This mornin I answered an ad for wood bundles from a cabinet maker selling bundles for a few bucks. Got 5 for 60. These are hardwoods and dry as a bone so happy with that even if its a little pricy. Easy to load. Then picked up some pallet stacked apple that needs some good sun soon. About a half trailer but I filled the back of the montero for that. Then rest in the trailer. Some was dry enough for the sake of whatever. Just covered when it was a bit too rained on so we'll see how it goes. Then 2 miles down the road I picked up a free ad on some doug fir and "something else". Turns out it was cottonwood. Ok I've jawed enough about this but at least it was pretty dry and Im ok with that. We're not far from having the better weather. Im just more anxious to get some stuff done and get it put away exposed. The free stop just made it all more worth it.
I'd be interested to see the bundles, sounds like it would be nice clean wood. Cottonwood is still wood.. Good enough to take the chill and damp out of the house on a wet fall or spring day. Of course, I have been known to scrounge willow, so what do I know. (just got some dropped off yesterday, in fact!)
So these bundles are about 20 inches long and 8-10 inches in diameter. Got 5 of them and they all have a mixture from hickory to beech to walnut to maple to oak. Hard to differentiate some since they are kiln dried no real identification. I will likely cut these in half so I can pile them better on top of coals. All different sizes too. Its nice and clean. Check out a cabinet area near you and ask if they sell or even give away their cut offs! I might have better outlets around me.
Cottonwood if anything just burns so quick Im left going " I just put a whole tree in..." it'll be fine. I cant complain when its stacked and dried later on. Just walk around the house for more. Let the better stuff sit until ready.
Thanks for the pics! Looks great. Kiln dried even better, that will make some nice hot fires for you. I'd be tempted to give small bundles as gifts to prove what dry wood can do compared to what many people burn. My local cabinet guy is in the hills and burns all his cutoffs. Lots of frugal yankees up here. Myself included.
It is but then $300 for one month of electricity ....yeah....Im biding my time on other woods in rotation. If you saw my piles you'd know what I mean. Some wood is ready some is not.
Actually what I bought was the most Ive spent on firewood since I bought 60 bucks for a rick in the late fall. Plenty of wood now. Just need some time stacking and splitting and rearrangement.
fishingpol I hope you don't cry when you see what he picked up and is burning for scraps. My mother has a friend who does wood working and gives her bags of scraps to burn. They are really scraps though, just little pieces.
Those sure are nice looking. I tend to use more old salvaged furniture parts, barn wood and pallets for my projects. I don't use much new wood. Sourcing free wood helps keep costs down to a decent price point for the customer. New materials can add so much cost to the end product.
I have a shed making outlet place that puts out 2x4 studs pieces that can be little angled cuts that look like door stops to some that are decently long, 2 feet is seen. One time I drove by there and they had just got a new delivery of lumber. When I came back after work, they had put out the stickers that separate the lumber. These are like 2x4's but not as wide and have a groove in them on the bottom. Picked up at least 30 of them. I was just unloading a lot out of my car and they were so dry. Easy firepit wood. I cut so many to just make them good to handle,10-12 inches or so. Im waiting but every once in awhile they get a really good pile and I make sure that back of my car is empty for the next haul. (These guys get their stuff from local Lowes hardware but lowes doesn't give away their wood, against policy they say so this is the next best thing!) I also have the local lumber that gives out cut offs in huge boxes. You're free to root around. There are some MB squirted stuff so I make sure that doesn't crawl in my firepit. All the wood I gather is untreated too. Picked up some 3x3 post cut offs about 6-12 inches and some were longer too. fishingpol. If it makes you feel and better I might figure out other uses for this stuff. Its consistent so I might be able to do some picture frames or some similar project with the hardwood scrap.
