Neighbors wielding chainsaws...

[datagirl]

I got to observe homo sapiens doing what we do yesterday. 

The county is in the process of clearing the right of way for the new 4-lane divided expressway that will connect I-10 and the beach.  One stretch will pass through my neighborhood 1/2 mile from my home along an existing 2-lane county road. 

From about Monday through Thursday they cut and pushed down some very large oaks for about a 3 mile stretch north of where our little dirt road intersects the ROW.  Friday they did the same to a 1 mile stretch south of same intersection.  Saturday morning, on my way to the feed store, I witnessed a dozen or so different groups and individuals with axes and chainsaws helping themselves to all the free wood on the side of the road.  Some were loading pickup trucks.  Others were hauling utility trailers.  Going to town again on another errand in the afternoon, I saw more of the same.

I haven't seen this many chainsaws since the last major hurricane.  This is actually very smart because all the county would do is push it all together into piles and set it on fire.  This way, at least it will save folks money for firewood.

I asked my husband if he thought we should join in.  He said no, we had plenty from where my stepson has been cleaning up our place - which is true.

The whole thing to me seemed a little surreal.  It's not often that we see so many folks from the neighborhood and beyond all engaged in a common activity like this.  It really will be a major change to the landscape around here - no too unlike when a major storm comes through - only more permanent. 

So I was wondering - is this just a Southern Redneck thing, or is this behavior (scavenging for wood) likely to happen elsewhere?

-DG

[The Gorn]

So I was wondering - is this just a Southern Redneck thing, or is this behavior (scavenging for wood) likely to happen elsewhere?

-DG

Two different tree service guys told me that the standard "get something for nothing" pitch from homeowners who want free tree removal is: "you can keep the firewood". The value of any wood they recover from a job is a fraction of what they would charge for the tree removal.

Anyway...

I think the entire concept of redneck is: highly relative to the speaker's perceptions of class; and too highly tethered to one region of the US.

As far as I am concerned, the concept of "redneck" is universal and spans our nation.

Any place you find self reliance, focus on family and relationships, desire for authenticity, and spurning of commercial values, you've found what our culture deems "redneck".

I'm absolutely convinced that you can find indigeneous redneck peoples in big cities on the east coast, in New England, in the mountain west and southwest, and on the west coast.

Cutting and gathering the firewood like you are describing would be a rural thing here in Ohio. You would not see suburbanites doing it much.

[TRexx]

After that freak snowstorm that hit NJ this fall, I saw a lot of people out with chainsaws picking up the fallen trees.  The pros were feeding everything into chippers.  The amateurs were cutting it into firewood.

 

 

[David Randolph]

And then there are the strange ones like me: collecting the trunks of large trees to dry and turn into carvings. I'm trying to get a mesquite cat finished. The original log was 20" in diameter.
Around here, we have lots of Bradford Pear, Osage, Walnut, Pecan, as well as trees that I don't bother with: Hackberry, Plum, Red Oak, Live Oak. I don't want anything less than 12" in diameter (unless it is a rare wood like Hawthorn).
http://www.etsy.com/shop/1WoodArtist

[datagirl]

And then there are the strange ones like me: collecting the trunks of large trees to dry and turn into carvings. I'm trying to get a mesquite cat finished. The original log was 20" in diameter.
Around here, we have lots of Bradford Pear, Osage, Walnut, Pecan, as well as trees that I don't bother with: Hackberry, Plum, Red Oak, Live Oak. I don't want anything less than 12" in diameter (unless it is a rare wood like Hawthorn).
http://www.etsy.com/shop/1WoodArtist

Wow, David.  Are these your works?  If so, what "tools of the trade" do you use for shaping, finishing, etc?  Hubby dabbles with woodcraft but isn't at this skill level.

We also "harvest" free materials, such as bamboo for fishing rods and tomato stakes plus non-rare wood for crafts projects.

[Walter Mitty]

About half the people I know have chainsaws.  This is in western Mass. or southern Vermont.

"You can keep the firewood" is good enough for friends who are doing you a favor.  It isn't good enough for people whose livelihood is tree removal. 

Round these parts, you can't always tell a redneck from an unreconstructed hippie just by looking at them.

BTW, I once saw an interesting claim about where the word "redneck" comes from. 

[TRexx]

BTW, I once saw an interesting claim about where the word "redneck" comes from.

I always assumed it referred to people who work in the fields. The sun burns the back of their neck, hence "redneck".

[Walter Mitty]

BTW, I once saw an interesting claim about where the word "redneck" comes from.

I always assumed it referred to people who work in the fields. The sun burns the back of their neck, hence "redneck".

That's what I always assumed, too.  The description I read attributes it to some Episcopal or Anglican vestment that has a red edge around the neckline.  In the nineteenth century Episcopal/Anglican allegiances were stronger in the south than in the north.  Whether the description I read is or is not trustworthy is something I can't speak to. 

In any event,  the term "redneck"  has lasted much longer than its origins.  This is true for a lot of language.  That's a topic of its own.

[datagirl]

re: redneck - I know that every summer I get a "farmer's tan" with dark forearms.

re: wood types - I just drove to the post office and saw a very large magnificent magnolia tree laying on the ground.  I don't know anything about the characteristics of the wood, if it is good for anything, but it is kind of sad that this particular elegant southern lady had to go.   Progress. 

-DG

[The Gorn]

The description I read attributes it to some Episcopal or Anglican vestment that has a red edge around the neckline.  In the nineteenth century Episcopal/Anglican allegiances were stronger in the south than in the north.  Whether the description I read is or is not trustworthy is something I can't speak to. 

Good gosh, that sounds like a reach.

When I think Episcopalian I think of affluent suburban northerner churches and members who know how to mix great martinis.  (Every denomination has its stereotypes and I am an equal opportunity offender.)

Etymologically I'll put in a vote for the farmer's tan version.

[TRexx]

When I think Episcopalian I think of affluent suburban northerner churches and members who know how to mix great martinis.  (Every denomination has its stereotypes and I am an equal opportunity offender.)

The Episcopalian/Anglican/Church Of England was the predominant religion in the Colonial South, at least among those who owned property.  Several colonies/states (Virginia, North & South Carolina and Maryland) adopted it as their official state religion. Remember, the "establishment clause" of the First Amendment was intended not to guarantee an individual's right to worship as he pleased, but to protect these official state religions. 

[Richardk]

Redneck or not, free is free if the wood is there for the taking.

I'm seeing people with lots of firewood piled up this year, so I'm guessing if you have more time than money then you get the wood.

[Walter Mitty]

The power company recently cleared a new way for power lines on a road close to my home.  They had to take out a few trees and some major pine boughs. 

They took all the pine away.  I presume they fed it into a wood chipper.  They left all the maple in big logs by the side of the road.  I'm guessing that neighbors with chain saws will eventually help themselves. 

[David Randolph]

Wow, David.  Are these your works?  If so, what "tools of the trade" do you use for shaping, finishing, etc?

Those are my works. I have gouges, files, sandpaper for shaping. The worst part, in my mind, is the final sanding. That takes a lot of time and is boring. I use tung oil or shellac for finishing - multiple coats, with sanding in between.

I use carving as a contrast to coding. There are times when it is so satisfying to go out in the garage, start hitting something, and see chips fly all over the place.

[TRexx]

I use carving as a contrast to coding. There are times when it is so satisfying to go out in the garage, start hitting something, and see chips fly all over the place.

One of my first managers was a blacksmith. He felt the same way about pounding on a piece of iron.