# What’s the weirdest thing you’ve found in your wood when split?



## Detector$ (Oct 12, 2009)

Split a lot of oak (fresh and standing dead) and have seen some strange critters in the wood.
Any really weird stuff out there?


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## lexybird (Oct 12, 2009)

giant white larvae grubs of some kind i n some downed  cherry i cut last year


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## crazy_dan (Oct 12, 2009)

found a railroad spike once thinking it was used as a ladder to a tree stand.
It was a close call as it was only about an inch from the end.


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## Detector$ (Oct 12, 2009)

WOW that would have done a number on your chain.....
I've got some really stinky red oak that fell in a windstorm a year ago. It has these huge yellow alien larvae things. I'm sure some beetle larvae of some sort. The wood smells like a cat urine.. I wonder if that's why?


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## Danno77 (Oct 12, 2009)

not bugs, but i always know when i've got to some shot, because the sparks start flying when i'm cutting it.


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## Hiram Maxim (Oct 12, 2009)

lexybird said:
			
		

> giant white larvae grubs of some kind i n some downed  cherry i cut last year



Yes Sir, same here in a semi rotten Red Oak. Picked up a little over a dozen of them. 

FYI they don't float.....sink straight to the bottom of the lake.


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## Spoon (Oct 12, 2009)

Yesterday I was splitting some walnut for my fil.  The bark shot off and inside was three lizards. The next one had a Prairie Ring-Necked Snake.  It was a chilly 50 degs and he was coiled up about he size of my palm.  He did not hardly move.  The lizards warmed up a little in my hand and they went crazy.


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## ROBERT F (Oct 12, 2009)

A old screwdriver, mostly rotted away, and a lot of lead shot from someone probably hanging a target on a tree. other than that basic bugs like carpenter ants and wood wasps.  And rocks, but those are not all that strange if you think about it.


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## madrone (Oct 12, 2009)

a lorax


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## quads (Oct 12, 2009)

In many trees I find the big white grubs.  Pretty common here.  Also, nails, wires, a rock, an ax head, and a bullet.


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## CowboyAndy (Oct 12, 2009)

the only interesting stuff i have found is bugs. we were splitting some big cherry last year and this particular log the ends looked solid, but was hollow inside, housing about a million ants. that day i happened to be wearing pants that had holes in the knees. guess where the ants went...


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 12, 2009)

Found a plow point once! Evidently someone had laid it in a crotch of a tree when the tree was young. Amazing what these trees can and will do.


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## JustWood (Oct 12, 2009)

Found a trap grown into a maple crotch once. Figured a coon got caught by the toe and dragged  dragged it up there.


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## smokinj (Oct 12, 2009)

dog chain


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## Lumber-Jack (Oct 12, 2009)

Back when I was about 20 yrs old I worked for an outfit up in Northern Vancouver island where we would go into the bush and cut cedar shake blocks from old growth cedar trees. The cedar tree were mostly ones that had fallen over and were often covered with moss and branches, which had to be cleared away first, and often portions of the tree were rotten from lying on the ground for years, but there was still enough good wood to be worth digging into. I'm talking trees that were often 6-8 ft in diameter and cedar that doesn't easily rot even when sitting on the ground getting rained on day after day for years.
Anyway, when we would get into these trees we would often find nests of hundreds of salamanders that would come swarming out as we cut the wood open, it was quite a sight.
We use to pull 5-10 cord out of trees that were way off the road and almost hidden by undergrowth.. Because the trees were often so far off the road  the only economical way to get the blocks down to the road so you could load them in the truck was by helicopter.


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## Billster (Oct 12, 2009)

Nails & barbed wire.


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## leaddog (Oct 12, 2009)

Found a spike in a beechtree that was blown down in a wind storm at my father-in-laws. The boys had put in some wood steps YEARS ago. I cut it in half-------------------long ways. Thew the chain away. surprizing how fast it cut thru but it stopped cutting right after. it was a worn chain but wasn't anything left to file.
leaddog


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## 3fordasho (Oct 12, 2009)

Last summer I had just felled and was bucking up a dead elm. Got to a crotch where the main trunk branched into two (hollow spot)
and cut into a bats nest.  Didn't cut into any but they did leave in a hurry.


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## nocdpc (Oct 12, 2009)

Close friend from work had some tree work done and the crew accidently sawed through a scared family of racoons...  It was pretty messy from what I hear. YUCK!


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## BrowningBAR (Oct 12, 2009)

Snake.


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## NHFarmer (Oct 12, 2009)

I once dropped a hickory tree, as it fell a squirrel shot out of the butt. Come to find out the tree was hollow.


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## jeff_t (Oct 12, 2009)

Yup, coon in a hollow tree. My friend who was felling it was looking at his legs trying to figure out where the blood was coming from.


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## TreePapa (Oct 13, 2009)

Most of the lizards & such scatter when I pick the wood up. I've found a few drywall screws. Also found a splitting wedge, but it was left in from someone else's attempt to split a nasty piece of pine (I did split that one, but I have a few pieces from that batch waitin' for the next time I rent a splitter).

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## EatenByLimestone (Oct 13, 2009)

Spikes and nails.  

Matt


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## savageactor7 (Oct 14, 2009)

An old rusted horseshoe.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 14, 2009)

Jimmy Hoffa . . .

Nah, just kidding . . . I haven't found anything of interest while splitting other than grubs and bugs . . . and honestly I would rather only find the bugs and grubs vs. finding nails, spikes, horse shoes, etc. 

I did cut down a dead cherry tree last year (and I cannot tell a lie) . . . and unfortunately I didn't realize that there was a chickadee nest in the tree. One fledgling managed to hop/fly away, but the other bird had a problem with its neck. I know it may sound a bit stupid, but I felt so bad . . . the good news is that there is a bird refuge a couple towns over and they were able to rehabilitate the chickadee and let him loose a few weeks later.


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## Danno77 (Oct 14, 2009)

Last night I cut through two trees that were grown up together for about two feet. fell the tree just fine (the other one had been taken down last summer, but there was still about three feet of it where they met), then trimmed and bucked it and was ready to cut it off as close to the ground as I could. throwing chips just fine, then suddenly I wasn't getting anywhere.  After working and working I finally got a chunk of wood out and I had cut through some wire fence (you know, the old roll fences, not the new panel types) I think I went through about 3 wires, but darned if that wasn't all it took to really dull the heck out of my chain. I only cut about one cord of wood with that new chain. I need a backup chain, so i'm going to the store to get a new one, but I also really wanted to compare a new one to this one, because I'm looking at it thinking it might not be possible to resharpen!! hope I'm wrong.

Note to people, to please spend a the couple of extra bucks for actual fenceposts instead of using trees!


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## bsa0021 (Oct 15, 2009)

The other day I was moving my wood to winter cover. I throw my splits in my lawn cart and pull them to the storage area. Well as I started unloading, I heard the faintest chirp and I couldn't determine what was making the noise so I continued to stack after I emptied half the cart I found the bat. I tried to grap him and the bugger flew to the top of the garage (15' at the peak). I finally got him carefully out of there (big bug eaters) only to find him in the wood pile the next day.


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## Gooserider (Oct 15, 2009)

Assorted bugs like everyone, and a lot of different sizes and shapes of nails - so far just with the splitter...  Best one I've heard about was the guy that found a stainless steel maple sugaring tap - in an OAK...

Gooserider


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## LLigetfa (Oct 15, 2009)

Cannon ball and stage coach wheels in this thread.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/38899/


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## EDGE (Oct 15, 2009)

It wasn't in wood I was splitting or in a tree I had cut, but once I pushed over a standing dead tree--- more like a twelve-foot-tall rotten stump---(can't quite remember what kind) and when it hit the ground it broke at a weak spot and about a quart of dessicated mushrooms spilled out. I was feeling sorry for having damaged some squirrel's cache of food, until I walked by the tree a day or two later, and saw that the whole hoard had been removed.     All's well that ends well, as they say.


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## PunKid8888 (Oct 15, 2009)

Well I did not catch it while splitting but I found it while burning last night.  I Went to reload the stove and while opening door a peice of chicken wire kinda sprungout, it was about 12inches long with a small loop in one end and it was twisted together in the middle. i first thought it was part of my new stove,  I went to pull it out and realized it still had a hot coal on the other end, you could see the wire going right into the middle of the coal.  so it was definatally not on the surface of the log, more like in the middle somewhere.  As soon as I saw I thought of this thread.


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## mikepinto65 (Oct 15, 2009)

bsa0021 said:
			
		

> The other day I was moving my wood to winter cover. I throw my splits in my lawn cart and pull them to the storage area. Well as I started unloading, I heard the faintest chirp and I couldn't determine what was making the noise so I continued to stack after I emptied half the cart I found the bat. I tried to grap him and the bugger flew to the top of the garage (15' at the peak). I finally got him carefully out of there (big bug eaters) only to find him in the wood pile the next day.



good pictures, bats are always neat to look at.


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## MuckSavage (Oct 15, 2009)

I found a few spot light fixtures & wire. After a little research, I found out that the property the wood came from was formerly a picnic park. I've also found nails, screws, RR Spikes, etc. Although I never found it splitting or cutting, I'm a geocacher. Over on that site, I saw a picture of a Jeep Grill that was being consumed by a tree. It seems like years ago, someone put the grill in the crook of a twin-trunked tree. The tree has begun to consume it. Years from now, THAT will be a big surprize for someone to find.


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## gzecc (Oct 15, 2009)

I cut into a  tree limb once and had about a gallon of fluid pour out.  I assume rain water had been leaking into the limb and had no place to go.  This was and still is a healthy tree (minus that limb).


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## gyrfalcon (Oct 15, 2009)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> Jimmy Hoffa . . .
> 
> Nah, just kidding . . . I haven't found anything of interest while splitting other than grubs and bugs . . . and honestly I would rather only find the bugs and grubs vs. finding nails, spikes, horse shoes, etc.
> 
> I did cut down a dead cherry tree last year (and I cannot tell a lie) . . . and unfortunately I didn't realize that there was a chickadee nest in the tree. One fledgling managed to hop/fly away, but the other bird had a problem with its neck. I know it may sound a bit stupid, but I felt so bad . . . the good news is that there is a bird refuge a couple towns over and they were able to rehabilitate the chickadee and let him loose a few weeks later.



Anybody who think it's stupid you felt bad about the bird nest is beyond stupid.  If you didn't feel bad about accidentally screwing up the lives of innocent creatures, there'd be something wrong with you.  I used to work with a bird bander and once had the incredible pleasure of holding a clutch of 9 tiny chickadee nestlings from a single nest in my hands.  They're remarkable little birds.

Anytime you cut down a tree in summer, whether it's alive or dead, you're pretty much guaranteed to be taking a few birds' nests with eggs or young with it.  Worth considering the timing if you have options about when to cut.


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## Cutter (Oct 15, 2009)

In cutting 80-90 year old Hedge. I found an intire hedge post in the center. Complete with old square barbed wire and staples. Folks would cut hedge post out of green trees and when they stuck them in the ground and they would root and take off into full fledged trees.


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## tutu_sue (Oct 20, 2009)

Gyrfalcon, what months from/to should we avoid taking trees down?


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## gyrfalcon (Oct 20, 2009)

tutu_sue said:
			
		

> Gyrfalcon, what months from/to should we avoid taking trees down?



Specific advice best gotten from your local Audubon society, since you're in a very different region.  But up here, early May through the end of August pretty much covers nesting season for most birds.  (Avoiding those months has the added benefit of cutting trees only when they've got much less sap in them, too.)  The one exception is hawks and owls, some of which start in Feb. and March.  Most of those use pretty large nests towards the top of the tree that you can see if you look carefully.  Tiny screech owls and larger Barred owls are cavity nesters, though, so you want to keep an eye out for likely holes.  You can usually tell if a hole is currently in use by a nester because there will be fairly obvious fresh scratches in the wood at the entrance.

Obviously, the only way to guarantee not cutting down a nest is if you never cut any trees, but it's possible to at least minimize the possibility by being careful and observant.  Wouldn't hurt to find out from the Audubon people the contact info for a couple of local bird rehabbers to have on hand just in case.


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## Dill (Oct 20, 2009)

lets see between firewood and when I used to work at a sawmill in college
Plenty of spiles/spouts/taps  in maple trees
Barbed wire and electric fence insulators
An unbelievable amount of bullets, evidently lots of people miss deer around here
The worst are gate hinges, big old cast iron suckers, I've ruined 2 saw chains on one (didn't know it was there), and had the head saw break on one at the mill.


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## LLigetfa (Oct 20, 2009)

Dill said:
			
		

> The worst are gate hinges, big old cast iron suckers, *I've ruined 2 saw chains on one* (didn't know it was there)


I can understand ruining one chain but why would you go back at it with a second chain?


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## Dill (Oct 20, 2009)

It was in the middle of a 5ft butt chunk of rock maple, that dulls chains fast anyway. Couldn't see it or the sparks, I was sick of cutting the piece so I slapped a new chain on. Not smart, found the hinge when we split it. I had cut into the iron a ways with the second chain.  We rolled the chunk into the splitter and used it to pop the cut apart. Like I said not smart since 24" chains aren't cheap. The tree service guys drop these big chunks off at my father's since most people can't work them and mills won't touch sugar maple butts due to tapping.


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## lexybird (Oct 20, 2009)

found a rusty dog chain wrapped and ingrown into the bark of a big sugar maple ,i found it the hard way! and toasted a brand new 30 dollar stihl chsiel chain  within 5 minutes of showing up to the site.what a waste .wasnt even my scrounge i was helping a friend out


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## DeePee (Oct 21, 2009)

Found this old hinge while stirring the ashes this morning. Apologies for the poor cell-cam picture.


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## branchburner (Oct 21, 2009)

Today I split the bottom piece (finally) of my 3-foot oak that came down in the big ice storm, and there was a strand of barbed wire in the very last split. Nothing strange about that, except that it was at the center of the tree. That's some old wire!


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## JJWOODCUTTER (Oct 21, 2009)

Found a pitching horseshoe about 8" in on an old 55" diameter swamp maple


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## albertj03 (Oct 23, 2009)

Last year I was bucking up an old red oak and hit a nail. A red hot chunk of the nail came flying up and went right down into my glove. Couldn't get that glove off fast enough. Afterwards someone told me that they used to put no trespassing signs on that same tree for years. Would have been good to know before cutting it!


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## Gooserider (Oct 23, 2009)

albertj03 said:
			
		

> Last year I was bucking up an old red oak and hit a nail. A red hot chunk of the nail came flying up and went right down into my glove. Couldn't get that glove off fast enough. Afterwards someone told me that they used to put no trespassing signs on that same tree for years. Would have been good to know before cutting it!



It's one of the reasons I like gloves that fit snug around the wrist as opposed to the old leather gauntlet style.  Hot metal bits are rare, but I always used to get wood chips in mine, which would then work their way down to the finger tips and go under your fingernails the next time you put the gloves on...   :ahhh: 

IMHO the Atlas rubber coated stretch knit gloves are the most durable and comfortable gloves I've found for machine splitting and general wood handling (they are to "grabby" to work well with an axe or maul) or most other general working tasks - they have a thermal version that is amazingly warm in the winter...  I have a Lumberworks pair of chainsaw gloves I got a while back, that are the best I've been able to find for saw use - lots of padding and other nice design, much better than the Husky gloves I see on a lot of saw equipment sites.

Gooserider


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## Cedrusdeodara (Oct 26, 2009)

was cutting today and found many white grub worms.  Then a big black widow spider ran across my hand.  Old walnut trees hide many surprises.  We cut one down that was filled with old beer bottles.  Ironic, because they were the same brand of beer we drink and in a location where we used to have a few.  Mother nature is a strange and wonderful animal.


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## Older_Operator (Oct 26, 2009)

Giant, hard, corrugated, white grubs in yellow pine. If you had to eat them, only a couple would make a meal.  :sick:


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## Valhalla (Oct 27, 2009)

Some antique hand cut nails.


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## Tony H (Jan 19, 2010)

Found a family of mice in a hollow part of the tree this fall  . I scared them and they scared me  :snake:


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## Adios Pantalones (Jan 19, 2010)

Split pine and had a salamander or newt or something in there.  He was in a hole made by a big grub of some sort that was about full of water.  

Have had snakes in the pile, mice, a cat living under it, and pulled a screw in eye bolt and ring out of my woodstove recently after burning.  Have had wires through trees, etc.


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## rdust (Jan 19, 2010)

I found a bullet when I was splitting over the weekend.  It's not even mushroomed and you can see the rifle marks from the barrel on the bullet.  It almost looks like someone placed it next to the tree and it grew around it since it's not damaged.  I'll snap a picture when I get a minute.


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## Rory (Jan 21, 2010)

I had a beech tree that was hollow in the center in a pile all summer.  I'm not sure when they got in there, but the center was packed with slim pine cones.  Somebody lost their stash.


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