again so I can save your number in my phone."

Turns out he owns several rental properties and a 400 acre farm outside of town, and is going to let me get whatever I want. So it seems like I'm set for probably the rest of this year.

 

[NormP]

Here's a couple photos. I had to snap them from the road as I drive by, so they don't tell the story real well, but there's a decent amount of wood just at this one property.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

 

[NGaMountains]

G'day cobbers,

Felt a bit seedy this morning, I reckon that last beer I had last night after the game must have been off. Anyway, I trooped out to the farm. There was this and more left after I loaded up on Wednesday.

View attachment 562445

I got the trailer loaded up and was half way off the farm before I realised I hadn't taken the obligatory picture.

View attachment 562446

I got home and unloaded that. There was a little dragon perched up on the pile looking at me and eating the occasional meat ant. He let me give him a pat and as I was finishing loading he jumped down from piece to piece. I sat down on a round and he hopped right over to the bit next to me and was shaping to jump onto my arm. His claws were small but needle sharp so I shifted away a bit and he jumped onto the round I was sitting on. He was a cool little fella.

View attachment 562447

Then I headed back out to the farm for a second load. All of the rounds I could comfortably lift went in the first load so there was nothing for it but to start swingin. It was pretty slow going - not because the wood was hard but because the splitter was lame - but I got the trailer loaded with the rest of what I cut on Wednesday.

View attachment 562448

I couldn't be arsed cutting up the remainder of the log today and it's probably not a bad idea to avoid chainsaw use if you're short of your best, so there's something left for next time. There were 6 or so big rounds before the 3-way fork, the biggest at the base was 28 inches, they had the trailer half full on their own.

View attachment 562449

Then I trundled home. I'll add this load to Mt Cowboy tomorrow.

View attachment 562450

Great photos and storytelling, as usual Cowboy. Nice work and haul!

 

[farmer steve]

I think I've hit a small jackpot as far as scrounging goes. For the past three to four months I've been driving by a house with a good sized tree that was cut down and left in the front yard. It laid there for 2 months just as it had fallen, then about a month ago I drove by and it had been bucked into 4-6 foot sections but that was all that has been done so far. In addition, it looks like one or two other trees have been felled in the yard.

I finally got tired of seeing it sit there tempting me, so I pulled in the drive and asked the guy in the driveway if he was going to do anything with it. He immediately told me it wasn't his business, that it was up to the landlord. Didn't seem too interested in me being there, but he did tell me who the landlord was and where to find him. A couple days later I stopped by the landlord's office and a lady there gave me his card and said he wouldn't care a bit if I call him. So I called him and introduced myself, told him why I was calling and was immediately told "You can take all of it you want, as soon as you want to get it. That guy that lives there is crazy, and I'm evicting him. I've got the house sold and will close on it at the end of the month, so take all the wood you want." "I had a tree service take the trees down and was going to send some of my farmhands out to clean it up, but you can have it."

I told him I would have it cleaned up before the end of the month and he said "I'm standing at my kitchen window at my farm looking at a pile of wood we pushed up with a dozer, and you can have all of it you want as well. As a matter of fact, tell any of your friends that need it and they can have some too. Let me get your name again so I can save your number in my phone."

Turns out he owns several rental properties and a 400 acre farm outside of town, and is going to let me get whatever I want. So it seems like I'm set for probably the rest of this year.

Good score Norm. watch out for the wacko tenant. maybe get something in writing about getting the wood from the owner to CYA.

 

[dancan]

Meanwhile as the cowboy was basking in the warm sun in some faraway and distant land I was a mile from home enjoying some balmy -12C with a windthrill of -24C or 8F with a feels like -11F trying to find that delicate balance of dressing just right to stay warm enough but not overdressing so not to overheat and sweat when working .
Wasn't a spyder/snake/ant/lizzard to be seen anywhere, only squirrels and rabbits lol

Around 4:00 pm it started to flurry , so , time to go home to a warm meal and a fine beverage , progress had been made .

 

[dancan]

Since there isn't enough snow at home to run my tobaggon I scrounged up a discarded furnace oil tank and fabbed up a wood hauler for the 3pt hitch of the MF1020 .

 

[JustJeff]

G'day cobbers,

Felt a bit seedy this morning, I reckon that last beer I had last night after the game must have been off. Anyway, I trooped out to the farm. There was this and more left after I loaded up on Wednesday.

View attachment 562445

I got the trailer loaded up and was half way off the farm before I realised I hadn't taken the obligatory picture.

View attachment 562446

I got home and unloaded that. There was a little dragon perched up on the pile looking at me and eating the occasional meat ant. He let me give him a pat and as I was finishing loading he jumped down from piece to piece. I sat down on a round and he hopped right over to the bit next to me and was shaping to jump onto my arm. His claws were small but needle sharp so I shifted away a bit and he jumped onto the round I was sitting on. He was a cool little fella.

View attachment 562447

Then I headed back out to the farm for a second load. All of the rounds I could comfortably lift went in the first load so there was nothing for it but to start swingin. It was pretty slow going - not because the wood was hard but because the splitter was lame - but I got the trailer loaded with the rest of what I cut on Wednesday.

View attachment 562448

I couldn't be arsed cutting up the remainder of the log today and it's probably not a bad idea to avoid chainsaw use if you're short of your best, so there's something left for next time. There were 6 or so big rounds before the 3-way fork, the biggest at the base was 28 inches, they had the trailer half full on their own.

View attachment 562449

Then I trundled home. I'll add this load to Mt Cowboy tomorrow.

View attachment 562450

Ok you have a problem. We've seen this before, matter of fact we've all been there. This is a classic case of OSD. Over Scrounging Disorder. But it's ok, while there is no cure, there's a way to keep it at bay. The options are:
Sell some wood and keep scrounging.
Start burning some wood and keep scrounging.
Pick up a fishing pole and take some time off to pursue other interests. (Sharpening chains and picking up your saws while wistfully making braaap braaap sounds is ok during this period)

Don't worry friend, we are all here for you!

 

[svk]

OSD, that's a good one.

I suffer from over sawing disorder. Since bucking and felling is the most fun now I have about 5 cords of rounds in the woods and need to haul all of that home before I do more scrounging.

 

[JustJeff]

Yeah me too. I don't care for the splitting as much as the sawing. Got about 6-8 facecord of rounds either in the pile or stacked on the fence line just waiting for my attitude to change. lol

 

[svk]

I was hoping to split as I haul it in but now I may as well just get it in and then spend a day splitting then do it again.

 

[NormP]

Good score Norm. watch out for the wacko tenant. maybe get something in writing about getting the wood from the owner to CYA.

He's supposed to be out by Friday and I can't get over there till Saturday, so it shouldn't be an issue. And I've made a career of dealing with guys like him, I'd just prefer not to have to if I'm just trying to cut wood and not on duty.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

 

[woodchip rookie]

I was just thinking about the "OSD" thing a couple days ago. It's like big bags of crack standing on the side of the road. How do I just drive past? Hi. My name is Aron and I have a problem. Is there "Scroungers Anonomous" thread? I think I just need to sell my saws that I plan on upgrading and just split/stack the stuff I have now. I should have enough for 3 winters as it is.

 

[svk]

Last year I didn't get my last winter scrounged wood split until mid August. I didn't need it but this year I'd like to have all of my scrounge split by June 1st and I can just restart the rounds pile again.

 

[PA Dan]

Last year I didn't get my last winter scrounged wood split until mid August. I didn't need it but this year I'd like to have all of my scrounge split by June 1st and I can just restart the rounds pile again.

My plan exactly! I have been working hard all winter to get this accomplished.

 

[JustJeff]

Next winter is no problem for me. I have close to 3 face cord already split and at least double that in rounds waiting to be split all I have to do is scrounge for the year after. Unless a crap ton falls in my lap like last year, I don't plan on going beserk. I'm wanting to fix up my boat and hit the fishing a little harder this year.
Here is my finished knife after an overnight soak in the linseed/stain concoction and a good sharpening on the stone. Hope to catch a worthy fish or two for it.