my scrounging days I think are over

[robj80]

So I saw a guy post on facebook about firewood length rounds he had. I messaged him and he said come on over and take some. Turns out he lost over 100 trees a couple years ago in a tornado that hit our town. I lost one tree but that has been already cut up and burned. He told me whenever I need more just call him and we will set up a time for me to come grab more. I feel like everyone else gets really lucky with finding wood but this time it was me. Pretty sure this load was red oak. I've had red oak before and this was similar. Plus it has an unpleasant smell when cutting. This image contains wood I got from this guy as well as some wood from a previous score already split up.

 

[mrd1995]

Looks like a species of red oak, I actually love the smell of fresh split oak.

 

[Davesch]

Looks more like white oak but there's no difference in how it burns. Red oak is a bit easier to split in my experience.

 

[Grizzerbear]

Yea that is red oak. Good score.

 

[robj80]

Looks like a species of red oak, I actually love the smell of fresh split oak.

It is an acquired scent for sure. I had just finished splitting a bunch of Cherry so this was a drastic contrast in odor.

BTW fresh split read 43 on the moisture meter in the heartwood. Going to be awhile before any of this gets burned.

 

[Gearhead660]

So I saw a guy post on facebook about firewood length rounds he had. I messaged him and he said come on over and take some. Turns out he lost over 100 trees a couple years ago in a tornado that hit our town. I lost one tree but that has been already cut up and burned. He told me whenever I need more just call him and we will set up a time for me to come grab more. I feel like everyone else gets really lucky with finding wood but this time it was me. Pretty sure this load was red oak. I've had red oak before and this was similar. Plus it has an unpleasant smell when cutting. This image contains wood I got from this guy as well as some wood from a previous score already split up.

View attachment 258272

I just came across a similar situation a month or 2 ago. Guy with woods and lots of down and dead trees he wants gone. He gets it cleaned up, I get free wood. win win.

 

[NickW]

Oak is definitely a "nose of the beholder" wood. I love the smell of it but my brother says it smells like dog pee... Maybe the smell makes me think positively about future good hot fires! That's a great score! Hope you don't need it for a couple of years though... I've got a similar situation with all the EAB killed ash tree's around here. Several tree services looking for people to load up and haul out for free from their storage yards plus people know I'll take them down in "safe" accessible areas.

 

[robj80]

Oak is definitely a "nose of the beholder" wood. I love the smell of it but my brother says it smells like dog pee... Maybe the smell makes me think positively about future good hot fires! That's a great score! Hope you don't need it for a couple of years though... I've got a similar situation with all the EAB killed ash tree's around here. Several tree services looking for people to load up and haul out for free from their storage yards plus people know I'll take them down in "safe" accessible areas.

I will check it next year but most likely won't burn for two. I have a small pile of ash and cherry that most likely will be ready to burn next year. With the way the weather has been in CT though I expect things to dry out faster than normal. I mean we had 60- 70 degree and sunny days throughout the winter this year. I don't burn much like most on here. I came on here awhile back because I wanted an insert and had an issue with my masonry fireplace. Well since then a whole bunch of life happened and I still didn't get my insert but I stuck around because I enjoy the forum and reading the stories. Now I am just stockpiling wood for the hell of it and the occasional burn in my heat wasting open fireplace. Hopefully I will have an insert come next season.

 

[Woody Stover]

Looks more like white oak but there's no difference in how it burns. Red oak is a bit easier to split in my experience.

Red does split easier, but White isn't too bad if you don't wait too long.
The BTU charts that seem to align with my personal experience, usually have Red Oak at 24 mBTU/cord and White at 25.7. That's a noticeable difference. A load of White goes a really long time in my stove.
That said, most of the Oaks that die here are Reds, so that's the majority of what I burn. It's good all-round wood..starts easy enough and yields long burns. It takes a while to get it dry though, and the sapwood gets punky pretty quick if you leave dead Reds lying around. The good thing, when that happens, is that the punky sapwood will easily scrape off with a hatchet..you can almost crumble it off with your hands. It's a lot of bullcrappin' around but I'll often scrape off the punk when I process it, if it's easy enough to do.

 

[robj80]

Stacked my first grab, front row only. The wood behind is on a half wall and has been split and stacked since last fall. Decided to go grab some more which is the second picture. This is already mostly split and just in a pile waiting to be stacked.

 

[Woody Stover]

That's some fine-looking Red..good work!

 

[robj80]

Well I had stopped scrounging. The fiance started asking what I was going to do with all of it and where the hell was I going to put it. I pretty much covered the front of all the flower beds and stacked on the retaining walls. Ironically I got a second source for free wood too. Then one day I came home to the image you see below. Nice pile of birch was dropped in my driveway. Time to start chopping again!

 

[Caw]

Ahhhhhh the old wife block. I know that situation. I have 6 cords placed throughout my yard and ive been cut off. I use about 3 cords a season so I'm at least able to be 1 season ahead. My goal is 2 seasons tho so I need to get creative!

 

[Gearhead660]

Ahhhhhh the old wife block. I know that situation. I have 6 cords placed throughout my yard and ive been cut off. I use about 3 cords a season so I'm at least able to be 1 season ahead. My goal is 2 seasons tho so I need to get creative!

Room to build a wood shed?

 

[robj80]

Room to build a wood shed?

I do actually but at the back of the property. Which doesn't get hardly any sunlight and is far away from the house. Seems like a lot more work to get the wood back there to process then move up closer to the house when ready to burn. I have maybe 2 cords around. This seems to be the fiance's limit. I might just keep this amount stocked at all times. She seems ok with the 2 cords.

 

[brenndatomu]

I'm at least able to be 1 season ahead. My goal is 2 seasons tho so I need to get creative!

Time to stack higher.

I do actually but at the back of the property. Which doesn't get hardly any sunlight and is far away from the house. Seems like a lot more work to get the wood back there to process then move up closer to the house when ready to burn. I have maybe 2 cords around. This seems to be the fiance's limit. I might just keep this amount stocked at all times. She seems ok with the 2 cords.

Time to install some new landscaping...called a holz hauzen
https://www.google.com/search?sourc...qAhUfRzABHW4tB8gQsAR6BAgIEAE&biw=1760&bih=834

 

[Caw]

I am in the process of building a shed on the side of my house. Not great sunlight but it'll be holding 1+ year seasoned wood for the current season so it should be fine. I expect to pack 2-2.5 cords in it.

The back yard has 4 x 1 cord stacks in mostly full sun:

Next year I'll replace the left two stack sides with longer boards. Right now they are full of red oak for 21/22. The two big stacks are maple, poplar, cherry, and ash. Wood shed spot has 2 cords of fully seasoned maple/oak. I'm gonna burn the poplar during shoulder season and the maple/oak this year.

 

[Lakeside]

I think this score calls for the Lucky Dog. How far from your place is the wood ? Nice looking Yellow Birch too.

 

[kennyp2339]

Always explain it like this to the wife, fiancée or who ever, when there is a complaint about to much firewood, hugs and kiss don't keep the house warm in the winter.

 

[ClintonH]

Always explain it like this to the wife, fiancée or who ever, when there is a complaint about to much firewood, hugs and kiss don't keep the house warm in the winter.

Although I don't mind her trying to disprove that point.

 

[Gearhead660]

Always explain it like this to the wife, fiancée or who ever, when there is a complaint about to much firewood, hugs and kiss don't keep the house warm in the winter.

Currently have 13 cord and the wife hasnt made a peep. But she also is nice and warm in the winter...

 

[WoodBurnerInWI]

I can get around 16 cords in my wood shed when its 100% full. My wife actually realizes the benefits of heating with wood and this winter really enjoyed our utility bill being less than $50 for natural gas use per month (pretty much only the water heater used the gas).

Besides, after my recent scores have accumulated, she's already lost the "you have too much wood" battle

 

[baseroom]

Yea the yard is getting full. I lterally have wood in three other peoples yards. I told them I can take your tree down and cut it up.....but i can't take it until next year.......

 

[brenndatomu]

our utility bill being less than $50 for natural gas use per month (pretty much only the water heater used the gas).

$50/month for hot water?! How many people live there?

 

[WoodBurnerInWI]

$50/month for hot water?! How many people live there?

I forgot to add we have a nat gas stove in the kitchen which gets used more than once a day so basically the stove plus water heater only contribute to that part of the utility bill not so much the furnace, I figured $50 more or less in the winter months for gas usage was good? There are 3 people in my house, my wife, myself and the mother in law who stays with us for usually 1 to 2 weeks per month. She's the one who owns a trailer so I figure she can stay and if I ever need a trailer I can borrow hers.