Log Truck Day!

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Caw

Caw

Minister of Fire
May 26, 2020
2,555
Massachusetts
I got a wonderful late Christmas present this afternoon from my tree guy! 5 cords of mostly red oak logs with some ash, maple, and cherry mixed in. My son and I got what we could done before dark...he's 5 so he "helped" lol. I'm going to be busy for a few weeks! ::-)

Setup:

20210120_140658.jpg


Logs after some work:

20210120_163123.jpg


Giant cherry:

20210120_142637.jpg


Cool pattern in a maple:

20210120_154511.jpg


Red oak rounds:

20210120_163117.jpg


Ash rounds:

20210120_163132.jpg
 
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Probably spalted maple.
 
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Wow that's very nice of him. Around here everyone wants you to take a second mortgage for something like that.

My son's 14 and he good a sitting in the basement and playing call of duty. Lol

Thats some good exercise there. Enjoy the work and heat.
 
I was thinking it might actually be Box Elder instead of spalted because of the redness. I always thought spalted wood typically had black lines.

I might save a slice to make a cutting board as it's a big boy...30" or so...but I already have so many projects lined up I'm probably just gonna burn it. Also the red will fade eventually. It's nice to have different density and fast drying wood for shoulder season.

The stuff wasn't free @Marine woodsman but he gives me a good deal. He'll call me up when he has good stuff. I give him $400 for a full truck of hardwood. It's usually around 5 cords and all very straight so there is little waste. No complaints from me!

I enjoy the whole process. Just being outside and getting the exercise is great. Splitting by hand is my favorite part though...it's very satisfying.
 
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Caw said:
I was thinking it might actually be Box Elder
Click to expand...
Exactly...the bright red will fade after its exposed to the air for a few days...it is in the Maple family though...good shoulder season wood...I've still been burning some here lately, since real winter hasn't really hit NEO yet....
 
Caw said:
I was thinking it might actually be Box Elder instead of spalted because of the redness. I always thought spalted wood typically had black lines.

I might save a slice to make a cutting board as it's a big boy...30" or so...but I already have so many projects lined up I'm probably just gonna burn it. We'll see how im feeling after a few days of bucking.

The stuff wasn't free @Marine woodsman but he gives me a good deal. He'll call me up when he has good stuff. I give him $400 for a full truck of hardwood. It's usually around 5 cords and all very straight so there is little waste. No complaints from me!

I enjoy the whole process. Just being outside and getting the exercise is great. Splitting by hand is my favorite part though...it's very satisfying.
Click to expand...
Thats still a great deal. Happy for you. Yeah that red probably is box elder. Haven't ever cut any of that before. I was always spoiled on Hedge, Oak, and Hackberry.
 
Around here it's primarily oak and maple with ash (used to be very prevalent before the EAB), cherry, birch, elm, and hickory also being pretty common.

We don't have locust or hedge but we are pretty spoiled with abundant hardwood here. There's no reason to ever burn softwood unless it like fell in your yard and was free. Even then...that gets tossed in the fire pit!
 
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That is a way to make some firewood in a hurry...I think that is a really reasonable cost for the logs and the convenience of having it delivered to your doorstep. There is a lot of man hours involved to get 5 chords out of the bush and home. And alot of risk eliminated as well, dropping a tree is always a risk.
 
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Good God what a beautiful sight! I gotta get in with a tree company, a load like that delivered would be a dream come true.
 
Around here a truck like that is between $450 & $650 delivered, it depends on the season, and some guys will actually let you pick size and wood type.
 
kennyp2339 said:
Around here a truck like that is between $450 & $650 delivered, it depends on the season, and some guys will actually let you pick size and wood type.
Click to expand...

Pretty similar for me. He'll let me know what species he has and I can suggest what I'd like. It's not gonna be log for log but I could say no oak please for example. He knows I have an 18" saw and won't give me anything over 34" or so.

Oak, ash, cherry, maple are my go to woods. Oak for the long play and the maple/ash/cherry are ready for the next season. All 4 species are very easy to split too. Well, depending on the oak. Around here most of it is Northern Red Oak which is a breeze. White oak can be a bear.

Im convinced no matter where you live, outside of urban areas, you'll always be able to find a log supplier if you do your research. I had to call about 20 different tree companies near me to find 2 that would work with me. You best bet are the smaller mom and pop companies as the bigger guys typically have deals with local mills or make their own firewood.

Cost and species available will vary with location. For me for example it's $400 for a truck of hardwood and $100 for a truck of pine. Nobody wants pine here because the hardwood is so abundant so it's dirt cheap.

As @mcdougy said earlier this method saves a ton of time and risk. I think it's well worth the investment to look into if you burn wood and don't have your own many acres of forest to work or aren't able/don't want to do the bushwork anymore. I live in the suburbs on on acre of land so this is the perfect method for me.
 
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I didn't know box elder would get so big.
 
Me neither, this is my first time having any. It's not very dense, the saw makes quick work of it, so think they just grow fast. Its actually a strange log, twisted and lots of branch knots. Its easily the worst log in the batch overall but I'm always curious to try burning new kids of wood! As someone said earlier I'm expecting it to burn more like a soft wood and be good for shoulder season.
 
Made some progress today despite the unexpected snow. Cut some of the smaller logs up to make room then it was time to buck one of the gigantic maples...it took 1.5 tanks of gas alone. I wish I had a bigger saw for the big boys but that isn't in the budget this year...my little workhorse got it done. Time to go sit down for a bit!

20210121_151813.jpg
20210121_141508.jpg
20210121_151800.jpg
 
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gzecc said:
I didn't know box elder would get so big.
Click to expand...

They can get pretty big.
This is one I dropped back in the fall...that's a 660 with 32" bar, just for reference.
IMG_20200903_101957297_HDR.jpg
 
Can I borrow your saw? That would make my life so much easier tomorrow. ;lol
 
Sure, I'll overnight it to ya ;)
Nice when you need it, but not something you really want to wrestle around all day...its over 20 lbs with that bar on it.
 
Yeah. I love my 18" Husq, it's a work horse for the majority of what I need. Sometimes I get these big a logs though and it would be nice to have a 30" in the shed for special occasions. I'll work one into Xmas or a bday in the next few years. Getting a cant hook/jack for my bday this year ::-) .
 
OUTSTANDING!
Red Oak is GREAT for smoking Tri Tip...
Maple and cherry are excellent for smoking pork and poultry...
The ash, as everyone here well knows, heats homes, cabins, workshops, garages and outhouses extremely well.

Nice to be you!
 
Right now, it is impossible to find anyone delivering logs for firewood. There are numerous listings on Craigslist wanting logs. One guy recently listed logs for $250, extra for delivery, said it was about 1 1/3 cords. I can easily get wood Already cut and split for that price. I got one heck of a load last summer for a steal-$150. It was almost all oak Probably 4 1/2 cords. Lots of uglies and some pretty big pieces, but a lot of wood. I hope to get another load this spring.
 
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Nice score, and great pics.
Makes me smile to see someone else enjoying the process of making firewood like I do! Nice to see your son learning from you like I did from my dad!
 
Caw said:
I got a wonderful late Christmas present this afternoon from my tree guy! 5 cords of mostly red oak logs with some ash, maple, and cherry mixed in. My son and I got what we could done before dark...he's 5 so he "helped" lol. I'm going to be busy for a few weeks! ::-)

Setup:

View attachment 272350

Logs after some work:

View attachment 272352

Giant cherry:

View attachment 272353

Cool pattern in a maple:

View attachment 272354

Red oak rounds:

View attachment 272355

Ash rounds:

View attachment 272356
Click to expand...
Gotta ask where you get the wood from. I live in MA (between Boston and Providence and would love to have a source like that. Thanks (in anticipation of you sharing :)
 
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