What would you do with this score?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here

ChadMc

Burning Hunk
Dec 12, 2019
170
Bucks County PA
So I got a text from a neighbor the other day that they were getting some trees taken down. I got home to this. 2 big sugar maples....Here’s what I did....pulled all the straight stuff and got it to our yard. I counted 44 rounds all 16” and bigger. There was A LOT more! But they were yard trees and a lot of uglies. Just curious, would you guys taken it all? Even though the rest was messy with crotches and knots?? Keep in mind I split all by hand and grew up by hand. My dad still splits all by hand and he’s 69! I know maybe I’m an idiot but I’m not a fan tree removal wood.
 

Attachments

  • [Hearth.com] What would you do with this score?
    5D9047F2-249B-4289-B7BD-3034CD1B9048.webp
    444 KB · Views: 284
  • Like
Reactions: JimBear
It’s all relative. When I first started I would’ve jumped at the chance to get any of that wood, whether I have to split by hand or not. Now that I am several years ahead, i probably would pass on all but the straightest rounds in that score.
 
I have friends that call me when there planning on taking trees down to see if I want the wood, usually I'll swing by there house before hand or ask for a picture to make sure its stuff thats worth getting, once I commit to it, I generally take it all, no questions asked. I've gone back and forth between picking up logs that were already cut, to going out and cutting my own stuff, I'm at the point now that as long as there's easy access to pick it up I'll take it, one less step for me to do.
There's also the idea of pick up as much as you can, then rent a splitter at a later date and knock it all out.
 
I probably would have taken all of it personally. Your neighbor obviously wanted it out of his yard to just give it away for free. That being said I have a hydraulic splitter that I use when I get a good pile of uglies or tough to split wood built up so i get where your coming from. I also stack a lot of those uglies for the kids burn pit.
 
If there's a chance that the neighbor might have trouble getting rid of the irregular pieces, I'd take it all. Since it seems this is a trade for mutual benefit, I wouldn't want my neighbor to feel slighted.

Also, the neighbor could have advertised it on CL with a line like "we ask that you take all pieces." Taking just the straight rounds doesn't allow him to entice other prospective takers on CL for the rest of the wood.

With that being stated, your neighbor may be happy with what you did. You would know better than we do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Beer Belly
I guess I forgot to mention, he said “take a what you want and the tree guys will be back Monday to clean up the rest.”

I was more curious when others get an opportunity like this to the get every last piece or do what I do and pick out the good stuff.
 
I guss we see thing diffarnt
I would take it all
We harvest off our 400-acre wood
lot every year only the best wood for a lumber mill
The straight logs go to the mill.
the others and tops go to firewood
Mother nature has supplied us with her bounty
and we wast as little as possible
Waist not want not
Just saying
 
With a score like that I would rent a splitter and get it split,stacked and covered. Once you have a splitter you can concentrate on on ugly wood and leave the straight stuff to work on by hand after the splitter is returned. That ugly wood is frequently tighter grain which means denser wood and more Btus.
 
I guess I forgot to mention, he said “take a what you want and the tree guys will be back Monday to clean up the rest.”

I was more curious when others get an opportunity like this to the get every last piece or do what I do and pick out the good stuff.

Ah, I see. If I were in your situation with the tree service coming back later for a removal, I'd just take what I wanted and leave the rest--that is, if you don't need it.
 
On a different note, yesterday I did get a call from a friend across town that is having (2) 24"diameter black birches taken down on Tuesday, Its drive up with the truck and trailer so hopefully I get 2 or 3 trailer loads out of it, also might have hit a small honey hole with a farmer right up the road from my place, he had 25 acres logged, and ash tree's taken out, lots of tree tops laying all over, he's friends with one of the guy at my FD and he's willing to let anyone onto the property thats on the fd to cut up tree tops, might be a worth while thing if the ground freezes and there's no snow for the first part of winter.
 
I would have taken it all, plus the knotted ugly stuff generally has a higher density and a little more stored energy then the straight stuff. Is it a noticeable difference...probably not but it makes me feel better when I am cussing it with two wedges buried deep and no cracks...;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: D8Chumley