Limbs or Logs?

[pulldownclaw]

Well, I had been eyeing these two big dead oaks on my way home from work for a few months now, and last week I saw the tree company out there one evening taking them down. It was at a retirement home, so I just went and talked to the tree guys and they said to go ahead and take what I could. So, I spent the next two evenings with my truck loading as much as I could, they were going to haul away the trunks to the mill. All in all I got myself 4 heaping full size truckloads of white oak. I found myself first going for 6-8" limbs that would just need to be sawed up some more and be ready to stack, then going up to limbs that would be nice to split in quarters or so. I would mix in some logs every now and then, but those guys are heavy duty! So, I got what I could, and am glad I did, because the next day the stump grinders were there and everything else was gone! Now I've got quite a bit of processing to do.....time to borrow a logsplitter! %-P

 

[mtarbert]

Me.....I would go for anything 8 inches or larger first. I like to split rounds to get as much heart wood as possible. Free wood is free wood....If spliting on site is possible .....if not anything that can hefted into my truck.

 

[burntime]

I like the big logs. Everyone turns their nose at them and take the smaller stuff, if you have a splitter it is not bad and I think the logs are more dense growth.

 

[BrotherBart]

I stick to these little guys.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Whatever I can get ahold of.

Matt

 

[savageactor7]

It all adds up and burns...so grab whatever you can. Even the small nuisance limbs you can throw in the stove all day Saturday and Sunday to keep the oil dragon at bay when you're home and watching the telly.

 

[sapratt]

what ever I can get 4 inches on up to stuff I can barely pick up. I even have some 3 inch branches I cut up.
I figured they could be used in the fire pit or if I got desparite next winter. All depends what it is something like oak I would
take all that I could.

 

[jpl1nh]

I stick to these little guys.

GoodGod!! No wonder you complain about hauling wood out of ravines!

 

[Carl]

If the time to get them is limited I would go for the logs which could be processed at home. This would leave more time to haul while the wood was available. If no time limit I would try to cut into rounds on site and split at home.

 

[BrotherBart]

I stick to these little guys.

GoodGod!! No wonder you complain about hauling wood out of ravines!

For sure. Every round of that one had to be rolled uphill about fifteen feet or so to get it to the trailer then rolled up the ramp into the trailer. I was one tired old dude. The tree paced off at 85 feet. My 24 horse Husqvarna garden tractor could only manage two rounds at a time up the hill to the house.

Pellets start looking better and better some days.

 

[fossil]

I stick to these little guys.

Where in the world did you get that cute little miniature chain saw charm? That's just adorable! :cheese: Rick

 

[BrotherBart]

I stick to these little guys.

Where in the world did you get that cute little miniature chain saw charm? That's just adorable! :cheese: Rick

They are sent out by the National Guys Who Actually Cut Their Own Wood Association every year to new members. The guy that delivers your wood probably has one. :coolsmirk:

 

[EatenByLimestone]

My Father and I did a topping of my Grandfather's apple trees. I grebbed a bunch of the small branches. A good amount of it will be kindling, but it's dense kindling.

Matt

'

 

[Jags]

The guy that delivers your wood probably has one. :coolsmirk:

Priceless. :lol:

Jeez BroB - what is that - looks about 28-32" DBH. Getin' that sucker rolled anywhere let alone up hill has gotta be work. I just got done playing with some 28" still green, White Oak. Them baby's are heavy. Some day I am gonna take a scale out to the splitting area just to see what an 18" section of that stuff actually weighs. Maybe I'm just being a wimp.

For the original post - If I could "cherry pick" the wood, I would take 8" up to 16" logs. In my opinion, the highest yield with the least amount of work. A few whacks per chunk and bingo, you start making a pile of wood.

 

[fossil]

...The guy that delivers your wood probably has one. :coolsmirk:

Yeah, he might, I dunno. He does have a tiny diecast dually 1-ton that's pretty cool. I actually do own a chain saw, in fact three of them...just don't have anything much to use them on, other than taking care of my little Juniper forest and other odd jobs. I could get a $5 permit and go up onto National Forest land and fell standing dead like many of the firewood dealers around here do...but I'm not going to. I'd need a bunch more equipment than a chain saw to do that. BTW, that's one heck of a job you did with that saw as shown in the pic. Rick

 

[fossil]

See? I just brought this monster down this morning with my good ol' 20" Timber Bear. Rick

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Put him on "Axe Men"

 

[Jags]

I DO NOT see a proper back cut on that. Shame, shame. :coolmad:

 

[BrotherBart]

See? I just brought this monster down this morning with my good ol' 20" Timber Bear. Rick

Whoa. The successor to the Pro Mac 610 that I used for a lot of years. In fact it was the one that ate my leg. Keep an eye on that saw. Mine popped a fuel line at full throttle in the cut and set the saw and my shirt on fire in the woods. You really do take off running when you are on fire. Just like in the movies. The saw melted into a puddle of shiny metal after the oil tank lit off and the aluminum got hot enough to burn in a blue flame. I watched from behind a tree.

Darn thing dropped and bucked many a tree though.

 

[begreen]

Now that's a sight I wouldn't want to see.

Best advice is to protect your own limbs, first and foremost!

 

[pulldownclaw]

Jags, that's what I did, tried to "cherry pick" the small to medium stuff before going for the big nasties, or the rounds that would be difficult; sections where limbs were attached, "crotch" pieces, etc. Since I don't have a splitter I've got a pretty good eye as to which pieces are going to be a b*tch with the maul...

 

[fossil]

Jags, that's what I did, tried to "cherry pick" the small to medium stuff before going for the big nasties, or the rounds that would be difficult; sections where limbs were attached, "crotch" pieces, etc. Since I don't have a splitter I've got a pretty good eye as to which pieces are going to be a b*tch with the maul...

Claw...back to the original question...(sorry for the diversion, but BB started it!), given the opportunity you had, I think my approach would have been the same as yours...take home as much fuel as I could with the resources available to me, and take the "good stuff" first, meaning nothing I couldn't handle but not just a bunch of twigs either. It's sort of a luxury to have an array of free wood before you, from which you can pick and choose, and you don't have to clean up afterwards...good fer you!. Rick

 

[fossil]

My Father and I did a topping of my Grandfather's apple trees. I grebbed a bunch of the small branches. A good amount of it will be kindling, but it's dense kindling. Matt

That apple, as I understand it, would make for some great grilling/smoking wood, if you're into that kind of burning. Rick