I guess it stands to reason

[SolarAndWood]

If you bring home bigger unwanted rounds from around the city and process them into bigger splits, you are going to find bigger chunks of metal when you dump the ashes from the stove.

 

[k9brain]

Yikes! I hate to think what would happen if you hit that with the chainsaw.

 

[basswidow]

Holy smokes - what are you scrounging - telephone poles?

Maybe an old clothes line pulley?

 

[SolarAndWood]

Maybe an old clothes line pulley?

That's my guess. It has nails I haven't seen anywhere other than in old coffee cans in my great grandfather's garage. It's kind of interesting how the nails bent, kind of like the tree swallowed it as it grew around it. I have been getting a lot of 3'+ diameter stuff from the city the last few years. I find all kinds of stuff but this is the biggest thing that has made it through to the stove undetected.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

This is exactly why sawmills are not interested in buying trees from around homesteads and in fencerows. Does nasty things to saws.

 

[JustWood]

SWEET!
As high as scrap iron is right now you could prolly turn that in for a nickle deposit refund!
The county brought in some 3-4' hard maple last year the ole man has been burning lately. He says it's loaded with fence and nails. Nock on wood he hasn't hit any with the saw yet.

 

[chrisfallis]

I once had to burn a chunk of wood to retrieve my splitting wedge. I tried everything but the darn thing was really jambed around a burl.

 

[Thistle]

I once had to burn a chunk of wood to retrieve my splitting wedge. I tried everything but the darn thing was really jambed around a burl.

That sure played Hell with the temper I imagine..... I've heard stories about old timers burning the stub of a broken axe or sledgehammer out,even if its done outside of a stove,furnace & covered in sand - thats a quick way to ruin a good tool.I place the head on my old post vise, drill a couple holes with a 1/2" HSS bit,then knock the pieces out with a piece of steel rebar or a punch.If you pay attention,you can avoid the hitting the steel wedges & reuse them most every time.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I found a 5" bolt and pulley bracket inside a huge ash round while splitting a few weeks ago. The tree was prolly at least 75 years old. It grew completely around the giant hunk of steel, and only by dumb luck did I not hit it with my chainsaw or splitter blade. I have a collection of metal odds and ends that I've found ensconced in rounds over the years. :-S