TODAYS SEAT TIME

[MossflowerWoods]

Today I got some seat-time in assisting the TBN'er who showed up and cut down 7-8 black walnut (two might be black locust) and 2 diseased fruit trees.

I was not that helpful all told... His big saw got pinched on one tree and we got it out using the tractor and a LONG steel cable I had. That was good.

Then it got stuck again knocking down a large limb and the limb fell pinching the groove on his 24" bar (we could not fix it in the field) he switched to my 290 Farmboss 20" bar, not as powerfulas his though... Then his limbing saw was flooded and the plug cap came off and now IS LOST IN MY FIELD!

Then when I was loading the straight trunks onto his trailer, one of them rolled off the trailer and bent the gripping teeth on his big saw head (the bar was already off thankfully).

What is the old saying, "No Good Deed Goes UNPUNISHED".

This great guy offers to help me out, comes over and when he goes home after a LONG DAY, both his saws are in need of repairs.

But he was awesome and just kept cutting and cutting and cutting.

He cut MUCH of the limbs etc into firewood sized chunks and just in general was an awesome guy. I owe him big time.

Be well,
David

PS - Is Walnut OK in a smoker? I've heard of using pecan before. Is Walnut OK or does it taste bad?

 

[Short Game]

David, you are perfecting the art of taking it easy. I went out and took it easy today too. I got a trailer full of mushroom logs bucked and loaded.

When a saw gets stuck and takes another saw or machine to get it out, it's known in the wood butchery trades as, "mortgaged." BTDT.

No good deed goes unpunished.

The gripping teeth that grip the log are called, "dogs."

Can't say about black walnut for the smoker. I would think it might be a bit sour. I wish I could send you some of our Western Washington vine maple. :licking:

 

[MossflowerWoods]

David, you are perfecting the art of taking it easy. I went out and took it easy today too. I got a trailer full of mushroom logs bucked and loaded.

When a saw gets stuck and takes another saw or machine to get it out, it's known in the wood butchery trades as, "mortgaged." BTDT.

The gripping teeth that grip the log are called, "dogs."

Can't say about black walnut for the smoker. I would think it might be a bit sour. I wish I could send you some of our Western Washington vine maple. :licking:

Bob,
I took it easy, the other guy did all the work. I stood and watched because i was learning TONS about handling a saw. I sat in the seat of my tractor and used the grapple. Even the hour meter does not count that as "real" tractor time.

I was suspecting walnut might be bitter. Hmmm...
Maybe Walnut is good for growing mushrooms?

Funny thing is I don't even have a fireplace.The woodstove is a monster in the basement that to heat the house would make the basement unlivable (and we need the space).

I have cords of firewood already and all I can use it for is the outdoor firepit, and my smoker...

All of you VA TBN guys, I've got some Black Walnut firewood if you want it... I've got some other woods also... Just PM me...

I'm thinking about selling firewood, but I need a splitter and...

Be Well.
David

 

[RaydaKub]

Bob,
All of you VA TBN guys, I've got some Black Walnut firewood if you want it... I've got some other woods also... Just PM me...

I would think that if you cut 8 trees down, somewhere in the pile might be some nice big pieces that could find their way into a table or night stand...

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I would think that if you cut 8 trees down, somewhere in the pile might be some nice big pieces that could find their way into a table or night stand...

All but one or two of the trunks left with him on his flatbed trailer destined for his Chainsaw Mill.

His wife let him come play because he promised her a new entertainment center.... I hope to see pictures of it.

But there is a couple cords of limbs, stumps, and a couple trunks had metal in them...

I'm a friendly guy, and I'm happy to share my bounty.

If there is anyone from TBN who is local and wants to come over and get some of this walnut, That would be great!

Otherwise I'm going to try to stack it, season it, and sell it next fall as firewood. Once I have full use of both hands again...

Be well,
David

 

[Short Game]

The limbs of black walnut have very thick sapwood, and if it is good for shiitakes, that would make it better. I cringe to think of ripping the black walnut with a chainsaw mill, as that heartwood is very spendy and sells by the pound. I would want it milled with a bandsaw. When the Europeans got here, the eastern part of the continent was loaded with black walnut. Energy back then meant charcoal, and black walnut was considered some of the best for making it. So sad it went that way.

BTW, David, you never responded here when I posted the link to the shiitake growing thread in "Projects." Did you miss that?

 

[Gary Fowler]

I just finished shoring up the pond dam. Even with a 12" over flow and a 3foot wide slanted spill way so the higher the water level the wider it gets could not keep up with the rain and underground springs that are now flowing again after all summer drought. We got 7.25" of rain in the last 5 days, 3" last night and 3 days ago got 4.25 which filled the ponds to full. Last nights storm overflowed the dam and washed out part of the road coming across it. I used my FEL to scoop up all the washed out rock from the road and dam the water flow to stop it temporarily. It is much too wet to get to the dirt pile and extra rock pile now so the temp. dam should hold it. I also deepened the spill way to allow more water to flow.

 

[creekbend]

During the past three days, I have been cutting up 2 sycamore trees that I felled around 3 weeks ago. They were diseased at the bottom toward the roots and were leaning toward the road near the creek. I cut them up for firewood to give to one of our neighbors who has an outside burning system that supplies their log house with heat. He is planning on loading the wood up this weekend and carting it off to his place. I left my trailer made from a full body truck bed down by the cut wood, so he would be able to haul all the wood. The sycamores were around 2 1/2 feet at the base. Hopefully he will get it hauled, because we are expected rain and isolated thunderstorms for the next two days starting tonight. Everyone have a good day.:tractor:

 

[lstinthot]

The limbs of black walnut have very thick sapwood, and if it is good for shiitakes, that would make it better. I cringe to think of ripping the black walnut with a chainsaw mill, as that heartwood is very spendy and sells by the pound. I would want it milled with a bandsaw. When the Europeans got here, the eastern part of the continent was loaded with black walnut. Energy back then meant charcoal, and black walnut was considered some of the best for making it. So sad it went that way.

BTW, David, you never responded here when I posted the link to the shiitake growing thread in "Projects." Did you miss that?

Finished licking my wounds from the day over David's place. Made some rookie mistakes that cost me some time in the garage putting saws back together. Big saw is ready to play again. Little saw still needs repaired, parts are ordered.

After looking over what came home, looks like some of the trunks may be used for Shitake mushrooms, they are mostly blond (sapwood) all the way except for 2 or 3 inches in the center. The other stuff I will cut the sapwood off with the chainsaw mill then send it through my band saw or table saw. Largest heartwood section is only about 7 inches by 4 inches. It grew kinda oblong. Not sure I am going to get alot of wood from the stuff, but crossing my fingers. Thanks again David.

Been too wet here to get tractor out, so rebuilt the kids dirt bike. She fired right up after new piston, crank and clean carburetor. Its sounding good, so next dry time will work on trails in the woods for the bikes.

 

[Short Game]

Get this book: A Reverence for Wood by Eric Sloane.