Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

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JustPlainJeff

JustPlainJeff

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
May 17, 2020
Messages
458
Location
N. MI
I said on here a week ago or so, that I had my cousin pick me up a 500i through his dealer at a smoking price. Well, he took it over to my Dad's house today, where I'll pick it up tomorrow. He had to get a picture of my old man (all 5''-5" of him LOL) holding the saw. Well, he USED to be 5'-5". He's probably more like 5'-3" now! :)

I've gotta give it to the old man though, he's 77 and still working 60 hours per week. Retirement just isn't in him.

5-17-4.jpg
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
29,521
Location
MN
Regarding ponds. There’s a wet spot on my family property where I eventually want to build a tiny house. In the middle of a big gravel chunk of land is a little marsh. I’m assuming there’s gotta be a spring there to keep it wet like that year round. Will excavate it eventually to find out.

I figured I would build a tiny house next to the pond. But that’s a few years away yet.
 
MustangMike
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Messages
11,564
Location
Brewster, NY
I vote air leak after working on a couple of these clones
I bought a real nice low hour (clean) MS440 for $25.- that was burned up like that years ago. The shop that tuned it set the Hi needle like it was the low needle. (1/4 turn out instead of 1 full turn out).

I bought a new piston, cleaned the cylinder, deleted the base gasket, modded the muffler and advanced the timing. It ran very strong, but my 044 was just a bit stronger, so I sold it.

I often wish I kept that saw, but then again, I barely run my 044 and my ported 360 (which both run great), so I made the right move. You just can't keep everything, even if it is nice! My 2 ported 462s are my "go to" 70 cc saws, and I have 3 ported 77 cc saws (2 Hybrids and a MS460). If I had any brains, I'd probably sell more of them, but they are all a bit unique, and I'm attached to them, so I don't!
 
Cowboy254

Cowboy254

Compulsive scrounger
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Apr 14, 2016
Messages
2,642
Location
Vic, Australia
G'day fellers,

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this on the 'other stuff' thread but I went back out to the Monstromint this arvo. Got there to find wood had been moved around, including the multi-stem chunk I took a pic of last week.

9th May 1.jpg

Today, it and several other logs had been separated from the branch material and laid out.

18th May 1.jpg

I figured the farmer (Bandy) had done it and got started. Then he came by to see how I was going and told me that one of the farmers down the road had asked him who was doing all that cutting by his place. Bandy told him and the other chap (Gary - a previous client of mine) said he'd come up and pull some stuff out to make it easier for me. Great bloke!

So that multi-stem, once disassembled, almost filled (OVERLOADED) the trailer. I failed to take a pic before starting the OVERLOADING but here's the rest.

18th May 2.jpg

There were a fair few splittables but quite a lot of noodleables, uglies and downright unmentionables but it all burns. I sliced up a few of the other logs too.

18th May 3.jpg

So, ended up with this in the trailer

18th May 4.jpg

And this in the ute

18th May 5.jpg

So far that is 7 trips for about 17.5 cubes and there is at least another trip-worth there, maybe a bit more. It's going to end up being a 20+ cube tree. That's over 5 cord, comfortably the biggest tree I have ever scrounged.

Scrounge on :rock:
 
chipper1

chipper1

Living Life to the Full
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Nov 5, 2014
Messages
45,235
Location
GR. MI.
G'day fellers,

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this on the 'other stuff' thread but I went back out to the Monstromint this arvo. Got there to find wood had been moved around, including the multi-stem chunk I took a pic of last week.

View attachment 1083551

Today, it and several other logs had been separated from the branch material and laid out.

View attachment 1083552

I figured the farmer (Bandy) had done it and got started. Then he came by to see how I was going and told me that one of the farmers down the road had asked him who was doing all that cutting by his place. Bandy told him and the other chap (Gary - a previous client of mine) said he'd come up and pull some stuff out to make it easier for me. Great bloke!

So that multi-stem, once disassembled, almost filled (OVERLOADED) the trailer. I failed to take a pic before starting the OVERLOADING but here's the rest.

View attachment 1083553

There were a fair few splittables but quite a lot of noodleables, uglies and downright unmentionables but it all burns. I sliced up a few of the other logs too.

View attachment 1083554

So, ended up with this in the trailer

View attachment 1083555

And this in the ute

View attachment 1083556

So far that is 7 trips for about 17.5 cubes and there is at least another trip-worth there, maybe a bit more. It's going to end up being a 20+ cube tree. That's over 5 cord, comfortably the biggest tree I have ever scrounged.

Scrounge on :rock:
What a view, and another nice load too :happy: .
 
chipper1

chipper1

Living Life to the Full
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Nov 5, 2014
Messages
45,235
Location
GR. MI.
Do you have a water source that will feed this pond?
Just the rain at this point.
I plan on lining it with clay, and there is a lot of water that flows into this area when it rains heavy. Since it's been dry for a bit at the house, I'm expecting a big rain tomorrow when rain is predicted, or an even bigger rain the next time it comes around. Those are the types of rains that I figure will fill it, and also the type I'm concerned/planning could overfill it.
 
SS396driver
Joined
Nov 3, 2011
Messages
6,615
Location
Catskill Mountains NY
80K is freaking obscene. For 80K, I could have a darn, DARN nice 5th wheel with all of the creature comforts.
Problem is newer campers aren’t built all that well. These old Airstreams and Argo campers are rock solid . It’s not unusual to see 60s and 70s units still being used without being a ground up restoration . I like them but I won’t pay that kind of money for a toy . Now if I sold my two homes and bought a little place even a condo and I were too travel full time I would buy one of these in a minute .IMG_6333.jpeg
 
spuldup

spuldup

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
243
Location
Western PA
G'day fellers,

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this on the 'other stuff' thread but I went back out to the Monstromint this arvo. Got there to find wood had been moved around, including the multi-stem chunk I took a pic of last week.

View attachment 1083551

Today, it and several other logs had been separated from the branch material and laid out.

View attachment 1083552

I figured the farmer (Bandy) had done it and got started. Then he came by to see how I was going and told me that one of the farmers down the road had asked him who was doing all that cutting by his place. Bandy told him and the other chap (Gary - a previous client of mine) said he'd come up and pull some stuff out to make it easier for me. Great bloke!

So that multi-stem, once disassembled, almost filled (OVERLOADED) the trailer. I failed to take a pic before starting the OVERLOADING but here's the rest.

View attachment 1083553

There were a fair few splittables but quite a lot of noodleables, uglies and downright unmentionables but it all burns. I sliced up a few of the other logs too.

View attachment 1083554

So, ended up with this in the trailer

View attachment 1083555

And this in the ute

View attachment 1083556

So far that is 7 trips for about 17.5 cubes and there is at least another trip-worth there, maybe a bit more. It's going to end up being a 20+ cube tree. That's over 5 cord, comfortably the biggest tree I have ever scrounged.

Scrounge on :rock:
"downright unmentionables" are about 50% of scrounging! Nice haul mate!
 
Sawyer Rob

Sawyer Rob

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Dec 25, 2005
Messages
4,234
Location
Midwest
I think that Depends on the region you live in and the depth of the pond. The pond behind my house was built in 1910. In 1980 it was deepened and cleaned out. Last year it was dredged again for the 2nd time due to Lilypads taking over 1/2 the pond. No chemicals have ever been used in this pond from what my deceased father in law told me and the owners that I have known since the 70's. Our land that abutts the pond has been in the family since 1908. The pond is fed by road draining ditches and a few springs.
Jim, I didn't say folks just use chemicals, paying someone to clean the pond out is also "spending money" to keep the weeds out. You made my case, yours have been cleaned out.

My ponds were left by the ice age, we just made them a bit bigger. (dad and me, did dig one of them) My earliest picts/maps are from the 1800's and you can see the ponds there. They are all spring fed and quite a bit of water leaves them, we use to raise trout, they still have fish in them.

They also need to be cleaned out, you just can't get around the plant problem IF you live where it gets warm and there's daylight to feed the plants. That's why you see so many ponds that look "blue", folks are coloring the water trying to keep the sun from getting to the weeds and it doesn't take much sun.

Here's a little fun fact, over the years we have found arrow heads, a stone ax heads ect. along my stream so this was an area that Indians camped, hunted and fished a lot, right here. A few years ago, I found a stone spear point and from what I found online, it's approx. 2000 years old.

SR
 
Sawyer Rob

Sawyer Rob

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Dec 25, 2005
Messages
4,234
Location
Midwest
Problem is newer campers aren’t built all that well. These old Airstreams and Argo campers are rock solid . It’s not unusual to see 60s and 70s units still being used without being a ground up restoration . I like them but I won’t pay that kind of money for a toy . Now if I sold my two homes and bought a little place even a condo and I were too travel full time I would buy one of these in a minute .View attachment 1083568
I owned/lived in an Airstream for a couple years, they may be solid, but I didn't care for all those rounded surfaces inside. It sucks up a lot of storage space.

SR
 
Honyuk96

Honyuk96

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Apr 19, 2018
Messages
257
Location
Michigan
Jim, I didn't say folks just use chemicals, paying someone to clean the pond out is also "spending money" to keep the weeds out. You made my case, yours have been cleaned out.

My ponds were left by the ice age, we just made them a bit bigger. (dad and me, did dig one of them) My earliest picts/maps are from the 1800's and you can see the ponds there. They are all spring fed and quite a bit of water leaves them, we use to raise trout, they still have fish in them.

They also need to be cleaned out, you just can't get around the plant problem IF you live where it gets warm and there's daylight to feed the plants. That's why you see so many ponds that look "blue", folks are coloring the water trying to keep the sun from getting to the weeds and it doesn't take much sun.

Here's a little fun fact, over the years we have found arrow heads, a stone ax heads ect. along my stream so this was an area that Indians camped, hunted and fished a lot, right here. A few years ago, I found a stone spear point and from what I found online, it's approx. 2000 years old.

SR
SR please post some pics of those artifacts. I do a bit of hunting myself,i’d enjoy seeing what you have.
 
Sawyer Rob

Sawyer Rob

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Joined
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Messages
4,234
Location
Midwest
SR please post some pics of those artifacts. I do a bit of hunting myself,i’d enjoy seeing what you have.
This is the best I can do for now, here's the spear point,

IMG-4059-S.jpg


SR
 
GrizG

GrizG

Addicted to ArboristSite
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Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
3,437
Location
Mid-Hudson Valley
Never been in one, but always wondered if that was the case.
Years ago my aunt and uncle had an Airstream Bambi trailer that they used for attending blue grass festivals. It was tiny but they basically only used it for sleeping... The happening stuff was outside! Me... I carry backpacking gear on my bicycle... don't want to deal with a house and vehicle while "on the road." On another note, I got a text message from my son this morning telling me he doesn't need the bicycle rack I offered to give him for his Jeep. He informed me he moved to Leeds the other day... the one north of London. 😉 He quit his job and is going adventuring with an eye towards going back to college for urban planning (focus on non-motorized transportation). He was sure to mention that I did the same kind of thing when I was about his age... Proud papa here! 😂 🤣
 
singinwoodwackr
Joined
Jan 31, 2012
Messages
15,983
Location
“Free” State of Idaho
Just the rain at this point.
I plan on lining it with clay, and there is a lot of water that flows into this area when it rains heavy. Since it's been dry for a bit at the house, I'm expecting a big rain tomorrow when rain is predicted, or an even bigger rain the next time it comes around. Those are the types of rains that I figure will fill it, and also the type I'm concerned/planning could overfill it.
What's your plan for overflow?
 
Sierra_rider

Sierra_rider

Piss revver
Joined
Oct 26, 2021
Messages
1,315
Location
State of Jefferson
Problem is newer campers aren’t built all that well. These old Airstreams and Argo campers are rock solid . It’s not unusual to see 60s and 70s units still being used without being a ground up restoration . I like them but I won’t pay that kind of money for a toy . Now if I sold my two homes and bought a little place even a condo and I were too travel full time I would buy one of these in a minute .View attachment 1083568

Yep, the new trailers are pretty built to be cheap and lightweight. My old man has been on the lookout for used toyhaulers, I went with him the other day to look at one...roof vents were cracked, roof was deteriorating. It had rot in one of the corners, so he walked away from it...he's looked at a few so far and all had leaks. You basically have to have it under cover or replace the roof every few years, or it turns to crap.
 
SS396driver
Joined
Nov 3, 2011
Messages
6,615
Location
Catskill Mountains NY
I owned/lived in an Airstream for a couple years, they may be solid, but I didn't care for all those rounded surfaces inside. It sucks up a lot of storage space.

SR
Most people overload travel trailers . I used to let my wife pack ours up and then I would take out 1/3 or close to 1/2 the stuff . None of the travel trailers are really made for living in 24/7 .
 
WoodAbuser

WoodAbuser

aka WoodchuckAbuser
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
1,734
Location
Minnesota and Iowa
Pick up some Archer .404 Full Chisel 36” loops , haven’t tried the brand price was right, View attachment 1083706
I have a couple. They are ok. Sharpen a little easier than Stihl chain. I don't think they stay sharp as long as the Stihl chain, but that is just my opinion. I have so many saws that each gets uses so little that I can't be absolutely sure. I am interested in what you think after you get some use on them.
 

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