When it rains, it pours...

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bmwloco

Member
Jan 17, 2008
246
Asheville NC
Shoring up my wood shed, getting ready for what looks to be a very cold and snowy winter. I was 1/2 full at dawn yesterday, and decided to fill her up yesterday, and boy, did I!

My old 1971 Dodge D100 is a work horse of a truck. I have had "Viv" for over 25 years and use it to haul wood, motorcycles, whatever. She's a short bed, so a cord isn't really a cord, unless you stack it up pas the rear window.

There is a great wood lot about 10 miles from my house. The first time I saw it I was stunned. Cord wood stack 30 feet high in an "L" shape, probably enough wood to keep 50 houses warm for many winters.

I stopped in yesterday. All is wood is cut to 15", a little tight for my old Vermont Castings stoves. He then should me his "scrap" pile, full of Oak, Lucust, and other hard woods. We made a deal on that. I drove home, they went to lunch, and we agreed to meet at 2pm.

As I drove home, I saw a tree crew cutting an Oak down. Driving out to get my firewood, I saw it all laid in 5-7 feet "poles" on the street.

After the lot owner and his assistant filled my bed to near overflow with big chucks of good hardwood, Viv and I carefully drove home. I stopped at the neighbors house on the way in. The missus of the house said "oh, I was hoping someone could use it...". After 2 hours of unloading and stacking, I went back and picked up the fresh oak "poles".

Now they are used to prop up the load, i.e. standing behind my stack vertically under the awning of the shed. In a year or two, I will section them up and put them in the 5 ton splitter.

Today will be spent working the old chainsaw to clean up a little, section up a dogwood that fell over (more poles for the woodshed) and just tidying up.

We are getting into the high 40's at night here in Western North Carolina. I figure I will be lighting my first fire sometime in October this year.

I'm ready :)
 
sweet! I'm hoping it "rains" a little more for me soon.
 
Viv always gets good care. Last year, it was new Michelins. The last set lasted 17 years. She also features a genuine Mercedes Benz cloth interior. Originally had a vinyl seat that were cracked. My good old dog Hayduke used to get his fur caught in it. Went to the local trim shop and told them why I needed to change it. He said "I did a job on a '58 Benz, and still have enough left over cloth to do your seats. It's 800,000..."

Huh?

"...good for 800,000 sits". Oh. He told me if I pulled the seat out, he'd do it for $100. That was 15 years ago. There have been three dogs since. Elroy, the latest, loves to ride in the truck. I tell him to stay and protect, and he goes into full lounge mode.
 
Forum rules....gotta have pics;). How is it in Ashville ???....my Wife and I have been watching the realestate market down there, Greer, and Greenville.....my buddy's daughter is looking to go to college in your area....buddy sez that Ashville is off the beaten path.....just what I'm looking for in my retirement
 
Yeah, what Beer Belly said.....where's the pics??

Sounds like a great score!
 
Got some shots, but since Apple killed mobileme... I need to find a suitable place to put photos.
 
How is Asheville? Awful. Overrun. Just a pox.

Of course, I say the same about New Zealand when anyone asks.

Asheville is fine. We have mountains, water, and 9 breweries. Sierra Nevada, New Belgium and Oskar Blues (my favorite, going to my home town of Brevard) are here soon. Lots of beer.

Also lots of available downed hardwood. I paid for my last load 'cause I was flush and lazy. Get a permit from the Forest Service, there are oak logs laying along the side of the road. If, like me, you have a chainsaw and a 5-ton splitter, all is good.
 
All the work will pay off .
Keep stacking it up. A drought may come & you'll be ready
No Pictures, darn.
 
Worked in Alaska for two years with the Forest Circus. Spent 12 years working in Antarctica.

I'll keep stacking...
 
Shoring up my wood shed, getting ready for what looks to be a very cold and snowy winter. I was 1/2 full at dawn yesterday, and decided to fill her up yesterday, and boy, did I!

My old 1971 Dodge D100 is a work horse of a truck. I have had "Viv" for over 25 years and use it to haul wood, motorcycles, whatever. She's a short bed, so a cord isn't really a cord, unless you stack it up pas the rear window.

There is a great wood lot about 10 miles from my house. The first time I saw it I was stunned. Cord wood stack 30 feet high in an "L" shape, probably enough wood to keep 50 houses warm for many winters.

I stopped in yesterday. All is wood is cut to 15", a little tight for my old Vermont Castings stoves. He then should me his "scrap" pile, full of Oak, Lucust, and other hard woods. We made a deal on that. I drove home, they went to lunch, and we agreed to meet at 2pm.

As I drove home, I saw a tree crew cutting an Oak down. Driving out to get my firewood, I saw it all laid in 5-7 feet "poles" on the street.

After the lot owner and his assistant filled my bed to near overflow with big chucks of good hardwood, Viv and I carefully drove home. I stopped at the neighbors house on the way in. The missus of the house said "oh, I was hoping someone could use it...". After 2 hours of unloading and stacking, I went back and picked up the fresh oak "poles".

Now they are used to prop up the load, i.e. standing behind my stack vertically under the awning of the shed. In a year or two, I will section them up and put them in the 5 ton splitter.

Today will be spent working the old chainsaw to clean up a little, section up a dogwood that fell over (more poles for the woodshed) and just tidying up.

We are getting into the high 40's at night here in Western North Carolina. I figure I will be lighting my first fire sometime in October this year.

I'm ready :)

A couple of questions bmwloco.

1. What leads you to believe this will be a very cold and snowy winter?

2. I'd love to see pictures of that wood stacked 30' high. Uploading pictures on this new forum is pretty simple. Just upload them from your computer.

3. Why on earth are you going to wait a year or two before you split the wood? Split it now and it will dry nicely. Wood don't dry worth a hoot until it is split.


We'll be in the low 40's again tonight. I have a feeling it won't be long before we need a fire in the stove.
 
1. What leads you to believe this will be a very cold and snowy winter?

National Weather service says "El Ninia". Moisture from the Gulf, cold from Canada... that means snow here. Some say it is the
same pattern they saw in 1987, which was a big winter here.

2. I'd love to see pictures of that wood stacked 30' high. Uploading pictures on this new forum is pretty simple. Just upload them from your computer.

I'll have to spend more time figuring it out. Pictures soon.

3. Why on earth are you going to wait a year or two before you split the wood? Split it now and it will dry nicely. Wood don't dry worth a hoot until it is split.

Room, mainly, and the oak "poles" are leaning into the pile, under the awning, to keep it them dry. It's all very green now. Once the pile gets smaller, I'll cut and split - probably next summer.

Raining hard now - storm from the gulf of course. Just a wall of water to the southwest. Joy. There is a reason we have 9 breweries and three more big ones are on the way - Water.
 
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