Tis the "season" for a wood haul...

[Lee Slikkers]

Here is a link to some pics of the Osage I harvested this morning.  I also put a couple close up pics from the Osage branch cutting that I gathered on Thursday and split.

https://picasaweb.google.com/BlackRiverRaptors/02_27_11#


You can see from the Tape what the diameters of the two new logs are...the larger log is 74" long and the other one is 81" long.

So, between this morning wood run and the ERC I harvested on Friday ( https://picasaweb.google.com/BlackRiverRaptors/02_25_11# )I should have my hands full for some splitting and stashing away for curing.

Thanks~

[Sparrow]

 Nice ! That big log rocks

[SiongSA]

straight osage, well don

[Pappy]

Prett good looking haul. Lot of bow there.
   Pappy

[Lee Slikkers]

Thanks guys...I'm sure this was the "easy" part of the process.  I'll post up some progress pics once I get to working a stave.  Thanks again.

[ohma]

your gona be busy with the wedges for a while.nice :

[Lee Slikkers]

Yup, need to wolf down another cup or two of coffee and then it's out to stretch my back and arms with the sledge and wedges.  Never thought I'd get excited about cutting trees and splitting wood but when you dream about what may be lurking inside these (as opposed to fire wood  ) then I guess it only makes sense.

[Lee Slikkers]

Well, with a 5lb sledge (need a bigger one) 1 steel wedge (need more than 1) and 3 "Red Oak Wedges" (all fall from a glued up board bow project) I was finally able to get most of my recent wood haul split.  I think I may be able to get one more split on each of the Osage 1/2's but I wanted to mull that over before wrecking an entire 1/2 of the log.  I also have 1 or 2 more splits to get out of the last larger ERC log but I was whipped    The rest of the ERC split like a wet dream compared to the Osage.





Enjoy~

[gstoneberg]

Nice work.  That one osage log is perfectly straight.  That doesn't happen very often.  I hope it stays straight once it dries and you split staves out.  I don't think I would split it again until it dries.  I assume you've sealed the ends of the osage?  I love the color in that ERC, beautiful.   My back hurts just thinking about moving those osage logs.

I have 2 boys (ages 12 and 16) coming over tomorrow to help me split up some seasoned osage into staves.  Youthful energy and osage splitting is a great match.   I use an 8lb splitting maul, 2 hatchet heads and a large steel wedge to do my log splitting.  The boys are real hard on the maul handle though.

George

[Lee Slikkers]

Thanks George, I walked up and down this one Osage row trying to select the straightest one I could manage to cut/drag out on my own.  I'm pretty happy with it so far.  I was wondering about holding off on splitting them until they had a chance to dry a bit.  Good to hear that my intuition was working and kept me from possibly ruining some good wood.  All the wood laying there has had the ends sealed up good (2 coats of Elmers Glue)

That ERC split like a slice of bamboo...it was very nice!  That stuff looks so nice when you get it sealed and that heart wood starts to truly show.

Thanks for looking...

[gstoneberg]

Lee,

The other thing I would worry about is borers.  It won't be bad if you're storing the wood indoors.  I had good luck with the batch of osage I cut last summer spraying it with an insecticide.  I just debarked some last night and it was clean.  It was still a little damp so I sealed it after debarking.  Of course, you could debark those half logs and seal the back with more elmers.  That works even better.  The bark comes off easier when it's green.  I tore off a draw knife handle last night on a very seasoned billet debarking it.

We have cedar down here but it doesn't seem to be ERC, doesn't look like that and isn't as red in the heartwood.  I like to cut rounds off a cedar log and make turkey fan plaques with it.  They finish out real pretty, but like to split so you have to seal them.

George

[Lee Slikkers]

George, thanks for the added tip.  I really don't want to mess with any insecticides (I don't keep chemicals like that around my place since I'm a Falconer and those type of poisons are a fatal mix when Hawks & Falcons are around)  I think I will debark while they are green.  I plan on storing them in my attic.  I just got into this addiction so I've still got to get my bench/vise arrangement figured out and moved out of the basement and into the garage.  Sounds like a good project for tomorrow 

Neat idea on the Turkey Fan mount too...I need to make one up for a hen Turkey that my female Harris Hawk caught this year.



Thanks!

[cowboy]

That is some fine looking wood there Lee! Makes me miss when I'd go out and work myself to death - but happy . I have a bunch of osage that I split in half and sprayed with some stout insecticide and the borers still made themselves at home. I would take George's advice and peel that bark unless of course your storing it inside. Nice haul!

[cowboy]

Well apparently we posted at the same time. Sounds like you already have it all covered. That's pretty cool - the hawk and turkey, hmm..

[HoBow]

Nice haul!  Looks like a lot of work    I've made wood runs like that about 4 or 5 times and it's a workout!  I'm content with getting 1 tree now.