Thrilled to say that I received permission to take two different large trees this week. Both are on the ground within the last 2 years. Both appear to be of Oak Variety (based on leaves still attached to the dead branches), one having a 36 inch trunk, the other nearly 42 inches. One is 3/8 mile from my house and the other a few miles away. I have watched both trees for over a year and happened to be in the right situation to get both this past week. Frozen ground now, so it's off to the woods with the saw this week. Neither tree cost me out of pocket. My estimation is 6 cords minimum between the 2. Gonna be a long week, but a good one.
The season of giving
- Thread starter mywaynow
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
Nice score! 6 cord from the two trees? That would be impressive, I think it takes a 'normal' tree in the low 20" dbh range to make a cord. Cheers!
NH_Wood said:
Well, considering that if you double the diameter you quadruple the volume, a 42" dbh tree has more than 4 times the wood of a 20" dbh tree. That is not to mention the additional height/branch mass that can also be harvested for wood.
Add on a 36" dbh tree and I would say he is well over 6 times the amount of wood in a 20" dbh tree; he is probably closer to 10 times the wood.
Got into one of the trees today. It was the smaller of the 2, and turned out to be larger than I thought. It appears to be Red Oak, but I don't recall other Reds being so Red throughout the wood grain. It took 3 other smaller trees with it, which are hardwoods too. Everything in these woods are hardwood. The pic is of the first of 3 trunks of this tree. It is about 22 inches at the wide point. The base of the tree is pushing 40 inches. Temps went to almost 50 today, and made the approach/departures quite muddy. Good thing the tires are fresh! Hoping the soil firms a bit tonight, and I will be back early tomorrow to keep hacking.
Attachments
CountryBoy19 said:
So, am I reading this right? Are you saying that the 42" dbh tree should have at least, and likely more, than 4 cord? Just seems high, but I've not dropped many trees, and none nearing that size. I'm finding it hard to believe that I could nearly heat my house for the winter on the wood from a single large tree, but I'll assume it's true. Everyone else agree? Cheers!
NH_Wood said:
I cut for a few hours today and removed 2 loads. My trailer is just over 4x8, and the cuts are 24 inches. I stand logs on end around the perimeter of the trailer and fill the center with logs on their sides. The pile goes above the side logs, so with the pile above that 24 inch mark, I believe 1/2 a cord a load is close to accurate. I have another load on the ground, and have more than 2/3 left to cut. It is going to break the 4 cord mark easily.
NH_Wood said:
I can buy that. I once helped my FIL drop and process a single white oak tree that heat his house for more than a year. It had been struck by lightning and none of the mills were willing to touch the trunk because it was likely badly cracked internally. I'm not sure how many cord it ended up being. At least five...40 or so inches at the base and limby as all get out.
NH_Wood said:
Big white ash I scored from my uncle last spring was about 48" dbh and it produced about 5 cords and I didn't get the small stuff, that went into the chipper so I say it's possible.
Here are a couple pictures of it, for reference my old man 6' tall. It had branches as big as tree's! :lol:
Attachments
Two silver maples I took last winter measured around 39" and 43" dbh and I got just over 5 cord from it. Lots of work but well worth it.
That is the good stuff for sure. I love that stuff but I hate having to split it to move it , ah not really I love it. You will be burning this tree a long time. Lots of heat.
Wow BIG trees,a dn great score for you.
Here the trees are smaller, and chances of getting four or five cords from a single tree is near zero.
More likely average a cord per tree, or less.
A big one maybe 2 cords.
I get my wood hauled to my yard on logging trucks, average load is about 16 to 17 cords per truck.
Loads vary in amount of trees on them, but 13 to 22 is average.
Here the trees are smaller, and chances of getting four or five cords from a single tree is near zero.
More likely average a cord per tree, or less.
A big one maybe 2 cords.
I get my wood hauled to my yard on logging trucks, average load is about 16 to 17 cords per truck.
Loads vary in amount of trees on them, but 13 to 22 is average.
Found out a new way to wreck a chain while cutting yesterday..... glass! The Red Oak fell into an old junk yard/dump site. I did not realize a piece that I was cutting had a jar under it and touched the jar ever so lightly with the chain. Might as well of touched a fieldstone. Oh well, live and learn yet again. I shouldn't have been cutting so close to the ground anyhow. Just got lazy for a moment and it bit me.
Don't know what the term "noodle" means, but I probably did both. I split some of the smaller trunk sections on the ground (tree was suspended on dead limbs), pieces up to about 30 inches. The larger stuff was too much for the saw to handle so I cut both directions to create quarters, broke off the quarters one at a time with wedges. The wieght of the pieces whole was too much even for 2 guys to comfortably load into the trailer. I did score the logs that were cut whole, about 1 1/2 bar widths deep, and used 2 wedges to split them. The red oak splits nice when there are no limbs/knots. The big stuff is where the trunks split up, and they were a bear. Buried 2 wedges and most of a third before the shale bar would snap off the chunk. Hands hurt from sledging, and squishing one between some logs, but overall another nice time in the woods.
You were noodling when you cut lengthways on the logs. Just look at the "sawdust." It will look a bit like noodles. I still don't like that and I won't do it.
Got it! I definitely noticed the noodles when cutting lengthwise. I also noticed that when I scored the endgrain for the wedges, it was like cutting rock. I did see a couple sparks too. Red Oak is hard stuff, but twice as hard from that angle.
mywaynow said:
Oak that big going to take some horse power! Your rakers on the chain need filed and let that saw cool half way through your cuts just idle for a min or two.
- Status
Similar threads
