Some random pics (since I know we all like to see them)

Yesterday at parents acreage.Cold & cloudy in the morning,warmed up to 35 & sunny by late afternoon.That wont last though - it was 30 when I woke up this morning,dropped to 28 & supposed to be only 3 above Sunday morning with an afternoon high of 10 if we're lucky.


Pic 1 - More of that old dead ugly stuff I've been burning the past 6 weeks.If it stays cold like it has been,this will be gone in about 3 weeks.About 3 1/2 yrs old,most is great,some is average to fair with some lightweight and/or punky pieces,but it needs to go to make more space for future stuff.About 75% Red/Black Oak,remainder a mix of White/Bur Oak (its much more rot resistant than the Red),Shagbark & a few pieces of White/Red Elm.

Pic 2 & 3 - New Husqvarna Sledge Axe works great,tried it out on some dead twisted Red Elm that was cut last August.

Pic 4,5,6 - Found one more small one today to remove in a couple weeks - White Oak snag,about 10" diameter,40 feet tall,barely 2 feet inside the north fence,50 feet from processing area.I'll just drop it,chop it,carry it to the truck & haul it back to town instead of stacking with the other stuff.Just full of long vertical cracks,its been dead quite a few years,cant believe I didn't notice it last summer.Its dry enough to burn immediately,usually this stuff needs anywhere from 6 to 18 months drying time.Just cause a tree is ''dead'' that don't automatically mean can be burned today.

 

I like it.Getting used to it, for me anyway its a bit different swinging it compared to the Fiskars,my ancient 8lb maul & the old Plumb/other axes.Anything ''new'' takes a little time to get familiar with it normally though.

Head weight of the new one is about 5.5lbs,total weight 7 pounds.

 

Its different alright,long narrow bit reminds me of an old mortice axe.Head is thicker though yet thinner than a regular maul.

 

Top of that oak looks like it could snap and come down on you - I know you have done this many times and you'll be fine, but I'd be watching that top. Like the looks of that maul - what do they get for them? Cheers!

 

lol, I did the same thing yesterday evening, found 2 dead dry elms standing that I didn't see last late summer/fall. They really jump out at you in the winter.

 

Yup I don't drop anything over 4"-5" diameter without the faller's helmet/mesh faceshield.Bucking or milling its safety glasses over OSHA approved impact resistant prescription eyeglasses only.

The list price on the axe is $99.95,Bailey's has it for $74.95 with $9.99 UPS. Best price I found anywhere.

 

Thanks Thistle - good luck with that drop. Cheers!

 

Nice pics, and the maul has nice lines to it. The weight of it sounds good too.

 

When I used to drive all over the country I was in Iowa and Nebraska quite a bit. Never thought about that area as a firewood hot spot but the more I see you guys post I think you're setting the bar.. It's gets cold as snot there and although you don't have forests everywhere, you have some serious btu wood.. I like it!

 

Nice work there Thistle! Way to get it done. I like the axe.

 

Even though the whole state of Iowa only has 7-8% forest cover now (never had over 20% even in the early 1800's before European settlement) some counties are 11 to 25% coverage.And most of that is mixed Oak (7-8 different species) Hickory (3-4 species) & some of the nation's highest export & veneer quality Black Walnut.

Not near as much Walnut now,so much was cut/sold for gunstocks in WW I & WW II.But its there,in smaller patches,the best quality/largest size trees are in State Forests,Parks & Preserves.Less on private lands. The woods are fragmented,not many plots are more than 150 acres owned by private landowners,most are a few acres to 60-100 in size.A couple state forests are several thousand each in size.

A fair amount of White/Green/Black Ash,Silver/Red Maple,Mulberry,Honey Locust etc is statewide & a little Sugar Maple in the NE/Eastern part of the state along the Mississippi River up into Minnesota/Wisconsin.Even a few hundred acres of native wild White Pines in a preserve up in that area.Lots of Eastern Red Cedar/Juniper in varying size/quality,its the only native conifer that is found in all counties.

 

Nice pictures and great load of wood!

 

Ugly old dead stuff (was either standing or on the ground 7-8 years before I cut it in June-Oct. 2011.) I have close to 10 cords of this left.

Who cares what it looks like,sure puts out the heat!

 

About 10 minutes to drop & slice that long dead White Oak today.Since rebuilding the carb/other tinkering last year the ol' 3400 Countervibe runs almost like new once again. Roughly 1/4th of a pickup load.Barely 40 feet down the hill from where truck was parked in processing area. Sure wish everything I harvested was this easy.

 

Good work thistle! Looks like a nice day out there.

 

I have a dead standing white oak about that same size the I have been eyeballing, but It looks like it might be a little too far gone. How far did the punk go into yours?