It's an ill wind.....

Homes and Retreats
grenfell
Posts: 3951
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: It's an ill wind.....

Post by grenfell »

I suppose cutting it into blanks does take a little more time to cut it to keep it a uniform size and square where one can be a tad more less critical with firewood then there's waxing or painting , seasoning and ultimately the rigmarole of selling the stuff. Could be a nice little earner but as you say only if you have the time.
British Red
Posts: 428
Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2022 11:45 pm

Re: It's an ill wind.....

Post by British Red »

Truthfully I'd rather give it away in hope of future "favours". It costs me nothing & I like to help small local firms like the ones that are so kind do me 🙂
grenfell
Posts: 3951
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: It's an ill wind.....

Post by grenfell »

That's fine and to be fair I've given plenty away in the past and have received other stuff in return , favours as you say.
In case anybody is wondering just how much that log they've just chucked on the fire is worth have a browse here at least at the indigenous hardwoods like oak , beech , chestnut , cherry and so on
https://www.turners-retreat.co.uk
I spent 30 odd years in restoration and we used an awful lot of hardwoods and of course there were offcuts aplenty. If I'd sold them all I'd be or potentially could have been quite rich as there's probably hundreds of thousands of pounds worth gone up the chimney. Not beating myself up or losing sleep over it , I couldn't be bothered to do it so can't moan about it.
Rusty74
Posts: 284
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 9:35 pm
Location: hidden away in the welsh hills...

Re: It's an ill wind.....

Post by Rusty74 »

British Red wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 10:15 am I have a big pile of lovely wood I set aside for a woodturner who has never bothered to collect :roll: Yew, cherry, cedar, Holly, bay and many more. I ought to quarter saw it really for turning blanks to stop it checking as it dries but who has the time?
yew is one wood i will never burn,there is an old saying/superstition around here if you burn yew there will be a death in the family(odd i know)..
Remember the rule of the 7 P's, proper planning and prepperation prevents piss poor performance...
British Red
Posts: 428
Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2022 11:45 pm

Re: It's an ill wind.....

Post by British Red »

Not that odd. Where I grew up you don't fell a hawthorn.
ForgeCorvus
Posts: 3035
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 11:32 pm

Re: It's an ill wind.....

Post by ForgeCorvus »

Rusty74 wrote: Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:15 pm
British Red wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 10:15 am I have a big pile of lovely wood I set aside for a woodturner who has never bothered to collect :roll: Yew, cherry, cedar, Holly, bay and many more. I ought to quarter saw it really for turning blanks to stop it checking as it dries but who has the time?
yew is one wood i will never burn,there is an old saying/superstition around here if you burn yew there will be a death in the family(odd i know)..
I was always told Yew is the Killer's tree, its poisonous, seen often in graveyards and makes the best heavy draw Longbows.
jennyjj01 wrote:"I'm not in the least bit worried because I'm prepared: Are you?"
Londonpreppy wrote: At its core all prepping is, is making sure you're not down to your last sheet of loo roll when you really need a poo.
"All Things Strive" Gd Tak 'Gar
Rusty74
Posts: 284
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 9:35 pm
Location: hidden away in the welsh hills...

Re: It's an ill wind.....

Post by Rusty74 »

ForgeCorvus wrote: Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:41 pm
Rusty74 wrote: Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:15 pm
British Red wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 10:15 am I have a big pile of lovely wood I set aside for a woodturner who has never bothered to collect :roll: Yew, cherry, cedar, Holly, bay and many more. I ought to quarter saw it really for turning blanks to stop it checking as it dries but who has the time?
yew is one wood i will never burn,there is an old saying/superstition around here if you burn yew there will be a death in the family(odd i know)..
I was always told Yew is the Killer's tree, its poisonous, seen often in graveyards and makes the best heavy draw Longbows.
yep it was used to make the long bow,which was a welsh invention,if i remember right it is part of the outer bark and the inner wood(if that makes sense)and is where the 2 finger salute came from,if you follow my drift,as the french would cut the enemy archers draw fingers off,so after a battle the welsh bow men would show them there two fingers
Remember the rule of the 7 P's, proper planning and prepperation prevents piss poor performance...
British Red
Posts: 428
Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2022 11:45 pm

Re: It's an ill wind.....

Post by British Red »

Got bored with my tasks this afternoon and decided to render some of the big blue cedar (partly because there's some more stuff coming shortly so I need the space).

This stuff is big and really heavy. Far too heavy to lift and balance on the splitter

So there's a 7 step process to breaking it into manageable, liftable chunks and then turning those pieces into grate sized logs

Step 1 a good central strike with a heavy maul

Image1. Maul strike by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Step 2, push down on the maul handle, remove the maul leaving a deep puncture ( the wood is far too big to split with a maul strike)

Image2. Indentation by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Step 3 set a hardened steel wedge in the hole left by the maul ( with properly matched tools it should fit exactly)

Image3. Single wedge by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Step 4 Drive the wedge in all the way with a sledgehammer

Image4. 1 wedge driven in by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Step 5 Add more wedges along the crack to extend and deepen the crack. I've never needed more than 5 wedges - that was for a lock over 40" in diameter

Image5 Additional wedges by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Step 6 drive additional wedges home until the log splits in half. I sometimes use a pry bar to separate the halves

Image6. Round split by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Step 7 When the pieces are manageable I either split them with the maul or the splitter

Image7 Hydraulic splitter by English Countrylife, on Flickr