Score!

[ArsenalDon]

I called tree removal companies in the area to see if they had any pine they were looking to get rid of. Here is what it got me today.

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Well done! Out west its about all we burn....we would kill for that load, it would cost us about 500 bucks for a load like that....which is why I cut my own, but what a score!

 

[kennyp2339]

I had a good laugh today at the firehouse, I brought up the discussion of wanting to get a load of pine for the shoulder season burning, and also mixing with hardwood during the real cold months, my one buddy who is also a burner, laughed at me and told me that I was crazy and asking for a chimney fire. My answer to that was, well if the wood is seasoned correctly I shouldn't have any problems, pine, oak, maple all pretty much burn at the same temps, its just how long the burn lasts. Also what do they burn up north or out west? mostly pine right? I then quickly gave him the hearth.com website and said just read some posts, It will change the way you think and burn.

 

[tsquini]

I am one of those burners who need to get over the stigma of burning pine. I have never done it. Beyond seasoning it. I know all you need to do is sweep your chimney more often. I also like to have a good supply of wood that can season fast. I have mostly oak. To get 3 years ahead with pine would be a lot easier.

 

[isipwater]

Great score on that load and priced right too!

I got a chuckle out of the one man saw comment. I inherited a number of large 1 and 2 man saws from my father's side of the family. My grandfather worked as a lumberjack in northern WI for many years. I think that on his last day on that job, he walked out of the woods, filed and set his saws, then hung them in the shed. I rescued a few of them lately. I use one of the one man saws occasionally. I don't mind making a few cuts, but there's no way I tackle a pile like you've got with one of them.... The novelty of using grandpa's saw would wear off real quick! I've even replaced the old family chain saws for something modern and easy to start. I went orange in keeping with my family's Scandinavian heritage.

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Thanks for the advise, every bit helps as I have never bucked wood before.

 

[isipwater]

I am one of those burners who need to get over the stigma of burning pine. I have never done it. Beyond seasoning it. I know all you need to do is sweep your chimney more often. I also like to have a good supply of wood that can season fast. I have mostly oak. To get 3 years ahead with pine would be a lot easier.

When I first started getting into wood burning, I learned a lot from this website: www.woodheat.org - they talk about burning soft woods without any problems.

 

[isipwater]

Well done! Out west its about all we burn....we would kill for that load, it would cost us about 500 bucks for a load like that....which is why I cut my own, but what a score!

Most people out here look at me as if I have three heads when I tell them I burn pine. It is sad that much of it ends up going into landfill.

 

[Hoozie]

Which is funny, since I grew up with a wood stove burning softwoods. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I burned any hardwood at all, and that was only because a friend had a random pile of it he wanted gone.

Now, unless one of the tree companies comes through and sends me some hardwood, all I'll have to burn is Pine/Juniper.

How's this for a line of reasoning for the pine is evil crowd:
Chimney fires are when the creosote catches and burns.
The creosote is deposited by smoke and low flue temperatures from non-seasoned wood.
With an EPA stove, there is very little smoke, so very little creosote builds up, so there is little risk of a chimney fire. Doesn't matter what type of wood, as long as it's seasoned and burned properly.

 

[ArsenalDon]

I had a good laugh today at the firehouse

my one buddy who is also a burner, laughed at me and told me that I was crazy and asking for a chimney fire.

what do they burn up north or out west? mostly pine right?

Scary to me that a firefighter does not have a better grasp of what causes chimney fires. I am a firefighter up here and we can spot a chimney fire waiting to happen from the road.

 

[ATsawyer]

What do you use?

If by myself, either a 4' or 5' one-man west coast bucking saw cut down from 8-footers. If working with a crew, a Simonds #13. All saws filed 12/12 with swaged rakers.

 

[smokedragon]

Since I am new to processing log length firewood, I don't much about a peavey or cant hook. How necessary are they? Do you think most folk who buck their own wood use one of these? And, do these tools save a considerable amount of time/effort?

I have a woodchuck quad tool (that is a timber jack and a cant hook).

With logs like this, it is a tool that is a must for me. When you buck your log, you cut 2/3 - 3/4 of the way through on each cut. This tool allows you to roll it over to finish your cuts. I used to just roll it by hand, but this tool allows me to roll things too massive to roll by hand.

Great score, congrats! Pine is great for us newer guys because it dries quickly and is readily available due to the old wive's tale. We can have dry wood to burn with just a little extra effort while we wait for our hardwood to dry. I recommend cheap, throwaway gloves and old clothes for processing.

I love my pine.....burns hot. I use my normal leather gloves. The rosin eventually cures into them, but until then, it makes them "grippy". I like it.

The other thing I love about if for new burners (who are new to using a chainsaw) is it is a lot easier on your chain and much easier to cut through. It makes a homelite look like a stihl

Yes, the biggest log is 3 feet at the widest part. I was thinking of getting an 18" chainsaw, what do you think?

That is what I have, because anything wider than 3 feet is too big to mess with (IMHO).