What are the largest rounds you have handled? I should have taken a picture, but I just finished splitting some black locust, the largest round was 40" in diameter.
Large Rounds
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This year alone I worked on a Silver Maple that must have been at least 48" in diameter. Also took on a 150 year old sweet cherry tree that was around 40". I've never experienced wood that was so dense as that trunk of cherry.
I was suprised by the density of cherry last year. I had a large cherry on my property get hit by lightning and am looking forward to burning it this year.
![[Hearth.com] Large Rounds](/talk/data/attachments/11/11237-b7f27f9af4aef7645e18f44028884e95.jpg?hash=oEHCAHN2oO)
Wow, I can't hold a candle to some of the stuff you guys do... biggest I've dealt with was 36" sugar maple, a roadside take down (scavenged by me).
Most of the stuff I've cut is off a woodlot, so the trees go for height before girth. I'll be doing a lot more fencelines in the coming years so I'm guessing I'll make more use of the 24" bar on my 372 than in the woods.
Most of the stuff I've cut is off a woodlot, so the trees go for height before girth. I'll be doing a lot more fencelines in the coming years so I'm guessing I'll make more use of the 24" bar on my 372 than in the woods.
![[Hearth.com] Large Rounds](/talk/data/attachments/11/11280-a4b127d6140307519e5b47889b963724.jpg?hash=-2suj35sY2)
Good job Cobb.
How did you end up splitting that sucker up? I'm thinking one 20" length would be a pretty heavy haul, YES? My biggest was about 36" and it was bouncing my 17lb monster maul off of them in the woods. I couldn't carry the rounds off of the first limb
I'm not even sure what I would do with those. With that said, I have a few that I may have access to in the near future that may up my ante. We'll see what comes about, but a farmer has a few oaks in the field that "really should come down" I'll see how it goes.
Chad
How did you end up splitting that sucker up? I'm thinking one 20" length would be a pretty heavy haul, YES? My biggest was about 36" and it was bouncing my 17lb monster maul off of them in the woods. I couldn't carry the rounds off of the first limb
I'm not even sure what I would do with those. With that said, I have a few that I may have access to in the near future that may up my ante. We'll see what comes about, but a farmer has a few oaks in the field that "really should come down" I'll see how it goes.Chad
Those 44" rounds were straight as an arrow. I hand split them in no-time. Each round yielded 180 or so splits. I've always stuck to straight oak, if it's twisted or knotted I don't even try to reduce it.
That old oak came down in a Spring storm 2 years ago. It fell across a road and the State DOT somehow moved it to the edge of the road. It took 4 of us to roll each piece into my trailer.... Wasn't exactly easy, but wasn't too difficult. Had it been further off the road, it would have been nearly impossible.
That old oak came down in a Spring storm 2 years ago. It fell across a road and the State DOT somehow moved it to the edge of the road. It took 4 of us to roll each piece into my trailer.... Wasn't exactly easy, but wasn't too difficult. Had it been further off the road, it would have been nearly impossible.
As someone who works with wood, and has my own lumber sawed since thats the only way I can afford to do it, it makes me :sick: to see the bottoms of those trees cut for firewood. Its hard to find a nice 24" to cut for lumber let alone what you guys are felling.
Actually though its hard to find a sawmill around here anymore that can handle more than 36".
Happy burning! :coolsmile:
Actually though its hard to find a sawmill around here anymore that can handle more than 36".
Happy burning! :coolsmile:
44" ash....my brother had a tree service drop it, and I bucked it....had to borrow someone else's saw for the base sections though....
Cobb...dont ever post your home address....I might steal that beautiful saw. Is that a 28" bar?
Cobb...dont ever post your home address....I might steal that beautiful saw. Is that a 28" bar?
cannonballcobb said:
I am a woodworker.... it is paining me to see all this wonderful wide trunks full of tight grain 150 year old wood be burned...
I burn wood for heat, but beautiful old tight grained hardwood deserves to be made into furniture..
at leats the main trunk parts...
I agree, she was a really nice tree, however the State DOT was going to haul her away to rot if I didn't act fast. Let me also say, there was no way I could have gotten that trunk to the mill; I don't own a crane.
I'm also a wood worker and feel torn many times.....but that pain is often relieved when I cut down a seemingly healthy, large diameter tree and find the below......
Most of the trees I drop I try and find the (probable) diseased or malformed that a sawmill wouldnt touch. But even the healthier looking ones, unless they take it down themselves, they wont accept it. Or getting them to come out for a single tree is not enough.
that said, when I find a particularly nice round that is defect free, I do seal the ends and either use it myself in my shop for lathe craft or offer it to others for the same. A lot of nice bowls have been made that way.
![[Hearth.com] Large Rounds](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/dsc_0107-webp.207835/ "[Hearth.com] Large Rounds")
Most of the trees I drop I try and find the (probable) diseased or malformed that a sawmill wouldnt touch. But even the healthier looking ones, unless they take it down themselves, they wont accept it. Or getting them to come out for a single tree is not enough.
that said, when I find a particularly nice round that is defect free, I do seal the ends and either use it myself in my shop for lathe craft or offer it to others for the same. A lot of nice bowls have been made that way.
cannonballcobb said:
I understand,. I don't mean to pass judgement at all.. many times it is beyond control.. but there are times I see some great wood go to burn when it coudl be made into something that will sit in your living room and be beautiful for another 150 years....
As said above, lots of places won't come out for only a few trees. The last lot I was in had some very good wood in it, but was only about 4 total acres and no one wanted to come in just for that. A farmer I know has 2-3 huge oaks that I would like to buck up in his cow field. These trees are huge and old, but no one else will touch them so they will keep growing until starting to rot in the center and then they are junk anyway. If I can get these, I'll split and stack and be very happy with the nice heat. If I knew a yard, I would see what they could do. I would almost be as happy with tops, but will never turn down trunks. Father used his own logs for boards on his floors in the music room and pantry, they came out nice, but it was work and swell and shrink is alot. What else do you guys use this wood for?
Chad
Chad
The biggest firewood I commonly deal with is 40" (tops) Doug Fir. Sometimes I'll get butt cuts bigger than that.
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