Last September this Norway maple in front of a good friends house was marked to be cut down as half of it failed to leaf out last year and limbs had fallen into the road. No leaves this Spring...dead! We figured by Thanksgiving it'd be down. He burns maybe 1.5 cords per Winter and im his wood supplier so he wanted me to turn it into usable firewood. Patiently waiting, multiple calls to the town and finally he texts me yesterday telling me they are there. Figures, im busy with work and its Summer! Cool weather piece of cake, but Summer...yuck! Told him to make a big sign "keeping wood" otherwise people like me would be all over it in no time. Fairly busy road. Tree guys tell him they'd be back Wednesday to take whats left. Again, figures! I reluctantly went there this afternoon. Bucked and noodled the wood on the road side of the 32" gnarly trunk. He planted new grass in the front yard last Fall so its gotta get moved ASAP. Tree prior to removal. Pic from mid April. got to be slow going in the full sun, even though it wasnt that humid. I pulled PU into street to load. I was noodling logs in the road as it was safer than on the hill, less mess too. He ended up with three heaping wheelbarrow fulls of noodles. Use a snow shovel to get them off the pavement. He liked them so much for mulch in his side bed. I told him there'd be a lot more coming!!! smaller rounds and trunk carcass remain. I may try noodling the gnarly trunk. Something i usually wont do. wood wasnt split, just sized so it could be moved. Probably bucked and moved a cord. He has enough room for maybe 4-5 face cord so i may end up with some of this. Ten minutes from home.
At least the city took the brush? I hope you can take your time splitting it, somewhere in the shade.
.... its getting that time of the year... Drink plenty of water and plenty of rest breaks.... Gettin' while the gettin's good...
Man, I would not want to be a tree anywhere near you. I fear I’d be cut, split and stacked in no time !
I hear you on the sun! We're up north this weekend and while it's not hot an humid, the sun is intense. Suppose we're just about at the highest angle it'll be at for the next few weeks. I'm applying sunscreen every morning before heading outside to do yard work.
32" at the stump. Youve lifted some good sized rounds from what ive seen cigarsmokingzombie . Im debating on whether to noodle the trunk or just leave it for them to take. Do you noodle at all?
He has a tiny processing area off his driveway next to his barn. It gets NO shade. No rush to get wood split, but he has me on the job! There is a open faced shed that hold six face cord right next to it so split n stack as im working. The area filled up tight with the loads yesterday despite the fact im pretty good at staging logs for splitting. I cant believe you left the GTG to after wood, but after seeing pics of the score, i wouldve as well! It will go down in the annals of the FHC!
Still my favorite shirt LOL. I'd noodle that trunk section for sure. That big knarly stuff is just too much of a pita to wrestle & split. Edit: That would've been great work in January/February.
I thought the pic was apropos for a response! Oh how i wish it was Jan/Feb amateur cutter. Id be out there for most of the day and only stopping for coffee! I was kinda knew this would happen. Town contracts out to tree service. Ive never noodled an entire trunk like that before. I guess there's always a first for everything. Depends if i can get it done by Wednesday? The smaller rounds will be cake...buck, load, & move. Ive only used the 36" bar on the 460 once. Mebbe time for take two? I had to do a double take when you changed your avatar pic. Used to seeing your "I hugged it first" shirt!
Yea, that's my grandson winching logs with the mini skid. If you take the 460 & buck that log to length, roll the blocks apart & noodle it'll go fast. That 460 with a good chain will rip right through that Maple. I'd bet 2hrs & that trunk would manageable size chunks. Keep the tip down & power head up & that saw will clear noodles pretty well. My 046 has noodled many a big un.
thanks for the tips AC. I did buck a few off the skinny end of the carcass yesterday with the 20" bar on the 460. May start with he 28" to buck and then try 36". The 20" for noodling. I guess i cringe at the thought of filing the 36" chain. Its a full skip. Its a "Laser" brand bar and the chain came with it. Dunno if that chain is of any quality though? Grandson? You're too young to be a grandfather!
Nah, those little kids keep me feeling younger though. As for the Laser bar's I've not used one, but been told they're decent quality. The chain there's no way to know till you use it. A 28" or 36" skip chain isn't too bad to file, they're pretty stead on those long bars. Some room to work. I'm fortunate to have a pretty good back yet, & I like to keep it that way. If I smoke a chain cutting big pieces down to size, so be it. Way cheaper than being laid up & paying co pays on injuries, I'd rather use up equipment than my body, did the whole tennis elbow thing & finally had to cut back on hand splitting even though I did enjoy the workout. Same with lifting the big rounds, just not worth the risk. I just make em smaller.
