Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

[mikku]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

Stonecutter,
It wasn't that long ago!
I am sure he would have liked you... He always said, if the job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Sounds like your motto too!

He has been gone for a very long time, and he is missed.

[david s]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

I find cutting the logs into shorter lengths around 6" long works well. Even really wavy grained hardwoods split easily. It also helps the wood dry out faster. I also use fallen eucalypt branches and look for a fork in a tree to break them into shorter lengths, but I've noticed that the thicker logs are better as the wood is denser.

[mikku]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

Those were days when men were men, and the logs were huge. I would have liked to see your fathers set-up.

My father's generation had things tough.

Old man, came to USA thru Ellis Island in 1914 at 1 yrs old. Family fleeing hard times in Europe chasing American dream. Grandfather worked the underground mines and farmed. Dad attended school but left to work after finishing 8th grade, worked the logging camps when he could. When the depression came he hit the rails looking for work and went all over this country. Got work in West coast logging camps later worked CCC camps and built a whole lot of things. WWII came along, now there was work for everyone! Was trained to work the motor pool to keep our war machine moving. War ended so he put his skills to work-had a engine rebuild shop, cars were scarce because of diversion of manufacturing due to war effort. He would rebuild an engine and when a customer came in--he would just swap engines and get them back on the road--had the core for a new rebuild.

Yea, men were men and they had to get tough or die. That was the time when some of our social programs came into existence. But people were required to work for their fare. Something has gone drastically wrong with our system.. The roads and parks and bridges made during CCC days are falling into disrepair but we have a huge workforce that gets welfare --we need workfare. Train the youth to use their hands for something more than texting and making trouble.

Old man would have been 101 this year but he died at 67! The cancer got him along with the hard living of his time.

[wotavidone]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

Those big old saws with the sliding tables are still around over here. They still come up at auctions every now and then. Some people add a stationary engine so they don't need the tractor.
Same with the tough old buggers who did it hard.
Some of them are still around, too.
A friend of my mum's was about 83 when I stopped on a bush track for a yarn with him.
I noticed he had a big merino ram in the back of the four wheel drive. What's up with the ram, I asked.
The old timer said he found him out of the paddock on the side of the road. Said he was going to throw the old sheep back over the fence. Need a hand I asked. Nah, she'll be right, he says, I got him up there, I'll get him down.

I'd have needed a crane and a chiropractor.
Attached is a picture of a tractor mount saw I got from an auction website - these saws are still relatively common. They go on the three point linkage system that is pretty common on small tractors over here.

[mikku]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

That is a little different than the old mans--but I can see it would do the trick.
The one you show looks like a swing saw and has some of the guards in place.
I remember another one he had for a while. It was mounted on a joker. I don't know if you use that term in Auz but it referred to a modified car with most of the body removed that was transformed into a type of truck. You put real big tires on it and could maneuver around in the woods to haul things around. One of the early versions of 4WD --dad had two transmissions, don't remember how he steered--maybe just with brakes--but one powered the front wheels, the other the rear--you would have to shift one into first and the other into reverse to move forward. If you didn't need 4WD, you would have one in neutral. Don't know or remember how he handled the clutches but they were linked somehow...

[wotavidone]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

That is a little different than the old mans--but I can see it would do the trick.
The one you show looks like a swing saw and has some of the guards in place.
I remember another one he had for a while. It was mounted on a joker. I don't know if you use that term in Auz but it referred to a modified car with most of the body removed that was transformed into a type of truck. You put real big tires on it and could maneuver around in the woods to haul things around. One of the early versions of 4WD --dad had two transmissions, don't remember how he steered--maybe just with brakes--but one powered the front wheels, the other the rear--you would have to shift one into first and the other into reverse to move forward. If you didn't need 4WD, you would have one in neutral. Don't know or remember how he handled the clutches but they were linked somehow...

My old man did something similar. In the early 1960's he took a 1938 dodge sedan cut the back half of the body off and closed in what was left with sheet metal. This gave him a crude 2 door pick up. he bolted a second gear box on the end of the first one somehow. Only 2 wheel drive, but he could go into low, low gear. Used it to do a fence building job in the hills. The thing would idle up just about any hill that wasn't an out and out cliff face.

[NCMan]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

It really boils down to supply and demand, it seems. I live in an area where wood is abundant. Most guys also leave the tops/brush. Sometimes I cut a tree down to about 3-4 inches. Yes, for the time and labor involved, it is not "worth it" when there is a huge supply. But I do it anyway, especially if it's hickory, apple or cherry. All of which I have a large supply of. Not to mention the red and white oak, etc. In the summer months here, I also sell firewood to campers that visit a nearby campground, so it's nice to have some smaller stuff mixed in for their campfires. They like it. Like I said, supply and demand.....and time.....and energy.

[stonecutter]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

Apple or cherry, now that's something different to me. I take everything 1" or larger when it comes to those species.

[NCMan]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

I figured you would. I have a nice little pile of smaller crab apple branches, mostly 1-3". They will be set aside for cooking in the oven, for sure. I also have the rest of the tree, still needing to be split. I wasn't about to leave those branches, though. It was from a storm damaged site.

[NCMan]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

My neighbor has a very large pecan tree he is about to cut down for a lady. He says I can come and cut a few loads when he starts. Looking forward to that. I've never used it, but I hear pecan is much more common down your way in S.C. Pretty rare here. He had some awhile back and sold two half cord loads for $200 each. Then he said the guy would take all he could get him, so I guess he stands to make some good money on this next tree. For $400 a cord, I hope he does.

[mikku]

Re: Kiln dried Vs Seasoned?

Just got around to clean up around my house. Things accumulate when your busy working elsewhere. Had to cut up a pallet and wanted to show the chop saw that is handy. Actually it is just a large miter saw.





Cannot buy these large ones new any longer but I had a tool guy rebuild one for me. Biggest expense was a new blade. Does not run real fast but it sure can hog through some big blocks of wood. I've been using it recently for some timber framing work--that is why it was out. Decided to make short pieces out of long pieces of pallets that I was burning just to make smoke outdoors.