Had some oak interior barn siding with great 1/4 sawn figuring on it. Most of it was just too far gone to use for any projects. I did get about 60' of pieces, I will probably use down the road, but it was hard cutting the rest up for firewood. I also had some black locust and black walnut logs that I hated cutting up. Does this happen to most of you?
Hated to cut it up!
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I often find a nice log and think it could have made nice boards, furniture, etc., but the only use I am ever going to make of it is firewood, so I cut it up. I don't think I have ever cut up a log that was anything more than a nice example of the logs found all around here - it's not like I have have turned a one-of-a-kind log into splits.
I get a bad feeling every time I have to cut down one of our big ash trees. We did make some lumber but could have made lots more. But, we'll still be making use of them in the stove.
Things are not good. Almost all of ours are dead now and just taking a drive down some of the local roads you can spot the dead ash all over. They really showed up through the summer months. Sort of reminds you of when we had the bad infestation of gypsy moths many moons ago. I've still a lot to cut and will cut them all into firewood as it will keep for a long, long time. That is one of the best things about ash.
I'm guessing it is the same down your way?
I'm guessing it is the same down your way?
Ya it's getting pretty bad. I don't think anything there doing is helping. In laws have a place up by Houghton lake and can see it up there too. I just spoke with a guy and he said it's pretty bad in the UP. It's a shame really but i've been gettting some good fire wood though.....dont think thats a good trade off though
Ash will make decent lumber but not necessarily into 2 x 4's as they have a tendency to split easy. I cut just a few anyway because I needed some then. The rest we cut into 1 x 6.
I haven't been to the UP for a bit but imagine it is bad up there just like here. NO, nothing they have tried has worked so far.
Get all that firewood you can. It is good stuff and like I said, it will keep for a long, long time with no punk. I've burned some ash that was 15 years old and it burned really nice.
I haven't been to the UP for a bit but imagine it is bad up there just like here. NO, nothing they have tried has worked so far.
Get all that firewood you can. It is good stuff and like I said, it will keep for a long, long time with no punk. I've burned some ash that was 15 years old and it burned really nice.
If I have some standing dead trees on my land, how long can go by before I should really cut it down if I want to burn it?
How long will it need to be seasoned for after being split?
How long will it need to be seasoned for after being split?
gzecc said:
Oh yes. No sadness slicing up doug fir, but I always wish the hardwood I scrounge wasn't already bucked too short to get a few projects out of.
Backwoods Savage said:
they are killing quite a few down by us as well, very sad, such a beautiful tree, damn bugs!
Several years back, I had a 10" maple that had lost part of its crown and really needed to come down. I dropped it and sawed it into stove length, then got out the splitting maul. I popped the first piece and saw intense curl in the grain. Turned out it was a very curly maple with at least a 10' saw log. Oops, my firewood was probably worth a few hundred bucks! Felt painful every time I threw one of those pieces in the stove. The only good thing that came out of it is that it was a Red maple that had a twin. There was a spot on the twin that had been hit by a plow and after close look, I could see curl, so I think I will at least have one tree, (not veneer grade due to the plow damage but maybe a sawlog ot two). By the way, I found a USDA report on the web on identifying Curly and Birdseye on the stump and neither tree had the normal characteristics, but you can be sure, the next time I drop one in that area I will be checking real careful.
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