Big Score? Can i do it?

[ironspider]

I found a guy willing to drop off a lot of wood. Most of it is oak and by the looks of it, they are 3-4 ft logs and about 36" diameter. Here's my question:

I'm a newb with a craftsman 18" saw, I go through chains like crazy because i love hitting dirt. I have a Ariens 22 ton splitter with vertical operation. Can i process this with the equipment i have or am i biting off more than i can chew. He estimates 5 cords of wood, looks like more to me. He'll deliver it to me for $20.

Thoughts?

 

[bigbarf48]

Logs that big are pushing it for an 18" bar. If you end up with some that are bigger than 36" you're up the creek without a saw

If you do get them cut up, I don't think you'd have a problem splitting them with the vertical splitter

If you think the saw will take them I'd let him deliver the logs

 

[Jon1270]

I suspect you'll wish you had a more powerful saw with a longer bar.

 

[mol1jb]

I've done logs that size with a 20in bar. For cutting i usually do a top cut then one side cut to the bottom then the other side cut to the bottom. The top cut usually works well for a guide. After that getting them in half is a bear but then its smooth sailing to awesome firewood. I would take them and if you can't do it get some help. That kind of wood doesn't come around every day

 

[mustash29]

I run a 55 cc Craftsman / Remington Pro with 18" bar. The low kickback homeowner chains suck, I have 5 of them for dirty work. For clean work I use Stihl full chisel RM chain. RM stands for rapid micro. Much faster cutting with the big stuff.

My first log load came on a tri-axe grapple load, about 7 cord of 20 footers. It was a chore and a huge learning curve. Having a winch on the truck to yank them off the pile helped a lot.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/woody-mustash.110700/

My second large load is the one in the thread above. About 2/3 of that was cut by the guy I bought it from. Finishing the cutting was easier, I had learned some lessons along the way.

Cutting the big storm damage stuff was also easier, especially with the better chains.

When it is all said and done, you still have to cut one round at a time. They may be large and cumbersome, but when you split them the pile of splits grows VERY fast. Big wood is not for the faint of heart or for anyone with any issues (back problems, etc). That being said my 80 year old father (bad disc in lower back, quadruple bypass surgery in the mid 80's and still only has 15% blood flow to his body) and my 71 year old mother processed a HUGE oak blow down that was 44" diameter at the base. They hauled 17 or 18 large loads in his 1500 Z-71 short bed.....cut one round at a time. That stump was so large his 18" saw would not cut it. He progressively made it smaller by cuts and noodles until the pieces were manageable enough to load, then split them at home with hydraulics.

 

[mustash29]

Dad has 35 cord in his yard.

(broken link removed to https://maps.google.com/maps/empw?url=https:%2F%2Fmaps.google.com%2Fmaps%3Ff%3Dq%26source%3Ds_q%26hl%3Den%26geocode%3D%26q%3D3117%2BSmoketown%2BRoad,%2BSpring%2BGrove,%2BPA%26aq%3D3%26oq%3D3117%2Bsmoketown%26sll%3D41.500765,-72.757507%26sspn%3D1.069666,1.760559%26vpsrc%3D6%26ie%3DUTF8%26hq%3D%26hnear%3D3117%2BSmoketown%2BRd,%2BSpring%2BGrove,%2BPennsylvania%2B17362%26ll%3D39.785218,-76.877018%26spn%3D0.001072,0.001719%26t%3Dh%26z%3D14%26output%3Dembed&hl=en&gl=us)

 

[ironspider]

Ok, checked out site again and got some pics, please give me some input based on the pics including wood type. He said there is some pine but I didn't see any.

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[Jags]

I had an oak big enough that I couldn't get through both sides with my 25" bar. I attacked it like this:

(No hate'n on my awesome graphics)

 

[Woody Stover]

If your saw isn't long enough, and you had a sledge and wedge, you could cut into one side at bucking length then wedge that piece off. I've never tried this but happened to think of it just now. Seems like it would work....

I would get a peavey for moving those logs, or big rounds onto the splitter.

 

[mustash29]

Looks like good solid stuff, especially for 20 bucks.

There are a few "holy" pieces, may have ants in them. Brake cleaner stops them dead in like < 1 second.

There are some knotty chunks, when splitting you will have a large amount of uglies.

You will need some calamine lotion, hopefully won't need any prednisone. Those vine things look NASTY.

 

[Woody Stover]

OK, just saw the pics; I think I see some Pine, some White and maybe other Oak, and some Black Cherry?

 

[Woody Stover]

You will need some calamine lotion, hopefully won't need any prednisone. Those vine things look NASTY.

I don't think that is ivy....
Brake cleaner?? That ain't the way my old Pappy taught me....

 

[gzecc]

I see pine, poplar, oak, poison ivy etc. I personally would stay away. This looks like the left overs from a pile that has been picked over. It will be a lot of work. If your saw survives.

 

[ironspider]

This would obviously take me a long time to process. Take up a lot of space in the yard and cause the wife some grief. Plus the mess, the bad pieces I'd have to rid myself of.


That being said, if I can do it I won't have to scrounge until next year, I'd have some nice wood and stay in shape all spring.

There are a lot of negatives to this load, is it worth the negatives? Should I forget it and just grab the smaller loads when the tree guys start working a lot again? I need advice on this badly.

 

[CenterTree]

Dad has 35 cord in his yard.

(broken link removed to https://maps.google.com/maps/empw?url=https:%2F%2Fmaps.google.com%2Fmaps%3Ff%3Dq%26source%3Ds_q%26hl%3Den%26geocode%3D%26q%3D3117%2BSmoketown%2BRoad,%2BSpring%2BGrove,%2BPA%26aq%3D3%26oq%3D3117%2Bsmoketown%26sll%3D41.500765,-72.757507%26sspn%3D1.069666,1.760559%26vpsrc%3D6%26ie%3DUTF8%26hq%3D%26hnear%3D3117%2BSmoketown%2BRd,%2BSpring%2BGrove,%2BPennsylvania%2B17362%26ll%3D39.785218,-76.877018%26spn%3D0.001072,0.001719%26t%3Dh%26z%3D14%26output%3Dembed&hl=en&gl=us)

Thanks for the map, I will be right over with the truck.

 

[razerface]

If you need wood to burn,,,I would get it. That don't look like any poison ivy I've ever seen,,,and I am the ivy guy at my house since I can tear it off with my bare hands with no effect on me, Poison ivy looks like a vine with black hair on it going up the tree.

Cut that wood up and burn it! You waiting on the perfect wood to show up? Anything you can't process,,,give it away, or share the wood with someone who has a bigger saw.

The things you guys call uglies,,,sometimes burn the best for me,,,those hard knots and such. I like em!

 

[bsruther]

I don't know what your processing setup is like or how much space you have, but I'd be all over that for $20, delivered, and I only have an 8 ton splitter.

 

[Jon1270]

You could offer him $20 for half the load. Still plenty of value for the money, but a less daunting project, smaller mess in the yard, happier wife, etc.

 

[Ashful]

I get a lot of oak that size (up to 50"), so this is from experience. My 62.5cc Stihl 036 Pro with a 20" bar can get thru a 36" round, but it's very slow and tiring. My 85cc saw goes thru them like butter, with very little effort, so if you can borrow/rent something that size, it might do you well. I used to cut stuff that size with an old pre-EPA 50cc Echo 510EVL with a 20" bar, and it did okay, but not fast. It seems most of the older saws ran lower chain speed with more torque, for chewing thru big stuff like this a little better.

Positioning 36" rounds of green oak on a splitter, even vertically, is very difficult. Figuring at 63 lb/ft3, a 20"L x 36"D round will weigh 744 lb. I used to muscle these onto the splitter, but then I'd ache the next day. Noodling them to slabs, and then splitting the slabs, is much faster. Your saw might be up to noodling, although I wouldn't try ripping with a saw that small.

 

[BEConklin]

whole lotta poison ivy in some of them pics. Zoom in on the pics and you can see the hair coming off the vines...that sure as heck ain't bittersweet

 

[Woody Stover]

I need advice on this badly.

Snap it up! Stuff with the vines is White Oak, the King of Woods. I see Red/Black Oak in there, too. The Cherry should be dry by next fall if you get it split and stacked soon, but you are going to have to stack the Oak in the wind for a couple of years, and don't split it big. It sounds like you'll need more wood for next winter; Get some soft (Red or Silver) Maple from the tree guys...should be good by this fall.

 

[shoot-straight]

big rounds=big hassle

they do make great wood though. i just try my best to shy away from such tasks. WAY too much work simply to get it bucked and even in a position to split it. just my opinion.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think the saw can handle it. Now is the time for you to learn to sharpen a chain. It really isn't hard to do an OK job. Buy a round file with a guide for about $10 at your hardware store.

The wood looks great to me. I see Red Oak, Black Cherry, maple. The vine on one tree is mostly English Ivy, not Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy would not be as dense along the trunk, and would have horizontal branches extending away from the trunk of the tree. By the way the tree with the ivy is White Oak - great stuff.

If your Craftsman saw is running well and sharp it will work fine. If the splitter is struggling with the rounds, cut them shorter so you can load north/south and they will be easier to split.

I'd go for it. $20? What can you get for $20?

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Those pictures don't look like they are 36 in diameter, so I say you should get it, make a pile of anything you can't cut yourself, ask a friend for help, or rent a bigger saw, or give them away, but if you need wood, get it........

 

[Beer Belly]

That load is gonna beat the dog snot outa that Craftsman saw......I think it'll do it, but it's not gonna be easy. If wood is hard to come by, I'd go for it, otherwise pass.