Typical day gathering wood

[elkimmeg]

Playing around on the forum this morning, when I get a phone call to cut up two trees that came down in yesterday's high winds.
The first tree is a 14" dead Cherry tree, about 60 feet long dry as a bone inside. The second one a 10" dead oak about 50' long.
By the time I finished cutting them up, it filled my small pickup with a heeping load. All cut split stacked and already burning in both stoves, probably a week of 27/7 both stoves worth of wood. Not only free I got paid $100 to cut it up and remove it. This is why I have to guess at my usage. I do not draw from a fixed pile. There is so much dead wood across the street in the state land, one could do this every day of the week and a few times a day. Nothing better than heating your home with free wood?. Boy does the cherry smell sweet.

Brother Bart very funny post about the gathering very clever

 

[scfa99]

Elk, i was doing the same today. township dropped 3 ashes on my buddies property because they were dead and near telephone wires.

I have a question. One of the trees is really big, really big rounds. I have a 16" stihl and cut from one side then go to the side and cut all the way down. However my cuts are always really far apart instead of connecting. Any tips on how to cut large rounds? I can't roll it because its attached to a really large trunk and too heavy.

 

[elkimmeg]

Try cuttint down to just the point where the bar is burried. move ot the other side of the tree and start cutting using part of your initial cut. go back and forth to keep things lined up. what I would is make a series or cuts from on side like I described say every 14 to 16" so you are not allways moving from each side many times

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Man, you guys burn cherry. That makes my heart hurt. I spend big bucks for cherry to burn in my smoker. Ugggg i thought i saw here somewhere today that someone was burning alder.. that stuff goes for 4 bucks a pound here. The woods you guys use for heating i use for cooking!!

 

[elkimmeg]

MSG if you lived close I would give it to you, that is the cherry. Got plenty of chainsaw sawdust I can package up and send you

 

[wingnut]

Looks like allot of us were busy today. I to spent the day with the aroma of natures perfume. (Ode of red oak) man I love the smell of fresh cut hard wood!! Yes I actually got through a 42in log with a 20 in bar.. Had to roll the thing over by hand, It was like trying to flip over a Volkswagen!! Imam sitting in front of the stove tonight letting the mussels unwind and getting ready for a day of splitting. I started by splitting each extra large log in half with a sleg and wedge so I can put them in the upright splitter. As you can see this red oak had a bit of metal growing in it ( black stain in the wood) I did happen to miss hitting it with my saw. If you look it looks like the metal was introduced into the tree when it was a baby. This tree was well over 100 years old. Kind a makes you wonder how that metal got in there in the first place.

 

[JAred]

I posted An ad in my local freecycle forum asking for downed trees of any kind. Today I went to this nice old lady's house. She had at least two huge poplar trees that were downed foreverago and were rotting away! She bought the house three years ago and all the wood was already there. She had a wood stove but has never used it. Some of the poplar that was'nt rotted I took. maybe 3 big logs 8 feet long. Then I noticed a bunch of rounds stacked behind her shed She told me I could have that as well. Turns out there was a good half cord of hardwood! I think it is oak but I'm not sure. It's dry as a bone and very,very heavy. Heavier than a bunch of walnut I had a bit ago. I split maybe a couple of days worth. Not after sweating like hell and getting very pissed off at this stuff. I'll have to post a picture of a split. I have no idea what it could be.

Free hardwood in Colorado!

 

[wingnut]

Looks like allot of us were busy today. I to spent the day with the aroma of natures perfume. (Ode of red oak) man I love the smell of fresh cut hard wood!! Yes I actually got through a 42in log with a 20 in bar.. Had to roll the thing over by hand, It was like trying to flip over a Volkswagen!! Imam sitting in front of the stove tonight letting the mussels unwind and getting ready for a day of splitting. I started by splitting each extra large log in half with a sleg and wedge so I can put them in the upright splitter

 

[elkimmeg]

The cherry was real knarly. I split the straighter stuff by hand. Loaded the differcult stuff back in the truck and went
out back to my trusty electric splitter and powered threw it. 42" man thats mean, Need my backhoe just to lift a round,
When its that big I would cut them 14 to 16" just to reduce the weight and handeling. For me if I cannot lift it into the
truck, I usually leave it. I supose I could come back and sledgehamer and wedge it like you are doing

 

[wingnut]

This tree was dropped off at my house by a friend , man you gotta see his truck, he has to lower 4 outrigger's off the side and uses the crane to lower it. If I had to load each piece into my own truck I would be going for the smaller stuff myself.. But like I always say when you cut wood like this ( It warms you twice)

 

[DavidV]

At little leage today had someone say "aren't you the guy who came over and got wood after the hurricane?".
Guy does tree work on the weekend for extra money and also has a ton of trees he's taking down on an adjacent lot. lives in the next neighborhood (developement). so within 1 mile of my front door. Wants me to come get another load of rounds. They don't burn wood. I'm starting to get a little spoiled. Don't think I'll ever have to pay for wood until I'm too old to split it myself.

 

[KarlP]

There is so much dead wood across the street in the state land, one could do this every day of the week and a few times a day.

Hey Elk. Which state lands can you cut dead wood on? I don't need any for next year, but I might have to resort to paying for wood the year after that if I don't find another free source.

 

[Todd]

I'm jealous,
I can never find free wood around here. All the tree services are in the firewood business. And it seems the city and county gov either sell the trees they cut or give it to their employees.

 

[elkimmeg]

At one time a permit allowed you to cut up to 5 cords permit cost $15 they wouls allow all downed trees to be cut up and marked other to be felled. I will have to check into if the program is still in existance.
Me, I saw the ranger once asked if I could cut the dead wood he found no problem. When trees fall across the fire paths, I cut them up. in ths instance I am doing the parks service a favor retaining access

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

I have all the free wood i can burn. A typical wood garthering day for me consists of hauling the downed trees up the hill to the house for processing. Its a real pain on my property. Nothing is ever flat up here and all the wood that was on the up slope from the house has already been harvested. I have 4.5 acres of old growth pine forest, its very very dense and is very difficult to work. Every tree you cut will be a snag guarenteed. Im thinking of buying wood this year. It takes me all summer to process the 4 cords needed for the heating season. Im about out now because i got lazy last year and didnt get enough done. ITs way to late to go out there now, there is at least 60 inches of snow in my woods. I have a short oppertunity, june-august to get all my wood done or it getts buried in snow. I have enough wood to get me through mid march, but we get heavy snow through may. O well.