Quest load number two. Hit the score i posted about in my prior locust post. Got my fix for 45 minutes. Mostly pulling precut sections out of the overgrowth and bucking. Only bucked a few rounds off of one trunk that was rather buried. Didnt touch the full tree yet. The density of locust amazes me. When they hit together a nice deep thud. Split easily. I split most of the load when i got home after dusk. I doubt ill be taking any full loads as i have to work to retrieve the wood. Not like my roadside scores of the past I still cant believe how hard this stuff is. Only dead dogwood and dead barkless elm compare IME. Probably cut some tomorrow to get my daily fix! The quest continues
I'm glad you're getting it now, before it gets frozen in. Perfect time to do it, before all that viney stuff grows back in the spring. Keep at it!
The first area i cut, i parked in the breakdown lane and was dropping the logs on the pavement to knock off the dirt and the THUD it made was amazing compared to any other wood ive ever cut. Maybe dead dogwood or barkless dead elm compare.
If you score dead/cut logs where the bark comes off easily, do you have a trick to remove the cakes on dirt? I was dropping them on the pavement. Brushing doestnt get it all. I though of letting the rain do the job. Let em dry then brush?
If I get dirty wood at the dump, I lay it on the lawn and spray it with a hose. Or swish them around in a kiddie pool. But that's in the summertime. They're not going to rot, so you could leave them out in the weather.
Unless it's clumps of dirt I don't worry to much. Give a brush off with my glove where I'm gonna cut. I use mostly Stihl RM chain which doesn't dull as fast as RS when cutting dirty wood.
if you need to cut a dirty log you can cut from the dirty side and cut down and the dirt will fling off the wood without dulling your chain.
I was referring to a cut round after the bark comes off Felter & farmer steve. There's usually some "banana peel" slippery schmutz still on the round. I had dropped some on the pavement prior to loading the PU and it helped. Had to handle the rounds with care unless i wanted to look like i rolled in dirt! The ones i bucked yesterday i removed bark prior to bucking.
Tough call on that one, brother, especially when the rounds are in the woods. Get it home and use a pressure washer, maybe
Hit the score again today for my hour long fix. I was going to start the front hill closest to the road, but im pretty sure its state and/or town land. Didnt want to leave any evidence...yet. I went behind the building and starting hacking and cutting through the jungle. Hacked 4-6' with the machete and saw then mark and cut. Repeat. Im working then smelled something peculiar as it was close to 50* today...oh DEER...carcass! The area is between two lanes of a steep interstate connecting ramp. Mustve got hit? Kept going deeper in and found it to be a whole tree. About 15 ' left to buck, plus another tree ten feet away that is just as entangled. You guys werent kidding about how fast this dulls the saw. Freshly sharpened too. I couldve hit dirt in my defense. With the tangle and forest litter it was tough to see/judge the ground on the other side while bucking. Had to carry the rounds (bark came off easily) to the street (maybe 100') carefully unless i wanted to wear the "mud" from under the bark or trip. Not bad for an hour considering what i had to contend with. Split it all quick and easy at my friends. Im liking this stuff more and more every day. Even the gnarlies split rather easily. Unstacked splits are from today. Last pic is yesterdays load i split at home.
Got it Brad. I've handled so much like that I don't even give it a thought. Looks like colder temps next week so it shouldn't be as bad when frozen.
Good thing you didn't find human remains! That would have shut down your scrounge real quick. That's a big load for an hour's work!
You are getting with it, buddy. I'm sure that was a nice aroma to work around. Would be nice if you could pull those logs out of the tangles
OMG!!! That wouldve freaked me out or anyone else for that matter! I found the remains last week when scouting. When i got the smell, the thought crossed my mind until i spotted all the fir. Its such a dense tangle of everything i dont know how it got in there.
Wasnt too bad luckily. Dont know if there'd be enough room, but not familiar with winching logs. There is a few feet of grass around the fence then weeds woods etc. Maybe 50' into the tangle. Working in the tangle adds to the adventure of the score. After all its more than an addiction...its an adventure!
