If I wanted to keep thieves away, I would just post a few of those "smile you're on surveillance camera" signs. Much more believable IMO.
"Can I Borrow Some Wood?"
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When I had some trees cleared last fall to put in our yard, I had two large piles of log length wood at my house. My folks asked me for some, and I told them of course. If they wanted to come cut and split a couple trailers full out of it, to go right ahead. My pa helps me all the time, so that is no issue.
About two weeks later, my uncle called me and said "Hey, your Mom called and told me you got a bunch of firewood you are trying to get rid of." I was so mad, I could hardly speak. I finally came around and told my uncle to stop out that week and we would talk.
I immediately called my mother and explained to her how uncool that was. She apologized and said, I didn't know you wanted it!!
My uncle showed up, I told him he could come out, help me cut, split, and stack, and then take some for himself too. I never heard back from him.
About two weeks later, my uncle called me and said "Hey, your Mom called and told me you got a bunch of firewood you are trying to get rid of." I was so mad, I could hardly speak. I finally came around and told my uncle to stop out that week and we would talk.
I immediately called my mother and explained to her how uncool that was. She apologized and said, I didn't know you wanted it!!
My uncle showed up, I told him he could come out, help me cut, split, and stack, and then take some for himself too. I never heard back from him.
Ya me too.
When it's December and cold I have plenty of friends asking for wood. The rest of the time "helpers" are few and far between.
When it's December and cold I have plenty of friends asking for wood. The rest of the time "helpers" are few and far between.
You could always ask to "borrow some money" when they ask to "borrow some wood". Not to keep, just to hold on to until they return the wood 
Frustrating stories.
Trailblaze- That sux. Like it just fell out of the sky there. You need to get the wife to take that heat bro.
"We heat the house with this" should be word enough to anyone compassionate. Or how about- "one truckload heats the house for 2 weeks! Pay for 2 weeks oil, and you got a deal"
I have plenty of crap wood and brush piles that people could come process if they wanted something.
Trailblaze- That sux. Like it just fell out of the sky there. You need to get the wife to take that heat bro.
"We heat the house with this" should be word enough to anyone compassionate. Or how about- "one truckload heats the house for 2 weeks! Pay for 2 weeks oil, and you got a deal"
I have plenty of crap wood and brush piles that people could come process if they wanted something.
Yeah, How come everyone is envious of all the wood you have outside and want to borrow it but you never hear of anyone asking to borrow oil? Both are fuel. What do they think that the wood grows on trees or something? With oil you pay with your checkbook but with wood you pay with your sore back for all the processing it takes. either way it costs you big time.
Yup. My neighbors don't seem to understand drying wood, but they have plenty of unseasoned wood out there. If one was cold and out of work- I'd probably give them money for oil before I'd give them wood.
I have a friend who has had an issue with "walking wood". I made the following sign for him:
"Watch yourself--There's a couple of snakes in here we didn't catch!"
Which is actually true! They were little bull snakes that we like to have around, so we left 'em.
What I didn't reckon on was that ~14" coral snake we found over by the well three weeks ago! And she was the deadly kind. We didn't catch her either, thus the ~14"!!
He hasn't had any wood walk off in the last two years! We can't understand why, either!
"Watch yourself--There's a couple of snakes in here we didn't catch!"
Which is actually true! They were little bull snakes that we like to have around, so we left 'em.
What I didn't reckon on was that ~14" coral snake we found over by the well three weeks ago! And she was the deadly kind. We didn't catch her either, thus the ~14"!!
He hasn't had any wood walk off in the last two years! We can't understand why, either!
I guess I am lucky, none of my neighbors burn wood and when the one had a tree taken down he had the tree service leave the larger pieces, bucked them up and rolled them into my yard (about a cord and a half), The following weekend I pulled out the splitter and he came over and helped me split and stack them. So not only did I get the rounds delivered 10 ft from my wood pile, I had help splitting and stacking. Now if only he had a few more trees cut down... If he wants to raid my wood pile for a few splits to take on a camping trip he is more than welcome! --Did I mention he is a local police officer and keeps a good eye on all the neighborhood
Another neighbor I have saw that I was stacking a 2 cord wood delivery last fall and helped me stack it.
Another neighbor I have saw that I was stacking a 2 cord wood delivery last fall and helped me stack it.
"Just give me five hours on Saturday clearing brush around the pond." The pond is really getting in bad shape.
My wood is mostly not visible from the front but everybody knows I cut and split in the driveway. I've given a few splits to a couple of neighbors, but neither has yet tried to come back for seconds. These are honorable people, so for me it's a cheap deposit in the favor bank. Certainly if it ever became a problem I would go with the $10/bundle wood rack out front. In the summer up in MI we pass about 10 of those just driving into town.
Not wood, but there is astory I came across in my small town years ago when someone put a stick of Dynamite in a hollowed out piece of coal.
I have a deal with a neighbor who uses my land to process wood. Also makes sure I have a supply to hand if mine runs out. Just put him in touch with someone I know who is clearing wood a couple of miles away, win win, he has somewhere to dump, my neighbor has somewhere to process and I have a supply at reasonable cost.
I have a deal with a neighbor who uses my land to process wood. Also makes sure I have a supply to hand if mine runs out. Just put him in touch with someone I know who is clearing wood a couple of miles away, win win, he has somewhere to dump, my neighbor has somewhere to process and I have a supply at reasonable cost.
Durango said:
Hmmm. Sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen to a couple of kids playing near the stove or some other innocent person.
deck2 said:
That sounds like the neighborhood I grew up in back in the late 70's. When a neighbor had a tree come down, all the dads would get together on a Saturday and have a wood cutting/splitting beer drinking gathering.
VTZJ said:
It was 100 years ago, and it did identify who was stealing from his coal supply.
And it did not happen again...
I have the opposite problem up here in the Michigan Upper Peninsula. If my neighbors think I am running a little low on wood, they will drop some off when I am away at work. They do this all on their own. Of course, my place is where people go to have a few and shoot the breeze.
We are tight up here.
We are tight up here.
Some of my green wood is placed at the end of a shared driveway with my parents neighbor. This sucker is an AS&HO;($. If I ever see wood missing, I won't accuse him, I'll put up a video camera and hope to catch him and call the cops. Anyone burning wood that would take from another wood burner doesn't have a work ethic or doesn't care. I too have a hard time when someone asks me to sell a cord of wood, especially when they say they need it at 16" and I am cutting at 20". What a waste so I have to say no.
Chad
Chad
We gave a cord away to the inlaws. They help us out a lot, so it was the right thing to do. Leaves us with nearly 4.5 cords which should be plenty.
I cut and split ~17 cord a year, 6 for me, 6 for my wifes grand parents, and 5 for my wifes parents. Nobody ever asks me for wood as they get told to get bent. My wifes grand parents are in their 80s and her dad is a Vet with a hip condition that makes it very hard for him to cut his own. they are people that don't have to ask. I guess if some body really needed it then I would let them have some but, It had better not have been because they were lazy that they need it. I work 60+ hours a week and still find time to all my chores around my acreage and still cut a lot of wood.
I would have to say, after gathering and splitting the wood by hand, we would be hard pressed to give out what we have been bruised and battered for. It is hard work, which we don't mind, but when you sit on the butt all summer and then want what others have worked hard for you sure better have a big reason for being unprepared. This is our first year and we have gathered by barter.... we cut down and leave half for a great man who cannot get to the woods on his property but allows us to cut. We say SORRY BUT NO..... MY BAD....
MY BAD....My wood is at the back edge of my driveway stacked since early summer. I've never had any issues with neighbors asking to borrow some wood, because 1/2 of them seems to burn as well. When we bought our house, the previous owners had wood stack right against it. Needless to say when we resided the house there was carpenter ants nests in the house framing. I would stack it further way from my house next year, but we have a septic tank and leach field in the way, plus the snow drifts in the back yard become high
Frank
Frank
VTZJ said:
There was a famous steam ship sinking after the Civil War where someone supposedly used an iron container shaped like coal, loaded with an explosive (maybe black powder?) and left it in the pile. Many were killed. Off topic, but pretty interesting stuff.
What? You wanna borrow some wood? Sure thing but can I borrow some money first? You know like $2 a piece. You burn my wood for what you want and I'll burn your money for what I want...
[quote author="CowboyAndy" date="1224184393"]I was thinking about putting up a sign near the wood pile that says "ONE of these peices has dynomite in it. Guess which one."
hope you do not end up with sign NOW 2 PEICES HAVE DYNOMITE guess which one :lol:
hope you do not end up with sign NOW 2 PEICES HAVE DYNOMITE guess which one :lol:- Status
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