Wood Run - Horsey Style

[John Hart]

I had a pretty fun morning. Thought I'd report before headed to the shop. I took a bunch of pictures so please bear with me....This is going to take three posts to get all the pics in.;)

My neighbor Eli wanted to take me out to the woods this weekend and do a little wood gathering. He was pretty excited about the possibility that I might want some of this "junk" for some useful lathe work. Our objective was to take a tour of the woods and identify some burly trees that he could cut down for me, and to pick up some Beech and some Pepperidge.

First thing is to hitch up the team. These two ladies are both pregnant and due to foal this Spring.
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Because this winter has been so wet and warm, Eli decided to take the sled. The Draft Horses are so powerful that no matter how heavy the load or whatever the obstacles, they didn't struggle a bit. Just a walk in the park.
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About half-way, I turned around and took a shot of our property. Lousy picture...but it was....um....bumpy.:o
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Continued.....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John.......Thank Eli for me....He's introducing you to the practical side of owning horses........Togther with a man I've never met....we will convert John Hart to John "Horsey" Hart!


Thanks Eli!:D

[John Hart]

Not a chance Ken!!

Arriving at the woods...This is a shot of their old Sugar House, from when Eli's father did lots of Maple Syrup. This Sugar House used to be in the middle of town square in Middlefield, 5 miles away. They hauled it here with horses over 50 years ago. Built with pegs...Eli thinks it'll never fall down...even though it should.:)
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Into the woods we go. This place is loaded with burls...but you got to get through the swamps to get there. Eli gave me permission to come out anytime I want....but to tell you the truth, I don't know how I could do it without the Team.
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This is a 2-3 foot diameter Beech tree. All sliced up into 12-18" thickness. "take whatever you want", he sez. Sheesh....The two of us couldn't pick one up. But we horsed a couple on to the sled.
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Off to the side was this nice pile of curly Beech. They all had feathers and crotches and curl. "Take whatever you want", he sez. Grabbed 3 or 4. Don't want to get greedy. :D
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Continued.....

[John Hart]

Then there was the Pepperidge Trees. Here's a description I stole from the internet:

The Pepperidge Tree, more commonly known as the Sour Gum, or Black Gum, or Black Tupelo. Pepperidge Farm bakery takes its name from the family farm of the original baker. To honor its history, the corporation plants a Pepperidge Tree at each of its locations including its nearby bakery in Willard, OH. The Sour Gum name is from the sour taste of the fruits. No one knows the origin of the name Black Gum but Tupelo is a Creek Indian word meaning "tree of the swamp."

Eli said that this stuff is no good for firewood because you can't split it....because of all the horrible curl inside. He thought I might find it interesting. So we picked one out that was about 12" diameter and he cut it down.....Right on to the sled!!!:eek:

Eli just turned and looked at me and said, "I guess I should have moved the sled." Then he smiled and started cutting it up. Glad it didn't fall on the horses.
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The Pepperidge is a very light colored, wood all the way through....but it is just loaded with curl. I'm going to turn some today to see how it looks.

Then we headed home with our modest load of wood.
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Man! that was fun!!!

[Jim Becker]

You have a great neighbor, John...take good care of him!

[David Fried]

So now you have feathers in your crotch ... How's that lathe doilly coming along? :D

Nice tour!! Think about it when you're sitting behind a computer on Monday :eek:

I will!

Look's like a nice neighborhood you got there. Living in Mansfield, CT I always wondered about Mansfield, OH. Thanks for the snapshot. (Been to Mansfield, MA - don't ask)

[Paul Engle]

pepperidge farms? curly feathers? horsey's? black gum? John are you sure the chemical plant where you hide out during the non turning hours is not getting to you ? :confused: I know the smell of buttermilk, vinegar and spices makes me think of red fir and birch and pine:eek: , sap wood and walnut chips ...:D . Nice haul, like Jim says " take good care of Eli," wood not want to see you lost in the swamp.:D

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow John, what a great neighbor you have! Sure looked like the trip was fun and not something the rest of us get to do every day. Looking forward to seeing how the pepperidge works out for you. Thanks for the tour!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

You gotta admit John.....it's an experience you'll never forget! I was introduced to horses and draft horses in particular on my maternal grandfather's farm in southern Indiana about 1956. I can still remember 3 of my uncles and grandpa each "schucking" 2 rows of corn from daylight to dark......me riding on the seat of the wagon which was outfitted with bank boards........I was 5 at the time.....still lingers in my feeble memory after all these years. To see those large animals...quiet....no engine rumble....just the clatter of the metal parts of the harness.....the squeek of the wheels......

[Christopher K. Hartley]

John, Thank you so much, not just for being able to experience your very productive gathering of wood and the fellowship with Eli but I remember a Sugar House that used to be in the town square and I'm almost certain it was Middlefield off of Old State Road. We used to go by when they were boiling the Maple sap to make candy and Maple Syrup. If it's the one, and the township I'm thinking of, that would have been somewhere from between 1952 and about about 1960 or so. I know there were a number of them around and I know for sure we used to pass through Middlefield all the time, as during those years, I lived in Portage and Summit counties just adjacent to Geauga county where Middlefield is. Thanks for the memories. Now you've really made me want to be there again. :)

[Bernie Weishapl]

John what a experience. See a what getting a couple of horses could do for you. :D :p :D I grew up like Ken with draft horses for plowing, corn shucking, etc. Nice pictures John. Thanks for sharing.

[Gary DeWitt]

What a great haul, John. Bet your just rearin' to get that curly pepperidge wood on your lathe!

Call me a city boy, after all I really am, but why would someone want to shuck corn, and especially why do it in the field? All the fresh corn I've ever bought in the store came with the "shuck" still on.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Gary...The corn we are talking about is seed or field corn...In the old days before combines and tractor mounted corn pickers....corn was picked by hand......often wearing a special leather glove that had a hooked shaped blade...that allowed them to cut the corn free from the stalk.....often the shuckee/picker....would be shuck the corn before tossing it into the horse or tractor drawn wagon. This corn was destined to be feed or seed corn and the shuck got in the way and was undesireable. If shucked in the field the shuck could be turned back into the ground during plowing....returning nitrogen and matter to the soil.

While you can eat field corn early in it's growth cycle, it doesn't have the flavor of sweet corn and late in the fall when it's being harvested for feed for cattle, hogs and other animals, it's so tough you could break your teeth trying to eat it. I suppose you could boil it before eating it. I have, however, eaten it early in it's growing cycle.....it's not as good as sweet corn...but can be tasty.

[Mark Pruitt]

John, you sure know how to pick your neighbors.:cool: Nice haul. Looking forward to seeing some of the curly stuff finished!

[Curt Fuller]

John, you've gotta just be loving that move you made!

[John Hart]

Thanks everyone. Yup...Made a run to the hardware store to pick up a new chain for the chainsaw...then chucked up my first piece of Pepperidge. Nice stuff. Cuts like butter. The figure is pretty awesome. I just came in for a break and I'll be headed out again in a few minutes. I'd like to get a pic posted before the day is out. Can't decide whether to take this stuff to finish thickness while it's green. Probably will and see what happens on movement. I also have a bunch of Beech to cut up and seal before it cracks.

[Joe Melton]

John, you are living a dream, I think.
It is interesting those folks won't drive a car, but they will use a chainsaw. Makes sense to me.
Joe

[Mark Cothren]

Great story and pics, John! Congrats on the wood, but even more so on the new friend(s).

[Gary DeWitt]

Thanks, Ken, I thought it might have something to do with returning the plant back to the soil. Didn't think of field corn, tho.

[John Hart]

Ok....the temperature is dropping rapidly around these parts and I managed to get some sort of piece turned out of that pepperidge. I turned it thin but it was too wet to sand...so I stuck it in the shavings that Andy Hoyt sent me.:D There's figure all through this. Pretty startling stuff. I'm really looking forward to sanding and finishing it. It's 9" diameter and stands about 7" tall
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....To see those large animals...quiet....no engine rumble....just the clatter of the metal parts of the harness.....the squeek of the wheels......

You took the thoughts right outta my head.;)


I remember a Sugar House that used to be in the town square and I'm almost certain it was Middlefield off of Old State Road.
Well Chris...It sounds like the right year, and the location is dead-on. The building is fairly dilapidated....but it's got character still.


John, you've gotta just be loving that move you made!
Curt....every day I wake up and wonder what I did right to deserve this. But, whatever it was....I'll take it.:)


John, you are living a dream, I think.
It is interesting those folks won't drive a car, but they will use a chainsaw. Makes sense to me.
Yep...it's a dream all right. Don't wake me up.;)

I had a lot of misconceptions about the amish before I moved here. They're just regular folks....extremely honest and hard working...but regular folks. There are lines drawn in the sand by their community that dictates what they can and can not do. For instance...they can drive a car but they can't own one....but if they own a company...they can have a company car...but that is very rare. Most amish shops around here have a diesel engine that powers their tools...but those who don't, will, say..take a Delta bandsaw and remove the motor...then drive it with an old Briggs and Stratton lawnmower engine. They also have old wringer-type washing machines powered by lawnmower engines. They don't use gas or electric lawnmowers, but most own a gas powered weed wacker. The list is long...These are just a few.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

There are some Amish and Mennonites in IL too!

Often after dark during the school year....You drive by....you see the flicker of kerosene lanterns in the house ...dim light.....You see electric lights in the barn........school children...books in arm.....walking out to the barn to study......Honest ....hard working.....religious people........Many came to my FIL visitation......shook our hands...."I always bought my shoes from Ross..." Humble hardworking honest religious people......different ...but aren't we all different?.........Doesn't that make the world interesting?:)


Take Andy Hoyt.....Now he's different......I mean really different.....bordering on stra....nah....I won't say it!:eek: ;) :D

[Corey Hallagan]

John, that's just plain cool!! Thanks for posting it!

Corey

[Ernie Nyvall]

Wow John, sounds like a wonderful day with a great neighbor... I bet the other guy thinks the same thing. Congrats on all the wood too.

[Jon Shively]

Just think, those two mares are bred, in about three years time Eli will have his new and improved team and you, uhhhhhhh, you could uhhhhhhhhhh, you could have the uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, oh yeah, your daughters could have the old team to ride and drive and you could go on more frequent woody adventures!!! You know, you could take the manure spreader out full, run a batch of slightly used grain and hay through it and bring back some wood on the way home! No dead heading allowed!! Enjoy your friends. They are like all cultures, there are good and bad. But they are by and large very introverted until they feel comfortable around you then they can be great fun as all people can be.

[Gary Herrmann]

Wow. Congrats, John. Sounds like you landed in a great area, with great neighbors.

[Barry Stratton]

Great story John, thanks for sharing.

And nothing wrong with living a dream..... ;)

[Glenn Hodges]

John, tupelo from the swamp was used down here to hand carve bread bowls. Most of these were used to make buiscuits. There are still a lot of these in the river swamps. I really enjoyed the pictorial story, thanks.

[John Hart]

Thanks again everyone! Spent a little time yesterday with the chainsaw and got all the wood cut into blanks and anchorsealed....I even had time left over for a little turning. Here's a pic of Elise and Squirt....the grumpy looking guy isn't really grumpy at that moment and he was just thrown in there for scale.:rolleyes:
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John, tupelo from the swamp was used down here to hand carve bread bowls. Most of these were used to make buiscuits. There are still a lot of these in the river swamps. I really enjoyed the pictorial story, thanks.

Eli said that I can have all I want and there are groves of this stuff. I sure like turning it. I'm a little surprised that we don't see more of it on SMC....Seems to be quite plentiful.

[Keith Burns]

Great story John. Thanks for sharing and making us all jealous:D :)

[John Hart]

Here's a few pictures of the Pepperidge/Sour Gum/Black Gum/Tupelo bowl that I started last weekend. I was pretty shocked at how fast it dried and there was zero movement. Nice surprise. Unfortunately, while I was making some finishing cuts with the round scraper, I adjusted the handle in my hand and rammed the tip into the spinning piece. Out of the chuck she goes and skitted across the floor. Left a hole and cracked it...along with a bunch of nicks and scrapes. Oh well...didn't like the form anyway.;)

I went ahead and mounted it back up so I could use my new power sanding stuff and get a little practice in. Sealed it with some shellac, and that's all the time I'm going to put into it. Off to the boneyard for this one.:)
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[Terry Quiram]

John

A lot of folks think friendly helpful neighbors are rare but in rural communities just the opposite is true. Having grown up on a farm I know first hand how neighbors can be totaly unselfish. Have you ever seen 600 acres of corn and soy beans harvested and the ground tilled in one day?

You would have to turn and sell a lot of bowls to support those two hay burners. Thanks for the story.

Terry

[Bill Boehme]

Thanks again everyone! Spent a little time yesterday with the chainsaw and got all the wood cut into blanks and anchorsealed....I even had time left over for a little turning. Here's a pic of Elise and Squirt....the grumpy looking guy isn't really grumpy at that moment .........

Gosh, John, Squirt sure does favor you!

Bill

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