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

Scrounging six cords a year plus

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by Rowerwet, Mar 6, 2018.

  1. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Splitting the wood on site makes the process easier, I'm not dragging big rounds up the bank to the trailer, and my son can haul the splits on a hand truck.
    When we get home, the wood is ready to be stacked.
    This is Saturdays first load.
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    Second load ready to roll.
    I'm guessing this is almost half a cord.
     
  2. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Had to get gas, so I cruised around a local industrial park.
    Found a pallet manufacturing plant was there , and a construction site with a stack of pallets ready to go.
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    The pallet maker has a nice bin of off cuts for free
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    Looks like some nice kiln dried kindling to me...
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    Trailer load of pallets and kindling
     
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  3. Marvin

    Marvin

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    Rowerwet I am thoroughly enjoying following this thread. I have a kind of off topic question though....how did you get your photos to post? I tried posting my haul from Saturday and was receiving the same error as you were showing above.
     
  4. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    I work right around the corner. I stock up barrels of those chunks in the fall for shoulder wood. Lots of nails, but I'll burn them right into early December. The bin is a new addition, easy loading height now.
     
  5. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    DHT on the scene Monday morning, ready for more
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    First load ready to head out
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    Noodle time, I'm finally at the point where I'm attacking the massive part of the tree that scared off everyone else who looked at it.
     
  6. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Working little chunks out so I can move it
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    The homeowner ruined the wood by cutting it to 24" rounds, but on this huge stuff I don't mind , even my 24" bar would be a little short.
    My Echo 590 is down with an oiling problem, the husky 460 is doing the job, but I miss the extra power
     
  7. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Unloading the last trip of the day
     
  8. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Log carrier to bring wood from the porch to the stove, and the mass to energy converter that heats my house
     
  9. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    I load them to a Facebook album on my Rowerwet page, then download load them here
    I just got a new phone, I'm guessing they are too big, but sometimes they do load just fine, so I'm not sure .
     
  10. OhioStihl

    OhioStihl

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    Impressive scrounging.
     
  11. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    It was my turn to cover Saturday at work, so no scrounging today, however I did get my brand new bilhook from Fiskars.
    I shattered my old one and the warranty is just as good as they say.
    I sent the picture to them last week, and it came to my house yesterday.
     
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  12. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    The issue seems to be file size. My new phone defaulted to the largest file size for each picture , 16 megapixel, I changed it to about half of that and found that the pictures have no issues and load faster.
     
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  13. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    This happens if you let the bilhook twist when you swing it
    20180416_115810.jpg non-spring is in full swing, low 40's and rain today, so I did a little saw maintenance.
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    Discovered I needed a special tool to remove the clutch assembly, so I made one.
     
  14. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    In the middle of making the clutch remover, my old electric compressor motor burned up.
    I bought this gas powered compressor 8 or more years ago, never used it until today.
    I had to fill the compressor and motor oil, and it fired on the 5th pull.
    It has a real Honda engine , looks exactly like the predator and loncin engines my splitters have.
    It was a $799 model they sold for $299, clearing them out for the new model.
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    Finished tool
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    Engages the clutch perfectly.
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  15. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Clutch off, these pictures were more for my memory
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    Interesting, everything I found about the Echo saws says you need a special puller to get the gear off the shaft.
    Instead I find them the gear is turned by those two arms on the bottom piece, the arms engage two notches in the lip of the clutch drum.
    Two notches in the drive gear engage two tabs on the center piece.
    the gear fell out, it doesn't even touch the shaft.
     
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  16. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    It's all clean and back together now, I'll fire it up and check the pump soon
     
  17. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Heavy rain and my firewood might start floating away.
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    Ran her up, plenty of oil flowing, all back together and ready to rip trees apart
     
  18. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Browsing Facebook marketplace and a free plastic pallets post pops up.
    Got a trailer load to try out.
    20180421_094926.jpg getting them was a challenge, they're at the end of this driveway , so I had to back up to get the trailer loaded.
    As soon as I got my license, my dad taught me how to back a trailer, and right around the corner from this pallet motherlode, it's in the Newburyport industrial park if you are local.
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    Another session at the monster maple, lots and lots of noodles.
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    And another load of maple splits joins the big pile 'O splits.
     
  19. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    So I was ready to call it a day, maybe take the kids for a bike ride.
    Then one of the new neighbors stops by, with a confusing story about renting a machine to reach the branches on the trees they had me look at before, but then she says they got someone to cut the trees down, but the machine broke.
    They speak Portuguese, and don't have all the English words, like lift or chainsaw.
    I brought my saws over and did some cutting for them, way up on the lift.
    But the language barrier was a problem .
    They kept saying push, instead of pull.
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    The trees were right up near the neighbors house , with phone and power lines on both sides.
    I took a few trees down, then let their "expert" do the rest.
    he rolled one down the neighbors house roof, and smashed the fence .
    He did his last cut in the dark with three of us hauling on the rope.
    In the dark he aimed the felling notch right at their house, instead of the narrow gap between the houses.
    We had to force a path open through all the downed trees, then pull right up against the fence as he finished the cut.
    the tree started for the house, but we managed to turn it so that it fell perfectly.
    I was praying pretty hard.
    Now they can get their solar panels installed, and I've got a ton of wood two houses away .
     
  20. Rowerwet

    Rowerwet

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    Start of the day Monday, I've volunteered to finish taking down the trunks still standing.
    Those overhead wires were the problem
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    Had to get another jug of bar oil, home Depot was out, so I hit tractor supply.
    This is how I make the jug easier to pour, without over flowing the saw.
    20180423_152444.jpg While I was there, I picked up a side table for my splitter , it's $30 less than the one made for my DHT.
    It will probably need a new hole or two, but that's part of the fun.