In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

A different kind of firewood scrounging

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by Woodwidow, Jul 7, 2021.

  1. Woodwidow

    Woodwidow

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    3:30 AM the alarm goes off. Look outside and it is dark with a heavy overcast. Perfect! 5:00 AM we hit the road for an adventure in firewood hoarding.
    By 6:00 AM we are at the spot. The company that campinspecter worked for before retirement, had a logging railroad system that operated for over 60 years before having a tragic accident a few years ago and so it was shut down. Last year the company started pulling up all the rails and ties. The ties were mostly made from yellow cedar and even without pressure treating, survive for quite sometime. Vibration and weight are the main enemies of the ties.
    So, do you think campinspecter has enough here to keep him going for awhile.
    The pile we parked beside.
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    A little ways away is another pile
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    The other end of where we are parked
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    All that remains of this reload station is the big A frame used to lift the truck loads to the railroad cars.
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    Starting to load the truck
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    Most of the wood is lighter than wet hemlock so I can lift, split and load the blocks. @campinsecter got the hard job of getting the ties on his cutting block and bending over to cut.
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    Load finished in under two hours. Bonus that the sun didn't come out. The main work horse of the cutting team was campinspecter's electric Sthil MSA 220C chainsaw. Cutting 1/2 cord of wood used three AP300S batteries. Although the ties are dirty even with campinspecter brushing off most of the dirt, he only had to file the chain once. We were expecting more times than that.
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    16 ties harvested - how many more to go?
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  2. Chud

    Chud

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    I’m glad y’all can burn them. It would be a shame if they all laid to rot. That’s enough ties to build a hillbilly mansion, or 2.
    They look like they could be rough on chain.
     
  3. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    Cool scrounge! Have you burned yellow cedar before? Ive seen it in wood shingle and deck board form and have worked with it a little. Love the smell. Did it still have an aroma?
     
  4. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    What a great opportunity. Sure must beat pulling logs from the side of the road. Keep at it.
     
  5. IonicTick

    IonicTick

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    Not to be that guy, but there's a lot of money sitting in those piles. I'd be putting them on the market as is. People pay good money for them at box stores.
     
  6. campinspecter

    campinspecter

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    The railroad was 60 miles long so there are lots of them , the company that's putting the railroad to bed just can't find a home for them and have applied for a permit to burn the lot!
     
  7. Woodwidow

    Woodwidow

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    Yes, we have burnt it before. It goes quicker than hemlock. campinspecter harvested about 20 loads of yellow cedar right before he had his open heart surgery a few years ago. While I was stacking blocks in the back of the truck, it was as if I was trapped in my cedar chest that my grandfather made me. The smell was overwhelming as soon as you split the blocks. Some of these ties could be over 30 years old.
     
  8. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    If those were only in a different location the company could make a few dollars from them and I'd bet they would sell fast; at least they would around here. Glad you can get them.

    I'm not so sure about that alarm clock though...
     
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  9. PA Mountain Man

    PA Mountain Man

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    No!:confused:
    I see a log cabin in those piles.:binoculars:
     
  10. Midwinter

    Midwinter

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    Wow! A truckload was 16 ties? Will you get all you can before the railroad company burns them? Would burning such a large quantity of them even be wise, with the heat and drought?
    Maybe they'll be there for awhile. Reminds me of justdraftn's salvaged oak beams.
     
  11. NH mountain man

    NH mountain man

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    What a good score, and so easy to get to and right next to the truck. It doesn't get any better than that. I'd take them any day of the week.
     
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  12. billb3

    billb3

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  13. Born2Burn

    Born2Burn

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    Maybe I missed it, but aren't these treated with creosote?

    Every RR tie I've ever burnt had been treated and has the WORST smell ever, not to mention the health hazard. I've personally never considered RR ties for anything but retaining walls or other landscaping purposes. I'd rather throw one in the dumpster than burn it on the backyard bonfire.
     
  14. billb3

    billb3

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    Maybe Vancouver Island is far enough north they don't have termites and other decay accelerators.
     
  15. campinspecter

    campinspecter

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    Their untreated , yellow cedar will last for years the oils in it it just do not rot !
     
  16. Cash Larue

    Cash Larue

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    What an amazing opportunity! I’d grab all I could get!
     
  17. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    Agreed. Some Alaskan Cypress can be on the ground for years and never go away. It's incredible but I've had some cedar that seems to just continue making smelly whiffs but I haven't burned or split it in awhile makes me wonder the oils must be pretty prevalent of that wood to give it such longevity despite extensive exposure to wet ground as ours in the PNW gets. What a great haul altogether. Get what you can before that permit gets approved!
     
  18. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    How does yellow compare to Western red cedar in terms of ground contact? Were those touching gravel or grade? Any time ive put red on dirt it rots within a few years. Excellent for siding and roofing of course.
     
  19. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    I've got some in rounds, they'll stay for a little bit but it's not uncommon to have a cedar come down to see some rot in it. When I've been able to get it, I get all I can. The smell is my favorite part. The second is how it splits so well.
     
  20. Woodwidow

    Woodwidow

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    The alarm clock isn't going off as early as the first time as the overcast isn't burning off as quick as we thought it would. We went back out Sunday morning and again today.
    Here are some pics from Sunday.
    Action? shot of the splitter. As I was running the splitter and fortunately campinspecter doesn't know how to video, this is all you are going to see of the splitter running.
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    Starting to load the back of the truck. Square wood should split nice and stack nice. Not really.
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    My knees hurt just watching campinspecter cutting the blocks. Sorry I didn't think to take a video of the saw working.
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    Truck full and ready to go home. It takes about two hours for the load.
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    How many more to go?
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    The outsides are very dirty and don't look that promising but this what the insides can look like. Some have discolouration but this one was perfect.
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    The end of the piece
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    The outside
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