I swear I'm not a wood snob! I'll burn about anything. After partly limbing and cutting these 2 white pines down I was thrilled to just drag em close to the burn pit. They weren't in the best health but alive and still full of sap. My wife and I talked it over and we decided to cut them out and do some different landscaping in the spring. What a sappy mess! Please accept my most humble apology, but I'm not gonna mess with them any more than I have to. Nope! No way!
Not going to mess with them? Not going to mess with them? Actually, I can' say that I blame you. They can make a mess Out of a saw and operator.
Cut/split pine in the winter, below freezing (teens is a good temp ) sap is cold & won't get you all " stuck up "
The price of freedom is that some will not like when you exercise it. Nothing to apologize for as I see it.
Oh Pete! The board will consider your request for forgiveness before they take any action of handing out demerit points.
My goodness. That stuff was no fun at all! Gloves are garbage and I wonder how long it will take to not have a sticky steering wheel on my little loader tractor. I was not ready for what I got into! Thanks for the support. We (my wife and I) were just laughing about the whole deal. We just planted 160 Meyers Spruce 2 years ago. She giggled and asked who was going to thin them in 10 years. We both think the next owner will get the job. bogydave... When it's that chilly I just try to burn wood not process it. LOL You are a tough man! Well, maybe I'm just not that tough. By the way, your stacks and mountains look awesome as ever! Nice work. TurboDiesel, thanks for the reminder! I'm going to stick with the old fables if I'm fortunate enough to have a better BTU to burn. Ralphie Boy, the saw is a mess too! I'll get that cleaned up quick. D**N, that sap is crazy fast spreadin'
I cut green ones at the base and then leave them be until the needles turn brown and the bark turns red. Then they are cleaner to mess with. With pine beetles drying them up I don't have too many green live ones to work with any more.
You get demerits for not sniffing your wood..... Or by association, if your wife doesn't sniff your wood.....
Shameful, just absolutely shameful! But I think we can find it in our hearts to forgive you, this time! Really though, there isn't a thing wrong with being a Wood Snob! But there are some of us who will process and burn just about any kind of wood. Me, I have at least 5 cord of White Pine and another 2 cord of Norway Spruce, the majority of which was split by hand. As for the pitch, don't wear your Sunday best along with new gloves! Wear old work cloths and gloves that are ready to be tossed anyway. Still, there are numerous ways to remove pine pitch from your hands and cloths. Even from other objects like axe handles, saws, and steering wheels if desired. Just do a google search using "pine pitch removal" The stuff will harden like concrete and will eventually wear off though it might take 20 years or so. It's great for the shoulder season or if you want a fast fire. It also works great paired with other hardwoods that are slow to start. (where do you think FatWood fire starters come from?) And all of this coming from someone who lives in the southeastern part of the US where hardwoods are plentiful. The smaller branches and needles from the pine trees can be chipped and used as mulch. Just don't use it right away since fresh chipped wood of any kind needs to be aged at least a few months, preferably a year or so, because it is nitrogen robbing. Okay, I admit it, I LOVE Pine! Think I kid? Here is a picture of some of my stash. There is at least 5 cord of white pine stacked in there along with a 2 cord mix of ash, cherry, walnut, and elm. That partial view of a pile in front of the shed is a pile of pine and spruce chips. That part of the shed is 12 feet wide, 10 feet high sloped to 8 feet, and 10 feet deep. (shorts and uglies are piled on the left side kind of in a bin)
I cut and split a monster white pine (yard tree) a couple of years ago, and the knob on my splitter handle is still covered in dry pine pitch. It won't come off and doesn't look like it's wearing off either. Wrecked several pairs of gloves on that tree too.
