C/L Score - Ranger Load of Fruitwood

I responded to a free wood ad in local C/L last friday monring, from work. Not getting a message back by close of biz, I figgered I was too late and someone else got it. When I got to work this morning, there was a reply, dated this morning, so I sent my cell #. He calls me back and tells me he has dry fruit-wood, "cut to fireplace length" so I made arrangements to p/u after work.

After going home, changing my shoes, and getting the wheelbarrow 'cuz he told me the wood was on the side of the house, I drove the 12 miles and got to his house, in a nice, newer neighborhood in the hills. Sure 'nuf, it's fruitwood (he sez plum, apricot, and persimmon) and it is DRY as a bone. An old bone. Turns out its all two to three years old. And 'tho some of the "fireplace lengths" are 28 to 30 inches, none of it is over 6 or 7 in. in dia. and much of it is under 2 inches. For some of you folks in cold, damp climes, wood may not season 'less it's split, but here in sunny, HOT so. calif., just about anything will dry out if it's in the weather for 2 years or more, including firewood, esp. small diameter. Heck, if someone left you or me out in the so. calif. weather for two years, we'd be purty dry too!

I filled the Ranger (see pics) and will be going back tomorrow evening. Guy said I was the first person to actually show, the rest seemed to be turned off by the fact that he was in the (low, mild) hills. Good thing I brought the wheelbarrow, 'tho, 'cuz it was about 50 feet from the woodpile to the driveway.

Much of this is too small to split, but I got a feelin' that the stuff that's big enuf to split and ain't knotty or crotch pieces is practically gonna split if I get the ax anywhere near it.

At least some of this is reserved for bar bee que, 'cuz I got plenty of pine, ash, and eukie for the fireplace.

Peace,
- Sequoia

Skier76 said:

Agreed! Some of that would go towards my smoker pile...which gets chopped up into small chunks.

Click to expand...

A firend of mine has a funky smoker in his back yard and likes to smoke meat, and (especially) salmon. I'll be calling him to see what size he likes wood cut to for his smoker.

Peace,
- Sequoia

I picked up the last of it last night. Total is prolly between 1/3 and 1/2 cord, lots of it stick size, but we like stick size. I even took the building scraps the guys said were burnable, but I threw them all in the trash we I got home. Some of was PT and the rest I wasn't sure of. I'll only burn scrap lumber if I know it is untreated, unpainted, etc. but he want it gone (about a wheelbarrow full), so it was a small thing to do in exchange for such good firewood.

Several of the pieces are longer than the "fireplace length." The straight ones under 5" or so in diameter I can cut w/ my 14" miter saw, and some of the crooked pieces I can cut, slowly, with the wimpiest chainsaw in the world (ryobi 18 volt cordless). The rest will have to wait till I get a real chainsaw.

[Off topic]Hangin' 'round this forum has got me thinkin' of buying a used saw off of C/L, strictly for bucking ("rebucking"?) scrounged wood, but I definitely want to get chaps FIRST. I can get Husq. or Sthil brand (don't remember which) from a local "mow & blow" / arborist equipment shop for about $60. Funny thing - ya' see quite a few chainsaws for sale on C/L, but never chaps. Also, places that rent chainsaws don't rent chaps. ... if I were runnng a rental, I think I'd require people to have full safety gear before renting a chainsaw - for liability.[/off topic]

Peace,
- Sequoia