Scrounging-how much do you do?

[Badfish740]

This is my third winter burning wood. I started out by hoarding wood the year before I got my furnace (I started posting here five years ago), so I was in good shape for the first year. I fell behind during year two and hadn't scrounged enough. I ended up having to burn oil from February to April >:-( This year I'm in good shape, due in no small part to my dad (now retired) helping me scrounge. He picks up wood during his travels and I grab it whenever I'm down there. I was able to put five cords in the shed that's nice and dry for this year. Right now I'm working on getting two years ahead-ten cords is a pretty tall order, but with the bounty from the storm thus far I think I might make it. To this day I've never bought a cord of wood or a load of logs. How many other full time scroungers are out there?

 

[The Beagler]

100% of my wood is scrounged. The 9 years I've had my insert, I've never had to buy wood...or run out.
Never have burned pallets.

 

[shawneyboy]

To much if you ask my wife. This year I hit the 5 year ahead mark with 20 cord set aside. 100 % scrounge

 

[Shadow&Flame]

Depends on how much time I have and what is available to get. I have bought
some from a friend...just because he likes to cut wood and uses the
money for his kids Christmas gifts... I will take anything that is free.

 

[kattpound]

15 + cords c/s/s since January. All free and more to come, lovin' this free heat!

 

[scotvl]

8 cords scss this year and I'm going to get a half cord of honeylocust tomorrow to fill the hole in my stacks after filling the 1/2 cord rack on my back porch withe sugar, norway maple and elm.

 

[bad69bird]

Don't have a tally on how much I have but Me and my girl friends dad maintain his friends 90acre wooded property. Looses trees to storms and other natural causes by the dozens, he would have us there 7days a week 365 a year if we were willing, needless to say, I will never buy wood. It would not be worth it to me if I had to

 

[CTYank]

Down here in the well-watered, heavily-forested "gold coast" you'd have to be an idiot or a Wall Street robber baron to buy wood. Scrounges abound.
With a local arborist regularly dumping rounds on me also, I suppose I could get picky. Better to dump some, after cutting to length and splitting, on friends. Funny how so few have basic skill-set for cutting/splitting wood! And funny how few can tell black locust from silver maple.

 

[curber]

I have never paid more than 20 bucks for wood. I'm 2 years ahead with about 10 cord on deck. I just got another half cord tonight. Will post tommarow.. Pat

 

[bogydave]

I scrounge when I find wood close enough & reasonably accessible, that total travel cost is less than $50/cord.
Using state cutting area now, costing about $35/cord (including the $10 to the state per cord)
20 years ago scrounging was easy, now that the area is vastly more populated & lots more wood burners & wood sellers, scrounging is slim pickings.

 

[gmule]

Most of my wood comes from the dead trees on my land and I also buy a permit for 10.00 a cord from the forestry department as well. I do check craigs list and if something good is along my way to work I'll pick it up on my way by. My neighbors also let me cut their dead trees too since most of them use pellet stoves now. Free wood is every where

 

[SolarAndWood]

Put the 500 gallon propane tank on the curb almost 3 years ago and haven't paid for wood in 5. Almost fell off the wagon this summer but thankfully my support group here intervened.

 

[iskiatomic]

Never spent a dime for wood. However the beer bill is quite substantial.




KC

 

[red oak]

$20 per year for a National Forest permit gives me 18 loads in my Ranger. If I do it right that is just about a year's supply, then I fill it out with free wood from my property or a friend's. So I guess the scrounges I get I pay about a dollar per load for.

 

[Got Wood]

Never spent a dime for wood. However the beer bill is quite substantial.




KC

+1 It is amazing how thirsty a guy can get, especially after a good day of scrounging!

 

[fireview2788]

If scrounging includes having a neighbor who asked his neighbor if I can have any downed tree in the woods then I'm a scrounger! So far this year two friends have given me almost 4 cords of woods (one c/s when they moved in and they weren't going to use the fireplace and one was a tree he took down).


f v

 

[woodchip]

I'm a born scrounger, I hate to see anything go to waste.

Any tree that falls over within a mile of our house, I'm out there to see what pickings there may be.

My mate runs a company that imports stuff on pallets, and he has to pay to get the pallets disposed of.

I happen to run a free disposal service.........

When I got the wood stove and switched from an open fire a year ago, I realised within about 1 second of joining this forum that I needed a minimum of 3 years wood in store.

So I bought half a cord from a tree surgeon quite cheap, to give my store a good head start.

But my scrounging has won over any further buying, and now have 2 cords of free oak, unlimited free pallets to use whilst the oak seasons, and stacks of other free wood from any tree that has fallen over nearby.

I probably have the best honed scrounge radar this side of the pond, but I know I have some way to beat you guys ;-)

 

[curber]

Never spent a dime for wood. However the beer bill is quite substantial.




KC

+1 It is amazing how thirsty a guy can get, especially after a good day of scrounging!

+2

 

[Thistle]

Maybe 2-3 times a yr I get some on local CL free listings.Mainly looking for wood for milling into wood turning blanks and/or smaller slabs.If its decent,I'll take all they have,from 2 inches up to whatever they got.Logs over 14" could have future potential,anything smaller is fuel.Got some superb Black Walnut in Sept 2010,barely 5 blocks from home.Smaller tops & branches I'm starting to burn now,a few of the 14"-18" rounds I milled into blocks.Sold most on Ebay,kept a few.

 

[Gark]

About 2/3 to 3/4 of what we burn is scrounged. Bought some along the way. Figure we're still ahead of the game somewhat. Man, how we love free heat!

 

[tuco1963]

still learning the ropes but hopeing to never buy wood aga ;-P in after getting my scrounge on

 

[Ken S]

Never bought wood.Half I scrounge from craigslist and friends and half comes from my parents woodlot

 

[Beardog]

Bought a permit to cut on state land, that is the extent of my paying for wood. Everything else is scrounged from friends, neighbors and craigslist. Winters storm Alfred has put me years ahead, to the point I may be forced to hang up my scrounging cap....not too far out of reach though

 

[PA Fire Bug]

This is my second winter burning wood. I bought a tri-axel of logs to get started. The first summer, I hauled about six pick up loads from a nereby farm. I don't know what kind of wood it is. It was hard to split and the thick bark kept the wood really wet. I'm happy with it because it was free and it is burning better now that it is dried out more. It also burnt well during the coldest days when I had a good bed of hot coals and could burn the stove hot. I cut down two white birch trees from our front yard (they were overgrown and very dirty - we replaced them with Cleveland pear trees) and a silver maple from our yard. I have also hauled wood from a friend who lives at Blue Knob ski area. I would haul more from Blue Konb but it takes about a half hour to get there in a truck from my house. This summer, I bought another load of logs to allow at a least a year or two for it to dry. I like the free wood from Blue Knob but by when I considered the time and effort it takes to fill the dump truck, travel time and money for fuel and gift cards, it is more efficient to have a load of logs dropped right in my back yard. If I had a CDL and a tri-axel dump truck, there would be enough wood for me to fill it and make one big load. I recently got a small dump truck full of wood less than a mile from my house by stopping and asking the home owner while a tree service worked. When I consider how much heat the load will make, I will be much more likely to talk to another home owner or tree service the next time I see a dropped tree. I don't own a truck which limits my scrounging but I am thankful to have two farmer friends who will loan the use of their pick up or dump truck if I ask. Pushing a lever and watching a full load of wood slide off the back of ttuck ump truck sure beats throwing or rolling it off of a pick up. Even after the time, effort, fuel, equipment and thank you gifts that would be required to find enough wood by scrounging, I would get great satisfaction from getting by without buying more logs.

 

[firefighterjake]

It's an addiction and I cannot help myself . . . I do not need to scrounge, but if a friend, neighbor or opportunity to pick up some free wood down on the ground presents itself to me and it's easy pickings I'll find myself going for it . . . I cannot help myself . . . yes . . . I know I have a problem.