Hi, My name is Wood Scrounger, and I scrounge wood...

[itsanaddiction]

Here is my dilemma... One of my scrounging contacts works for a tree service. He calls today and gives me an address close to my work, and tells me of a huge sugar maple he just took down, a side job he's doing. I said to him on the phone, "I'll can come tomorrow with my saw and buck the logs, can we do it then?" He says he really needs to clear some wood tonight. From past experience, I know he cuts his rounds a little too big for me and they're never the same length. I arrive ready to load my truck, and I see just about every round he bucked is around 22". Now, beggars cant be choosers, but my insert wont take over a 20" long split. You have to picture it, a huge pile of premium wood, that I'll have to cut 4" or so off of every round. I of course load my truck. I mentioned to him my problem. I tell him I understand his situation, the fewer cuts he makes the faster he's done. He doesn't burn wood so he really doesn't seem to notice. There were a few logs left to cut, he fires up his saw and cuts them to about 22" while I watch.

So, do I say something to him? How do I get it across to him, if the cuts were just a little shorter, life would be so much better for me? Or do I thank him, take the rounds, shut up and cut a little off each one? (for this time around, I shut up and thanked him with beer...)

Any advice from the panel of experts?

 

[CodyWayne718]

I'm not a pro by any means, free wood is free wood but I see no point in having to cut it once it is already bucked. It seems as if you already told him how long you wanted them or that he was cutting them too long and he didn't seem to care. You would think if he had someone willing to come buck and clean it all up he would jus let you come do it an save him self the time in having to cut it. You said he doesnt burn, it would almost be worth telling him that if he doesnt let you cut it to the length you want or him cut them the length you want then he can just start cleaning up his own messes. This is not knowing how close you are with him or anything, I had a buddy wanting to help me cut a couple black locust, I got started on the first one before he got there an almost finished when he got there, as he backed his truck up to the other one and pulled his saw out, it took all I had not to walk over there and tell him I would jus buck it myself. I am very picky about the lenghts of mine jus cause its easier to stack if their the same length and burn better I think. When I loaded up what I had bucked an seen how he was cutting I told him he could jus have it, then again he burns. He showed up not wanting any wood but I wasnt taking it! I know this post is all over the place but oh well

 

[k9brain]

Could you ask for 40" lengths to cut in half later, or is that too heavy for you?

 

[jeff_t]

Well, I would ask him if he could leave the logs for you to buck like you wanted. If not, I would be happy with what I got.

And if you cut them in half, could you load them N-S? Instead of cutting a couple inches off.

 

[okotoks guy]

I would bet that for insurance purposes,he does not want some guy running a saw at the jobsite.
If you already asked him for 16" and he still cut 22" then he really does not care what YOU want.
I would do 1 of 2 things:

1. Offer up some cash for the rounds to be cut 16".NOW he might care about what you want and
you just made it worth it for him.Remember, you are a scrounger and can never be too picky.If
you pay him;now you're a customer. BTW he might have 20 other phone #'s in his phone from
other scroungers,don't make him want to call any of them.

2.Take the wood as is and cut 6" off the rounds. Those 6" pucks will dry out and you can still
burn them,or you could find someone with a small stove that would love to get 6" rounds. Where I
live,there are lots of guys with ice-fishing huts that have small stoves in them and would love to
get wood like that.

The other variable is that we are talking about PRIMO wood here. I don't care where ANYBODY lives,
Sugar Maple is Top Shelf wood. If this were shoulder season wood and you asked the guy to cut it no
longer than 16" and he obviously ignored you;I would drive away.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Irregular lengths are something every scrounger has to deal with. The tree guys want it gone so they can get paid. The property owner wants it gone and that is what they are paying for. Build yourself a frame to make it easier to trim them and thank him for hooking you up with the good stuff.

 

[Jeff S]

Maybe you could explain the math to him,for example take a log that is 20' long you could cut it into 11 - 22"pieces or 12 - 20" pieces.
That's only one more cut for him but 11 cuts for you .How much longer would it actually take him to make one more cut?

 

[ecocavalier02]

i'd tell him what i tell all my buddy's lol. i cut a couple trees down this summer at my dads church and the guy helping me was just cuttin away while i was marking the pieces to length at 16 inches. there all laughing at me i said ill cut everything just clean up. lol they don't understand how much of a pain it is to have to recut every frekin round or have to try and put that oversize piece of wood in at the least moment to and try and get it to fit.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think you have to keep trying to get him to cut differently, but also recognize that he is doing you a favor so don't push too hard. On the other hand, you are doing him a favor too. It depends how well you konw the guy and what type of guy he is. Good, old friends I'd happily give a hard time whenever they cut a round just a little too long. A neighbor I have known casually a year or two, I'd take a different tack.

If the diameter isn't too big (so the weight isn't too high per length), I would ask for longer pieces. I cut to 16 inches, so four foot length is very convenient for me. Maybe for you either 40 or 60 inches is better.

I find that I tend to have a certain length that just 'looks right' to me, and when eyeballing I cut to that length. For me 'eyeball length' seems to be about 14 inches, even though I am trying to cut at 16 inches. Maybe if you score the log at the length you want, that will help your buddy cut differently.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I like to burn N/S- 14" is ideal for me.When dealing with tree guys- I do one of two things - 1)Ask them if 14" is too much work and time for them( sometimes they say ok, if not I'll offer them some $$, depending on how much wood we're talking about , here). -2) If they say they just cant take the time to cut them that short, I just tell them to cut them 28" , then I'll cut them once more myself, sometimes right there, sometimes after I get it home. This is a win-win for both of us.They would MUCH rather make less cuts by cutting 28", and I get perfect size wood for my stove . Win-Win. :cheese:

 

[smokinj]

I would tell him if these rounds where 18 inchs or what ever you need it would be perfect! Guys with saw's Love to hear the word Perfect!

 

[heatwise]

that seems to be typical of what i get. pieces that are just a few inches longer than needed. i will cut them in half if they are at 24'' or trim off the few inches and end up with a disc that i break up into halves or quarters. they stack well with the other stuff. its always nice to get to a tree where i can mark it and cut at the lengths i prefer but seldom does. either way free wood is great.. pete

 

[okotoks guy]

Here is another scenario at "arborist.com"

"Wood Scroungers"

Ok, so I get a call from a guy with a Sugar Maple he wants removed asap.I take the job and call this guy
who's looking for firewood.He says he can come by the next day but I let him know I want it gone now.
Then the guy tells me what length he want it cut to!! I give him the old " Yeah whatever" so he shows
up on site and tells me AGAIN that he wants them cut to a specific length. This guy must think that I am
either deaf or stupid.So right in front of him I cut 1 the same length as all the other ones and maybe he got
the point.Some guysThis is a Friday and I have had a long week and don't need some scavenger telling
me how he wants his free wood cut. This is why I'm just going to load all the waste from now on into the
big truck and bring it to the dump. I am sick of these guys.Some saying that they can come the next day or they
don't show up on time.Some say they can be there right away but apparently that means in 3 days.Others say
no problem and then the next day I get some irate customer trying to park his new trailer in his yard and
the rounds are still there and I have to drop what I'm doing to go back and clean up.Some show up and they are
80 years old,90lbs and I have to help them load it.ETC,ETC,ETC.
Of course I do get the odd one that I call,they show up within an hour, with a real truck,load the wood, and they
are gone after thanking me.I wish they could all be like this!!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

It seems to me it would be difficult being as how you are getting the wood free. Not sure how I would handle it but for sure when I got this load home I'd either cut them to length and burn the small pieces in spring and fall or else cut them into 2 pieces of equal length and just live with it. Could you perhaps load the stove the opposite direction to load in the equal length logs?

 

[SolarAndWood]

Here is another scenario at "arborist.com"

"Wood Scroungers"

...Of course I do get the odd one that I call,they show up within an hour, with a real truck,load the wood, and they
are gone after thanking me.I wish they could all be like this!!

From my experience, if you are that guy they are more than happy to cut it however you want as long as you make it go away when you say you will.

 

[itsanaddiction]

Could you ask for 40" lengths to cut in half later, or is that too heavy for you?

Many of the rounds would be too heavy at 40" It took both of us to lift one round into my truck.

 

[itsanaddiction]

Here is another scenario at "arborist.com"

"Wood Scroungers"

Ok, so I get a call from a guy with a Sugar Maple he wants removed asap.I take the job and call this guy
who's looking for firewood.He says he can come by the next day but I let him know I want it gone now.
Then the guy tells me what length he want it cut to!! I give him the old " Yeah whatever" so he shows
up on site and tells me AGAIN that he wants them cut to a specific length. This guy must think that I am
either deaf or stupid.So right in front of him I cut 1 the same length as all the other ones and maybe he got
the point.Some guysThis is a Friday and I have had a long week and don't need some scavenger telling
me how he wants his free wood cut. This is why I'm just going to load all the waste from now on into the
big truck and bring it to the dump. I am sick of these guys.Some saying that they can come the next day or they
don't show up on time.Some say they can be there right away but apparently that means in 3 days.Others say
no problem and then the next day I get some irate customer trying to park his new trailer in his yard and
the rounds are still there and I have to drop what I'm doing to go back and clean up.Some show up and they are
80 years old,90lbs and I have to help them load it.ETC,ETC,ETC.
Of course I do get the odd one that I call,they show up within an hour, with a real truck,load the wood, and they
are gone after thanking me.I wish they could all be like this!!

Yikes! Talk about getting both sides of a story. I'm not trying to be a pita to the guy, just trying to minimize having to double the work. Last night I asked if he'd mind cutting the rounds to about the lenght of his 18" blade so he'd have a gauge to measure by. I asked very nicely and respectfully. We'll see what it looks like today. I do offer him cash, usually $20 bucks here and there, and today I'll run my saws for a couple hours this afternoon to help him out. As for stacking the wood, I live on a 1/3 acre lot in town and don't have a ton of space. I'd really like 'em to be around 18"-20". Dang picky scounger that I am...

 

[firefighterjake]

I'd ask nicely . . . but would accept whatever I get . . . free -- or close to free -- is good . . . and beggars can't be choosers.

All wood burns . . . even short pieces . . . just means a little more work unfortunately.