Post by sawduster on Apr 18, 2010 9:27:48 GMT -6
Scott, in one of his humorous little side bars (or bottom bars) on a post in finished turning projects mentioned his wife thinks he's crazy for staring at pieces of downed wood along the road with pen blanks in mind. Brought to mind my own adventures in free wood, or nearly free.
I guess I've probably turned about half a cord of bought firewood rather than burning it. Hardest part was finding pieces big enough to make stuff with the wood already having been split, but small things are fun to turn, too.
Some years back a highway project near me required the removal of some big old white oaks and pecan trees. I hated to see the trees taken down, but . . . Anyway, of a Saturday when there were no crews working, I loaded up my chain saw and yellow hard hat and headed out to the location. I discovered that if you put a hard hat on and act like you know what you're doing, no one questions your being there. Chopped me some sizable logs, a couple of which I could barely load onto the truck with them being freshly cut and still really wet, and headed on home. Still haven't used a couple of them.
Another time I was down in San Antonio on the day job, driving through a residential neighborhood going to interview a witness. Drove by a big stack of tree branches and trunk parts stacked up next to the street. Got a flash of color out of the side of my eye, and stopped, and backed up to take a second look. The color was black and was on the inner wood of a couple of split pieces of trunk. Hackberry does that when it has spalted, a veritable gold mine. Didn't seem to be anyone home at the house in front of which the tree was stacked. This was a mostly Hispanic neighborhood and there were a bunch of abuelas (grandmothers) sitting around in the yard next door. I asked about the wood, and they said it didn't matter to them and they got a big giggle over the juera (white guy) loading this trash wood into his truck.
Anyway, if you got trees in your part of the world, you've got opportunity for free wood if you keep your eyes peeled and are willing to for go a little embarrassment to get it into your possession.
I guess I've probably turned about half a cord of bought firewood rather than burning it. Hardest part was finding pieces big enough to make stuff with the wood already having been split, but small things are fun to turn, too.
Some years back a highway project near me required the removal of some big old white oaks and pecan trees. I hated to see the trees taken down, but . . . Anyway, of a Saturday when there were no crews working, I loaded up my chain saw and yellow hard hat and headed out to the location. I discovered that if you put a hard hat on and act like you know what you're doing, no one questions your being there. Chopped me some sizable logs, a couple of which I could barely load onto the truck with them being freshly cut and still really wet, and headed on home. Still haven't used a couple of them.
Another time I was down in San Antonio on the day job, driving through a residential neighborhood going to interview a witness. Drove by a big stack of tree branches and trunk parts stacked up next to the street. Got a flash of color out of the side of my eye, and stopped, and backed up to take a second look. The color was black and was on the inner wood of a couple of split pieces of trunk. Hackberry does that when it has spalted, a veritable gold mine. Didn't seem to be anyone home at the house in front of which the tree was stacked. This was a mostly Hispanic neighborhood and there were a bunch of abuelas (grandmothers) sitting around in the yard next door. I asked about the wood, and they said it didn't matter to them and they got a big giggle over the juera (white guy) loading this trash wood into his truck.
Anyway, if you got trees in your part of the world, you've got opportunity for free wood if you keep your eyes peeled and are willing to for go a little embarrassment to get it into your possession.
