Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Kodiak Kid]

Very nice, all of it!

Thankyou! I appreciate that!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I'm spoiled anymore my one uncle and cousin lives just down the road with properties adjacent to each other and they got a little band saw mill set up... never been so spoiled lol. Take the buck 2 miles down the road hop on the skid steer and set it on the mill and go to "work". I have a few white oak bucks I need to take over before the ms400 gets too hungry..... also need a day off work .

I need a tractor bad. I was going to buy one this Summer, but being as Im going back to work here soon. Im probably going to wait until winter.

 

[Jeffkrib]

Woodstack-alanche! . It happens some years and it just happened. Still, I was doing a bit of restacking to a higher height to make a bit of extra room so it hasn't caused much extra work.... But I'd prefer to restack to a schedule of my own choosing

85F here today, hottest day this year. Supposed to be 93f tomorrow. Hottest UK June day on record was 96f in 1976.... The fabled long hot summer of '76. We could be in for another scorcher

Just be careful that your little junior burgers don’t get crushed under a falling stack

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Now Im not one to boast about hitting my shot, but this one is to good to be true! This is a snag I videoed swinging the other day and up loaded to YouTube.In the video. I didn't take the time to show exactly where the snag landed, as I was more focused on explaining how I executed my swing. Plus it was my first self video of I felling. I've seen videos on YouTube of cutters swinging timber, but half of them don't explain how or why they swung the particular tree. They just swing it. I swing snags because I try to avoid wedging them if they are fairly sound. That being said. When it comes to any snag. Widow maker's can be at the "breaking point" and come down from the cause of many different things. Like a light tap from the heal of a wedge setting another wedge, a kerf closing down on a dutchman, (hard or soft) saw vibration, a light breeze, and believe or not? Even a squirrel running up the trunk! Trust me Ive seen it!!! Those are some of many reasons why I stress keeping a heads up! All widow maker's can and eventually will reach a tipping or breaking point snd regardless of size. Weather its naturally caused by sever decomposition, wind storms, or breaking off from other timber brushing against it. These are all a few examples.A lot of this can also be said about live timber with decomposed defects or totally healthy and sound. I never swing or wedge tall and or big snags that are at an extreme stage of decomposition. For example. hollow to the sap ring, soft punky mulch, or big slabs of bark hanging. I judge the lean, exicute a fast clean face cut. Then a fast but safe back cut while keeping my head up as much as possible until it commits to fall. Then, I get the hell out of there and go on to the next tree. If they are at the point of decay? That I feel they are simply to dangerous to work under. I'll just smash them with the top a big live tree. Now that Ive exspsressed some of my opinions on widow maker's and felling snags. Back to hitting my shot.
Now the snag I swung in the video was Stihl very sound. And "somewhat" safe to swing as far as snags are concerned. However is a snag every safe to fall wedging, or swinging or even fall into its lean with nothing but simple clean, safe, and basic face and back cuts? In my opinion that is entirely a judgement call depending on level of experience. I felt completely safe and capable of swinging the snag in the video and hitting my shot. However, no matter how good you are at felling, or how much experience you have at felling. In some circumstances. Anything can happen at any given time when it comes to cut'n timber. Especially when swing cutting!

Now the idea behind this shot. Was to get the wood close to and on the road for ease of bucking and loading. Without smashing or damaging any live timber, without brushing up the fish creek, and of course! Without getting anyone or anything hurt. Be it man or beast.
At the end of it all. I feel it all worked out perfect if I do say so myself.


Close to the road for bucking and loading!

Not a limb one in the fish creek or a live sappling smashed or damaged!

And nobody injured! Be it man nor beast!
Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware!

 

[djg james]

Now Im not one to boast about hitting my shot, but this one is to good to be true! This is a snag I videoed swinging the other day and up loaded to YouTube.In the video.....

It's amazing how all you guys can drop trees. My hats off to you. I dropped a dead yard pine recently and if I showed you the stump, you'd die laughing. Luckily, I had a rope tied off and someone at the other end. But I've always wondered why you call it a 'snag'? Looks like it's pretty isolated from other trees.

 

[JimR]

Nice

I don't believe I have ever seen a Remington saw before. Very nice and the Honda is great.

 

[chipper1]

Now Im not one to boast about hitting my shot, but this one is to good to be true! This is a snag I videoed swinging the other day and up loaded to YouTube.View attachment 996387In the video. I didn't take the time to show exactly where the snag landed, as I was more focused on explaining how I exacuted my swing. Plus it was my first self video of I felling. I've seen videos on YouTube of cutters swinging timber, but half of them don't explain how or why they swung the particular tree. They just swing it. I swing snags because I try to avoid wedging them if they are fairly sound. That being said. When it comes to any snag. Widow maker's can be at the "breaking point" and come down from the cause of many different things. Like a light tap from the heal of a wedge setting another wedge, a kerf closing down on a dutchman, (hard or soft) saw vibration, a light breeze, and believe or not? Even a squirrel running up the trunk! Trust me Ive seen it!!! Those are some of many reasons why I stress keeping a heads up! All widow maker's can and eventually will reach a tipping or breaking point snd regardless of size. Weather its naturally caused by sever decomposition, wind storms, or breaking off from other timber brushing against it. These are all a few examples.A lot of this can also be said about live timber with decomposed defects or totally healthy and sound. I never swing or wedge tall and or big snags that are at an extreme stage of decomposition. For example. hollow to the sap ring, soft punky mulch, or big slabs of bark hanging. I judge the lean, exicute a fast clean face cut. Then a fast but safe back cut while keeping my head up as much as possible until it commits to fall. Then, I get the hell out of there and go on to the next tree. If they are at the point of decay? That I feel they are simply to dangerous to work under. I'll just smash them with the top a big live tree. Now that Ive exspsressed some of my opinions on widow maker's and felling snags. Back to hitting my shot.
Now the snag I swung in the video was Stihl very sound. And "somewhat" safe to swing as far as snags are concerned. However is a snag every safe to fall wedging, or swinging or even fall into its lean with nothing but simple clean, safe, and basic face and back cuts? In my opinion that is entirely a judgement call depending on level of experience. I felt completely safe and capable of swinging the snag in the video and hitting my shot. However, no matter how good you are at felling, or how much experience you have at felling. In some circumstances. Anything can happen at any given time when it comes to cut'n timber. Especially when swing cutting!

Now the idea behind this shot. Was to get the wood close to and on the road for ease of bucking and loading. Without smashing or damaging any live timber, without brushing up the fish creek, and of course! Without getting anyone or anything hurt. Be it man or beast.View attachment 996388
At the end of it all. I feel it all worked out perfect if I do say so myself.
View attachment 996379

Close to the road for bucking and loading!
View attachment 996381
Not a limb one in the fish creek or a live sappling smashed or damaged!
View attachment 996383View attachment 996384
And nobody injured! Be it man nor beast!
View attachment 996382 Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware!

Little to the left, but not bad .
Sure would be cool to get to drop a few of those. We have some very large diameter and tall white pine here in MI, but nothing over 155' last I knew.
Nice job .

 

[chipper1]

It's amazing how all you guys can drop trees. My hats off to you. I dropped a dead yard pine recently and if I showed you the stump, you'd die laughing. Luckily, I had a rope tied off and someone at the other end. But I've always wondered why you call it a 'snag'? Looks like it's pretty isolated from other trees.

What he did is incredible as it was more than just a notch and back cut, swinging a tree adds a bit more to the equation and having one break off or hold on too long can cause you to miss your intended fall easily. If he hit the mark as well as he did with a standard notch and backcut it would still be a great shot.

Snag is short for wildlife snag(you can search it for a definition, but basically a place for wildlife to live) in most instances, not 100% about there as it appears the whole island is filled with them.

 

[chipper1]

Just got some bad news. My friend and local tree guy died yesterday. His bucket truck went over and he was killed on impact.

He was in his 50s, meticulous and careful. I'm in shock!

Sorry to hear that Mike.

 

[chipper1]

I tried to tell @chipper1 that when he was planning his pole barn. Dang kids.

I'm fully aware that barns only come in one size, too small, but unfortunately so does the amount of funds I have to invest in one . But a guy has to start somewhere .
Build it, and it will fill up .
Took the little ford ranger and the Honda insight to the junk yard this week, so I gained trailer space(and I can list the trailer now), and another parking space on the concrete pad. And most importantly scratched off the Honda from my to do list that's a couple miles long .

 

[chipper1]

Still a lot of clutter but it’s coming along! It was SUPER humid that’s why the floor is wet.

View attachment 996197

That's a lot of humidity.
Last night I saw the humidity the lowest I recall at 35%, it's now at what is pretty normal on the low side 53%.
It was only 81 at the house just 20 minutes away from the airport where the weather station is, quite a bit cooler, it actually felt really nice with the wind kicking 20 plus mph.
The barns looking good, you gotta start somewhere .

 

[chipper1]

got a new phrase here around my camp: "guess i can do without that, since I really need that new thing!"

Fixed

 

[MustangMike]

You're truck gets over 20 mpg? I've got a bottom of the line 2 2WD Dodge truck and best I get is 17 mpg.

The highways from here to NH are pretty flat, but I really appreciate my 2019 F-150 2.7 ltr biturbo Ecco boost w/10 speed tranny.

Does not have the towing capacity of the larger engines, but great gas mileage (even around town) and it is surprisingly peppy when you step on it. I could not be happier with it. That mileage is with the cruise control set a 72 MPH. The engine is turning about 1,600-1,700 Rpm.

With cruise control on, even when towing a heavy trailer up hills it will not lose speed as it will double downshift to maintain speed. It has 4WD and low range options, so it is perfect for me. I put Blizzack tires on in the winter and it goes anywhere.

 

[chipper1]

What do you guys think when you see an ad like this, I think, "challenge accepted" .





He also had this one, it's the reason why many places have laws in place about selling firewood.
So it's a 5x8.5' trailer, how high are you filling it for it to be full, is it stacked in or just tossed in .

 

[sean donato]

Pay in advance and show up with a tri-axle..... challenge won....

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Little to the left, but not bad .
Sure would be cool to get to drop a few of those. We have some very large diameter and tall white pine here in MI, but nothing over 155' last I knew.
Nice job .

It was a little to the left a few inches and thanks for noticing Chipper!!!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

What he did is incredible as it was more than just a notch and back cut, swinging a tree adds a bit more to the equation and having one break off or hold on too long can cause you to miss your intended fall easily. If he hit the mark as well as he did with a standard notch and backcut it would still be a great shot.

Snag is short for wildlife snag(you can search it for a definition, but basically a place for wildlife to live) in most instances, not 100% about there as it appears the whole island is filled with them.

Thankyou very much Brett for the complement! I Appreciate that! Good on ya!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

What do you guys think when you see an ad like this, I think, "challenge accepted" .


View attachment 996443


He also had this one, it's the reason why many places have laws in place about selling firewood.
So it's a 5x8.5' trailer, how high are you filling it for it to be full, is it stacked in or just tossed in .

View attachment 996444

I don't know what fire wood goes for where you guys are from. Here it is 250$ to 300$ a cord! Depending on if the customer wants it stacked or not.

 

[chipper1]

It was a little to the left a few inches and thanks for noticing Chipper!!!

Somebody has to keep you "in-line" .
For most everything I do, close is good enough. Close being within a 5-10 degrees either way, anything that needs to be more precise would need to be dismantled and then the stem dropped giving much more leeway. What I am capable of is more than the average firewood guy(from what I've seen and experienced), but it's not very accurate compared to the real experts. I'd probably get better if I was dropping more than a few trees a week, but then again, so would everyone else .

Thankyou very much Brett for the complement! I Appreciate that! Good on ya!

Welcome.

I don't know what fire wood goes for where you guys are from. Here it is 250$ to 300$ a cord! Depending on if the customer wants it stacked or not.

That's not abnormal here for delivered wood, but it would be all good hardwoods for that price, no softwoods would be accepted by most for that kind of money. Here softwoods are for bonfires, as are softer hardwoods, but if guys have an outdoor wood boiler many will throw anything they get their hands on into them(it's part of what gives them a bad name).

 

[chipper1]

Pay in advance and show up with a tri-axle..... challenge won....

C'mon man! .
That isn't really a trunk though.
Maybe he's counting on the city slickers, not one of us hardcore wood junkies .
Does a van have a trunk .