Would you take a 36" oak that has.....

[Gasifier]

Yes. Nice score fabsro

 

[AJS56]

Fabs, the oak will be fine as others have said. Good luck!

 

[smokinj]

Cutting it into rounds isn't the problem. Splitting it up is. Trying to figure out if there is an easy way to deal with 36" rounds to get them to a vertical splitter and split them. Going to start working on a 60" oak on Wednesday. That one should be fun. Planning on noodling that one. Might even start noodling these 36" rounds to make moving them easier.

The issue was never whether I could saw the 36" trees up. It was whether I should waste the diesel to go out there and work on them if they have been laying on the ground for a couple years. It would suck to go out there and then find out they are not worth it. Granted, it would only set me back about $6 to $7 for the gas.

36 inch rounds is pretty easy roll spin. You will only miss your target once! 36in bust out to be lots of cordage.

 

[fabsroman]

36 inch rounds is pretty easy roll spin. You will only miss your target once! 36in bust out to be lots of cordage.

Yeah, the rolling is the easy part. Actually, everything is pretty easy as long as it hits the splitter plate when it gets dropped.

Went and looked at a 60"+ tree today that has already been bucked. Everything smaller than 24" is already gone, but all the big ones are still sitting there. Guessing it is 4 truckloads easy. Heading there in the morning with 2 full size pickups and a 5' x 10' trailer once rush hour is over. Access to the wood is pretty awesome too. Guessing it will take two days to clean this one all up.

 

[Machria]

Wow, 36 inch oak and you got 660. Kinda reminds me of the knife to a gun fight. Here a small chunk for you (66 incher). Its been there around 5 year its still wet as can be on the inside.

View attachment 91358

I would swear that is the same tree in my next door neighbors backyard! It's got to be 50" or 60"er, BUT it is only about 10' long, just like that one pictured, and it has been laying there for 2 years now.. I was bucking up a Black Locust in the woods directly across the street from him, and he walked over and aked if I wanted it. Of course he thought he would get it removed for free. I went over and spent an hour pruning off all the large branches I could handle and took any good wood, but what is left over is what you pictured. I don't have a large enough chain saw (18"), large enough splitter (cheap 5 ton), or large enough muscles (fat, weak and old! ) to deal with it. But I'd swear it is looking at me everytime I drive past it!

 

[Flatbedford]

Should fine and Red Oak splits easy too. You can break the rounds into pieces small enough to handle quite quickly.

 

[fabsroman]

I would swear that is the same tree in my next door neighbors backyard! It's got to be 50" or 60"er, BUT it is only about 10' long, just like that one pictured, and it has been laying there for 2 years now.. I was bucking up a Black Locust in the woods directly across the street from him, and he walked over and aked if I wanted it. Of course he thought he would get it removed for free. I went over and spent an hour pruning off all the large branches I could handle and took any good wood, but what is left over is what you pictured. I don't have a large enough chain saw (18"), large enough splitter (cheap 5 ton), or large enough muscles (fat, weak and old! ) to deal with it. But I'd swear it is looking at me everytime I drive past it!

Yeah, it is a challenge. Every time you drive by it, it is giving you the finger. I would hack that SOB up. lol Show it who is boss.

 

[TimJ]

Would I take an oak that has been sitting on the ground for 2 years ?? How about at least 20 years. This particular oak I am not guessing on. It has been laying out by my dog kennels longer than 20 years. Never gave it a second look until last year when I took a few rounds off of it. Now I got my mind on all of the red oak downfall I have on my place because it is all good. In the pictures below you can see the deep furrows made by water over the years. The piece looks rotted until you see the splits after I used the maul on it. It is 80% good and that was the worse piece. The picture of the base it hard to detect but it is 100% solid. Red oak and red elm.........gotta love em

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Once again, learn how to use a cant hook to move those big rounds. But when they are really big, sometimes 2 men are needed to wrestle them. Don't forget that a cant hook can be used in many ways and not just for rolling a log.

 

[fabsroman]

Once again, learn how to use a cant hook to move those big rounds. But when they are really big, sometimes 2 men are needed to wrestle them. Don't forget that a cant hook can be used in many ways and not just for rolling a log.

Right now, I am using the cant hook to get the logs onto their sides so they can be rolled. I am also using it when we miss the splitter plate to lift the round up enough to shove the splitter plate under it. I am debating welding a larger plate to the freaking splitter so that we would have to be drunk to miss it. Has anybody ever done this? The current plate is 6.5" long and 8" wide. Think something like 12" x 12" would do the trick and we would almost never miss that thing. The plate steel is 1.75" thick. When we miss it now, it is usually only a hair off which really pisses me off.

 

[AJS56]

Would I take an oak that has been sitting on the ground for 2 years ?? How about at least 20 years. This particular oak I am not guessing on. It has been laying out by my dog kennels longer than 20 years. Never gave it a second look until last year when I took a few rounds off of it.​

I agree Tim. I had a similar experience and posted pics and a thread a while back:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/how-long-dead.89225/

A neighbor who hunted the land before we bought it assured me these trees had been down at least 20 years, and I assumed they were rotted until one day I was walking by and grabbed a small branch (3" diameter) and gave it a yank, expecting it to break. Well, it was sturdy, and I made some cuts, finding plenty of nice oak in the larger rounds (18-24 inches). An inch or so of punk on some of the outside surfaces, but once split and seasoned a couple of years it was great firewood... about 5 face cords I overlooked for several years. Dead oak rules!

 

[Machria]

Yeah, it is a challenge. Every time you drive by it, it is giving you the finger. I would hack that SOB up. lol Show it who is boss.

LOL! Aaaaaahhhh sh_t!! Now you have me thinkin about trying it! I thought I was past that one, and resigned to driving past it..... now I'm feeling guilty again! oh krykee!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Right now, I am using the cant hook to get the logs onto their sides so they can be rolled. I am also using it when we miss the splitter plate to lift the round up enough to shove the splitter plate under it. I am debating welding a larger plate to the freaking splitter so that we would have to be drunk to miss it. Has anybody ever done this? The current plate is 6.5" long and 8" wide. Think something like 12" x 12" would do the trick and we would almost never miss that thing. The plate steel is 1.75" thick. When we miss it now, it is usually only a hair off which really pisses me off.

With the newer splitters have a small butt plate I would fashion something to put up against it but would not fasten it solid. And yes, missing the plate with a large round can be disturbing for sure. But then just use the cant hook. Toe goes on top and hook into the side and lift then spin if possible.

 

[fabsroman]

With the newer splitters have a small butt plate I would fashion something to put up against it but would not fasten it solid. And yes, missing the plate with a large round can be disturbing for sure. But then just use the cant hook. Toe goes on top and hook into the side and lift then spin if possible.

Yep, did the lift and spin a couple of times today with the cant hook. Not too terrible. Was actually able to fill two full size pickups with red oak in just over 4 hours with my dad's help. Once the big rounds are split down in half, preferably quarters, they are easy to deal with on a vertical splitter. It is getting them to that point that sucks.

What is insane is that I could probably be 5 years ahead by fall if I kept at it. I've already replaced everything we burned so far this season and there is 3 to 4 more truckloads at this place we were today. The shed cannot be built soon enough.

 

[Kenster]

I don't mind an inch or two of punk. It's like a built in fire starter IF it's dry. It acts like sponge in the rain. I don't waste any time shaving it off. If it comes off while splitting.. fine. Otherwise, it goes on the stacks.

 

[boatboy63]

I would definitely do it. Got myself into a similar situation about a month ago. I have a tree I will be starting on in about a month that is 5' at the trunk. There are some good "attack plan" suggestions posted in it on how to cut it. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/should-i-do-it-or-should-i-pass-on-it.103033/#post-1328805

Below is a pic showing what I will be starting on. The wife is standing in front of it. I am having to wait for weather to warm up and ground to dry up before I can even start. It is laying on an incline and the truck would probably cut their yard up if I tried to get in there with all the rain and snow we have had in the last few weeks.

 

[Shane N]

I would definitely do it. Got myself into a similar situation about a month ago. I have a tree I will be starting on in about a month that is 5' at the trunk. There are some good "attack plan" suggestions posted in it on how to cut it. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/should-i-do-it-or-should-i-pass-on-it.103033/#post-1328805

Below is a pic showing what I will be starting on. The wife is standing in front of it.View attachment 91976 I am having to wait for weather to warm up and ground to dry up before I can even start. It is laying on an incline and the truck would probably cut their yard up if I tried to get in there with all the rain and snow we have had in the last few weeks.

Woa... having a person in the picture definitely puts the size of the tree into perspective. That is a BIG tree!

 

[bmblank]

Eh, just a small person...

 

[boatboy63]

Eh, just a small person...

She's 5'5". I am 6' and about 240#. The limbs you can see that have been cut on are bigger in diameter than I am.

 

[jdp1152]

Right now, I am using the cant hook to get the logs onto their sides so they can be rolled. I am also using it when we miss the splitter plate to lift the round up enough to shove the splitter plate under it. I am debating welding a larger plate to the freaking splitter so that we would have to be drunk to miss it. Has anybody ever done this? The current plate is 6.5" long and 8" wide. Think something like 12" x 12" would do the trick and we would almost never miss that thing. The plate steel is 1.75" thick. When we miss it now, it is usually only a hair off which really pisses me off.

I've been drunk and missed many big things So my answer is yes.

 

[jdp1152]

I would definitely do it. Got myself into a similar situation about a month ago. I have a tree I will be starting on in about a month that is 5' at the trunk. There are some good "attack plan" suggestions posted in it on how to cut it. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/should-i-do-it-or-should-i-pass-on-it.103033/#post-1328805

Below is a pic showing what I will be starting on. The wife is standing in front of it.View attachment 91976 I am having to wait for weather to warm up and ground to dry up before I can even start. It is laying on an incline and the truck would probably cut their yard up if I tried to get in there with all the rain and snow we have had in the last few weeks.

Sweet mother of pearl. That is a freaking monster tree.

 

[andybaker]

That is one huge tree. I'd say your neighbor is lucky if your going to remove that thing for him. As far as the 2 year old Oak on the ground, like everyone else, ofc take it. I once came across some big Oaks at a gold course that were cut and discaurded with all the landscape waste. I ask if they minded if I came in when the course was closed and took some of it before it rotted and they said help myself. I didn't know what to expect. It was so old the bark was off most of it and the ground is hard low wet clay. I was shocked to split some open and find it as pretty as new. I must have taken a couple cord out of there. Often when I get an Oak there are plenty of areas that aren't so nice. The ants here love them and often chew the entire inside and hollow it out, then they blow over. So a little punk wood wouldn't bother me too much. I'm going to look at an old Oak in a week or so, it's still standing but has been dead for years. I have a few questions about that but I think I'll wait til I see it and post a new topic then. Good luck with it.