Help! I've got it bad!

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Rangerbait

Rangerbait

Feeling the Heat
Dec 17, 2016
456
Shepherdstown, WV
I don't even have a wood stove yet, and I'm already eyeballing every damn fallen or standing dead tree I pass on the road!

I remember my dad constantly scoping out the woods for prized specimen when I was a kid, and thinking he was out of his mind...then I moved out and into my own place with a wood stove became afflicted with the same illness.

After 19 years living in places with only gas furnaces and now an electric heat pump, I've finally decided to get back to my mountain man roots.

I made my first wood run last weekend, and now have half a cord of poplar split to start the first Holz Hausen...man I had forgotten how much I enjoyed cutting wood and coming home with the stink of sawdust and 2-cycle exhaust! Can't believe I waited this long.
 
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Rangerbait said:
I don't even have a wood stove yet, and I'm already eyeballing every damn fallen or standing dead tree I pass on the road!

I remember my dad constantly scoping out the woods for prized specimen when I was a kid, and thinking he was out of his mind...then I moved out and into my own place with a wood stove became afflicted with the same illness.

After 19 years living in places with only gas furnaces and now an electric heat pump, I've finally decided to get back to my mountain man roots.

I made my first wood run last weekend, and now have half a cord of poplar split to start the first Holz Hausen...man I had forgotten how much I enjoyed cutting wood and coming home with the stink of sawdust and 2-cycle exhaust! Can't believe I waited this long.
Click to expand...

Welcome back!
 
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Rangerbait said:
coming home with the stink of sawdust and 2-cycle exhaust!
Click to expand...
Lol! My kids call that "smelling like firewood". Sure beats smelling money combust in my propane furnace. My kids prob think I'm crazy too, but one day they'll be thinking the same thing you and I have........."maybe I should call dad and ask him if this is worth cutting up". Always glad to hear about someone else enjoying this endeavour. Here's to a full truck bed.
 
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No help needed ... getting wood before you even get a stove may put you in that elite class of folks who end up burning seasoned wood in their first year of burning. It's a rare ... and wonderful ... thing to be one of the few who have primo fuel in their first year versus folks who end up struggling to light and get much heat from their unseasoned wood in their first year.
 
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firefighterjake said:
No help needed ... getting wood before you even get a stove may put you in that elite class of folks who end up burning seasoned wood in their first year of burning. It's a rare ... and wonderful ... thing to be one of the few who have primo fuel in their first year versus folks who end up struggling to light and get much heat from their unseasoned wood in their first year.
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I hear ya there, ive struggled a bit this year (being my first year). after we clear my friends land, ill have enough put up to last ALL next winter
 
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Got a chance to go out again yesterday after work to grab some of the poplar and cherry logs piled at a buddy's new home site, but was plagued by mechanicals. Still got about half a truck load, so all was not lost!
 
No, you don't have it bad you have it "GOOD", that's a good thing to have the itch to harvest wood early, not be like these guys who cut and split wood in August, throw it in the stove a few months later and wonder "why isn't this burning well?".

Now just get that stove and you'll be set up beautifully!
 
What do I have here, gents? I thought it was poplar, but this S is fighting me tooth and nail. Had to break out the sledge and use the maul as a wedge.

Super rubbery and wet...hard to even get the maul to stick into the round, then really fibrous when I did get it split. Also, heavy af.

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I would agree with poplar. It is a very wet wood when fresh, but will dry fast and become very light. It can be pretty stringy, too, especially as a yard tree in my experience. Should smell sort of earthy or musty when fresh split.
 
pernox said:
I would agree with poplar. It is a very wet wood when fresh, but will dry fast and become very light. It can be pretty stringy, too, especially as a yard tree in my experience. Should smell sort of earthy or musty when fresh split.
Click to expand...

This one must've been dropped very recently because the rest of the poplar from that site popped open with one swing of the maul. I ended up having to split the rounds in half on site because I might have blown an o ring tryin to deadlift them sombitches.
 
Welcome to your new support group! My wife and kids think I'm nuts too, the wife is starting to come 'round. She looks forward to sitting in the family room by the stove after work ( I work outside so that's a given) Good call on halving the rounds, no need for a blown out o-ring ;)
 
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So, how many chainsaws do you have currently? When I joined here I had one Stihl 290 I bought new after having a freebie Craftsman that didn't run much. I've had at least 1/2 dozen since and I'm sitting on 6 saws currently that run, and a few parts saws. CAD is a term you might become familiar with
 
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D8Chumley said:
So, how many chainsaws do you have currently? When I joined here I had one Stihl 290 I bought new after having a freebie Craftsman that didn't run much. I've had at least 1/2 dozen since and I'm sitting on 6 saws currently that run, and a few parts saws. CAD is a term you might become familiar with
Click to expand...

Currently just a Husqy 440...I bought it just to do maintenance around the house, and before I decided to put in a wood stove. It does the trick for the time being, but I'd like to get a Stihl 391 with a 20" bar.
 
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Fad and Cad, both are slippery slopes, no cure that I know of for either. Welcome to the support group.
 
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I don't have a saw. LOL
ALL the wood in the avatar pic is roadside goodies.

Welcome to the obsession and welcome to this site, Ranger, Core, n' Wicket.
Just hit one year myself.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeap
 
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Rangerbait said:
This one must've been dropped very recently because the rest of the poplar from that site popped open with one swing of the maul. I ended up having to split the rounds in half on site because I might have blown an o ring tryin to deadlift them sombitches.
Click to expand...
Save your O-ring and get yourself one of these. I love mine and every wood guy that sees it wants one. Add two ramps from 2x8s and go after the large rounds no one wants.

https://www.google.com/search?q=lan...AUICCgC&biw=375&bih=591#imgrc=JRvqYf9nuMqJ1M:
 
"Go after Large ones no one wants"- And that's when the cad started- something about a 5Ft dia chunk of Silver maple and 14" bar on a green saw.
 
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