The problem with leftovers

[lumbering on]

You may remember that I stop by the power company wood dump every night on my way home from work.

Sometimes I get lucky and grab some straight knotless 16" rounds.

Usually I get there too late, but I always grab whatever's left over after the good stuff's been picked clean.

So as a result, I've got a 1200 cubic foot pile of the ugliest, gnarliest, twisted, knotted, jagged edged, 1 to 2 foot long pieces of mixed species you could ask for.

The splitting is not going very easy.

I'm trying to grab 12 cords in one year.

I hope if I only need to replace 4 cords a year from now on, I can walk away from the gnarly stuff.

But as an addict, can you ever truly just walk away and leave wood on the ground?

 

[firefighterjake]

Even ugly looking, knotty wood burns and makes heat . . . get it while the getting is good.

 

[Jacktheknife]

You may remember that I stop by the power company wood dump every night on my way home from work.

Sometimes I get lucky and grab some straight knotless 16" rounds.

Usually I get there too late, but I always grab whatever's left over after the good stuff's been picked clean.

So as a result, I've got a 1200 cubic foot pile of the ugliest, gnarliest, twisted, knotted, jagged edged, 1 to 2 foot long pieces of mixed species you could ask for.

The splitting is not going very easy.

I'm trying to grab 12 cords in one year.

I hope if I only need to replace 4 cords a year from now on, I can walk away from the gnarly stuff.

But as an addict, can you ever truly just walk away and leave wood on the ground?

Power company you say? Our power company is also our gas company-- I would love to get free wood from them.

 

[lumbering on]

Power company you say? Our power company is also our gas company-- I would love to get free wood from them.

Some days as I'm loading the car, I just pause and drink in the irony.

 

[Jacktheknife]

Some days as I'm loading the car, I just pause and drink in the irony.

I did the car gig last year, glad to have a truck now.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I got one of the best oak scrounges from the wood composting place. all pin oak and white oak.
Almost a full cord.

 

[Jacktheknife]

I just checked our local tree dump to find that they are currently burning it. Should make ita lot easier to pick from in the future.

 

[lumbering on]

I just checked our local tree dump to find that they are currently burning it. Should make ita lot easier to pick from in the future.

Who established your "local tree dump"?

 

[Jacktheknife]

Who established your "local tree dump"?

The local sanitation department.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

How about trying to get up early one day....

 

[lumbering on]

How about trying to get up early one day....

They dump in the middle of the day after their work is done. By the time I get out of work, the vultures have already picked it clean.

I've actually met my competition for the wood a few times while loading up. Nice guys, for vultures.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Ok got it, I only have Wednesdays off so I'm a bit off, too bad you couldn't send a friend or a wife, lol

 

[blades]

Look at this way, that twisted gnarly knotted stuff actually burns longer and better as it is usually more dense. I give that stuff a couple tickles with the chainsaw and then run it through the bandsaw into 6x6 or pieces. makes some nice overnighters.

 

[Gark]

You gotta do what ya gotta do. The pure-scrounger brotherhood may disagree with buying a couple years worth of wood ((bought 2 or 3 years before it is needed), but doing so can push your collection past the hump. Then you can be more choosy and along with getting your name out there for more sources, become a "wood snob". That's what we did. I can pass on anything less than soft maple and would prefer to be called a "hybrid scrounger". Hope I don't get banned from the site for this confession. I still cannot leave behind knarly knotty chunks either - that is part of the sickness.

 

[Ashful]

Look at this way, that twisted gnarly knotted stuff actually burns longer and better as it is usually more dense. I give that stuff a couple tickles with the chainsaw and then run it through the bandsaw into 6x6 or pieces. makes some nice overnighters.

Ditto, minus the bandsaw. No way I'm putting firewood thru either of my bandsaws. You can noodle well with any bar over 20", and it's oh so fun!

 

[Applesister]

They dump in the middle of the day after their work is done. By the time I get out of work, the vultures have already picked it clean.

I've actually met my competition for the wood a few times while loading up. Nice guys, for vultures.

I personally wouldnt refer to any of the firewood gatherers as vultures. No matter the scenario. Its viewed more as squirrels gathering nuts for the winter. Wood gathering is nut gathering.
Vultures are a different creature. I save that term for other people.
I know the term 'scrounging' has negative overtones...and if you look it up in Urban Dictionary its even kind of funny. But generally, even during the ugliest hour, its still an industrious endeavor.
In my eyes.

 

[PapaDave]

Dang it.
I thought this thread was about food.

 

[Jacktheknife]

Dang it.
I thought this thread was about food.

How come the old lady can burn the hell out of the roast before she serves it but I can never get it to light?

 

[PapaDave]

Isn't that like asking "If a train is travelling at 60 MPH going east, how many fish are in the ocean"?
Never have been able to answer that one.
So many unanswerable questions.

 

[clemsonfor]

How about trying to get up early one day....

Well if it wasent there the afternoon before why would it of shown up in the middle of the night?? The stuff is prolly dropped early afternoon when the crews come back to the shop.

 

[clemsonfor]

Oh I leave the worst stuff and big knots!! No problem with it. Just not the best use of my Rome to fool with it. I actually have some short round cutoffs from like 35" tree and some big knots from knarly stiff that I could not split any farther loaded onto my trailer to throw back in the woods tonight when I go get a load.

 

[Ashful]

"If a train is travelling at 60 MPH going east, how many fish are in the ocean"?

The answer is always "three." Simply adjust your UoM to suit.

 

[lumbering on]

I personally wouldnt refer to any of the firewood gatherers as vultures. No matter the scenario. Its viewed more as squirrels gathering nuts for the winter. Wood gathering is nut gathering.
Vultures are a different creature. I save that term for other people.
I know the term 'scrounging' has negative overtones...and if you look it up in Urban Dictionary its even kind of funny. But generally, even during the ugliest hour, its still an industrious endeavor.
In my eyes.

Definitely no insult intended.
Just vultures as in they must hover around and swoop in, and pick the place clean. You know, like vultures do.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

You may remember that I stop by the power company wood dump every night on my way home from work.

Sometimes I get lucky and grab some straight knotless 16" rounds.

Usually I get there too late, but I always grab whatever's left over after the good stuff's been picked clean.

So as a result, I've got a 1200 cubic foot pile of the ugliest, gnarliest, twisted, knotted, jagged edged, 1 to 2 foot long pieces of mixed species you could ask for.

The splitting is not going very easy.

I'm trying to grab 12 cords in one year.

I hope if I only need to replace 4 cords a year from now on, I can walk away from the gnarly stuff.

But as an addict, can you ever truly just walk away and leave wood on the ground?

The good part is that many of those uglies and knotty things will give you longer burn times. The hard part is figuring how to get them into the stove. Not to mention the hard splitting. But in time you will be all set and for sure it is easy to become a wood snob then.