So Ashamed- Buying Wood

[tom sawyer]

I got a call from a bowyering buddy who has a friend who cuts hedge fenceposts.  He had a line on a nice 9-foot butt cut, 12"+ diameter, straight as a string with few knots and straight bark.  We went out and looked it over yesterday.  The rings are pretty good and it should make 6 nice splits, probably thick enough for a piggyback and two blanks off each outer part (yes I'm an optimist).  We would have split it up and hauled it off but we didn't know what he wanted for it.  Found out this morning he's asking a premium for an end-post, $40.  Usually only $25-30.  But I'm going to buy it, saves me gas and wear on the chain saw and most of an afternoon.  There was another ten big endpost logs in a pile, and umpteen fenceposts in his yard.

I'm headed straight there with maul and wedges after work.  Didn't think to bring a camera, but when you've seen one pile fo headge logs you've seen'em all.

[DanaM]

$40 I would pay it gladly, of course living up north with no hedge causes me to have a different view
Could trade ya some real nice NW Cedar posts

[cowboy]

I wouldn't mind seeing a picture - always enjoy looking at huge piles of bow wood .

[Woodland Roamer]

Shoot, I'd have paid that for it, then again I don't find any osage here in my parts either.

Alan

[Justin Snyder]

Maybe even $45.  Justin

[DanaM]

Do I hear $50

[Roger]

Dang Lennie,

Your sittin right in the middle of Osage and Knappin' rock heaven. If ya get 4 stave out of a log...lessee...$10 a pop ain't bad.
 Dang Timo hoggin up all that Missoura Osage?

I'd go fer it!

R

[tom sawyer]

That guy is sitting on a gold mine.  All he has to do is split up those other 50 logs, knife off the bark and sapwood, take photos and post on ebay, then ship them all to the highest bidder.  Lots of ways to make a little money, that is one of them I guess.  Definitely not an easy way to make money.

We split this log into eighths and they are pretty big, things looked pretty good.  A little twist, and there was some brown in the upper area that is from wind shakes or something.  The pieces are 9' long though so I am reasonably sure there will be staves in most all of the splits, or billets at the very least.  We had a devil of a time breaking the log in half, I think we had 7 wedges in the thing before it gave up.

My guess is theres easily 12 bows of one size or another, I'm giving one stave to my buddy as a finders fee and the rest I'll cull and put maybe 6 in the garage for seasoning.  I got a pic of the big log pile but it is on my phone camera and we are on extended network so it'll be a week before I am where I can email myself the pic to post.  I'll take a photo of the staves in the morning, but it is just another pile of wood.  Just about maxed out the springs on my little pickup, and the serevice engine light came on on the trip back.  Needs a quart of oil.

[Adam Keiper]

I take pride and satisfaction in cutting my own wood, too.  But paying $40 for a dozen staves and saving yourself the time and sweat is too good to pass up.  Pull your truck up, load, and go man!  Just thinking about the multiflora rose choked, veritable canyon that I drag staves out of piece by piece, makes that $40 seem really cheap in fact.   

[tom sawyer]

Yep this experience is going to make it difficult to go back to honest harvesting, no doubt about it.  We even parked the truck about ten feet from where the log lay.  I should have asked if he delivered.

My hands are still a little numb from swinging the maul, I didn't notice until I had problems holding a fork at supper.  There were a few times that it was like hitting a rock, that wood was so hard.  I could hear the maul and wedges ringing.  You get a thick log and you've got to start with a thin hatchet on one end and really walk up he thing in small jumps.  Get a little ambitious and you're trying to split a log in two from the side, just doesn't work.  Or if theres a little wiggle in the grain that doesn't let the wedge part the halves clean, you will figure out quick that you have to back up a bit and split it open better.

The hedge post guy said his buddy got hit in the head with a splitting maul last week, put a 3" cut in his noggin and could have killed him.  Which brings to mind, anybody ever see wedges spti out of a fresh log?  I've had a time or two where the first or second wedge will pop back out a fair ways.  I've heard of people geting hit in the mouth with a flying wedg, its something I've always tried to remember when I'm splitting.  You always want to angle the wedge away from you.

[Roger]

Sounds like some really dense wood Lennie. Yup..I've had them pop 3-4' in the air brfore. luckily the other way. Good luckk buddy!

R

[Loki]

$40  Osage is more like £100 for a single Bowstave in England,you guy's are soooo lucky.

[Pappy]

Never bought any but for that price I would.I have had wedges pop back like that before
especially when first getting the split started.
   Pappy

[tom sawyer]

Here's a pic, kind of early when I took it.  These are 9' long, threw the mailbox in to give it some perspective.  The two on the left need to be split again.

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[Justin Snyder]

Wow that is a pretty haul.  I think you got your $40 worth. Justin