How to palletize firewood?

[Theowegian]

Heheheheh. You do know something about hedge dont you?

Most of what I burn is monster stuff that I purchase from a wood cutter, since I dont have much on my own property. I can get a cord of wood, which is about #4200 dry for only $85.00 - a bargain and a whole months supply of heat. I usually burn about 4 cords per winter.

For you non-kansans, osage orange grows wild around here and is considered by us wood burners to be Gods gift to kansans! It is much like hickory, but slightly denser, but can be just as knarly. It splits very well, and burns extremely hot. It does spit out sparks very badly, but if you burn it in a airtight wood furnace/woodstove, then it is wonderful. But watch out, it burns hotter than you can imagine.

Hedge is not very good for furniture because it splits easily, but like Darren said, it is fantastic for fence posts because it virtually will NEVER rot. Termites hate hedge, but I have seen them kill a small tree that is diseased.

here's a link to learn more about this wonder wood.

Osage orange wood

 

[SPIKER]

Yep we have lots of that around here in Ohio too... dang narly to get rid of if you have a bunch og big ones as getting close enough to the spikes can be a pain in the wee well everythign! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Thorns can pop a ag tire nothign flat. I don't ahve any on MY property but the boss's place has a bunch a long the road and in a few hedges/fence lines. was probably brought here as fence barriers and used in conjunction with the multi-floral roses we have. nasty fence that definatly would be bull hog and horse proof...

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Mark M

 

[Darren]

In a test that started over fifty years ago everything with the exception of osage orange has either rotted off or started to rot including locust and creosote treated posts.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

And they have orangish greenish roots unlike any of their neighbors.

Here in Texas they're referred to as "Bois d arc" or "horseapple trees". And yes they make remarkably long lived fence posts. Last year I pulled a couple of hundred of them that were put in the fifties and they were still reusable. Well, with one caveat, you can't drive a nail in one. They're harder'n a hard up bad girl's heart when the rent's due.

Now, another good use for this bad boy. A friend of mine makes walking sticks out of them. They're not only knock your skirt in the dirt pretty but they'll outlive you.

He cuts the whole section out of the branch that's the source for his stick. That way he can shape the handle out of that portion. He does this when the stuff is green, again, let it dry out and you'd better plan on taking it to the granite counter shop where they've got diamond bladed tools. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[beenthere]

Who is running that test?

 

[Darren]

Here's a link to the test results. If you scan down to untreated osage orange you'll see no failures in fifty-two years.

http://juniper.oregonstate.edu/post-farm.htm#table1

 

[AndyR]

try this link: Firewood Pallet I have been putting all of my wood on pallets for a couple of years now and you can't beat the convenience.

These were made with rough cut 2x4 stock but they can also be built up out of any old 2x4's (or the ever twisty new ones). I have the measurement written down in the shop if you need a cut list. 'Holds about a quarter cord each.

 

[bebster]

Andy,
Looks like a great system. I could use it right away! I've got some pallets around, but could you post a cut list? Thanks.

 

[KubotaSteve]

Someone told me if you put those green round items that grow on the tree (hedgeapples is what we always called them) around your garage or shed it will keep crickets and mice away. I didn't believe it until I went into the old man's garage and crickets were dead everywhere by the hedge apples. That is some heavy wood when it is green. I have several of these trees on my property. It seems like once you cut it, it takes forever for it to dry out. When we finished cleaning up my lot, we had to take the front tire off the old man's MF135 and take needle nose pliers to pull out all the thorns from the inside of the tire. I must have had 20 of them in there. Definitely nasty wood to deal with.

 

[Darren]

Someone on the internet sells the osage orange fruit to get rid of roaches. There's something in the fruit roaches find offensive. I've never heard of it stopping mice, but there does seem to be something about the anti-insect properties.