Got a Call Yesterday - Want Some Free Wood?

[Oregon Bigfoot]

I have quite enough wood to keep me busy this year, if you have read my posts. But, I can't pass up some more FREE, already bucked wood, can you?

Now, where to put it?

One of my friends, that lives about 1.5 miles away, had a white fir tree cut down from his front yard. He called me up and asked if I want some free wood. I said, "Whatcha got?" He says its a fir tree, and it's already cut down and in rounds in my front yard. I spent all of 3 minutes driving over to take a peak. Sure enough, a couple truck loads of FREE firewood, that I can back my truck right up to the pile! The biggest rounds are 27" across in diameter. White fir is good starter wood, to get your stove lit. It lights easy and hot, but burns out much faster than hardwoods.

I went after dinner tonight to load it up. Wow, I can't lift most of those water logged dudes, they are HEAVY! I ended up taking the smaller ones I could handle, and have enlisted help tomorrow from another wood cutting friend. I told him to bring his truck, because what's left is his to keep. I loaded about 1/4 cord of the smaller stuff, and he'll get about 3/4 cord give or take. It's nice to help a friend out. He has two strong, six-foot teenage boys, that can manhandle them like we used to.

I split the smallest round, and WOW, those knots make it tough to split! This wood had many branches and knots. After splitting, I put the moisture meter on the splits, and they are running about 40-45%.

Enjoy the pics!

 

[bogydave]

Free & close by is real good.
Roughly how long after it's split up will it take the fir to be ready to burn?
The 1st pic shows the knots well, it''ll be a bugger to split by hand, ( I love hydraulics)
I call the big rounds, "rollers". I'd roll them up ramps or something on to the truck.
Good to share

 

[red oak]

No you cannot pass up free wood! I love those kinds of calls!

 

[Gark]

Share the wealth, good going. Those are some biggie rounds and what a good idea to have a friend enjoy some free heat. It's impossible to decline a scrounge even when you have enough already. Good score!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Bigfoot, take along a plank or two if you have them so you can roll those big ones up onto the truck. If not, then sit one round on end behind the truck. Then pick up another and sit it on top. From there it should be easy to get into the truck. It may save you lots of hard labor and sore backs.

 

[lowroadacres]

While I am not normally pumped about poplar I was alright with a similar experience except a friend with a tree service let me know that he is needing a "new place to deliver wood". It so happens that our neighbour has a deal with the tree service for all of their chipped wood for mulch/compost for their nursery.

Sooooo.... When I came home from work yesterday this is what greeted me... And yes,. the large blocks are stove length and noodled which will be wonderful when we lift them into the tractor bucket initially to move them to our splitting area and then to have to lift them up to the splitter.

As someone much wiser than I stated a few months back.... Gottenwood is the best kind of wood. And I believe BTU's are BTU's.

Our price per BTU on this pile of poplar is pretty darn low. Delivered to the yard low.

 

[Oregon Bigfoot]

Free & close by is real good.
Roughly how long after it's split up will it take the fir to be ready to burn?
The 1st pic shows the knots well, it''ll be a bugger to split by hand, ( I love hydraulics)
I call the big rounds, "rollers". I'd roll them up ramps or something on to the truck.
Good to share

White fir will be ready this fall. It will all be split this week. It will loose moisture fast. It's a soft conifer wood, not real high on the BTU scale like hardwoods, but its good starter wood or shoulder season type wood. It will get your stove hot quite fast, but it will not be your best choice for over night.

Bigfoot, take along a plank or two if you have them so you can roll those big ones up onto the truck. If not, then sit one round on end behind the truck. Then pick up another and sit it on top. From there it should be easy to get into the truck. It may save you lots of hard labor and sore backs.

Today I went over there with two friends and two teens, and got'r done in an hour or so. We used a sledge and wedge to quarter the rounds, then they were MUCH more manageable. We also brought my friend's trailer. I'm glad we grabbed the trailer, or we would have had to make two trips. I'll keep the plank idea handy for the future, that's a great idea! Yesterday, while by myself, I did deploy the other method: sit one round on the end behind the truck, and then pick up the rounds in stages until you get it in the truck.

All total I was about right, about a full cord. I kept 1/4 cord, and we dropped off the other 3/4 cord over at another friend's house, that helped load. We got a late start, because my friend's car broke down today. While waiting for him, I put about a cord of my own wood stacked on my driveway away into the wood shed.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Good that you got the job done. I too have split with sledge and wedge on some big ones in the past. Would not hesitate to do it again if it needed to be done.