The key to a happy scrounger is getting far enough ahead that a few missed scores is unnoticeable. Easier said than done of course. Personally all the planets aligned for me at once. Built a log loading trailer as I noticed a tree here or a tree there cut on the side of the road and left laying. Thought to myself such a waste and such an easy score to get. Turned out Ct was just on the cusp of a huge tree die off and I hadnt heard of it. A few days after finishing my trailer I saw an article in the local paper that the town next to me cut 80 oak trees down. Drove by and sure enough. All cut, felled in one piece into the woods and left to lay. A hoarders dream. The tree warden was ecstatic Other hoarders stopped by. ‘‘Twas ok, plenty to go around. Was surprised the guys with little saws, little trailers only wanted big rounds. They had pushed a bunch of nice dead tops up near the road. I would have thought most people with no equipment would’ve gone after those dry tops. I stIll have a lot of logs from 2018 that need processing. As is usually the case life throws things at you from time to time. Just keep looking for the big one
Even curbside I will always knock on the door and ask. Had a roadside scrounge a couple weeks ago and someone else wanted some. I didn’t want to be greedy so I only took one load. Plenty to be found around here so I’m good with a little at a time. Right now I am probably on the three year plan Slow and steady seems to be working.
Happens to the best of us. My brother and I spent an entire Saturday cleaning up the edges of a field my uncle owned. He said we could have any of the wood we cut. Field was pretty good sized, probably 8-10 acres. Cut a bunch of smaller trees down and bucked them up. Had maybe 2-3 cords bucked up. Went back the next day, it was all gone. Every stick, Turns out his azzhole son found out what he told us, got jealous and took the wood. He's lucky I didn't smash his face in.
I have been very lucky so far. Seems that most folks around here are the no so types. I only inquire about what I have time for. I generally ask to come look at the job first and then discuss a game plan with the home/land owner. I also agree with the statement of most folks don't have the saws to handle the big stuff.
Howdy Jiminy. Not sure there’s much difference. Right now, I’m not a scrounger because I have an unlimited supply of prime wood. So just hoarder is accurate. If you don’t have access to wood, you scrounge.
Etiquette with neighbors on a day to.day hasis is also worth something. We just netted the big one. The fellow wants 20 to 30 oak trees on his land to be culled. They're the gypsy moth kills from 4 years ago. He was friend to an elderly neighbor we helped every opportunity we had. More of a score than a scrounge. As far as roadside scrounging Etiquette, so far no issues here. Last year we started with wood sitting there since the year before. No one wanted it. But we cut a trailer load at a time. The next score I cut a few loads worth at a time. No one ever took any. With oil prices rising, and free wood handy in a rural town, I still can't figure why others didnt beat us to the free roadside wood. Sca
They just cut a bunch of dead ash off the powerlines on my street people put posted signs all over the wood…i bet they just let it sit there forever to
Seems that if the scrounge is big logs, not many are willing to tackle it. Got over 2 cords of ash that was super easy access piled in a field, because the guys before me didnt or couldn't buck the logs. I was there and so was another fella. I looked in his trailer and saw he was only taking limb wood under 12". There was a bunch of it there, but I stepped over the limb wood and went to the 30" + diameter base logs. He thanked me when he was done.
Posted this a year or two ago about etiquette when hoarding. Craigslist ad with the address, wood on the side of the road. I showed up as a loaded truck was pulling away and a lady sitting on the rest of the rounds on the ground. I pulled up and she said wood was taken because her husband would be back. I nicely said move aside and I loaded as she called her husband. Who must have thought better than to turn his truck around.
Yep, come across plenty of that. A couple scores that I went to I let the other guys with small saws, or no saw, take the small stuff. I prefer the big ones anyway. I cut up 3 decent white oaks once, took 3 loads, had about another 6 to go. Went back the next day to ALL of it gone. I did 3 hours worth of work for someone else. Also experienced a huge red oak disappear in one day, with barely any sign that anybody cut there. There were some burnout marks on the road. So I am figuring someone with a flatbed and decent wench took it for lumber.
Like others have suggested here, we have about a 3 yr supply here. I'm a wee bit more picky about what I'll take time to do. Even with the latest score, which involves cutting in the woods, if an old contact calls for an easier take, I'll jump on that for an few days, then go back to the big score. When I was new to hoarding, and didn't have much, I would take everything. I propose two new terms for the FCH glossary: 1) Cord Year: not a number of cords, but the number of years the wood you have on hand will last. We have 2.5 to 3 cord years on hand. We may have 3 cord years on hand if next heating season is mild. 2) Score Density: 1 thru 10: 1 the most work for the least volume of wood, 10 the least amount of work for the greater volume. 1 might be cutting/felling in the woods, 10 where someone offers me wood thats been css, all I have to do is take it home and stack it.
Back when I had to scrounge more, I had this happen. If it’s a worthy scrounge I offered a little cash to hold it. 50% bit on it. I made it simple and offered like ten maybe 15 per truckload if it was premium stuff( hard maple, beech, hickory,black locust). I paid for a single load when I left and if I had a load or two more, I told them when I would be back and held to it. It’s still a pain and I don’t miss Craigslist chases!!!
Working on a score like that right now. Rental property with a good mound of big wood on th back corner. Poor pics from his FBM listing. Been working this one since early December. Guy doesnt respond all the time. I kept pushing and finally he did. Wanted to see it first. Half hour from home too. I PM and no response so i just showed up, knocked and no answer...he doesnt live there so took a look and easy score, back right up to it. I dont like driving over yards when muddy so he gives me the okay to use the side street neighbors driveway and back in. Sent me pics and piece of cake. Finally got his phone number too. Another member here and i will it it soon. Wood looks to have been cut last Summer IMO. Oh, and its black locust otherwise id not even try.
I was wondering when someone was going to jump on the “decent wench”, I couldn’t come up with anything good
