Walk of Shame

[Nosetotail]

I took the walk of shame tonight and carried a small load of fresh cut hard oak out to the curb for a free curbside pickup. First time I have been completely skunked on getting a split started, even with three wedges. I managed one slab after starting a groove with my saw, and then that piece was also impossible to split. I thought I had Sawtooth oak, but now I'm pretty sure the pieces I found were Live Oak. I should have studied the brush pile more. I saw one Sawtooth Leaf and commenced to loading. Looks like there was something much harder mixed in.

 

[AmbDrvr253]

LOL I think we have ALL been there!

 

[Chimney Smoke]

I usually cut stuff like that into 3 inch thick hockey pucks. You can usually split them in half if the diameter is too big for the stove.

 

[StihlKicking]

Every now and then we all come across a piece of wood that is Un splittable without involving hydraulics.

 

[Woody Stover]

I usually cut stuff like that into 3 inch thick hockey pucks. You can usually split them in half if the diameter is too big for the stove.

Yep, time to get the saw back out. The more trouble it gives me, the more I enjoy burning it in the end.

 

[mass_burner]

I'd let them season and then go at them again. I wouldn't put good wood out as trash.

 

[woodhog73]

Yep, time to get the saw back out. The more trouble it gives me, the more I enjoy burning it in the end.

I agree 100 percent

 

[Omaha419]

Noodle it! Nothing escapes my wood pile.

 

[Fred Wright]

Noodle it! Nothing escapes my wood pile.

Agreed... I'd be laying the saw on those blocks.

Had a load of knotty red oak dropped off last summer. All crotches and limbs. Green off the stump, it mangled and tore on the splitter. Ended up noodling every last round of the stuff.

 

[peakbagger]

Just send it up north, if its green it usually will split when its been below freezing for few days.

 

[Nosetotail]

I'd let them season and then go at them again. I wouldn't put good wood out as trash.

I have a pretty small backyard and thus limited space and am not really set up to have logs laying around for a year waiting for them to season. I have my covered cord and a half rack filled with split wood that should be ready to burn by winter, and this should get me through most of the winter(I can supplement with untreated white oak pallet true 4x4s from work). Until I can build a covered rack to put in the corner of my yard, I'm not going to be able to store logs and my wife wouldn't have it anyway. The heart of this stuff is almost dripping wet, and with the constant on and off rain, I was afraid it would start rotting before it seasoned. I just got finished dealing with some punky year old wood I got from the tree guys at work. These logs sat uncovered for about a year in our fabulous weather.

Besides, ones mans trash is another mans treasure. Last night I put an add on craigslist for some good ole hard oak with a warning that a splitter would be needed and it was gone in a couple of hours. Someone else will be able to enjoy it more than I would have.



As to noodling. I thought about that, but all I have is a Poulan Pro 18 and I'm not too keen on racking up the wear and tear. I had a hard time noodling bar deep, let alone multiple full length rips. It doesn't exactly tear through hard oak and the ripping seemed kinda sketchy for some reason. I wish I had sprung for the Husq 20", but I didn't realize how much cutting I was going to be doing. I'm not in the tree felling business, I just scrounge, so I don't have a need for a chainsaw quiver. When this one wears out, I will probably go with the Husq 20" for about 100 more.

 

[Poindexter]

Yep, time to get the saw back out. The more trouble it gives me, the more I enjoy burning it in the end.

this

 

[heavy hammer]

Get more wedges and a big sledge. The more it fights the better it burns. I waste nothing. My father will laugh at me for spending a large amount of time on a piece, or round, but in the end I always win. Put it off to the side for awhile to let dry or cut it. If it fights that good think of the heat you will get once in your stove!

 

[woodhog73]

I have a pretty small backyard and thus limited space and am not really set up to have logs laying around for a year waiting for them to season.

Generally speaking most species of tree split easier when green than dry. Not all but most. Or the tree species I most deal with. Opinions will differ. And they all split the easiest when frozen.

As for noodling I suppose the more power in saw the better. Still if all you have is the Poulan perhaps try it. It will probably noodle. All you need to do is noodle a portion of the log. No need to slice it in half. Just cutting a few inches will allow the log to expand when hit with a maul, usually enough to start a crack. Then a few more swings it will probably bust open

 

[Nosetotail]

What I should have done was take it to the mill and have them saw it into half inch by 2 inch strips and then use those to replace the leaf springs in my truck. I had grooves cut and even had a visible crack down the bark, but the wood was so springy in addition to being hard that it kept spitting my wedges back at me. My 10 year old son was having a blast watching this.

I have wrestled and won against several knarly pieces. Thought I was going to loose my wedges more than once, but I have always been able to muscle through.

 

[Oldman47]

I have a piece of apple like that right now. I think it will become smoker chunks soon. I can't imagine it will still be impossible when it is only 2 inch thick cookies.

 

[Nosetotail]

Yeah I guess if I had cut the pieces down to 5 or six inches thick, I would have had a better chance at splitting. I could have split those into nice chunky nuggets. The only drawback with that is trying to stack such short chunky pieces.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

This is where friends come in handy. As a wood burner, I'm sure you have a wood burning friend, or several. We tend to travel in packs.

Does one of them have a splitter you could throw that chunk on? If not, maybe do what we did in my neck of the woods where several of us went in on a splitter and it lives at one of our houses all the time. If someone needs it, they just drive down and hitch it up and take it home, or use it right there.

 

[Jags]

and have them saw it into half inch by 2 inch strips and then use those to replace the leaf springs in my truck.

 

[heavy hammer]

I do agree with above usually you know of people around you or have friends that burn. I have never used a splitter but I do have many friends with one. Usually between the few of my buddies we can get ahold of different tools needed to get a job done. If this isn't possible start making friends with more wood burners around where you live always helps.

 

[Nosetotail]

This is where friends come in handy. As a wood burner, I'm sure you have a wood burning friend, or several. We tend to travel in packs.

Does one of them have a splitter you could throw that chunk on? If not, maybe do what we did in my neck of the woods where several of us went in on a splitter and it lives at one of our houses all the time. If someone needs it, they just drive down and hitch it up and take it home, or use it right there.

Not many wood burners in these here parts. Most of those that do, just do it for entertainment, and they would just assume buy a stack of wood and make it last the winter. I bring up wood chopping all the time and have only one co worker that also chops, and he is definitely not interested in investing in a chopper. Good idea though, and will keep it in mind in the future.

Yeah I said stack. That is how it is sold here, or a "truckload". Not many firewood dealers actually advertise selling cords.