Looking for Hints on Scrounging
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All I do is knock on the door. I have never had anyone so no. They all seem to be happy usually its the city that has cut the tree down and they leave it up to the home owner to get rid of. So they are happy to let me take it.
with chainsaw in hand, ya knock, and yell "gimme all your wood!"
-office building construction sites are good too.
-office building construction sites are good too.
Keep your eyes open and be ready to drop everything if you see wood . . . in some places there is a lot of competition.If I'm driving by and see a downed trees, I'll pull up and ask. Stand far away from the door. Nobody knows you and you don't want to be perceived as a threat. About 1 in 4 people that I ask say yes. Out of those that say no, half of those people say no because they are wood burners themselves.
I don't bring up the liability thing at all. I alo never offer money because there are always plenty around here willing to give it away if you'll do the work.
Craigslist is good, but again, you need to be willing to drop everything and go . . . I've been disappointed a couple of times.
Good luck
I don't bring up the liability thing at all. I alo never offer money because there are always plenty around here willing to give it away if you'll do the work.
Craigslist is good, but again, you need to be willing to drop everything and go . . . I've been disappointed a couple of times.
Good luck
I was out driving one day and noticed a house two blocks away from home that had a windblown pine. I stopped and asked if I could take the tree, and they didn't even know that it had fallen. I came back with the saw and 5x8 trailer and picked up two trailer loads. The city crew was by the next day to pick up the slash that I left. I did give a few rounds to a guy who said he made musical instruments, but I kept the rest.
After a big windstorm I always look for branches and limbs that fall in the neighborhood. Sometimes if the trailer is not handy (or empty) I have been known to literally drag the branches home with our Toyota 4Runner and a length of chain.
To paraphrase a Clint Eastwood movie I once saw, "Improvise, adapt, overcome". Be creative.
After a big windstorm I always look for branches and limbs that fall in the neighborhood. Sometimes if the trailer is not handy (or empty) I have been known to literally drag the branches home with our Toyota 4Runner and a length of chain.
To paraphrase a Clint Eastwood movie I once saw, "Improvise, adapt, overcome". Be creative.
My local Edison has a tree truck with chipper on the back, I wait for it to leave the yard and follow it. It will lead to a tree!! or liquor store LOL! No my guys are great, sometimes they will tell me to come back at 1:00 were gona take down that hickory over there, you don't want this one its full of ants! come back at 1
o. Also wacth the city DPW tree truck they will leave some for you to cut up if your on site but will not leave anything when their done unless it's HUGE and they need an endloader to pick-up the next day. The rest goes to the Dump and you can't get in there now because of insurance reasons. Darn shame if you ask me!
o. Also wacth the city DPW tree truck they will leave some for you to cut up if your on site but will not leave anything when their done unless it's HUGE and they need an endloader to pick-up the next day. The rest goes to the Dump and you can't get in there now because of insurance reasons. Darn shame if you ask me!
We live across from a small park. They are more than happy to let us take what we want when they clean things up.
Neighbors, too, are always happy to let me have their trimmings. I have a wagon that I can load up and pull home. Embarasses (sp?) the heck out of my kids to see mom dragging a wagon load of wood down the middle of the street in the middle of the day. :-S I just pretend I don't know them..
One word of caution. When picking up wood make sure you aren't bringing diseased wood into your yard. Some of the diseases do spread even though the tree has been cut down.
Neighbors, too, are always happy to let me have their trimmings. I have a wagon that I can load up and pull home. Embarasses (sp?) the heck out of my kids to see mom dragging a wagon load of wood down the middle of the street in the middle of the day. :-S I just pretend I don't know them..
One word of caution. When picking up wood make sure you aren't bringing diseased wood into your yard. Some of the diseases do spread even though the tree has been cut down.
You didn`t give your location, but if there are any truss plants or remanufactuing plants in your area? They all have wood bins that they must pay to have hauled away,so the more you remove them of the scraps the less often they have to have them emptied. Saves them money, I get some mill-ends that way, and all they ask for is a can or two for the food bank to be left in the office.
They don`t want empty cans for donations, they require that there is some kind of food in them ;-P
They don`t want empty cans for donations, they require that there is some kind of food in them ;-P
pecor said:My local Edison has a tree truck with chipper on the back, I wait for it to leave the yard and follow it. It will lead to a tree!! or liquor store LOL! No my guys are great, sometimes they will tell me to come back at 1:00 were gona take down that hickory over there, you don't want this one its full of ants! come back at 1Darn shame if you ask me!
The dump wont let you into the dumpsters but if you ask,they will let you hang around & wait for some one to come in with a load of wood to be dumped & you can transfer the wood from his vechicle to your vechicle before anything gets thrown into the dumpster.
craigslist is good - and calling up local tree companies isn't bad either- quite often they are willing to leave the big stuff for you to cut up, and just haul away the brush - it's less work for them and less money for the homeowner - you have to prove to be reliable though - and clean up after yourself. The homeowner won't know you're not part of the tree crew.
If you know someone that needs a big tree taken down, but it's too hazardous of a job for an amateur - ask them to ask the tree company if they'll leave the large stuff for you to cut up for firewood - it will save the homeowner by saving the tree company time.
Word of mouth through your church, moose / elks / eagles / VFW, etc helps too.
craigslist is great -- but don't drive too far without seeing pictures first - I showed up with my 3/4 ton diesel 15 miles away for a "huge pile of fire wood" thinking it would be an all day chore with multiple trips --- it barely filled by long box with a single layer of cuts -- but it was free.
If you know someone that needs a big tree taken down, but it's too hazardous of a job for an amateur - ask them to ask the tree company if they'll leave the large stuff for you to cut up for firewood - it will save the homeowner by saving the tree company time.
Word of mouth through your church, moose / elks / eagles / VFW, etc helps too.
craigslist is great -- but don't drive too far without seeing pictures first - I showed up with my 3/4 ton diesel 15 miles away for a "huge pile of fire wood" thinking it would be an all day chore with multiple trips --- it barely filled by long box with a single layer of cuts -- but it was free.
Let anyone and everyone you know, know that you are always looking for wood. Never say no. If you get an opportunity, get there quick, clean up really well and say thank you. If you put your mind to it, there's plenty of free wood out there.
When you drive to and from work, friends, the store etc. always take the side roads and take a different route back. Keep your ears open for the sound of saws or chippers and construction/destruction sites. With care, you too will develop "Firewood Gaydar".
How about just firewood radar.
As I'm sure its true for many of you, my wife always gives me a hard time when we drive around in the car.
"Look at all that fallen tree. . . that's been there for a week."
I always point out all of the potential wood. Sometimes we even stop and ask or we'll be near a dumpster and see a couple of pallets leaning up against them.
As I'm sure its true for many of you, my wife always gives me a hard time when we drive around in the car.
"Look at all that fallen tree. . . that's been there for a week."
I always point out all of the potential wood. Sometimes we even stop and ask or we'll be near a dumpster and see a couple of pallets leaning up against them.
I think your strategy is more dependent upon if you are more urban or rural. Word of mouth has been sufficient enough for me. If they know you burn wood many people offer me their fallen trees and branches from their woodlots.
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