Firewood

English elm burns ok, have had plenty of it in my woodpile over the years
 
Main reason I moved on from Elm is I seem to have become allergic to Ulmus ... snots and sneezes from cutting climbing and handling them
 
Norwegians have a crazy facination with Silver Birch. Its as if its the only firewood that will actually burn as far as they are concerned.

They will pay for me to haul Oak/Ash/Elm or anything else but the Birch stays there.

Despite the Country being largely forested, they import millions of cubic meters of firewood from Siberia via Germany and Denmark. Laboutmr costs are too high to process it commercially here .
 
It's a lot easier if I bring the wood to the splitter rather than move the splitter .It doesn't take long to buzz up a 16-20 foot log then roll the rounds up to the splitter .Split up half -3/4 of cord at a time .The ash has laid long enough it burns good as does the cherry .Oak still in the log has to air out because it holds moisture a long time . Actually what it is doesn't matter because it all burns and is free except the time it takes to do it .I just wish I would have built that splitter about 40 years ago when I sold the stuff .Then again had I not swung that axe I would not be so good at replacing handles .I used to buy them 4 at a time .
 
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  • #308
I still have 2 large elm left, 18-20 dbh, nice and straight. At the first sigh of pending death they will be on the sawmill. Beautifull wood, an absolute pita to work with as it moves around more than a hooker at confession. I've used it enough to figure the tricks...

Ed
 
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  • #309
All things must pass....and so its time for this Shagbark Hickory to go.

20211222_161940.jpg

Its 32" dbh....the top broke off last year, still hangs. Around here Hickories get hollow, pretty sure this one is no exception. One will have no holding wood and not enough trunk to place wedges.

I can think of better ways to die.

Have a contractor finishing a woods clearing next property south of it, he wiil dig/tip it over with the trackhoe. I'll whack the rootball off, he'll pitch it in the fencerow. $150 dolla no holla, game over.

I'll go out tomorrow with a cordless drill and 18" ship auger, find out just how much trunk is left. Might be able to cut the rootball off with th ms200.

Sadens me to see it go, but its time.

Ed
 
Elm is great in the owb. If small enough, I throw it in round. It's the only thing that breaks the pusher on my splitter, which I need to weld again.
 
This week I noticed at one of the local xmas tree selling places that they were selling firewood at $1/ piece, that seems like good money, anyone?
 
You must live in the ghetto. They're $5.99+ around here :^D

I'd burn my furniture before I paid that for firewood, and wrapping it in plastic is offensive. Take a 100% natural product, and wrap it in plastic cause you're too lazy to tie some sisal twine around it... That extra 10¢ for twine eats into the profit margin I guess...
 
It’s $8 a bundle for a 6 stick bundle around here. Gives ya the feel of for the kind of rubes that are locating here from the city.
 
I would think they must soak it with something to stop it from decaying. I think they outlawed penta. Probably for good reason. I have heard drain oil thinned with diesel. Probably not approved either but cheap. Elm goes to hell pretty fast.
 
I've only sawn about three elm logs that were not junk. Wouldn't know where to source a steady supply of good logs. Elms just grow up under the power lines and die or get bad haircuts by the line clearence crews.
 
In addition to elm at one time they used osage orange for trailer decking .I have no idea how they found any large enough to saw for lumber .That stuff really is almost rot proof and nearly split proof .Those 20 year old fence posts you cannot hardly nail a staple into .
 
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