todays scrounge.... uhh, score :)

[JoeyD]

Some people around the corner from me had a red oak tree taken down a couple of weeks ago and I stopped and ask for the wood. They said it was already spoken for so I left my name and number just in case. Well Friday I get a call asking if I still wanted the wood. Naturally all the easy stuff was gone but I had my eye on the big stuff right from the beginning. I got a buddy with a backhoe to help me, and about an hour and a half of work I got this.

You can't see it all in the picture but I figure I got at least 2 cords for 2011-12

 

[Todd]

Nice! You got some biggins there.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

Nice! Does the red oak keep it's color as it dries - if so, I have white oak from a recent scrounge, not red....

 

[LLigetfa]

That picnic table sure puts it into scale.

 

[JoeyD]

The piece next to the table is 35" across, its not the biggest piece.

Carbon, red oak when exposed to sun and air will darken considerably more the white oak but I've found the best way to tell is the leaves.

 

[drdoct]

Oh, you're gonna have a ball getting those biggies around to the splitter. I've still got a few left over and every time I see them I look the other way because it's such a pain to move by hand. Later this week I'm going to hire someone to come work with me and get my whole pile cleaned up.

 

[JoeyD]

He-he, I plan on getting the backhoe back later this fall. I can split them down to a manageable size pretty quick with the back end

 

[Nonprophet]

Very nice score That is a LOT of wood---and all for FREEEEEEEEEEE!

 

[savageactor7]

My those are some big rounds...good score.

 

[Skier76]

Wow! That's impressive! Glad to hear you're not splitting that by hand. :lol:

 

[burntime]

I have gotten a few loads like that. Rip em with the chainsaw and make noodles, then split em. That is some dense wood!

 

[quads]

Usually the bigger an oak round is, the easier it splits/cracks when you hit it. It's not harder to split, it's just that there's a lot more of it in each round. It's the smaller stuff sometimes that can be real tough to get it to pop apart. I would enjoy hand-splitting that pile by the picnic table. The pieces look so straight and very few knots or crotches! Boy, that's gooooood splittin'!

 

[drdoct]

A backhoe would be awesome and they'll probably split into manageable sizes pretty easily. After a month or so they'll be trying to split their selves.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Usually the bigger an oak round is, the easier it splits/cracks when you hit it. It's not harder to split, it's just that there's a lot more of it in each round. It's the smaller stuff sometimes that can be real tough to get it to pop apart. I would enjoy hand-splitting that pile by the picnic table. The pieces look so straight and very few knots or crotches! Boy, that's gooooood splittin'!

quads, I agree with you. I've never understood so many on this forum that seem to think that just because a log is big they have to attack it with a chain saw. Those things won't split that hard at all. Just have to give more than one whack to get it split. Work from one side to the other; not just hitting in one spot.

Also, I would not fear rolling those blocks onto a splitter. They are heavy, but if one takes his time it can be done and not that hard of work either. Here is another case for the vertical splitter vs the horizontal splitter.

 

[quads]

quads, I agree with you. I've never understood so many on this forum that seem to think that just because a log is big they have to attack it with a chain saw. Those things won't split that hard at all. Just have to give more than one whack to get it split. Work from one side to the other; not just hitting in one spot.

Well, I don't understand it either, which is why I specifically said "oak". Maybe they all talk about some other kind of wood that I don't have any experience with? But oak is nice splitting, and the bigger it is the easier it splits.

Also, I would not fear rolling those blocks onto a splitter. They are heavy, but if one takes his time it can be done and not that hard of work either. Here is another case for the vertical splitter vs the horizontal splitter.

Just watch those fingers and toes!

 

[Flatbedford]

I'd rather hand split big oak than just about anything. Just work around the edges. I'd rather spend a while on one big round than have pick up and set up 10 small ones. It's not like those big ones are gonna fall over every time you hit it. Work smart, not hard, or at least less hard.

 

[andybaker]

Nice score. I prefer those big ones myself, especially Oak. They do split rather easy. I use a Cant Hook and a Pulp Hook to move them around. I know a lot of wood burners and none of them have wood handling tools. I can't understand why anyone that cuts and splits their own wood would use a Pulp Hook to grab the wood and move it around. It'd be like a farmer trying to move bails of hay without a Hay bailing hook. Look it up, they're cheap and you'll never be sorry you got one.

 

[Flatbedford]

I got a pulp hook this summer. What an awesome tool! I also have a timber jack. I can't believe I moved big wood without these tools. Major time and back savers. They also save your hands and/or gloves a lot of grief.

 

[firefighterjake]

Big fan of the pulp hook here myself . . . and the vertical splitter as mentioned by BS . . . use the pulp hook to slide the split to the splitter in vertical mode and you will make short work of a large split in no time.

By the way, to the OP . . . great find.

 

[JoeyD]

I would enjoy hand-splitting that pile by the picnic table. The pieces look so straight and very few knots or crotches! Boy, that's gooooood splittin'!

Well I'll let you know when the fun is going to begin . And I promise you won't leave hungry or thirsty

I've split rounds before with a backhoe so I know it won't take me long. Maybe 20 minutes to get it all down to a manageable size.

 

[quads]

I would enjoy hand-splitting that pile by the picnic table. The pieces look so straight and very few knots or crotches! Boy, that's gooooood splittin'!

Well I'll let you know when the fun is going to begin . And I promise you won't leave hungry or thirsty

I've split rounds before with a backhoe so I know it won't take me long. Maybe 20 minutes to get it all down to a manageable size.

It's too bad we don't live closer together, I'd be delighted!

Backhoe in 20 minutes?! Yuck, that takes all the fun out of the best part of the whole process.