It snowed this morning but the sun came out this afternoon and it turned into a really nice day. So the next item on the pole barn cleanup agenda is black locust. I got 3 trailer loads split which put a nice dent in the one log pile. I figure around 2 face cords cut and split today. If you’ve ever wondered why locust can dull your chain so fast, here is the real reason. If the bark feels loose, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find a thick layer of dirt underneath. It’s not the hardness of the wood - I’ve made a couple of tables from it and my edge tools held up fine. It actually planes beautifully - hard maple is still the real test. I ended up with a decent trailer load of bark that came off of this stuff. It makes great fill for the low spots but it turns to dirt in a year.
Toughest stuff I remember cutting is shagbark hickory. Yeah, I think it dulls a chain quicker than normal......just getting through the bark is something!
Really? Maple? My FIL ran a cabinet shop...he always said he had to upcharge for Hickory due to all the knives/bits/etc that needed to be sharpened and/or replaced...and had to predrill for the screw holes!
Well, I’ve never worked with hickory so I can’t say anything about it but Ive heard what it does to chains. But you’ll often hear hard maple used as benchmark for woodworking tools. I have worked with a good bit of that and the thing about maple is that the grain can tear or burn so easily if you’re not at 100% sharpness. That’s what make it a good test I guess.
Its actually that in the right growing conditions BL can pick up silica from the ground. I have seen sparks while cutting locust .....
Tonight’s progress - stacked a face cord plus two cribs before I ran out of daylight. On a side note, have you ever heard your neighbor cutting firewood and thought to yourself, “that poor saw”... Somehow he does manage to cut himself a good bit of firewood every year but it sounds like a very frustrating experience for him.
I have too, just recently in fact. I’ve also seen them when I put my chain in the dirt. I suppose I shouldnt have made an assertion about it. I didn’t mean to start a debate. All I have is my own anecdotal experience, nothing scientific. I fully expected to have to re-hone my jointer and planer blades after I made these tables. I guess maybe it wasn’t much lumber though. It worked beautifully.
In that case I think you’re taking your rakers down too far or it’s just dull as all get out... I offered him help last year after a spring windstorm took down a couple of his trees. I was actually on my way home after helping my other neighbor with a tree that fell across their driveway. Somehow he seemed offended - like “No I don’t need your help, kid”. Okie dokie...
BL makes some fine firewood, but the smoke from it does stink. I can also attest to flyin sparks while bucking it up. Nice tables too. Where in western NY are you? I’m just outside Hilton.
I like it a lot, acquired a good bit of it for free. Stays pretty hot but jee if you manage to burn a stump that is still plenty wet...you get really sick of the smoldering smell. Gpsfool it won’t have the pleasure of smelling like cherry or apple etc...but heat makes up for that.
