I took a long lunch today

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wendell

Minister of Fire
Jan 29, 2008
2,042
NE Iowa
I was working from home this morning and stuck on a conference call when I heard the beautiful sound of a chainsaw somewhere close by. After the call ended I took a quick walk and found out that the city had taken down 2 hard maples the next street over And lo and behold, it was lunch time!
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that's a good way to work up an appetite, nice score.
 
I worked a desk job in dress shoes and a tie. My buddy was a county worker. On lunch I would put on a mechanics overall and load my truck up. Yes I changed shoes :lol: I would come back to the office and the others asked how much weight, how many guys or what machine loaded me that quick, is that enough for a year. .. I would just laugh. Thats a half a cord tops and I need 5 this year. Who is up for 10 more loads!!! :) There was always someone who wanted me to deliver a cord of wood cause that stuff is expensive and since I get it for free... No one ever took me up on my offer of split 2 cord I will give you a quarter of it... They just want to b&*#&$ and moan when the gas bill hits. Kudos to you for the load!
 
The local towns around here for the most part farm out the cutting job to local tree services that are properly equipped and insured...those guys invariably take all the wood (charging a disposal fee for it I'm sure) and either split it to sell as firewood or sell it to the local mills for lumber.

Scrounge wood on the side of the road is usually either non-existent or gone before it hits the ground.
 
Excellent Wendell. Keep up the good work.
 
In my neighborhood the city has mostly hard maples between the sidewalk and street and they are getting hit with a couple different things but I know there are also a lot of ash in other parts of town so it may become the easiest source of wood around here in the next few years. Sorry to hear it doesn't work for you where you live.
 
Wow, nice stuff.
 
Are you sure that is Maple? Looks like what we call Pignut Hickory.
 
Looks like a lunch break that was well spent!
 
I'm always too timid to go ask if I can have the wood when I see a company or an individual taking a tree down. I'd score a lot more wood if I would just ask!
 
webby3650 said:
Are you sure that is Maple? Looks like what we call Pignut Hickory.

I wish it was hickory but guaranteed maple. Checked the leaves and made sure it still had its helicopters to make sure it was hard and not soft maple.
 
Don Ed said:
I'm always too timid to go ask if I can have the wood when I see a company or an individual taking a tree down. I'd score a lot more wood if I would just ask!

Well, Don, in this case, I knew it was going into a chipper or the dump so I figure I was doing everyone a favor. So, think of it that way, for many people you will be doing them a favor to help them get rid of what they don't want and all they can say is no.
 
Don Ed said:
I'm always too timid to go ask if I can have the wood when I see a company or an individual taking a tree down. I'd score a lot more wood if I would just ask!
Don't know if it's true for you, but in my area, some tree cutters are taking their wood to the dump. They have to pay a fee to dump it. If this were the case, they would see you as doing them a favor to take it off their hands. Ask! It will become easier.
 
Free wood is the best wood.
When you are scrounging, do you offer to clean up the branches, too?
 
Most of the towns around here pick up anything under 6", so people are happy to have you take anything bigger than that. Always nice to offer though.
 
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