Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Fixed

thank you, chipper! i returned the favor....

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Yes indeed!!!

  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 .

Welcome.

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).

That's kind of what I was guessing. Like I mentioned earlier somewhere on this thread. Wish we had good hardwoods here on the island. As do many other residents on Kodiak thst burn wood!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I agree. I want a small heated shop (more efficient to stick build) but beyond that whatever doesn’t fit into this garage isn’t needed.

i have heard that before! .... but then, just when i need something... there it is!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Well then here's a couple more for you.

This is the view I wake up to every morning.

Chiniak Bay, AK at low tide on an Spring overcast day. I just happened to catch the Raven in the second picture by coincidence and luck! View attachment 996282View attachment 996283

great! only Alaska is Alaska! been there a few times...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Figured Id share a couple milling pic's. I don't mill nearly as much as I use to. When I was much younger. A high school flame of mine and I lived in a 16 x 24 cabin. That I built out of Spruce framing and western cedar siding. All milled with a 066 on a 32" Granberg. Wish I had pictures. Although the flame was extinguished long ago. the memories Stihl remain. Probably always will. It was some good times in my life.

These are some Sitka Spruce bural's I milled up this winter. The biggest bigger ones being 50", across and 4" thick! They are far from finished, as they are Stihl curing. When Asked what am I going to do with them? All I can say is. "Not sure yet, but when I look at one of the bigger flats.I see a poker table in the future for the man cave!"
I'm not sure what the red colored wood slab is in the center bottom of the pic. I think its some kind of Asian or South American exotic. I milled it from a root wad washed up on the beach, and man let me tell you what! It is some hard hard dense and heavy wood! Even now that its cured! Never seen another wood like it. Except South American Apoton! View attachment 996285

This is my banya I built a four or five years ago. It is far from finished on the outside and in. But definitely operational. I milled the three sided logs for the stem wall's. The Spruce benches as well as the Alaskan Yellow Cedar lumber for the ceiling in the sweat room, and also the Western Red Cedar interior siding stacked in the dressing room.View attachment 996287View attachment 996286View attachment 996288View attachment 996289

Her side of the dressing room.
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"His side!" View attachment 996291

Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware!

nice! Twin Lakes perfect. nice work...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

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!

bad news! sorry to hear MM

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

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

100f here this weekend

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I've almost pulled a stack over on me a couple times! I obviously didn't learn anything the first time, but I did the second time!

one thing i know for sure... wood can be just like concrete... heavy!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I'm sorry for your loss Mike. I'm praying for you and his family. It's always hard losing friends.

u r rite! hard to think one of my, well... my bbf... ck'd out. saddness bordered with some being mad about it...

 

[Kodiak Kid]

one thing i know for sure... wood can be just like concrete... heavy!

Most definitely!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Sorry about the loss of your friend @MustangMike. Some nasty storms have blown through here for the last two days. Power has been out since yesterday. Had to cut my way through our road to get to town. I had to wait to cut these up as the power lines were still live for a few hours. After a few hours we said "screw it", called some friends that live about a mile from our other house in Land O' Lakes to see if they had power and he said that they did. So, after it got to about 90 degrees, we packed up the fridge and freezers (as much as we could), and came over to our other house, to wait until the power has been restored in Iron River.View attachment 996319View attachment 996320View attachment 996321

thanks for the foto essay! i hate seeing things like that! ~

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Took some starter wood over to the burn barrel last weekend. The logs already bucked up have mostly already been hauled away, we took them to friends that run a store. They’ll either sell them or burn them themselves. Forgot to get a loaded trailer pic. These were dead trees I felled recently, it’s good to get them off the property right away. They can quickly clutter up the place. We put a low hours turbo engine in the loader last year, I’m happy with it.

i have some i need to move! still in wb.... burning it daily, as fast as i can... lol
yesterday's Elm camp fire....

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I like your walls. Mine are just interior grade 1" thick Pine. I got two 2, 20' pallets for $100 at an auction. Just barely had enough to finish in side. I got a 12'X40' garage package and turned it into my home away from home. The fold up table I made from a big White Pine blow down ten, twelve years ago.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

That pine looks very nice.

With the exception of the tongue and groove red cedar on the sweat room wall with the benches. My walls are just CDX plywood! However. It will eventually be sided with chainsaw milled western red cedar from logs I score on the beaches around here.

Let me tell you. Milling beach logs is hard on saws and chain!!! At least until the cant is milled

i dont burn pine. but sometimes i do. have 4 pcs left... may burn one stix today...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I ran up to my cabin today between work projects. Scoped out the damage done to the nearby woods two weeks ago. Lots of trees down but thanks to TSI practices (at least I’ll attribute it to that) my yard was unscathed. Mrs Robin built a nest on my ladder. It’s not very high so hopefully nobody bothers her. Looks like the eggs were just hatching today… Nothing was here as of 2 1/2 weeks ago.
View attachment 996347View attachment 996348View attachment 996349View attachment 996350View attachment 996351View attachment 996352View attachment 996353View attachment 996354View attachment 996355

isn't that something! nest on ladder with eggs hatching. thanks for pix. did she build it there?

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

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.

oic....

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

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

Texas style

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

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 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.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!
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And nobody injured! Be it man nor beast!
View attachment 996382 Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware!

swell AK pix there KK... just seems like a lot of hard work to me. but then... down here it rains oak... all the time. maybe i am just spoiled...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

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.

and things in general, too!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

isn't that something! nest on ladder with eggs hatching. thanks for pix. did she build it there?

Roger! I forgot to mention. That is pretty cool! I've never seen blue eggs before!!!