almost criminal

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
The event we went to this past weekend found us sitting around a nice campfire chatting with friends in the evenings. One night, the lady, and her husband, sitting next to me said they were woodcarvers. We started talking about different woods. She mentioned that her father in Kansas cut and sold Osage Orange as FIREWOOD. :eek: I nearly had kinipshins when I heered that. But, apparently OO is so common around there that burning is just a way to get rid of it. Too far to economically haul back here but someone could sure make some bucks selling bowl blanks and bow staves. Then, to top it, my friend, who is the unofficial supplier of wood for the fire, said he was burning WALNUT. I had another kinipshins fit over that. :eek: This isn't new to me as I know walnut is fairly common around here and lots of folks burn it. Still seems like a near crime to me. :(
 
We started talking about different woods. She mentioned that her father in Kansas cut and sold Osage Orange as FIREWOOD. :eek: I nearly had kinipshins when I heered that. But, apparently OO is so common around there that burning is just a way to get rid of it. Too far to economically haul back here but someone could sure make some bucks selling bowl blanks and bow staves. Then, to top it, my friend, who is the unofficial supplier of wood for the fire, said he was burning WALNUT. I had another kinipshins fit over that. :eek: This isn't new to me as I know walnut is fairly common around here and lots of folks burn it. Still seems like a near crime to me. :(

Frank, my parents live in KS and many of my dad's turnings are from OO. It's called hedge there. Almost considered a weed it's so plentiful.:eek: It is sold and given away as firewood as well.
 
Frank, my parents live in KS and many of my dad's turnings are from OO. It's called hedge there. Almost considered a weed it's so plentiful.:eek: It is sold and given away as firewood as well.

Yep. "Hedge" is one of it's many names. So called because it was planted to divide pastures without fence. Now, farmers and ranchers want to utilize every square inch of land, called 'clean' farming and are clearing off all vegetation, including the old 'hedge' trees.
 
I understand that wood is a renewable resource. And, in different regions, whatever is commonly available ends up as firewood. Around me, oak and hickory are the common firewoods. For folks who have only woods like pine or aspen around them, oak and hickory would be highly desirable for both flat work and turning.
Still, I hate seeing all that OO going up in smoke. :(
 
Frank
I used to haul large truck loads of split walnut from Kansas to Red Rock Co. and then bring loads of split Apple back. Also we use to cut a load of Hedge for a local Dr in Junction City Ks he liked the way it popped and crackled in his fire place and just had to have it for his Christmas fire. He was a lucky one as he never burned his house down with it. It does make one HOT fire and likes to throw hot cinders on the carpet. :D
Jay
 
Tis often when she puts another log on the fire, I tells her to lay that one aside as it has potential.

I belong to a fishing club and often we have overnight trips where we stay at campgrounds and enjoy eachother's company around a fire the night before a tourniment, there is one fellow who owns a company who 's material comes on long pallets and he has his peons cut it up into fire sized pieces (I go by and pick up a truck load to tote to the site. Often there are some good suprises, Cherry, Walnut, Cypress and such (especially sense Katrina) I pull the "Good" stuff from the pile and tote the rest to the fire.

Another fellow works at a plant where they get 4 X 4 X4' dunnage with every shipment, He saws it into 16" lengths and brings to the fire, as well. When I see that loverly wood go to waste I snatch a few pretty pieces and tote back home. (One time there was what looks like Mohogany in the mix) A couple of Christmas-es ago we had our annual party and he showed up with a trailer load of these dunnage chunks, "I'm tired of you stealing the firewood so I brought you a load" I sticker stacked them in the garage and last winter I needed some maple and sure enough there were a couple of fine pieces, I resawed one and found some nice boards, next one turned out to be Curly Maple, another was Ambrosia stained Maple. what luck, I was having trouble finding enough plain old crappy maple for my present needs.

A lot of Oak and Ash as well.
 
I wish I could be there.
Any wood that I use it has to be bought at quite higher price or salvaged from building sites that is always pine wood full of knots and cracks.

However here is fairly common to use holm oak as firewood which I also consider it crime. Before it was used to build woodworking tools such as plane bodies or handles.

:dunno::dunno:
 
Not all trees make decent lumber. I had my dad take the logs off my property (20 acres). This was a decent thinning job - about 75,000 bdft. There are a lot of younger trees left that will be good logs some day. However, there are a lot of older and young trees that will be nothing but pulpwood or firewood. I have an outdoor wood boiler and I am cutting the remainder of the bad stuff for firewood.

However, you should see the young stuff grow. It is amazing how fast it grows, even though it is all maple, cherry, yellow birch and beech. Hardwood up north is not particularly fast growing when compared to pine.

I probably have about 5 years of thinning yet, then I need to find another piece of property for a supply or just buy firewood.
 
Yes, Rich, not all trees make good lumber or turning wood. But, some trees that are often considered trash can hide beautiful surprises. We have an oak called Blackjack around here. It is an ugly tree from git-go. The branches look like something from an evil witch movie. It is extremely knotty and the knots run all the way through and are extremely tough. The grain is twisty and gnarly (knarly?) (sp? :dunno: ) making splitting a near impossibility. Firewood cutters generally leave them alone. And, to boot, I'm not fond of turning oak. But, I once tried some Blackjack and was surprised to find it turned well and had very unique and interesting grain pattern. Not a total waste after all.
 
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