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Finally - Some Good Fatwood

D

Don M

Joined
Apr 30, 2000
Messages
847
I was invited to go on a good hike in the Smokies today, but could not due to circumstances. So I decided to go out in the wood across the street from my house. It's about 100 acres in a residential area of town. I guess the terrain is too steep, and the bottoms too wet, to build houses. The plot has a ridge on the east and west sides, where there are houses, and between these two streets there are three prongs with two small streams running between the small hills. So there is a steep hill on either side, with two small hills between and a small creek in each "valley". I have taken my scouts camping in there before.

It is mostly oak, hickory, maple, and tulip poplar, with some beech and pine (shortleaf, Virginia, and Eastern White) thrown in.

First "valley"

2009_11210024.jpg


Second "valley", from the bottom looking up.

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Third "valley"

2009_11210033.jpg


The good camping spots are on top of the hills.

I found a tall pine stump and chopped into it, but it was rotten. Then I saw a standing dead tree, maybe 10" diameter. It looks like a Shortleaf Pine to me. I chopped one side, and it was soft and partially decomposed. I chopped the other side, and I had a hard time getting the axe to bite into the wood.

Hmmm....I think there is some fatwood in there.

2009_11210028.jpg
 
It took some work to get the tree down. It hung up in the branches of two different trees, and is still standing, but separated from the stump.

Getting some more from the stump. The high grade stuff was about the first inch or so, and has already been removed. This is more medium grade.

2009_11210031.jpg


My dog "patiently" waiting for me to finish with the tree. She acted like she scented something on the way there, probably a deer, and almost did not come back. Deer trigger some king of instinct in her. I tied her up so she would not be in the way when the tree came down.

2009_11210030.jpg


My take for today. There is more in the stump and in the tree, but I know where it is.

2009_11210032.jpg
 
Never seen any with the bark still on, wonder if that is fresh and very strong and it gets weaker with time. Makes sense to me, you might have discovered the richest fatwood that can be found. Chris
 
A little higher up on the tree (40 ft tall) the bark was missing. There was only bark near the bottom. The really good stuff was only an inch or so thick, and only on one side of the tree, but it extended up and down the trunk. I only got some of it. And yes, it has a very nice aroma.
 
My neighbor owns a lawn service company. The property he leases for his shop and office, is heavily wooded.
He found a 25 foot long, 4 foot high,stack of lighter wood. The logs are about 4 feet.
From one thee foot long, 4 inch log that I split, I got three large brown grocery bags of lighter, and 6 little baggies of chips for tinder. Just light your bic, and the stuff bursts into flame.
IMG_2912.jpg
 
I was out in the Pine Barrens of NJ today and grabbed a chunk. The stuff is everywhere out there.

I think it is the only decent thing NJ has to offer.
 
Nice. I loves me some white pine, every time I walk by one I just wanna go sleep in it's needles. So soft. :D I gotta go find some more fatwood next time I'm out.
 
That stuff right under the bark looks like top quality fatwood. I bet your axe had a nice coating of sap when you were finished.
 
Even though the tree has obviously been dead for a while - much of the tree did not have bark - I have to be careful handling the very outer layer or I end up having to use mayonnaise to remove the resin from my hand. I'll have to let it dry for a while.

When the bark came off it looked like it was covering an old scar, which might explain why it was so rich.

This tree was a bit of a surprise. Other stumps I have checked lately (all Shortleaf) yielded low-medium grade fatwood, and not very much of it, if any.
 
Good catch there!
This find is not too shabby either, it's very good quality. It puts those Maya sticks to shame... :D

FatwoodBabel2.jpg
 
Don M said:
Even though the tree has obviously been dead for a while - much of the tree did not have bark - I have to be careful handling the very outer layer or I end up having to use mayonnaise to remove the resin from my hand. I'll have to let it dry for a while.
Click to expand...

Rubbing alcohol or nail-polish remover works great to clean off the resin from hands and blades.
 
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