Just a spot for yall to dump your every day FW related pics that dont demand a new thread.
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Ready Set Go!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20210411_151754-firewood-after.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620645874)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20210411_164807-firewood.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620645930)
Pre-orders for fall delivery.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20210408_131902-firewood.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620646139)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20210408_135208-firewood-sterling-jim.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620646224)
I wish i had that kinda organizing gene. Wow
Things are finally trying to dry up here. Reclaiming firewood for house and sugar shack from leftover tops from logs cut this winter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/37318/87A7AEE7-E19D-4D0F-B6F4-C7F85B728AED.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1620680096)
It is a long haul out of there, this small diameter limb and cull stuff goes to mill yard for bucking not just dumped at intermediate landings that are scattered around for piles of firewood logs. That means "go light and go often " gets lightly amended to "stop before springs go negative arch".. the trailer was a freebie that held chicken coop for a few years until outgrown and this was the first trip hauling wood with it after replacing smashed coupler and adding industrial quantities of slime to tires ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/37318/924FC078-2AC1-4C90-BDA6-7FF18AA84313.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1620684246)
From trailer to one of these pallet sawbucks to get brappppped into stove wood. Hilarious inefficient use of time but good whole tree utilization and there are LOTS worse I could be doing with that time.
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Joe, I burn a lot of small diameter round wood too.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC04079.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1584736069)
From the tree tops.
MF- if you put the sawbuck on the trailer it could save you a step. make kids pick and stack the pile after you braahppp it up. if no kids, make kids first.
Quote from: mike_belben on May 11, 2021, 12:56:40 PM
MF- if you put the sawbuck on the trailer it could save you a step. make kids pick and stack the pile after you braahppp it up. if no kids, make kids first.
Got a PM about this as well and think it is a solid idea (not the kids part). Have brought sawbuck to where I was cutting on tractor forks, filled it up then brought to where piles are before cutting and that worked great. Also turns out that one overloaded pile on that weee lil trailer = just over a sawbuck load.
Have an idea in mind for a wacky limb trailer that is also sawbuck.. uprights made to accept standoffs bolted to chainsaw bar (unistrut or something bolted to uprights for a channel to slide in?). Put saw bar standoffs into uprights, brappp, tip bed to dump that section of rounds, move saw to next set of uprights, repeat?? Thinking on good clamping setup that moves from one set of uprights to the next, maybe just slides along trailer rub rail like a strap winch? Basically that sawbuck but with sliding channels on uprights for saw like a bad vertical chainsaw mill and a way to clamp the pile, on wheels w/ dump capability.. :P :-X :D
Perpendicular stacking issues and settling aside, one 8' long sawbuck 32" wide and stacked around 2' tall to keep center of gravity low means a face cord/rick a trip and it is easy to come up with wood to fill that in a hurry just from tops and clearing saw thinnings.
<edit>
grabbed crayons, drew picture
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/37318/sawbucktrailer.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620754419)
somethin like that anyway
Its a birdseye view right?
I burn a lot of limb wood too. I have a 3 pt winch. I lay down a 8 foot chain and pile the small wood on that. Than I just hook the chain and winch it in. Have hauled out 3 hitches this way. I just unhook it and saw through it. Well try too. I can take a 54 inch stick in my OWB, so length is no big deal. I find the ones I miss when I pick the wood up to burn.
Nothing like what most of you have, but I just finished splitting and stacking this for spring/summer fire pit. Red oak, cedar, pine, cherry, and maple.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/62288/PXL_20210507_232246851.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620782154)
I take my wood down small too, not much for a top left. ;D Saves a lot of splitting, but adds to the trips to the wood pile to fill the stove. Drop half the sticks carrying it to the stove. I don't have arms like a grapple boom. Can't have it all. :D
Way too neat and way to accurate on the bucking lengths. Ahhh, when you don't have to deal with the whining public. I learned from dad, it's just firewood, don't get fussy. It all comes out ashes. :D
Did a hundred bundles of sticks for someone once. Started with this. The sticks REALLY jump around when being cut if they do not have something keeping them in place, because as cutting progresses, the sticks loosen and settle..
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20180728-pottery-kiln-sticks-3.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620811206)
So I improved upon it a bit with this. Once you start the cut you have to level out your saw so that the weight of the saw, and the pulling action of the chain keep the sticks up against the 2x6's on the other side.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20180809-pottery-kiln-sticks-13-jim.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620811213)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20180809-pottery-kiln-sticks-18-skidsteer.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1620811223)
For slabs off of the sawmill, we bundle and sell as firewood/kindling
firewood bundling bin for slabs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ZsYBkk5L4)
I have a fair amount of smaller limb wood when we cut hedge. I run the smaller wood threw my buzz saw. Works great. Its more work loading that smaller stuff into the Garn buts its still hedge firewood and makes a lot of BTU'S.
for stick bundle bucking, use either bungee cords or garage door springs between the twine at each pack for an auto-tension mechanism. that way as the vibratory settling progresses, the bail tightens up and retains compaction. tie your twine tighter after.
i find making a loop on a bight and then putting the tail through that loop in the other direction, finishing with half hitches, is a good way to do it. that way you can always tighten up a loose pile. when i did bundles i tied the tails together for a carry handle. the more bundles a person can carry the more theyll buy.
I burn a lot of 4" and smaller birch poles salvaged from clearing trails as well as saw slabs at my cabin. The birch sticks are nearly limb-less so it's pretty easy to grab a bunch out of the woods. My favorite method for bucking them is actually to skip the chainsaw and the racking and just buck them on the table saw. I'm off-grid, so it's generator fired, but a good excuse to charge some batteries. I just move the cheap table saw over near the woodpile to my "sawdust landing" and start grabbing the sticks from truck or pile and buzz them to nice, even 14" lengths for the Jotul or sauna stove. The leftover end if too short for a proper firewood stick gets chucked in the general direction of the fire pit. Rather than feed the sticks in as if cross cutting a board, I feed from the side with the guards off and the rip-fence set for stick length.
My dad burned cords and cords of hardwood flooring crosscut on a table saw that way. Drums were all around the saw to toss the pieces into.
A few old pictures just for the fun of it.
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(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC03412.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1621038744)
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happy cutting.....Cutter
had a spare min so getting around to some wood that fell 2 years ago. Should last me through December hopefully(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/53914/20210712_155632.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1626128459)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/53914/20210712_155631.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1626128398)
How do you like your skidsteer splitter? 2 or 4 way?
Quote from: mike_belben on July 12, 2021, 10:37:46 PM
How do you like your skidsteer splitter? 2 or 4 way?
I have a single wedge and 4 way wedge. I dont like the 4 way. Makes a mess and little strings of wood. Alot of the wood I split is 24" + round. The 4 way worked good on smaller rounds though. So takes extra min to single split but I can stack with it also when I'm doing future wood. I just dont mess with stacking by the boiler anymore as I push the pile closer ad used.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/53914/20200207_162623~1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1626816292)
Here's my small scale winter setup, just need to add a grapple to the tow vehicle ;D
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Roundtoit Day.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13635/20210723_094830.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1627048291)
And kindling in my bottleneck after if I have the stamina.
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Quote from: Mooseherder on July 23, 2021, 10:28:00 AM
Roundtoit Day.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13635/20210723_094830.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1627048291)
And kindling in my bottleneck after if I have the stamina.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13635/20210718_121849.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1627050215)
Working hard or hardly workin MH? Pitter patter!! :D
DanG it! Thunder shower rolled in. BREAK TIME :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58671/Snapchat-208779886.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1627181089)
Rented a diesel dyna SC 15 to put up firewood this year.... impressed to say the least. Bigger live deck would of been better for some real pole wood but it worked slick.
Too wet to do much but clearing saw work in the woods and raining again/still. Did a bunch of work to the saws during nights last week so perfect morning to work up some firewood!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/37318/IMG_20210729_113414857.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1627572792)
One of the whacks that came out during thinning over the winter.
Side note I do not know why my luck with Briggs motors is such garbage but this predator has been badly abused for years now and even though it has not been fired up in months and I had to track the primer bulb down because a goose stole it, it fires right up every time. Really upending notions of what is "commonly known" to be low vs high quality and I despise HF
Quote from: mudfarmer on July 29, 2021, 11:38:47 AM
Side note I do not know why my luck with Briggs motors is such garbage but this predator has been badly abused for years now and even though it has not been fired up in months and I had to track the primer bulb down because a goose stole it, it fires right up every time. Really upending notions of what is "commonly known" to be low vs high quality and I despise HF
"I had to track the primer bulb down because a goose stole it..." OK, whaaaat?
I have one predator motor that I am using on my saw buck upgrade and I have to say that although I haven't used it for cutting (still testing and building) I was impressed when I added oil to the engine, gas, and it started on the first pull!
DMF, I'm wondering the same thing say_what
I have a vtwin predator that sat in the box new for 6 years (worth double now!) So long the box fell apart. And same thing. Instantly fired up and idled great.
I am lucky if the host of old american small engines i have fires half the time and thats with regular use and maintenance. Got a briggs vtwin apart right now.. Plastic starter bendix with no teeth. Cmon guys. Plastic starter gear? Its a lawn mower not a lego toy.
Yeah, I've wondered the same thing. At the very least they should be made from brass. Maybe there is a market for such.?
Quote from: mudfarmer on July 29, 2021, 11:38:47 AM
I had to track the primer bulb down because a goose stole it,
:D :D :D
Hah, yeah small flock of domestic geese, they will chew on everything and steal any loose bits. If it isn't loose give it time they will figure it out! A big red rubber primer bulb just begs to get popped off and run around with.
Quote from: mudfarmer on July 30, 2021, 09:48:31 AM
Hah, yeah small flock of domestic geese, they will chew on everything and steal any loose bits. If it isn't loose give it time they will figure it out! A big red rubber primer bulb just begs to get popped off and run around with.
:D :D :D
Cows got the kill switch wiring on my splitter.
Just got the last big silver maple tree that fell 2 years ago cut and split and here comes more. Sitting having morning coffe dead calm heard a snap and the house shake look outside Literally just missed the old beater snowmobile.
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Some progress. :)
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Hitting the workout routine again today. Trying to do average a cord a day.
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Dropped 3 cords off today at a customer's place.
20210821 firewood delivery 3 cord - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q65RW8l2C6s)
Nice rig.
Is that an electric bed raising 3 cord?
Quote from: mike_belben on August 21, 2021, 07:49:52 PM
Nice rig.
Is that an electric bed raising 3 cord?
Hydraulic scissor lift.
I'm still looking for a dump truck for firewood, although rather 1'ton so I can get it further into my woods. That's a nice rig, didn't realize you were in NS Jim, cheers from another scotian.
Jim what make of picker do you have mounted on the truck?
Got back at it today after leaving the saws alone since April. Temps were right at 70 degrees with low humidity, only worked a few hours but it's a start.
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forgot the before pick, but this is the after. Did 3 cord yesterday, now it's time to reload the brow.
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Quote from: rjwoelk on August 22, 2021, 12:03:23 PM
Jim what make of picker do you have mounted on the truck?
Palms 3.4. Sorry I didn't answer sooner, I am not set up to get notifications on this thread.
Cut, cracked and crated 256 cu ft today. Good day for it, warm but a strong breeze from the south, mostly overcast with the occasional sprinkle of rain.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20210918_131555-firewood-eastonmade-splitter-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1631991295)
Quote from: HemlockKing on August 22, 2021, 06:45:08 AM
I'm still looking for a dump truck for firewood, although rather 1'ton so I can get it further into my woods. That's a nice rig, didn't realize you were in NS Jim, cheers from another scotian.
You need something like this. This is our other delivery truck. Holds a full cord tossed in, or 1-1/2 cord stacked in. 9ft box.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20200530_103659-firewood-silverado.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1631991550)
Quote from: jimbarry on September 18, 2021, 03:00:01 PM
Quote from: HemlockKing on August 22, 2021, 06:45:08 AM
I'm still looking for a dump truck for firewood, although rather 1'ton so I can get it further into my woods. That's a nice rig, didn't realize you were in NS Jim, cheers from another scotian.
You need something like this. This is our other delivery truck. Holds a full cord tossed in, or 1-1/2 cord stacked in. 9ft box.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20200530_103659-firewood-silverado.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1631991550)
That's exactly what I've been looking for! Almost had one a week or 2 ago but it sold quickly.
Quote from: HemlockKing on September 18, 2021, 05:07:16 PM
Quote from: jimbarry on September 18, 2021, 03:00:01 PM
Quote from: HemlockKing on August 22, 2021, 06:45:08 AM
I'm still looking for a dump truck for firewood, although rather 1'ton so I can get it further into my woods. That's a nice rig, didn't realize you were in NS Jim, cheers from another scotian.
You need something like this. This is our other delivery truck. Holds a full cord tossed in, or 1-1/2 cord stacked in. 9ft box.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20200530_103659-firewood-silverado.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1631991550)
That's exactly what I've been looking for! Almost had one a week or 2 ago but it sold quickly.
They don't last long. Funny thing is, we had ours up for sale back in June on Kijiji and no offers.
Those trucks in decent shape go quick here in NH.
Do they use brine on your winter roads up there? They use it in some of the New England states and some of the cities. It is killing the lifespan of vehicles.
Quote from: jimbarry on September 18, 2021, 06:56:08 PM
Quote from: HemlockKing on September 18, 2021, 05:07:16 PM
Quote from: jimbarry on September 18, 2021, 03:00:01 PM
Quote from: HemlockKing on August 22, 2021, 06:45:08 AM
I'm still looking for a dump truck for firewood, although rather 1'ton so I can get it further into my woods. That's a nice rig, didn't realize you were in NS Jim, cheers from another scotian.
You need something like this. This is our other delivery truck. Holds a full cord tossed in, or 1-1/2 cord stacked in. 9ft box.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20200530_103659-firewood-silverado.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1631991550)
That's exactly what I've been looking for! Almost had one a week or 2 ago but it sold quickly.
They don't last long. Funny thing is, we had ours up for sale back in June on Kijiji and no offers.
How much did you have it up for? And the mileage? I only seen a handful all summer up in my price range(under 10k ).
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on September 18, 2021, 07:52:41 PM
Those trucks in decent shape go quick here in NH.
Do they use brine on your winter roads up there? They use it in some of the New England states and some of the cities. It is killing the lifespan of vehicles.
Yes, they do. I keep my vehicles undercoated over here. Even with that, still hits them hard.
Quote from: HemlockKing on September 19, 2021, 04:45:45 AM
Quote from: jimbarry on September 18, 2021, 06:56:08 PM
Quote from: HemlockKing on September 18, 2021, 05:07:16 PM
Quote from: jimbarry on September 18, 2021, 03:00:01 PM
Quote from: HemlockKing on August 22, 2021, 06:45:08 AM
I'm still looking for a dump truck for firewood, although rather 1'ton so I can get it further into my woods. That's a nice rig, didn't realize you were in NS Jim, cheers from another scotian.
You need something like this. This is our other delivery truck. Holds a full cord tossed in, or 1-1/2 cord stacked in. 9ft box.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20200530_103659-firewood-silverado.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1631991550)
That's exactly what I've been looking for! Almost had one a week or 2 ago but it sold quickly.
They don't last long. Funny thing is, we had ours up for sale back in June on Kijiji and no offers.
How much did you have it up for? And the mileage? I only seen a handful all summer up in my price range(under 10k ).
2009 3500HD 4x4 Duramax 6.6L . About 170000 km. It was over your budget, like double, $21K.
Today we worked up two cord on the processor. This is the brow when we started
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20210919_082041.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1632094690)
and we had to keep the ole girl fed
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20210919_082053.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1632094689)
through the magic of the internet-machine the first cord/trailer is done, now to fill the second!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20210919_104827.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1632094689)
That's just about right. The brow is ready to be restocked this week.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20210919_104841.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1632094688)
We also blocked up a handful of oversized wood that won't go through the processor. That was cut at 22in lengths and will go into my 2023 wood pile. Can't have all work and no play, we had a nice atv ride after, none of the machines came back this clean. We rode a few trails and around the farm, I hope it was mud, but it didn't all smell like it! A good day of cutting!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20210919_112957.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1632094892)
Cutting up black birch.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC05342.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1632172405)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC05345.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1632172424)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC05347.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1632172450)
BTW, black birch has about the same density as red oak so it is an excellent fire wood. Red oak splits better but black birch smells better. ;)
cutter, I love black birch! My processor doesn't always like it, it can split hard at knots! But man, it smells so dang good!
Yeah, if black birch split better it would be my favorite fire wood.
Earlier this week before the rains came.....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC05350.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1632487966)
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It's been raining off and on for three days. Right now am in a thunder storm. It's been difficult to get any wood out of the woods.
Only 374 days until next year's heating season and my log stash is empty. Brought some
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/37318/IMG_20210930_171546501.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1633099476)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/37318/IMG_20210930_170314541.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1633099221)
out yesterday and a decent trailer bucked out of the tops. Last year tried 12ft logs, didn't really like that so back to 8ft this year.
Counting down til next year; gotta love it!
I'll be stacking some of next year's wood tonight when I get home. :)
I am far too shortsighted for next years wood😁
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/67955/DD1F3A42-9C26-4393-AA2E-3255F1B03FDE.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1633166952)
Get a longer bar and stand up and buck!!
Quote from: HemlockKing on October 02, 2021, 06:42:47 AM
Get a longer bar and stand up and buck!!
I'll have to call you BBR! :D
Quote from: Tacotodd on October 02, 2021, 06:53:26 AM
Quote from: HemlockKing on October 02, 2021, 06:42:47 AM
Get a longer bar and stand up and buck!!
I'll have to call you BBR! :D
I have learned a lot from him. Cleetus says to git the GULLET
:D I told ya that didn't I.
Loading 3 cord.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20211004_125514-firewood-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1633372387)
We are between bean and corn harvest here. Beans are out and the corn is too wet. Buddy came out to the farm Sunday and we bucked up three or four cords of most hedge with a little locust and mulberry mixed in. I hold the logs with a skid loader and grapple and he saws them into firewood length. We may get them split and stack on trailers before we start corn. All of this will be next years wood. I burn around fifteen cord threw the Garn a year.
Nice site Jim, nothing better than working in the outdoors Nova Scotia this time of year.
Quote from: HemlockKing on October 04, 2021, 04:54:04 PM
Nice site Jim, nothing better than working in the outdoors Nova Scotia this time of year.
Indeed!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20211004_130116-firewood-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1633385098)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20211004_141421-firewood.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1633385098)
Quote from: hedgerow on October 04, 2021, 04:37:38 PM
We are between bean and corn harvest here. Beans are out and the corn is too wet. Buddy came out to the farm Sunday and we bucked up three or four cords of most hedge with a little locust and mulberry mixed in. I hold the logs with a skid loader and grapple and he saws them into firewood length. We may get them split and stack on trailers before we start corn. All of this will be next years wood. I burn around fifteen cord threw the Garn a year.
15 cord! 😳 splitwood_smiley splitwood_smiley splitwood_smiley splitwood_smiley fire_smiley
hedgerow,
what did you end up doing to get the garn back up and going?
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on October 04, 2021, 09:11:19 PM
hedgerow,
what did you end up doing to get the garn back up and going?
I got lucky and the same welder that had repaired the weld that had failed two years before around the heating chamber came back and repaired the weld that failed this time and welded some metal in to beef up the area around were the blower assembly sets. I have been back up and running since May heating my domestic with it. Once again no help from Garn. I hope we are ready for winter. I had to spend another seven hundred on propane and electric to finish the winter out when the Garn went down and my temporary fix failed.
It gets pricey quick when the main systems fail!
Here is the last ash I cut this summer. Just dead enough to be dangerous!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/44322/231262536_1238671939936268_3931964349167164604_n.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1633567273)
jmur1
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I split this year's supply of Red Oak firewood this morning. Mostly rounds and the back contains split sawmill slabs. That is a 5'X10' trailer with 12" sides and I am stacked a few inches above the side boards toward the front. The rounds and slabs had been stacked under a shed for 3 years so plenty dry.
Looks like yer ready for a sou'easter lynn ;)
Magicman,
Maybe I can get you to explain "dry" firewood to my customers! I sell mostly green and very few of my customers are putting up wood for more than a year to dry. Most are out of the pile and into the stove :(
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I went ahead today and split the remainder of the sawmill slabs and will haul them home the next time I am at the farm property. The trailer was too full to haul them today
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Well maybe too full for the ZT. ::)
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So I rearranged the load a bit and
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Handled it OK. I'll do some firewood stacking tomorrow afternoon or Monday. ;D
some of mine
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Quote from: jimbarry on August 21, 2021, 06:48:25 PM
Dropped 3 cords off today at a customer's place.
20210821 firewood delivery 3 cord - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q65RW8l2C6s)
That's a neat truck! I'll have to post pics of my 'truck' here soon; 1st season using a kubota rtv with hydraulic dump, and the log splitter in tow around our property; loving it so far.
Yeaahh!!
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What should be my Winter's firewood supply is stacked and ready. splitwood_smiley That is almost a half cord and I have another probably ¼ cord still at the farm. I'll haul it home whenever it is convenient. Anyway, bring er on....burrrrrr. fire_smiley
:embarassed: Magicman,
That is a nice row of dry firewood. It might even be enough to keep me in heat up til Thanksgiving around here...if we don't have any real cold snaps!
Mississippi cold is a different cold than New Hampshire cold, at least for the residents of the 2 states. NH is VERY cold compared to MS but MS is hot compared to NH. Like most things in life, it's all relative to what you are used to :-\
And then it might be relative to how big your fire is or how heavy your coat is. ;D
I look like the stay Puff marshmallow Man in cold weather Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Gotta love them firewood pallets. :) I just snagged a half dozen brand new ones from a neighbor's refuge pile, date stamped on them, none older than a year. 8)
I hauled a couple loads in on Saturday, too hot here to start cut'n more. Waiting for that cool down. ;D This is next year's wood. Although I am going to burn some of the stuff I cut in the spring, got a little mouldy on the ends. Fire will cure that. ;)
Keep warm all and play safe. ;D
Quote from: Runningalucas on October 10, 2021, 11:34:35 PMThat's a neat truck! I'll have to post pics of my 'truck' here soon; 1st season using a kubota rtv with hydraulic dump, and the log splitter in tow around our property; loving it so far.
The Ranger, chainsaw and the Collins is all I use. Got a wood splitter, but don't need it for aspen, fir and maple wood. One crack and toss'er in the pile. Aspen and fir are the best, grows fast, easy split'n, grows as abundant as weeds. And worth 3 times it's weight as firewood versus pulpwood. ;D
SD, how does it split compared to pine. We don't have Fir around here so I wonder if you have ever had any Pine (specificity Loblolly) for a comparison.
I'll also take an answer from others.
Hand splitting & not machine. Because I don't have a machine but I DO have a maul and an axe 🪓.
I love splitting green pine, the most difficult for me is spruce, it is VERY stringy
HK, I appreciate you jumping in, but I'd like someone that's done it to give me a direct comparison between the two. I'd like to know how Fir that I've seen SOMEONE split on YouTube compares to the pine that I've hand split, but I've not run across any people yet.
Like they said in one of those Mel Brooks movies (history of the world pt1) "NEXT VICTIM!".
BTW, I LOVE those movies. He didn't care WHO he gave grief to or about what it was. He was an equal opportunity guy like that. That's why I like them.
I would think them southern pines would be like our red pine, a hard pine. Not easy splitting at all. Knarly, like spruce and tamarack. :D But boy, red pine is nice firewood, like burning maple. :) I had to use a hydraulic splitter on red pine. ;)
Balsam fir is our fir out this way, very easy to split, very little effort to it. You line'm up and I'll whack'm down the line. :D Doug fir, might be tougher. Seen a guy with his neighbors on Youtube (WranglerStar) using a big hydraulic processor on mill reject Doug Fir for community firewood. 'nuff said. :D
I never use kindling in the furnace. I just place half slabs of fir or aspen on paper and light'er. Split side down. Fan on in under 10 minutes with a ball of fire. :)
SD, please don't mention wranglerstar on the forum😂 Most pine and spruce is a bit gnarly, unless it is clear. Balsam has such small knots that it tends to behave.
Quote from: barbender on October 13, 2021, 01:31:18 PM
SD, please don't mention wranglerstar on the forum😂
I know. I've unsubscribed from there at least 5 times. Then I said to myself, oh heck, there's far worst entertainment. :D :D
My answer to splitting wood is a big stove that will take some very big wood through the door. I do split some with axes, maul and wedges. An Estwing hatchet will take a lot of abuse from a hefty hammer. I fell into a deal with a property owner to cut a lot of wood a mile from the house. A lot of hickory, some walnut, ash, a little hard maple. He wants the wood gone so I'm taking some basswood, cottonwood and box elder too. I keep that separate to burn first, keeping the good stuff for later and next year.
I've only watched a couple of his videos, him and his ilk just drive me nuts because it seems like they have to put out a how to video, before they even know "how to" do it themselves😂
Quote from: barbender on October 13, 2021, 10:49:20 PM
I've only watched a couple of his videos, him and his ilk just drive me nuts because it seems like they have to put out a how to video, before they even know "how to" do it themselves
Learn on the job, or the moment. He clearly stated many times though, his videos will show the fails right along with the successes. 'Professional home owner'. What a hoot. Good thing someone actually goes to work over there to support his hobbies. Look out though, one day there comes a day of redemption and it won't be from the Lord, but a higher power. :D
Quote from: SwampDonkey on October 14, 2021, 07:47:50 AM.Look out though, one day there comes a day of redemption and it won't be from the Lord, but a higher power. :D
LOL.
google changing the youtube pay tiers will be just like hell for a lot of people.
Quote from: mike_belben on October 14, 2021, 02:47:47 PM
LOL.
google changing the youtube pay tiers will be just like hell for a lot of people.
They've already did that to a lot of youtubers. They'll probably squeeze a little more if they thought they could make'm work even harder for their pay. Sounds like the pulp industry to me. :D
Quote from: SwampDonkey on October 14, 2021, 03:39:11 PM
Quote from: mike_belben on October 14, 2021, 02:47:47 PM
LOL.
google changing the youtube pay tiers will be just like hell for a lot of people.
They've already did that to a lot of youtubers. They'll probably squeeze a little more if they thought they could make'm work even harder for their pay. Sounds like the pulp industry to me. :D
Sounds like life in almost every aspect, people/entity's trying to parasite off you
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Just a bit of cutting. As we only go through a cord or so a year (pleasure purposes, not heat), this will be for a year or two from now. A mix of maple, ash and osage, mostly. Now to the splitter...
Been whittling away at this project a while. Wish it was done two months ago. 13 1/2 totes full, a good pile to fill the face cord racks. This is the set up, lift the big rounds with the skid steer, green ash and hackberry mostly with a little dead elm, oak and a silver maple mixed in. Use the tractor to scoop up the cut offs to be split.
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jeez doc you wood burners better hurry up and plant some trees before you run out!
Worked up a little EAB decimated Ash on a nice fall day. The young poplar was growing between the forks of the Ash. It will go to the shavings mill.
A little extra handling to block it in the woods but the dead Ash is light and the saw appreciates clean wood.
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Mine's all 100% blocked and split near trails to be picked up. :)
Had a Doug Fir to close the the barn for comfort taken down. Should season well and ready to split up next year.
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Plenty of wood! Burn these brush piles soon and finally have a field
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Good helper at the pile today
Hang on tight, he'll be taller than that pile before it seasons!
The wood pile grows each day. :D
There's 4-1/2 cord in the basement and 6 cords under the porch including that pile not framed in. The pile not framed was cut early summer and not covered so a little moldy on the ends, I'm going to burn that first because the other wood isn't moldy and will keep. The other wood is seasoned a full year to and will ignite like cedar. I never use kindling, just newsprint. Plus, over 3 cord in the loose heap. The heap is next year's wood. But I'll never burn that other 10-1/2 cords unless it is an 18 month winter. Never know. I'll probably add another 3 or 4 cord. Once I get going on firewood, no stopping 'til snow. :D I fell, buck and split on site. Love cut'n firewood. 8)
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Nice looking wood there swampdonkey.
No pictures of my wood. My FIL says I can't burn what I burn. ::) As I tell him, go in the house and prove me wrong. :D
I filled up the OWB last night with some "wood" Was around 45°, but was only half full this morning. Which was no surprise. Some well seasoned wood, :D about 6-8 inches across that was on the ground. Can't really go over something that size with the tractor. I use to just push it out of the way. But after pushing it 3-4 times out of the "way" that gets old.
SD,looks like you'll be plenty warm this winter. Like you, I love to cut firewood too. That is why I decided to sell it.
Quote from: thecfarm on October 27, 2021, 06:47:54 AM
My FIL says I can't burn what I burn. ::)
No sense is wasting wood. ;) Today I cut down a 40 foot tall alder clump and cut a bunch of firewood sticks off the buts. ;D I knew an old Hungarian immigrant who used to burn a lot of alders in the stove. 8)
I punched a trail into another corner to thin some more ground for firewood and have added to my post pile for the garden fencing and trail corduroy work. I don't waste noth'n . Makes no sense to go out of the way to cut posts, when I'm making all kinds off trail cut'n. These are black spruce and will hold up quite awhile since the posts are only seasonal and removed every fall. :)
We put all the oversized and ugly logs the processor doesn't want to eat into there own pile. Cut a bunch of 22in rounds many oversized. We got caught up on customer orders, so it was time to quarter them for easier handling to final size. Some will need to be resplit, others not, but 0 backs were sore after the skid steer and BlueDiamond did the heavy lifting
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theses are the uglys.
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small pile of leftovers from last time
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forgot to take pics of the during process...I was a bit busy
I cut an ash down a few days ago...finished it up this morning.
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I'll be out after hickory this afternoon.
youre one hard workin ol man there cutter. God bless ya, puttin generations to shame.
I've HAND split exactly 1 Ash, but BOY, that thing split beautifully, and easier than the Red Oak that I commonly encounter. I "almost" wish that I could come to where you guys are that are lucky enough to have that wood for firewood. And I didn't use a maul, just a 4lb axe. But compared to anything else (for me), it's a dream come true to split 👍
Cut a 15 yr old birch tree down at the house the other day. Took all of 15 mins to convert it into splits.
A little before and after.
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That balsams growing up pretty good in front of your house Jim, looks like I could use a little thinning !
I'll have quite bunch of split firewood hauled in by the end of the week. I'm sure that loose pile will be double. 8)
Quote from: HemlockKing on November 04, 2021, 04:29:22 AM
That balsams growing up pretty good in front of your house Jim, looks like I could use a little thinning !
Balsam cut out 2 winters ago. Just hardwood standing now.
Jim, that's a beautiful location your house is sitting on. It must be nice to look over the lake while sipping your morning coffee or in the evening with a beer or glass of wine. But then, if you sell firewood you have no time for that.
GET BACK TO WORK!!! :D
Working on next year's wood for someone else, their wood/equipment/site, my labor. got snowed on most of yesterday. Slimy mess, thankful for pulp hook
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Quote from: jimbarry on November 04, 2021, 05:55:38 AM
Quote from: HemlockKing on November 04, 2021, 04:29:22 AM
That balsams growing up pretty good in front of your house Jim, looks like I could use a little thinning !
Balsam cut out 2 winters ago. Just hardwood standing now.
Don't worry, it'll be back like dog hair ;D . Stuff is everywhere down here.
Cutting some small stuff on the edge of a field...cherry, maple and ash.
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I took half of it home...
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and left the other half for tomorrow.
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The ground has been wet in the woods but we have had four days of sun and no rain. Maybe I'll try to get in there tomorrow or Sunday.
Up here, white ash seems to be quite tolerant of shade when it begins to grow from seed. I get thousands after I thin a patch of woods for firewood as well. Most of the firewood has very little ash in the mix. When I start thinning a patch, next to no undergrowth except a few ash around. No bushes much.
Quote from: SwampDonkey on November 05, 2021, 05:19:57 PM
Up here, white ash seems to be quite tolerant of shade when it begins to grow from seed. I get thousands after I thin a patch of woods for firewood as well. Most of the firewood has very little ash in the mix. When I start thinning a patch, next to no undergrowth except a few ash around. No bushes much.
Do you get much cedar growth?
I do get cedar where there is a seed source.
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Where I am cutting firewood right now there is no seed source, it's old grown up field with spruce plantation. The land has been in the family probably 150 years because grandmother's (dad's mom) had uncles and a cousin who lived up there. There were 3 abandoned houses around there. But those uncles in the time of the Klondike gold rush had a bunch of wood cut and couldn't move it, so they went out on the gold rush for a stint. That gave the place it's name 'The Klondike' ever since then. It's part of Royalton. You won't see 'Klondike' on the maps, that is a local name that everyone around these parts knows.
Love the look of cedar, never see any around shelburne county or all of south shore for that matter.
What I've been up to. ;)
https://youtu.be/3wK25h-fGCs (https://youtu.be/3wK25h-fGCs)
Quote from: SwampDonkey on November 07, 2021, 05:38:52 PM
What I've been up to. ;)
https://youtu.be/3wK25h-fGCs (https://youtu.be/3wK25h-fGCs)
Nice to see what you got going on. You have done a lot of work there and look forward to seeing how it fills in within a few years time
Due to a vehicle/power pole accident last night we had no power this morning sooooo.....
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Some of my firewood went up in smoke this morning. Of course there was no electricity for the fan so I just left the doors open and we enjoyed the flicker. fire_smiley This was our coldest morning so far @ 41°.
Yep, 41F is a little cold to sit around in unless you wear lots of furs. Fire is a nice alternative, with the benefit of light. ;D
Well, I better start hauling in the rest of the firewood for next year. She's all cut, bucked and waiting. ;D
So thats what a NB woodlot looks like. That acre or two got quite the haircut.
Had a lot of poplar growing up in what was once field
here 30 yrs back. Kept us warm many a winter, splits easy too.
Like you we burn anything, lots of pasture Pine culls in recent years.
Great job on the video !
Yeah, it's hard to see all the hardwoods in it because they are small diameter, but as tall as the spruce. So I figured it is running ~ 800 to the acre (2000/hectare). I spaced it to 1000 to the acre in 2005. A lot of the hardwood grew in after, too tall now for deer/moose food.
Got another day to get the wood all in. I worked from 7:30 until almost 5:00 tonight. The wood pile groweth. ;D
You splitting that poplar with a mall ?
Have always enjoyed watching what a little woodlot management can produce .
Way better than leaving it to its own devices.
Well, there's 7-1/2 cord in the loose pile now for next winter. 8)
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Let the burning begin. ;D
https://youtu.be/YiV7XpYNkps (https://youtu.be/YiV7XpYNkps)
So this is my little operation. In our area we dont need a ton of wood but Mary is always cold so the fire keeps her away from the thermostat and out of my wallet!! :D We also enjoy the heat and I dont mind the workout. Cleans up around the mill with slabs and culled logs. Its a win win for us both. Brian (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/24074/20200704_122614.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1636565013)
running the old school buzz saw for the day.
buzz sawing - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQRL_uSSW7o)
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couple of pics that go along with my sawing video from above
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Cutting some field edge hickory.
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First time I used my new firewood carrier to take the wood back to the barn.
Cutterboy that's a nice looking firewood carrier! I need to get something like that made up.
Thanks sublime68charger. I put that together a few days ago when it was raining. That's the advantage of having a sawmill... lots of lumber available. It's made of red oak. Very heavy.
hey that came out mint CB
That firewood carrier is very nice CB
Thanks Mike. Thanks Bruno. I've brought out four loads with it so far and am vary happy with it. It's going back in the woods today.
Great idea. I've seen the old ND hermit (Mark Bernstein) use it for firewood to on his Belarus, if he ain't got the M37 down in the woods. ;D
Today in the woods...red maple and black birch.
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Happy cutting.....Cutter
Keep on cuttin
Five face cords for us. Neighbor fella is coming in the morning to get started stacking it in the shed while I run another load.
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Looks like the snow is coming in sideways. Hurry up with the stacking. ;D :D
Snow before Thanksgiving is an insult from Mother Nature. It's just raining here so I guess she is not angry with us here. ;D :D It is going to clear up this afternoon then turn cold with a northwest wind. Stoking up the fires!
First snow day of the season for Zander. We didn't get a lot. Enough for the roads to ice over and be treacherous. Supposed to warm up tomorrow thru Thursday before it gets cold again. I've got a water line project that needs to be done. That's on the docket starting tomorrow morning.
Oak isn't popular around here :) Ash works for people who didn't get wood soon enough but a lot of people prefer other wood. Good ash is getting harder to find now. It's been dead too long. Black cherry and soft maple is on the less desirable list as well. Sugar maple and beech is preferred and beech is on the way out now too :( Scale has and is taking a toll.
corley i got 5 or 6 ash out back that had leaves on this summer
Maple, beech (if you can get it sound) and yellow birch is all people want up here to. Beech scale has devastated most beech in my area. No one even wants ash or red maple. And our ash is not dying, yet. Up in the far NW corner of NB that reaches over the top of Maine is the good beech here. Colder winter. I was in a stand of wood a few years ago and someone had taken all the maple out over the years. What was left standing was some pretty pathetic beech, mostly dead and rotten. It's now another 50 acres of potato field added onto another 100 acres beside it. A stark contrast to a 50 acre track up north of here that had huge smooth beech back 20 years ago, again more potato field now.
I wish I was cutting more firewood, but I don't need it for some time. When I see cold hard rain coming down this time of year I am not long switching gears on that. :D Hopefully, I can get some pole pruning done to my high grade fir. Should have that electric pole pruner here in a couple days for a test drive. Happy firewood trails. ;)
Split, stack, repeat. Beautiful day here in southern Arkansas to put up some firewood.
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I'm trying to get my last sales out for the year then need to add to my own stock.
Still sold a lot of firewood even with the mills sales being so busy.
not a pic of firewood today but firewood carrier, the one on the right I have had for 5 years just got the one on the left from ebay this week any body else ever seen these or used them?
Gifford Wood Company New York stamped on them. Its super nice for picking up firewood save you from bending all the way over to pick up wood on the ground.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/40453/20211124_174248.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1637855891)
I use the modern version of those firewood tongs. This is the smaller of two sizes that Husqvarna sells, with an 8" (20cm) max opening. I regularly use it to pick up logs of up to +/-12" diameter. (They also make a tool with 12" max opening, but I find that size inconvenient to carry in the woods, and if I need to pick up a log larger than wht the 8" tongs will handle, I'm usually using some other method to move it.)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16836/Firewood_tongs_small.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613330065)
I use them for loading rounds into the splitter, as well as for dragging and repositioning longer logs when working in the woods. I was constantly setting them down and forgetting where I had left them until I got a holster to carry them in. The holster rides on the belt of my chaps, so I always have it with me. I've found that setting it up for a "cross draw" is most effective (holster rides on my left side with the handle pointing forward. Draw it with the right hand, and it's ready to use.)
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Some early morning cutting before Thanksgiving dinner.
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Cutter
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getting a little faster at cable loading, its awkward. i cant believe the come-along fuse hasnt snapped yet. these are 8'6" to 15' pallet logs. hope to get another bunk built for the tag trailer and haul them in next week, see how targetting midstory removal pays right now.
at 26hp tractor has plenty of HP to climb the hills and does not wheelie, but it will just sit and spin on a hill climb if wet at all. im confident a PTO powered drive axle with lug tires on the trailer could move double the wood no problem. should be able to do 2cord per pass but the crane would need more clearance. a bit longer wheelbase would help too. you can make a living in small wood if you can move 18'6 sawlogs.
helped the neighbor wed with my wolf ridge splitter
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15228/20211124_161718.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1637812025)
Cutterboy's 3 pt box motivated me to rig up one for myself. I used a carryall frame as my tractor is smaller and I wanted to keep the tare weight lower. It holds 1/2 facecord which is a good working load for the little tractor.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25189/image4_28329.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1638058779)
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i make these crates with an air nailer, slabs and some bailing twine across the top so that i dont have to rehandle. put a few in a row and cover with tin
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CB, maple is hot right now, I think that was a #1 before you chunked it up😁
stavebuyer, looks good. I'll bet you'll use that firewood carrier a lot.
barbender, that tree was a red maple and only 12 or 13 inches on the stump. Besides that, I would not know how or who to sell it to. I did consider taking an 8' log back to my sawmill, but decided to just make it firewood and get back to the house before family arrived for Thanksgiving dinner.
Red maple is paying more than hard maple, I heard😁 I know, you can't really get a buyer to come out for one log😊 After spending a month on a job where I was rough grading logs from the seat of the forwarder, when I glanced at your picture part of my brain was saying "put it in the log pile"😊
Quote from: trapper on November 26, 2021, 09:14:46 PM
helped the neighbor wed with my wolf ridge splitter
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15228/20211124_161718.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1637812025)
Good on you sir. Always good to be neighborly.
If it had 10" DIB small end, would make a "saw #2" at the concentration yard here (they will but would prefer not to buy a single small log) - $0.40/bd ft. current price- $16 for a 10ft, before trucking?? You made the right decision :-X
Quote from: barbender on November 28, 2021, 08:50:33 AM
Red maple is paying more than hard maple
WOW!! Red maple has really come up in the world!
Up here red maple isn't much better than pulp price unless you have a curly buyer. How many curl logs you got? Our red maple suffer from moose rubs, so if you haven't many moose you can find some nice ones as long as it isn't second growth stump shoots. ;D Every time I think I have some nice red maple in an area, the moose move in. :/ Ash and sugar maple have tougher tighter bark moose can't harm as easy.
I have a lot of RM stump sprouts turning into small trees. I plan to tap them to death.
I've seen some operations with thick young maples after a clear cut, just lop the top off in spring to collect sap. Probably the ones that look like crap and save the better ones for the crop trees. Just guessing, but that would be how I would do something like that.
Here's an article in Vermont:
Syrup from saplings may substitute for sugarbush production - VTDigger (https://vtdigger.org/2014/01/27/uvm-discovery-boost-maple-syrup-production)
I'll have to say though, that the sugar is produced in the crown, stored in the roots and stem and in various concentrations I would say, since it isn't a perfect system. Low concentration in water pulls higher concentration from cells during stem flow. You can't pull sugar from ground water. Their science on that is a bit flawed in my opinion. ;)
Quote from: SwampDonkey on November 29, 2021, 05:46:04 AM
I've seen some operations with thick young maples after a clear cut, just lop the top off in spring to collect sap. Probably the ones that look like crap and save the better ones for the crop trees. Just guessing, but that would be how I would do something like that.
Here's an article in Vermont:
Syrup from saplings may substitute for sugarbush production - VTDigger (https://vtdigger.org/2014/01/27/uvm-discovery-boost-maple-syrup-production)
I'll have to say though, that the sugar is produced in the crown, stored in the roots and stem and in various concentrations I would say, since it isn't a perfect system. Low concentration in water pulls higher concentration from cells during stem flow. You can't pull sugar from ground water. Their science on that is a bit flawed in my opinion. ;)
I don't think it worked out.
I have read a follow up article and it had pictures of a farm that tried it.
They didn't make anymore plots .
I suspect you are right when I read their 'science' behind it. ;) Besides being very intensive work tapping all them stems.
this is what I pulled into the wood lot area this weekend will get saw down to what ever size I can fit threw the door on the boiler.
Not the best stuff but it'll make some Heat I hope.
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Does your tag axle have steer spindles? Ive come close to grafting a deere 140 front half on back of my quad to fetch tie logs out to the cable jammer.
Quote from: mike_belben on November 29, 2021, 06:23:22 PM
Does your tag axle have steer spindles? Ive come close to grafting a deere 140 front half on back of my quad to fetch tie logs out to the cable jammer.
It does not its 3 point mouted and for getting backed up to the log I can raise they wheels up for better fine tune steering.
going foward it turns a little bit wider than just the ATV but not bad. It works pretty decent for what it is. I like that I can get the front of the log up off the ground and not drag so much dirt into the bark and such. I also have a block cutting deck that the ATV drives up on and has 2 3x5 stringers with 2x4 across and a 1/2 cutting slot every 16"
Link to the Arch build is here.
The start of my atv logging arch | The Garage Journal (https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-start-of-my-atv-logging-arch.294895/)
also a follow up is my block cutting deck
ATV Firewood cutting Deck | The Garage Journal (https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/atv-firewood-cutting-deck.355853/)
Arch is on a 3 point setup on the ATV on/off in 10 min as I have other 3point stuff that I use the ATV for as well.
I looked at alot of Small Log Arch's for ATV's and most are tow behing units and the ATV dosn't backup things in the woods worth a Darn just dosn't turn short enough and most time's your on a hillside and the Arch will just walk its self downhill and just a pain. My Arch follows tight to the ATV and keeps the ATV nimble getting around trees and such. I have done the trick of ATV tied off to a Tree on the front end. Snatch pulley tied to another Tree base as the rope makes a 90 turn to get up/down to the log. Pull log up to the snatch pulley and then remove the snatch and pull the rest of way to ATV tie up the chocker chain to the top pull hook Hop on the Atv and away you go.
Winch has a rope which in nice to work with Vs cable. Have snapped the end of the rope 3x times now as it takes alot of abuse. I have a small choker chain that goes around log and rope winch pulls the chain to the arch then chain gets hooked on high point so as when I'm skidding the log and if it snags I done shock loaded on the winch. Dont know if it helps or not but so far the winch has help up without any problems.
What I like about the 3 point setup is I can set it to float for skidding logs and then when backing up to get a log can lift it off the ground to make ATV steer backwards better. Also can lock it and put down force on other attachments if I want. Have a rear blade, 1 bottom plow, single row disc, cultivator, load lifter pallet forks, Lawn Aerator. I also have a John Deere 140 garden tractor with 3 point on the back which has been super handy to have.
Thats funny i have a pretty built 140 and a quad that thinks its a tractor too!
Quote from: mike_belben on November 30, 2021, 12:14:17 AM
Thats funny i have a pretty built 140 and a quad that thinks its a tractor too!
are you on weekend freedom machines message board at all?
for classic John Deere Garden Tractor information its a pretty nice board.
What is all on your built 140?
and yep My ATV thinks its a tractor some times as well. People say use a tractor but the Quad goes places I would not want to try with a tractor and if I get the ATV stuck I can winch it out on its own most time's. Plust it faster on the empty haul to get where I want to. My Woodland cutting area is 1/2 mile away and the ATV is Fast on the trip there and if I happen to take a quick trail ride around instead of cutting wood that is all the better for my mental health some days as well! Wait the trail ride is just a scouting trip looking for wood to cut!
I've been able to pull any of my logs out of the woods with my home made log arch trailer and a 314 John Deere Garden tractor. My biggest to date was a 28" - 13 ft. White Pine. With chains and wheel weights, it's an animal and fits easily through the trees.
Think i lurked on WFM. I bet MTF has a bunch of pictures of my machine. I will post some here tonight.
Quad is really fast for fetching small wood. I have a little forestry trailer behind the tractor and it takes longer to redo the manual stabilizers and move the tractor than to just fetch to it with the quad. Pallet wood up to 15ft is no problem.
I have an articulated trencher/ micro skidder project collecting parts for this purpose. Should land around 3,000lbs in an ATV footprint and hopefully grapple a 28" by 16' sawlog. Probably 4 cylinder gas.
Used my tractor and winch to salvage a few borer killed Ash from a tough access spot at the base of a bluff and across the creek. The winch made it a simple task. I took some pictures of the keyhole sliders and choker chains for those more familiar with cable chokers. Chains are the way to go when using a tractor.
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This is my D-handle rig for getting the chain under the log in a tight spot.
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Lastly cleaning the tops out of the creek.
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this is about the biggest log i will let the boy pull, there is a chunk of demo ballast in the basket and thats what it really takes for a quad to skid. thats about a 10" x 13' oak pallet log.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43722/1638249349815.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1638388483)
with me driving on flat ground i will pull 15 footers up to about 13 inches but eventually some tube will snap so we try to go easy. stuff like this i will skid at a joggers pace and back up for the next one at about 10mph. the quad makes a lot of trips but it makes them fast and cheap on fuel and if someone comes to the gate or the dogs go off, etc click the shifter and im doing 25 back to the house. if i could get this type of footprint and performance with a cage, a grapple and be able to handle 18inch 20 footers without getting out, it would be easy money.
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fits enough stuff to keep the other machines running a day at a time to limit theft.
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this is the trencher. that frame is solid 2x4 steel barstock, not tube. bobcat barely lifts it. dana 30 rears with 4.88 or 5.13 spools, gear tcase, variable displacement pump and drive motor. flail mower behind it will go on this too. maybe sideways seat, maybe a swivel john boat seat and ambidextrous 4 way travel control stick. its fully hydrostatic with fast and crawl range in the drive motor. single speed case. might get duals or double wide offset 36s for sidehills if its not stable enough. dunno.
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lemme find the deere pics ...
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this was how i would grub and root out then smooth regen and briar thickets when the deere was the only machine i had. its a 10way universal attachment.. up/down, tilt, angle, curl and grapple. so these mean corners can kinda roll around and severe or grub sapplings. you push them over forward a few times, row the blade at them with the valve while stationary or hook it with the spur and on the back and reverse.. itll pull it out backwards or snap it off.
i had also built a hydraulic tweezer that would grab and pull out a poison ivy vine or rose bush or whatever. it could shear up to 1.5" plants and also pull fence posts pretty well. that and the clamshell bucket i will have to take pictures of.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43722/20150715_140255.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1519597764)
the chains wouldnt clear fender on the 26s. theyre only good in frozen ground. in dirt the lug tires are better. very lumpy. but the chains will fit about any size tire from 16 to 40 inch. theyre on skid steer tires now.
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@mike_belben (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=33722) you are a heck of a designer and fabricator.
thanks man.
a welder is all that kept me out of prison, i am certain of it. i dont make any money, but im content to tinker and enjoy being a free man. its been a good life so far, praise the lord.
Quote from: NE Woodburner on December 02, 2021, 10:45:38 AM
@mike_belben (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=33722) you are a heck of a designer and fabricator.
Agreed! you built that little Deere into a beast.
Yes I must say that little Deere is impressive. No horsepower was wasted there lol
Quote from: mike_belben on December 02, 2021, 10:53:36 AMa welder is all that kept me out of prison, i am certain of it. i dont make any money, but im content to tinker and enjoy being a free man. its been a good life so far, praise the lord.
I am no where near your level, but I learned how to weld in a factory job while putting myself through college many years ago. I have a decent 220v mig welder and a stick welder in my barn/shop. I have to admit I am not as good with the stick as the mig.
There is a satisfaction with creating something with your hands from a plan or vision in your mind that is peaceful and satisfying. I really enjoy fabrication projects and taught my son a little before he went off to college and USMC.
I learned stick welding first, that made it real easy to make the move over to mig/flux core. Usually it's the other way around and then when someone goes to learn stick they have trouble, but if ya wanna make it out of the shop onto what we called "the road", you'd need to know stick, or else you were a lifer in the dark, Smokey, dusty shop with the grouch foreman.
Mike Belben,
Thanks for all the pics, I found your thread over on the MTF site and so far only up to page 2 on that but that's alot of work you did to the 140 and alot of work you have done with that as well!
Quote from: HemlockKing on December 02, 2021, 11:55:46 AMNo horsepower was wasted there lol
Thats always the goal. If you use the logs as ballast to load the drives so heavy they cant spin, on a tire so wide it cant sink, and then get enough weight up front not to wheelie .. Youll find the load moves. Its either a rut, a spin or a wheelie that stops a machine. Eliminate those 3 and the load will move. Sled pulling is a fun way to find out. There were guys with machines that destroyed mine.. But they weighed about 3k to my 1700 or so. 16 horses can pull a semi worth of logs if you take a look at old sleigh pics!
Mig vs stick is all in the electrode angles. Most people push a mig forward with a forward rake angle like youd chisel wood. You gotta pull a stick puddle for the shielding gas to protect the weld.
Electrode stickout is huge in a mig as is electrode gap in a stick.
Weldingtipsandtricks is an excellent youtube channel. Ive been welding almost 32 years. Still plenty capable of hot boogers so dont beat yourself up.
I learned to gas weld first, then arc, then after that mig. I think that was a useful progression, with gas welding you have to control 2 things at once- your heat and filler and while a little tricky once you get the hang of it, it makes it a lot easier to control other processes. I like gas welding, though I haven't did any in years. Nice and quiet with no arc flashes and electric buzz.
Brushed the flu and stove this morning, maybe a cereal bowl of soot. One of them monthly chores in winter, beats mowing grass. ;D
The newbe's here buying their firewood on line, price: $300 a cord, dumped, and they are mad as they want it stacked and the area cleaned up in the spring.
lazy people deserve to have their money taken. nobody owes you nothin snowflake.
Quote from: moodnacreek on December 04, 2021, 08:42:30 AM
The newbe's here buying their firewood on line, price: $300 a cord, dumped, and they are mad as they want it stacked and the area cleaned up in the spring.
OK, I could see looking for stacked: some firewood sellers do offer that service... for a price. Next time they'll know to ask first.
But "the area cleaned up in the spring"?! Who the heck does that? I've never even heard of someone asking that. What's next? Order something from Amazon, and expect them to come by come by and pick up the boxes and packing material after you open it?
last night i got deeper into the deere pump that i broke by getting it and an overloaded trailer it was hooked to, unstuck with dozer while forgetting to depressed the cartridge relief valves so it could roll. the tongue weight refused to let the tires skid so the diff force snapped teeth off the hydrostatic output and the pinion bull gear.
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the variable displacement guts were in great shape despite all my relentless abuse. it is an exceptional hydrostatic trans, like a tiny version of what youd find in a $100k+ machine. people scrap these old gems all the time. mine was flipped off a tailgate upside down. i gave $200 and mowed with it that day by jumping out a neutral safety switch and changing the gas. there is an incredible expense to being stupid. youd pay $10k for a machine that doesnt match this thing today.
the shaft is very hard but im gonna try grinding and turning it down and drilling a roll pin hole for a sprocket hub or lovejoy. that lovejoy on the back is how i drove a piggy back hydraulic pump that saw 4000psi a few times before i added a total system relief valve to limit to 1800 or so which was perfect. that unlimited pressure period was how it picked up the big log in the grapple and twisted the cylinder mount. had to replace that with round tube to resist the torsion. amazing the steer spindles or axle beam never snapped off. the piggy back pump used the sump and fluid of the transaxle. i had the charge pump of this unit feeding into the piggy back pump and flowing through a pair of series H3 open center valves then back to the charge pump return port. just had to remove the pressure valve so it would stop blowing out the shaft seal on the piggy back pump. 10gpm is way too large and jerky. 3gpm @1800-2000 is right for a 16hp to run like a factory built piece of equipment.. no governor lugging, no jerky motions.
Quote from: mike_belben on December 04, 2021, 09:34:24 AM
lazy people deserve to have their money taken. nobody owes you nothin snowflake.
I wanted to "like" this more than once, but the button don't work like that! :D
Quote from: moodnacreek on December 04, 2021, 08:42:30 AM
The newbe's here buying their firewood on line, price: $300 a cord, dumped, and they are mad as they want it stacked and the area cleaned up in the spring.
I was asked about stacking by 3 new customers this year. I told them I don't like stacking my own wood, never mind there's! I told them that I would stack, same price. They said, "really?". Yup, your cord of green wood is $250, for another $250, I'll stack it. I got -0- stacking jobs this year ;D I really don't like stacking
For an elderly person i will stack. Ive carried entire ricks in my arms thru a back yard into a shed for a wheelchair bound guy. Day after i fractured my forearm i brought half a rick down a huge hill to a bonfire pit for another old man. But if youre younger then me im likely to spout off at the mouth on a stacking request.
Pay my hourly rate and I will do the dishes after stacking the wood 8)
Quote from: mike_belben on December 04, 2021, 06:28:25 PM
For an elderly person i will stack. Ive carried entire ricks in my arms thru a back yard into a shed for a wheelchair bound guy. Day after i fractured my forearm i brought half a rick down a huge hill to a bonfire pit for another old man. But if youre younger then me im likely to spout off at the mouth on a stacking request.
Us to but only in that situation . Also have done a few last deliveries in cold weather, ice and snow, knowing I would never see that old boy again. [ no charge either for these sad ones, it's called 'paying it forward'.]
Quote from: mudfarmer on December 05, 2021, 08:53:13 AM
Pay my hourly rate and I will do the dishes after stacking the wood 8)
If i got paid minimum wage for every hour of dishes and laundry boy id have a nice skid steer.
We stack for customers off they want $20 per cord. It's a bit of a loss leader but gets some customers. Many people will tip ontop of the $20.
Surprisingly however the majority of customers scoff at the $20 and do it themselves. I don't understand it myself I think they all underestimate the work involved.
Once, I took a 1/2cord of hand split red oak to my buddy and he happily over paid me because it was me. I didn't as for as much as he wanted to give me and I told him what the typical going price was but he insisted on me taking it. I still feel like I do but we are still buds and I can call him right now and he won't think twice about helping me. When I took the wood to his place he realized that his gate was to small for me, so he was happy for me to just throw it over his fence. I don't sell firewood. I only do it for myself, but the planets were in line for us BOTH that day that allowed us both to do what we did. I've even gone to his house and helped him burn it. Good times 👍 Just the way that it should (IMO) be.
BTW, I didn't have to help him stack it anything. He just wanted the wood. OK🤷♂️ Sometimes I don't understand what is going through peoples mind, but my ESP is on the blink quite often :D
I've stacked wood for very few clients in my 16 year firewood career. Most were elderly or otherwise unable to do it themselves. When asked about it now I tell them stacking costs the same as the wood if I do it. If they're close to my hometown I have a guy I recommend who works for less and does a nice job. The time to stack is time taken from getting back to the yard and running another load. During the busy seasons that time is very valuable. There are no worthwhile $$$ for me to make stowing away some else's wood.
Once upon a time I got a call from a local Salvation Army looking for someone to deliver wood to an elderly lady who was down to her last two pieces of wood and about 40 miles away from me. Now normally I would have done such a thing but on that particular day it was 10 degrees and lake effect snow was coming in sideways on 30mph+ winds. The kids were both little, my machines hadn't been started in a couple days, conditions were truly dangerous... I had valid reasons and turned it down :-\.
Today before moving to start a new cone.
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Quote from: sum1 on December 05, 2021, 10:29:49 AMWe stack for customers off they want $20 per cord.
We charge $40 per cord. Did it once this year on a 2 cord drop for some seniors. They were happy to pay.
Quote from: mike_belben on December 05, 2021, 10:11:38 AMboy id have a nice skid steer.
And
that's how I got my skidsteer :)
I must be the odd one here, I don't mind stacking at all.
mike belben,
I just got threw your thread on the 140 on the MTF board and wow you did alot of work on that old 140 and its pretty impressive.
due you have a link to your youtube video's at all? all the links to youtube in that thread no longer work and would love to see some of the 140 in action.
got my wood shed filled up for the winter this past weekend. Just got to drop the front door and tie it down so its not blowing in the wind. The zippers for it are shot but it does help keep the snow out of blowing into the shed some what.
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i dont think i do anymore. ive been sitting here a minute trying to remember how that all went. i expected to move all my equipment down south and get a building up then start a manufacturing company. so id build something and share it and it didnt bother me when someone else would make themselves one, but it really burned me when some turd would clone it and start selling as their own so i kinda just quit over there. let them figure their own junk out if im not gonna get anything out of it.
i dont even know what thread youre looking at. got a link?
my side access door to the shed as well. Light points toward the boiler which is a big help at night. The strips at the bottom have small wood blocks to give them some weight to keep for blowing around all the time and I'm kinda suprised that they made it over a year without ripping off.
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Quote from: mike_belben on December 06, 2021, 09:49:01 AM
i dont think i do anymore. ive been sitting here a minute trying to remember how that all went. i expected to move all my equipment down south and get a building up then start a manufacturing company. so id build something and share it and it didnt bother me when someone else would make themselves one, but it really burned me when some turd would clone it and start selling as their own so i kinda just quit over there. let them figure their own junk out if im not gonna get anything out of it.
i dont even know what thread youre looking at. got a link?
from this thread.
My 140 | My Tractor Forum (https://www.mytractorforum.com/threads/my-140.825306/#post-7824458)
and I get with your fabicration skills you don't want somebody to take what you have made and designed and then try and market it as there own. I just wanted to watch some of what you had posted videos of. or if you have a youtube channel can you just PM me a link to it?
thanks
since i cant produce iron in house and the supply chain trainwreck is overpriced and under reliable im not gonna go into any kind of manufacturing anymore other than my own one off stuff til i die. im happy to share the stuff i just dont think i have vids anymore. i played around with a monetizing attempt on youtube earlier this year and see it as a waste of my time so just let that trail off. certifiedhoarder is my stage name.. its just a bunch of random junk to feel out what might take off.
a redneck toyota yaris heater fix is my most views. bah. i have better things to do than pander to idiots with broken heaters. i much prefer you fine folks here with broken skitters and splitters! ;D
oh yeah.. bucket of photos went from free to a million dollars a year and i lost thousands of images. i guess MTF cached them somehow.
finally getting some of MY wood put up! This will be for late next winter, or maybe the winter after, depends on how this one goes
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The pile to the left has been pre split with the skid steer mounted splitter. We then do the final split and heap it till I got time to do the dreaded stacking
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probably 1/4 of the pieces didn't need to be resplit. It helps that I burn 22in pieces and like some "all nighters"
Mike thanks for the youtube name Ill check out your videos.
I've been cutting wood the last few days. Most in the woods and some on the edge of a corn field. Here are a few pictures just for the fun of it.
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Happy cutting.....Cutter
My overflow wood pile is under the porch. And for some reason the wind keeps the snow away from the north end of the house. It blows out across the drain field and out the lower drive way. Most of the snow in the drive way is on the shoulders. And the snow does not pile up in front of the garage door that much either, it faces north. I've seen the day here, that the wind would block you in and not work with you. Because of the way everything sits on the lot now, that has all changed in my favor. What little snow I get under the porch entry I sweep off with a broom. The front doorsteps area and ground usually blows down to bare gravel from wind or just 2-4" snow at most. 8) She's all bare down to grass again here.
Back in the woods. This afternoon I went after a pretty good sized black birch that would not make good lumber but will make good firewood.
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These rounds were so heavy that I decided to only fill the box about 3/4 full. Black birch is as dense as red oak. I forgot to take a picture of my load in the woods but remembered half way home driving through a corn field.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC05566.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1639182768)
The stack of rounds is getting bigger. It's about time to get the splitter going to split this wood and stack it in the barn for next winter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC05569.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1639183024)
There is still a lot of wood on the ground in the woods but tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and windy and warm so I'll have to wait to get it. Inside work tomorrow.
Happy cutting.....Cutter
Looking at your pics makes me wanna go cut firewood, Cutterboy. Problem is that kind of thing is on my list of things I'm not supposed to do right now. Hopefully soon, but until then I'll just have to get my kicks watching this thread.
Thanks for posting!
btulloh, I hope the condition or situation that is holding you back improves quickly so you can do all you want to. I wish you well.
Thanks. I'll be back in the saddle before too long I hope. Gettin' there, but slower than I'd like.
Used my John Deere 140 today to pull in a tree top.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/40453/140_and_log~1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1639271229)
Sublime68charger- That's a neat looking little JD, but the 78/79 Ford in the background caught my eye. I have a fondness for that era of F series. The only new vehicle I have ever bought was a 79 f-150. I ran it til it rusted away in 1988. Poor quality steel in those days and New England salt was a bad combination. I have a 79 F-350 dump I bought 20 years ago to haul firewood that I only run in months where the roads are free of salt. Not the same as the old f-150 but makes a good reminder of my "good old days". I painted the midline stripe on my pickup back then. Gave it the unique look. Thanks for the memories and for posting the pic's. GF
Im convinced those old hydrostatic deeres from 140 thru 400ish model i think with the sunstrand 15/70U are not capable of breaking themselves from overloading with the stock engines. You could bolt the axles to an alignment rack, chain it down and max it out. The relief valves would protect the axle shafts and gears. As you know they make max wheel torque at minimum swash plate angle like any hydrostatic transmission.
The more weight you pile on front and more weight you can raise up to load the drives, the more that thing will keep pulling until a relief valve opens or tire spins or it wheelies. Its a dana truck rear with a gusseted housing so that wont bend either. An incredible machine.
consumers are idiots to be throwing those out for the fisher price throwaway rubbish they sell today. Nothing today compares to 1970s garden tractors in terms of robustness and repairability.
Ps- never forget to push in the tow valves if you have to tug it out. I broke my rearend tugging it with a half cord of wood in the trailer with the dozer and forgetting the valves. I lifted the back of the trailer and all the weight was on the tongue so the deeres drive tires couldnt skid and it snapped the bull gear teeth off.
Quote from: Gere Flewelling on December 13, 2021, 06:18:25 AM
Sublime68charger- That's a neat looking little JD, but the 78/79 Ford in the background caught my eye. I have a fondness for that era of F series. The only new vehicle I have ever bought was a 79 f-150. I ran it til it rusted away in 1988. Poor quality steel in those days and New England salt was a bad combination. I have a 79 F-350 dump I bought 20 years ago to haul firewood that I only run in months where the roads are free of salt. Not the same as the old f-150 but makes a good reminder of my "good old days". I painted the midline stripe on my pickup back then. Gave it the unique look. Thanks for the memories and for posting the pic's. GF
back ground on the old 78 Ford. 72,000 orginal miles rusty but trusty. I'm the 3rd owner bought from my Grandpa who got the truck in 1983 with 23,000 miles on it. 351M motor with auto transmission. Every time I drive the truck I get to think of all the great trips that I got to take with my grandparents in the truck. I have grand visions of some day getting a rust free box to put on it and a new coat of paint. The topper is ugly on it but keeps stuff in the box nice and dry so for now the topper stay's on.
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Mike Belben, yep those 140 are tough little tractors.
and I know about the freewheeling releif on these. I have 3 1/2 140's at the moment.
the 69 with the rear 3 point. I have a 74 140 H1 with a tiller on the back.
in my work shop is a 69 140 H1 that is not running at the moment hoping Points/Coil/Condensor
maybe a new carb and get it running.
also up on blocks is a 74 140 H3 frame and H3 stuff, missing motor and the hydro unit has a whole in the side of it. long term project I and thinking from Jim's tractor repair get a replacment engine and would like to put in a rear end from a John Deere 420 so I could have a 2 speed and locking Diff. Or take all the H3 stuff off and put in on my other 74 140.
the darn 140 are addictive I started with just the 2 of them that came from a unlce of mine who had a collection of about 40 different gardent tractors that got auctioned off. He only had the 2 140's on the auction and I was able to get both of them the 69 ran and had a mower deck and homemade sleeve hitch on the back for $450 and the 74 140 non running for $250 pic of my 140s with a 214 that I had been using but sold since I got the 140's
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you can make an H4 by adding your H3 valve downstream of the H1 valve. you just cant pull a handle on each valve simultaneously. mine is an H6.. a pair of 3 stacks in series with a total system relief and a separate high pressure pump.
if you wanna sell the broken hydro output shaft and the bull gear it meshes with let me know
Quote from: mike_belben on December 13, 2021, 03:24:42 PM
you can make an H4 by adding your H3 valve downstream of the H1 valve. you just cant pull a handle on each valve simultaneously. mine is an H6.. a pair of 3 stacks in series with a total system relief and a separate high pressure pump.
if you wanna sell the broken hydro output shaft and the bull gear it meshes with let me know
The 140 I have in parts is a later model Hydro unit. Yours is a 69 correct with the disc brakes or the later model with the drum brakes? The 140's rear end change in 1971 with a more robust rear end that had drum brakes. The bad one I have is a later style one I'll get a pic and send to you but if what I have will work I can get it sent your way.
Only if you want to part with it, dont let me pressure you as i dont really neeeed more projects. Itd be to repair the one i have instead of rob a rear from my other one. If i have two good rears maybe will articulate it.
Quote from: mike_belben on December 13, 2021, 11:48:55 PM
Only if you want to part with it, dont let me pressure you as i dont really neeeed more projects. Itd be to repair the one i have instead of rob a rear from my other one. If i have two good rears maybe will articulate it.
Ill take a look at mine and if I can get it apart and get you want you want I can as the housing is broke on mine pretty sure there is a junk missing out of it. I'll be in touch. Im sure you would like your 140 back up and usable as you have made that into quite the workhorse!
and This way I have 1 less thing sitting on the floor in my shop!
Thank you very much, thatd be great. I will try to pull the tin cover on the pinion today and see how to get the bull gear out of the aluminum adapter that connects the hystat to the diff.
This is just a couple logs I snatched today .A basswood and a black cherry 24 footers .Not the best firewood but like all wood it does produce heat .The little Fergie has plenty of power for a little tractor and will drag much larger logs than these if can get the front raised with the three point hitch so it isn't digging into the ground . I just do a few at a time when I get the time and the weather is fit .
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MF 135?
1951 TO 20 with an M and W big bore kit .Painted up by someone else in MF red
I hooked up a lot of logs behind a NAA Ford the same way. My Father would be watching me to make sure I hooked the log the same way he would. He watched me cut down trees with the same watchful eyes. It was better be done the way he would do it. But he knew how to do it, and wanted to make sure I knew how to do it. ;) ;D
For a SxS a nice Log arch is good to have to. I plan on getting one for skidding short hauls to a portable mill. I've got 1000's of nice fir logs still growing, while I gather the cash. :D
CLEANING UP SOME TOPS. I find it fun to cut down the trees and buck up the main stem. However, cutting the tops and all the branches isn't so much fun but it needs to be done. There were some tops down in the woods and some saplings so yesterday I decided to clean them all up.
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This work was done in the morning but the afternoon got warm and the ground got soft so I decided to split and stack in the barn the wood I brought back.
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It's raining this morning and warm and will be warm tomorrow and then snow so I'm out of the woods for a while. There is plenty of wood in the barnyard that needs to be split and stacked so that will be my activity for at least a few days.
Happy cutting.....Cutter
i prefer to manage tops with a tophandle saw so as to have a free hand grabbing stuff but i dont know that i will have the wrist strength for that into my senior years.
I have a handy dandy little 024 Stihl for those tops .With tops etc. they usually don't need split unless it's a big fat 200 year old oak .Those require a little bit larger saw . A little light weight under 3 cube saw on a 16-20" limb takes some time .
Quote from: mike_belben on December 16, 2021, 08:53:27 AM
i prefer to manage tops with a tophandle saw so as to have a free hand grabbing stuff but i dont know that i will have the wrist strength for that into my senior years.
That's a good idea for myself, constantly annoyed with setting down a saw to move brush, pick it back up to make a tiny cut, set down etc
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My firewood stack still looks like it did back when I stacked it on October 11th. 75° today.
I probably have burned around what you have stacked. I keep my stacks "topped" so that is a rough guess.
I find "firewooding" to be my favorite chore, always enjoy it.
Mowing, string trimming, and picking beans all seem like work LOL
Kinda chilly here today e/w 39°, so I built a flicker. Our Christmas Eve forecast is clear 76° and 73° for Christmas Day.
Soooo, the firewood stack remains virtually unchanged. :snowball:
Kid stacked surplus blend in pile for the wood boiler.
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Don't need no high priced pine pitch for axe handles. Just split some balsam, and handle the wood, and you have free Canada balsam, with a non slip finish. A work'n man's axe. :D
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Yesterday, raining I figured out why the spark stopped on my splitter and why all the hydraulic oil leaked out .When I built that thing in my haste I neglected to install a hose clamp on the suction hose --oops . The spark was a grounded out kill switch,oops again .
5 gallons of oil at TSC and back in business .Split about a half a face cord and it rained again which turned to snow .Maybe tomorrow or the next day or the next .
Trying something new. I've been running Oregon bars and chains for years. At times the quality hasn't been as good as it should have been. The steel was soft. They wore too fast and didn't hold an edge although the last couple batches have been really good. Our local Oregon dealer isn't anymore. I'll see how well GB bars and Orbit chain holds up. The bar was a bit more expensive and the chains are 8 bucks a piece cheaper from harvesterbars.com The bars have a wider body and broader nose. Chain cutters appear shorter. I ran a pickup load off this morning, and they worked well.
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Quote from: Corley5 on December 31, 2021, 12:27:17 PM
Trying something new. I've been running Oregon bars and chains for years. At times the quality hasn't been as good as it should have been. The steel was soft. They wore too fast and didn't hold an edge although the last couple batches have been really good. Our local Oregon dealer isn't anymore. I'll see how well GB bars and Orbit chain holds up. The bar was a bit more expensive and the chains are 8 bucks a piece cheaper from harvesterbars.com The bars have a wider body and broader nose. Chain cutters appear shorter. I ran a pickup load off this morning, and they worked well.
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With that wider bar, do you anticipate any issues where the chains leaves the bar and goes onto the sprocket?
It's fairly close to the same width on the sprocket end. It gets wider from there all the way to tip. I don't expect an issue.
That looks wicked Corley and I hope that it work out well for you.
PatD and I are closing out the year at the Cabin so yesterday I skidded out a couple of Red Oak trees that had fallen across roads.
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Skidding out with the trusty old 1530 John Deere.
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All skidded out.
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What a mess.
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Bucked and ready for the splitter.
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Using this trusty old 028 AV.
Now I've gotta drag the splitter out either this afternoon or tomorrow morning. All of this and it is 84° !!!
49 a little after 3 PM ,sun is out .A good time to slice up three logs with most likely a cord in them all .If it's fit I'll split them tomorrow ,if not I'll wait until it is fit .Actually the last few years it's been so mild I only burned a couple of cords down from 4-41/2 from a normal winter .
After thought for this job which is only 12" logs ,24 footers I'll use a modified Stihl 038 Magnum .That will make short work of them . :)
It didn't really take that long after I did my "honey do list ".I managed to kiss the ground a few times cutting up the black cherry and basswood and it required a file before I did the hard as concrete ash log .
Now the saw ,Stihl 038 mag from near Orlando Florida .Snagged on another forum at around 2 AM in the morning .It was given to "Rocky J " misused and abused by the previous owner. Every AV mount was broken ,the boot was torn and the air filter missing .A little scuff on the intake portion of the piston from no filter .I rescued it and eventually added a can of soup .It's got 195 PSI static compression and requires a D-Handle to start it .It's been a good one extremely powerful for 72 cc's .If it ever gives up the ghost I'll build another exactly like it .
BTW that cant hook is much older than me .(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12054/DSCN10545B15D.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1640987290)
Our harvester operators are always trying different bars. Mainly Oregon,but also the GB and Iggesund. It seems like they all have runs of bad steel and bearings, etc. Pretty much only Oregon chains. I haven't used my processor enough to wear any bars out, chains I get once used harvester chain our guys throw out. Break and spin for my shorter length, run it around the grinder and I have a chain ready to go for next to nothing. I think I have a lifetime supply at my current rate😂
I took delivery of another load of seasoned mixed hardwood today. That's 40 cords of it. It's a mix of sugar maple, soft maple, black cherry, ironwood, and beech that's been stacked on a landing for a year. I could do without the soft maple but as winter progresses and seasoned wood becomes scarcer it won't matter. I was going to go into semi-retirement from firewood for the winter and work on other things and syrup season is fast approaching. Guess I won't. But I'll schedule around arctic outbreaks. With this new wood and what I still had in stock there's enough for close to 200 face cords. I'm watching wood on Craig's List and FB Marketplace and there's still quite a bit available. I'm going to give it a couple weeks or three until the supply tightens up.
I've also taken in 30 of the 120-pulp cord of green wood that I've got ordered for next fall's seasoned wood. While the truck was unloading, I cut up a couple of too crooked for the processor red oak logs with the 2156. They're just right for the OWB. A third one went in the cast-off pile. Not worth the energy for the energy ;) ;D
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Quote from: Magicman on December 31, 2021, 01:21:13 PMNow I've gotta drag the splitter out either this afternoon or tomorrow morning.
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Da splitter came out and I got-r-done. A Grandson stopped by and helped me park it back in the "C" can. I'll load the unsplit/rounds in the trailer in the background and take them home when we leave the Cabin, probably tomorrow.
Looks like a 10 year supply for you, Magic!😊
I think back to when I sold firewood and then look at that mountain of wood Corely has amassed .I didn't sell that much in the entire 8 or 9 years I was at it .Back then it was 40 bucks a pick up load all hand split .I was a lot younger then BTW . :)
Ha, you just do not realize how brutal the cold can be down here. We are still in the 70's today but are forecast to be 26° tomorrow morning....Yikes !!!
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I finished out my trailer load with the rounds that I did not split yesterday. That is about ½ cord which should be enough for next year. ;D
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That plus this is still here waiting to be hauled another time.
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I found this Cherrybark Red Oak (on the left) this morning that is about 28"+ butt. (That is a Sweetgum on the right.) Unless I can get that bridge rebuilt, it would be well over a mile skid so it may become 'worm dirt'. :-X I hate it but sometime it's just the way it is.
This morning I also found a fairly nice Walnut tree that has washed into the creek. At least the butt/stump is on the right side of the creek and it should be recoverable.
Back in the first 70s firewood craze; burger flipping wage was about $2.20/hour and I paid $5600 for my first new 4x4 truck in 1977. If you could pull up beside a tree and load as you blocked and split with axe. $40 was respectable money. Much better than you could do today. Same truck would cost you about 8 times as much and unless you are selling birch bark bundles in NYC nobody is paying $320 for pick up load.
You get into a conversation about chains and then comes different opinions .As for me I think Stihl chains are the best although they are costly .Many of my Stihl chains were salvaged from my friend's bucket truck tool boxes .I have the tie straps presets etc for Stihl ,Oregon ,and others .I have not repaired any for several years though as I have enough done to last me a good while . BTW the chain on my saw in the above picture is now at the place the cutters are right at the point they cut the fastest which is right at the point of the rear rivet .Pulls a nice big chip .Old school, I use a file .
My firewood deal happen to be about the time the small woods in this area fell to the mighty D8 Caterpillars which was a shame .They tried their best to make this part of Ohio into the open plains of Kansas .As such it was easy enough to get the wood from slash piles that I could drive up close to .During that time period as a young journeyman electrician I made about $10 an hour and about the same selling firewood .The later of course was much more work .Although I do admit some of that wood was small enough I didn't need to split it which saved me a lot of time .On a good long day I could do two loads plus deliver it .
Magic, we had about 55° colder than that 26° last night. That can make a pile of wood disappear in a hurry!
Some times situations come up you just don't have enough time to do things as you planned them .This happened to me this past summer and fall and thus my fire wooding took a back seat .Kind of funny ,the insert stove will heat the entire slightly over 2,000 square feet but when you get temps in high 20's at night raising to high 40's day time it takes just as much wood as if it were 10 degrees full time .Day time turn off the blower and choke down the fire but it still takes nearly a face cord a week to keep the fire going .If it were all oak or hickory of course it would go longer but I'll burn anything like basswood which is about the least desirable .
I would agree on wood use in that temperature range, Al. When the mercury gets below -10° there is an exponential increase in wood use. There must be something to an 80° temperature differential that increases heat loss out of a home beyond a steady curve, because when we hit those temps I chuck 2-3x as much wood in the boiler.
I got er home and backed up to the woodshed but,
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I moved wood to the rear of the trailer to prevent what happened last time. :o
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I didn't want this to happen again, again. :D
Is that rig highway legal in MS? :) My grandpa lived in the little town of Benington, Ks, and would sometimes drive his John Deere mower 2 blocks to the diner for dinner. He had polio as a kid and may have had a few sips before dinner. smiley_beertoast
If I understand the specs on the Lopi glass front insert circa mid 80's it's around 55 thousand BTU's The heat lose as much as I can figure out is between 30 and 35 thousand BTU per hour .Being brick and well insulted with double pane Anderson and Geld-Wen windows it's pretty tight .It was originally radiant ceiling heat which is still intact later a 5 ton geothermal which I recently replaced with a 95 percent efficient propane unit rated at 66 thousand BTU's .It's not hard to heat or cool .Most likely the amount of large trees around it have something to do with it .
Barbender its called delta T. The greater the temp difference inside vs outside the faster the energy will transfer through the enclosure to seek equilibrium. The rate of heat loss jumps up and requires a subsequent jump in heating appliance output.
On those arctic nights, instead of a little leaky window there is a draft that will make a tissue dance if you tape it to the top trim dangling down in front of the window. Just short of wind inside the house.
If you dropped the thermostat to 40 it wouldnt need much wood because the delta T gets smaller again.
I'll drop it to 40 and explain to my wife I'm just reducing the Delta T😂
Was nice knowing you :D
Just let her know mike belben said it was the way to save the planet from ghg emissions.
😂😂
Forget sitting around in your underwear. Get the Stanfield's out. :D
Right now, I have a fire on and the windows up. Free air exchanger. :D
Last Oregon chain I just bought this fall is Made in China.
I have so much firewood here, I never worry about burning for burning sake. I could burn half what I do if I wanted to conserve wood. I figure I have burned 2-1/2 cord now in about 4 months. Right now I have windows up. ;D But I like to exchange the air in the house, and often. So, that means wood heat wasted. Trade offs gents. I've saved about $10 grand in firewood costs cutting my own spread over 5 years. Mult that by 3 if it were oil. ;D Only excuses not to is health ,age and laziness. :D
I don't know what it is about women and fans .I have lived with three and everyone of them liked fans blowing on them .I don't but I don't say too much .I've got 7 ceiling fans and it seems like they are all running .That winter of 1967 in Key West must have thinned my blood or something .Perhaps I just found three hot blooded women in my life .What's the odds of that . ???
What no palm fern fans, Al? :D
No just 5 blade whirrly gigs like little upside down helicopters . I think with another half dozen they could lift the roof off .
We broke an all time heat record yesterday @ 85° and we had the air conditioner running.
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It's 39° and steadily dropping today so we have something else running. fire_smiley
I was out today doing some cutting. Only a few inches in the woods, I can go anywheres.
Cut down a couple good size white maple. Not much of a top to them. Did not count the rings, but 60-70 years old would not surprise me.
Hauled out the tops and I am hoping to find some deer sheds in the morning.
The temp has dropped today, crisp 24 right now ,got a dusting of some kind of white stuff .It looks like a front is moving in .I had good intensions today but didn't work on my wood splitting yet . I did however see an eagle flying slowly over the oaks ,up maybe 130 feet looking for a nice fat squirrel or something .It's the only time I've ever heard one squawking in flight .Pop licker was kind of loud about it too .
I think I had the all time record here the other day at 87F. I had the windows open. ;D :D :D
Quote from: Magicman on January 02, 2022, 04:23:59 PM
We broke an all time heat record yesterday @ 85° and we had the air conditioner running.
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It's 39° and steadily dropping today so we have something else running. fire_smiley
Are you certain that you have enough wood on hand for that?
Hopefully. :D It's 32° now and forecast to drop to 28° tonight, but we will be back into the mid 60°'s by Wednesday. We very seldom see more than a couple of days of below freezing before it bounces back.
I'll be sawing tomorrow and I will wear my overalls.
Well it's 16 degrees right now which has kind of driven the fire out of my enthusiasm .
I had an early morning fire here @ 5F when shovelling snow, won't be none the rest of the day until after dark. Solar heat will carry me through. It's only 80F in here, full sunshine. ;D Love the smell of wood smoke when cleaning up the yard. ;)
47° now, ice and snow melting.
Well at least you are getting sunshine.
Had a customer come in today, his solar power fence charger is dead. No sun. :(
That's the problem with wind or solar .It's not like you can store it up in big silos or mason jars or something .If the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow you're up the creek without a paddle .Exactly the reason why prior to the REA act they included a gasoline powered generator on those old "Delco " systems using wind mills . Hmm ,come to think of it some of us still have stand by generators so as to keep the lights on so to speak .Aha --I have two of same . ;D
I've used my generator this week, and all we had was a foggy day. ;D Lights flickered for 2 days after they restored it, not now. Only out for 30 minutes. The trouble along a lot of rural roads is old snags, some are 20" firs or 36" aspen, no line will handle that load. ;D You don't need wind. I was in an old growth hemlock forest out west timber cruising one day. No storm, no wind, one of them 50" hemlocks decided it was coming down. And they are 150' tall. Run away!!!! A lot of rain out there, so the ground is super saturated at times.
Quote from: SwampDonkey on January 04, 2022, 02:58:07 AM
... one of them 50" hemlocks decided it was coming down. And they are 150' tall. Run away!!!! ...
So then, is it true? When a tree falls in the forest, and you were around to hear it, did it make a sound? :)
Jim, I think it goes, "If a man speaks in the forest, and no woman is around to hear it, is he still wrong!" :D
Or it could be:
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We have a storage container full of domestic stuff. Yesterday my wife wanted me to put some stuff in and take some stuff out. Every time something goes wrong in that shed its somehow my fault. I said no, do it yourself. If im gonna be in trouble for helping you i just wont help you. I will put it in the burn barrel where i always get things right, or you put it in the container where i always get things wrong.
Well, seems as though you'll get in trouble for helping AND for not helping. Pick your poison.
Nah. She did it herself without issue. I spent the entire frozen day outside working on heating system while she baked to keep the house warm. She knows when to back off on honey dos or hear me roar.
I learned a long time ago to be comfortable with others being angry at me. Weve all seen guys play doormat for decades then she leaves with half his earnings for some jerk.
I figure staying poor and being a jerk mitigates all risk! ;D
Truth is she appreciates me keeping her in check. We get along better and better keeping each other in check are not afraid of some serious battles to do it. Life was terrible when i played doormat, just made her more demanding. "Are your legs broken" is a necessary part of marital balance imo. So is a little combat from time to time. I dont make life easy on that poor woman thats for sure. I tell her im the punishment for wrongs in her past life!
11 years last week and its as good as ever. She didnt complain when i spent a half hour getting her ice mound of a car ready to go while she was in a hot shower. Wasnt asked to, just the right thing to do.
I've got a 40 foot shipping box full of stuff myself .Full for and aft ,stem to stern top to bottom .Handy but hoisting totes full of junk to the top shelf is not so handy as it once was .The holidays are over and sooner or later I'll have my Ranger loaded up with totes about 2 loads full to go back in .How do women amass so much stuff for homey -do - lists ???
A 40?
I could fill 5 of them. And i woulda but the price went through the roof and my money fell apart before i could get me some. I bought the forklift specifically to build a container shop but the Lord had other plans im waiting to see unfold.
Quote from: mike_belben on January 04, 2022, 11:38:19 AMTruth is she appreciates me keeping her in check.
She's a keeper! I've had a keeper for 34 years, but I'm not to that point yet!!
It's a hoot about those containers and can be a scam .I researched it before I bought this one .It came out of Columbus Ohio from a company near Cleveland from an agent in Arizona if memory serves .Paid for by a wire transfer that cost me not one dime because I have a tidy little sum in one particular bank .
I talked to one flim flam huckster I assumed by the accent was in the Philippians Islands who alleged to me he controlled over 500 agents in the USA alone .Which has nothing to do with fire wood except I've got 8 gallons of chainsaw bar oil on a shelf .As well as 20 gallons of anti freeze and about the same in full synthetic motor oil .You have to buy this stuff when it's cheap you know .Right place right time ,works for me ;)
Doc, I have 2 beer coozies with that printed on them.
Men chuckle, women roll their eyes.
we got in a little spat out of the blue this morning. our attitudes just flared right up like they often do over some little tiff i cant even fully remember. yet we didnt throw anything, break anything, yell or swear and still said love you bye as she left for work. so i guess thats proof even the worst side of us is continually getting better. we printed divorce papers many times over the years but i think god wants us to stick it out for his plan, and im pretty glad about that.
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we were out cutting and took this pic. we ended up cutting up the nearest two piles(not in pic) which was about 5 cords or so combined. i have two more way larger piles too do later. all this wood is for free and we get to use the mini too. they said that their will be 20 or so piles that size when they are done clearing for us. about 3/4 of the piles are hardwoods and mostly red and white oak
I'm a tad long in the tooth and I don't sell the stuff any more .It's mostly wind falls and standing dead and I don't have to freeze my tail feathers off doing it .The weather broke today and popped up to just under freezing from the last couple of weeks hovering in the teens Time to move .I got about 3/4 of a cord today which certainly is not a record but not too bad considering .Cherry on the left and linden /bass wood on the right .Not the best but it all makes heat .
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I might add that axe in the picture has to be well over 100 years and that cant hook is likely close to it .Of course the splitter I made from parts and pieces .If it's fit tomorrow I'll round up some small stuff that doesn't need split .I've got tons of it on the ground .
A few pictures from this past weekend. Temps finally steady in the teens.
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This skid had a hard maple saw log mixed with shagbark hickory tops(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34348/931C9AEB-380F-49CC-9A2A-9F2D9158D209.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1641652094)
Made a bracket for each side of the gator to keep small limbs from rolling off while cutting. Keeps the chain out of the dirt and helps the back.(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34348/7CACEE18-4200-4799-9023-CDD0F73AD407.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1641652097)
Most of this pile is all blow down from this year. A lot of shagback hickory, some hard maple, elm, cherry and ash. (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34348/E02F5D75-3C1B-4671-A027-92441D2E46EA.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1641651691)
Next years wood(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34348/52CD5504-EB36-4386-A1AA-4749387AFE9F.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1642037695)
We winch logs in between the two rows, buck, split and stack in one spot. Background of above pic shows the logs staged to be pulled in next.(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34348/7CEF6745-571F-466F-AC13-947281EBCE78.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1642037645)
@Al_Smith (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=2054) That basswood is probably just as good as the aspen I burn, it'll give ya an 85 degree house just as quick as oak, might not burn as long but still good heat. ;D
It goes back to the subject that all wood puts out the same heat by weight and not volume .Which is true .You just need more of it .I've got a couple of wind blowns I need to take care of .That's all it takes ,a big wind when they are leafed out and it snaps them like a tooth pick . It might snap them off 8 feet above the ground then you have a hanger to deal with .
I'm not certain if there is any commercial use for linden except maybe boxes for grapes and such .Maybe not even that because some form of plastic has filled that niche .
Another thing .I don't claim to be a forester or a lumber grader but that bass wood puzzles me .They never seem to die and the growth rings are close but it's not hard .I decided to take a mighty lick at a 24" round as I was about done with it .I drove that old axe clear up to the handle ,buried it ,no split .If that were a piece of white oak I'd have went through it or rather 30 ago should have .I can still swing it a mighty lick just can't do it as long .
Quote from: Al_Smith on January 13, 2022, 05:10:08 AM
I'm not certain if there is any commercial use for linden except maybe boxes for grapes and such .Maybe not even that because some form of plastic has filled that niche .
We make them from aspen veneer in NB. Cheap wood, they grow everywhere here, fast.
Quote from: Al_Smith on January 13, 2022, 05:25:50 AM
Another thing .I don't claim to be a forester or a lumber grader but that bass wood puzzles me .They never seem to die and the growth rings are close but it's not hard .I decided to take a mighty lick at a 24" round as I was about done with it .I drove that old axe clear up to the handle ,buried it ,no split .If that were a piece of white oak I'd have went through it or rather 30 ago should have .I can still swing it a mighty lick just can't do it as long .
It's hard stuff to plane to, real fibrous. Bark, good for rope making. Best use I see is for carving and maybe wood burning, no resin in it to stink when burning.
I've seen Bernstein bend it green for a round topped chest. He uses it for his parcel delivery box as he's on a rural dirt road in the middle of nowhere. :D He pine tarred it, loves that expensive hootch for preservative. :D
Basswood is used in small volume as rotary veneer. White wood with little to no heartwood, not a lot of character. But makes a good paint-grade plywood panel or back grade to a maple face.
crazy4saws, I have a little more snow than you do. The ground is covered, but I drag one tree across the snow and the ground can be seen.
Good use of the gator.
I've got some hangers that are going to require some ingenuity to recover .I've done it before but to do it safely is time consuming .The alternative though of being crushed by a tree is not appealing .This time of the year with the frost on the pumpkin and Jack Frost nipping at the nose my enthusiasm is not real keen .
The Brits might be on to something.
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Robin Williamson "The Woodcutter's Song" - YouTube (https://youtu.be/h7HiPFnyoac)
I'm sure going to miss the ash .I might have at best another 5-8 years left of it .It will hold maybe 5-8 years standing dead until the roots go then a little puff of wind lays them over .Fact I've got a hundred footer grounded that's also going to require some fancy rigging to recover . It's one thing to deal with a live tree and entirely different if it's in a tangle on the ground where the forces of nature decided where to put it .I'll get it eventually .
I have ash here by the thousands, nothing of much size yet, but if I find one trashed by nature I buck it for the firewood. Surprising how much heavier a dry piece of ash is compared to a dry piece of aspen, it's close to twice as heavy. Comparable sizes of course. ;D Most of the hardwood regen on my ground will be ash. It's grows as prolific as aspen around here. Lots of cut ground around here comes back to mostly aspen and ash. Out in the back country there's none, it's glacial sand, and ash don't grow in that dry stuff.
Bernstein (on Youtube) in ND gets his out of the stream bottoms and gullies.
Funny how the land is no much different in other regions. I've been to places it's dead flat and the gullies sink into the ground below grade of where it is flat around. Around here gullies are on steep sloped hills, up there, not down there in a hole with you standing on the widest contour on the continent, 10 miles wide with no land higher in sight. :D :D Someone took and flattened the land like pizza dough and cut into it from one random point to the edge of the counter. ;D I've seen it out midwest and also north of Quebec City around Alma Lake-Chicoutimi. Fields of canola and sunken gullies below the level of the fields. If you want to see a surprise in land form, drive up through there. You drive through miles of steep rocky hill sides (forested) and boom, you just landed on another planet. :D Notice it more when you go left toward Alma, the highway splits.
It seems the EAB had a brain .The ash smaller than perhaps 4 inches got spared and I only assume it was because a sapling that small would not be large enough to sustain the larva .Since it killed all the great big 100 footers in the understory literally thousands of new growth have sprouted .That said my great great grand children may see those 100 footers once again .I know I won't but I saved some good logs for lumber which I might add is my favorite as far as wood working projects . I do think the lumber should last that long inside .
Got a bunch of piles like this decked up in various places, it worked well last year to twitch out to piles by the roads I can actually use during mud season, buck in place and split into trailer when it is too muddy to do much else then bring home or wherever it is headed. Those red maple logs look nice on this side but they are hollow and/or rotten heart :D
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When a man takes his jacket ....and mittens off in the cold, he's going to do some serious work. ;)
:D My father, he'd say 'you can't get anything done with mittens on, take them things off.' :D Mr. ball cap on his head driving up the road 4 miles in -30F N windchill to cut wood. I'd freeze my ears off. Frost bite hurts on the ear tips to. :D
Gotta dress for the cold, and the warm! Long way there and back on tractor, show up toasty warm and shed a few layers, get to work or you will be cooolllddddd ;D work for the day, put coat and such back on for nice warm ride back to wood stove land!
Glad I got my next years wood all in this fall, nice and warm stacking this spring. But my old man and myself (brother on skidder) we always cut firewood in the winter with skidder. One time before I was old enough, dad was filling two house woodsheds and wood for 2 potato ware houses. Seemed he cut wood all year. Besides cows, hay and potatoes. Came home one night for supper, back '76 or so, told mom I have to get rid of the cows. I can't work much longer around the clock. :D
That's right, cut wood all year! This is all TSI and storm cleanup, can only get back there when frozen and still end up dragging cable 100ft up a cliff with the tractor in mud between boulders at the bottom.
Already have next year's wood so better start trying to sell some again or will be 5 years ahead.
Dark out, still standing in the freezing rain and ice pellets mix dealing with the other daily stuff. Your old man probably enjoyed it more than not, too ;D
I should have enough but if not I have nearly an unlimited supply within 5-600 feet away .However as I've said I've nearly lost all enthusiasm when the mercury dips .It hasn't been too cold the last few years but due to the fact in Ohio the weather can change in a day or two you never really can predict it .On the other hand that high efficiency propane furnace seems to do a nice job .It usually won't kick in because the insert keeps it above the 72 degrees the thermostat is set at .
My mother is always saying, our weather comes up from the Ohio River valley. I think she is talking about rain in the summer though. ;D Because the big snows were always off the NE from the Straight. Now when we get a storm it seems the punch is all gone by the time it gets here, rain, snow, no difference. Used to be more predictable, can't rely on forecasts now, all gone to pot. :D We did get all kinds of fall rains though, so that helps the ground.
Cfarm, you got a gator?
We don't seem to get much snow anymore, lucky to have one good day for the skidoo's.
This was taken last fall. The gator gets used almost everyday. It's perfect for forwarding firewood to the main piles when the grounds too wet for the tractor.
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12 years ago we were using a simplicity 3410 pulling a small garden trailer. Thankful for what we have!
No gator here, would not clear the rocks in the trails. ;D
I can't take a picture like you did without at least 10 rocks in the picture.
I just have 2 tractors, one for her, one for me. ;D
Not enough day light to get anything done so I added some lights.
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Is that a one tire on front, 4 in the back? My neighbor has an old one, he's been rebuilding. He's an old tinkerer, and now disabled (mind wise - stroke), still gets around, but they won't give him back his license to drive.
thats not a 5 wheeler. i have two of them an old man gave me. probably the only thing i will build into an EV. for getting the mail and sneaking up on creeping meth heads in the night.
Talk about hanger ,what's the odds of this ? Right down dead center of a conjoined hickory .Evidently mother nature is better at aiming than myself .However I don't think I'd have put it exactly there .
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Mike I'd love to see a pic if you with your assault kit on the EV 5 wheel Gator, ready for action!😂
Older picture of ours. Still going strong. Got a new eyeball since this picture was taken, (and a GX390 clone transplant prior to)
Use it almost every day pulling the splitter to and from the log pile (and bringing back non-saleable crotches, hunks and chunks for "personal use" )
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I finally got an opportunity this afternoon to unload my trailer load of firewood into the woodshead. I have one more trailer load split and ready to haul which will complete my next year's firewood supply. ;D
Gots to stay ahead of them Glaciers. ::)
I knew that was a 5 wheeler. I guess I know stuff. :D Great little buggy Big_Eddy. ;D
I know what you mean MM, I've got a little mountain of firewood under snow, for next winter to. :D
I had nearly forgotten about a somewhat hidden asset out in the open .The tons of dead falls lying on the ground easy to access .Bone dry and hard as rock about 4 to 8 inches in diameter. Don't need to roll 24" rounds up to the splitter .Took me less than 1 hour yesterday to get two garden carts full behind the Toro zero turn which included a couple of coffee breaks in the mean time with a little Stihl 024 screaming away .Two carts will last me 3 days .Pshaw this is easy . 8)
I've had a guy coming out and getting a Dodge Dakota pickup load, a bit less than a face cord, every couple weeks. I've told him each time he's been out to schedule around arctic air. Don't wait until you're out and it's 5 degrees to call me. He did ::) ::) He called at 9 yesterday morning and left a message that he was getting low and needed wood. It was 2 degrees. I didn't call him back. He called again at 9 this morning. It was three degrees and is now an even 9. I've called him back and told him tomorrow afternoon it's going to be in the mid twenties and to be here at 2PM. I'm not firing up my machines today. I wouldn't have yesterday and I won't going forward when it's this cold. There's nothing to gain. Especially for less than a face cord. He says he'll be here tomorrow.
You wouldn't even pay for your time getting things going let alone the wear on your machines. Firewood is a tough business.
They've always said the time to make hay was when the sun shined not when the frost is on the pumpkin .
I've had things running when it's this cold but I won't anymore. It requires heat on the processor engine and elevator engine. The Bobcat is easy. Just plug it in for a while but there's the issue of cold thick stiff oils and cold brittle iron.
Quote from: Al_Smith on January 14, 2022, 01:01:14 PM
Talk about hanger ,what's the odds of this ? Right down dead center of a conjoined hickory .Evidently mother nature is better at aiming than myself .However I don't think I'd have put it exactly there .
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Al, I did that with a large pine a few years ago. I cut the pine and it fell right into the crotch of a big hickory and split it right down to the ground. The hickory became firewood.
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well cutter...if it had a crotch was likely to split anyway...
keep on cuttin.
We have a forecast high of 70° tomorrow and 36° Thursday. Looks like I will have so light another flicker. fire_smiley
Beautiful day in The Tip O' Mitt :) 8) Added another 20 cord to my collection. Ran off 5 five face cords and did 160 firewood bundles for Schultz's Interstate Party Store today. The last 160 didn't last a month. People buy them to heat their homes ::). I guess :) A five cord load tomorrow and I'm caught up again :)
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Sum1 and Corley, u guys firewood operations are on another level. Looks like I'm playing around compared to work you guys do.
Big eddy, neat gator! Had no idea they made those. Hard to image life without one after owning one.
On those hangers I don't usually miss the lay or at least I'm close .I use "gunning sticks " on a tight lay .Those hot shots on the left coast can hit them sighting down the handle bars but I don't trust myself to even try it .
Few pics from this past weekend, weathers been good for getting ahead on stuff outside.
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Nice looking stacks in clean woods I like it.
The weather here is drastically different then Crazy4saws that for sure. Pile of Some birch we put up on the weekend is below we will resplit the larger pieces with the super splitter as we load it for delivery no stacking.
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Quote from: Corley5 on January 18, 2022, 08:18:48 PM
People buy them to heat their homes ::). I guess :)
I imagine the same folks that run to town for 4 bags of pellets as they need them. Instead of last summer buying all they need for winter. Then complain about no pellets left around when they can't get their 4 bags in the middle of January. ;D
Corley5, always enjoy seeing pictures of Mi trucks and trailers.
I sell bunded wood at the store. Nothing like what you supply, but only a small town too.
On the bags of pellets, we sell A LOT of bags. I have mentioned it to many people cheaper by the ton, but some back the vehicle right up to the door and bring them into the house that way. As they say, I have to handle them anyways, so it's easier. Then some live in an apartment too.
The last 2 years have been good on supply. One year I would only have a ton left when the truck was backing in. :o But we never run out, yet. And yet is the key word.
Then if we did not have any, it would be my fault. ::)
Theres a tree service guy in my area selling firewood for $45 a rick now.in the worst cold of the year when it should bring $70-80. It was $50 -60 before covid and life has doubled since.
I asked him to raise his price so as to stop undercutting everyone else who waits for a cold snap all year to make any firewood money. He threatened to drop it to $40/rick and said i was gouging and living beyond me means. Said hes got 400 ricks. Thats enough seriously alter my local market.
Im the most frugal human i can think of, and for $40/rick i would buy it, not sell it. There is zero profit in that unless youre paid to take each tree down. I forgive him, hes earning his bread, but its kinda screwing a lot of hardworking poor people and the forest itself is how i see it. Like walmart wiping out little guys thinking theyre doing a community a favor.
Him and bowater closing pretty much wiped out any chance of making enough money on thinning to be able to get paid to cut out low grade and grow a prime stand.
You guys who need staves better have deep pockets. Soon youll be bidding on stave futures and waiting for the few trees to ripen because there aint gonna be any the way we are managing the woods in tennessee.
Mike, I'm not sure if if I'd be amused or upset if someone (competition) asked me to alter my prices. But I wouldn't do it, either way. If he's making money why would he care if you don't sell any? And if he's not, the problem will correct itself.
If a couple companies had that discussion, it'd be called price fixing.
In industry association meetings I'm familiar with, it is a big no-no to discuss prices.
The spirit of price fixing laws is him at market rates and me saying hey buddy lets make some real cash by manipulating the supply and raising prices so they have to pay us above market prices. Its been $50/rick for decades then covid double inflation.
The spirit of my communication to him was like mom and pop hardware stores asking walmart not to sell below their costs so that they can survive too.
Our wood market is not deep because our winters are soft and natural gas hookup is free. It doesnt sell in summer at all.
Ive had a goal of trying repair high grade sites so that theres good timber for my sons generation to cut when their kids need shoes. With low grade markets dissolving It just doesnt look like its gonna work out that way. Im a generous guy who can live pretty thin but i cant make it on nothing at all.
Capitalism in its raw form :)
Quote from: crazy4saws on January 18, 2022, 09:39:30 PM
Few pics from this past weekend, weathers been good for getting ahead on stuff outside.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34348/748402E3-B49A-4DDA-BC56-5549298C8E47.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1642559714)
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Id like to see a picture of that woods in the summer when the trees are full of leaves. looks good
Capitalism cannot function correctly with fiat currency and high rates of money printing. It turns to a crony banditry system such as we have today. Central bank conquer.
What we have aint real capitalism, especially in Canada.
New here. Splitting wood today. Ran the saws the last couple days. It was nice putting my ported 046 and 044/046 hybrid in some bigger white oak.
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Welcome to the forum Foragefarmer
Quote from: crazy4saws on January 18, 2022, 08:59:10 PM
Big eddy, neat gator! Had no idea they made those. Hard to image life without one after owning one.
Technically ours is an AMT626. The single front wheel does not steer worth a darn especially when the box is overloaded, and the brakes do next to nothing but squeal constantly. Top speed is a measly 18kmh.
Despite all that, I couldn't live without it. For bringing home firewood rounds from the woods, it is perfect. If you can get it in the box, pile it on, or tie it down, you can haul it home, even up hills that my 4wd tractor won't climb empty. I can get it stuck, but it takes some work to do it. I built a bumper to reduce the tree damage to the plastics which further encourages inappropriate squeezing between trees to get right next to the felled logs to reduce carrying.
Right now it is pulling our splitter to and from the firewood area. Carry the saw, gas and peavey in the back going over, toss all the rejected rots, crotches, hunks and chunks into the back while splitting to bring home for our pile.
Another month from now it will be wearing a 100gal sap tank
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After a long time I am still not sure what I think about those gators. Folks either love them or hate them. First time I saw one was at a large sports complex the ground crews used them for and they loved them. Those had the single front wheel, never saw another one since. Then about a dozen years ago I had brought our FD's 6 wheel ATV to a 1,000 acres wildland fire job as did many other departments because you need a lot of them to shuttle gear and people on those bigger jobs. Anyway, another department had brought a 6 wheel gator (2 on the front) and I admired it. The guy running it said "never buy one of these for your department. It's a dog in wet sloppy ground and a mistake to own one for this kind of work." He had a long list of complaints. Fast forward another few years and my buddy Bill picked one up to ramble around the woods at his place. He drives it like a rented mule, over stumps, through thick brush, places I sure wouldn't try. It's no dog but he beats up on it pretty good. Fenders are all busted up and tied together with wire ties, I am surprised he hasn't ripped out the running gear underneath...yet.
So after all this time I still don't know how I feel about those, but if it does the job for you, then I guess it's the best thing to have. Whatever works. I think they all have weaknesses including my Mule, which I too love.
Capitalism and The Theory of Natural Selection are much the same.
Got to use my hose machine today. Blew a hose to the processor's saw motor and I actually had hose and fittings in stock 8) 8) I was back in operation in minutes :) :)
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I can only think of one or two better feelings than having something go belly up, ruining your day and then walking into the shop and realizing "Hey, I've got one of those!" and JUST LIKE THAT, everything becomes easy and you day gets turned back around.
Good on ya man! I know that feeling is hard to explain. Enjoy it.
Welcome Forage Farmer, those ported saws are fun to run, got a 372xp and MS460 ported.
Sum1 that pile of firewood is neat to see. Those processors pile up alot, quick. Last week highs in the upper 20s, than Sunday 37 but the ground stayed froze, tonight dropping back to 10, still no snow unlike you.
Hemlock king, gotta do some digging, might have a summer photo. The upper canopy is thick. Plan to post in the forestry section about the woods health soon.
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well we got easy part done and now comes the hard part, hauling the wood a mile or so home in this muddy slushy mess with a jeep and trailer or a pickup if it dries out at all.
Big Eddy, that's a gator load of wood!! Mines a 2008 TS model, like yours it sports something different in the back depending on the season. Got Electric lift, beds hold a lot more than you might think or I haul more than I should. Added an engine oil filter kit last year, rear tires are swamp witchs 6ply. Zero flats since changing.
Old greenhorn, each brand has its pros and cons. The TS model suits me, no ROPS, tight quarters access, low impact, fuel efficient. Sits low to the ground, can pick up litter while staying seated. Cons, occasional ground clearance issues and Dad does a lot less walking now a days lol just have to find the one that's right for u.
Fab&firewood is that a KX040? What species of wood you cutting?
Quote from: crazy4saws on January 19, 2022, 09:50:48 PM
Big Eddy, that's a gator load of wood!! Mines a 2008 TS model, like yours it sports something different in the back depending on the season. Got Electric lift, beds hold a lot more than you might think or I haul more than I should. Added an engine oil filter kit last year, rear tires are swamp witchs 6ply. Zero flats since changing.
That's nothing - I didn't even pull out the ratchet straps. :D
Quote from: Big_eddy on January 19, 2022, 06:49:27 PM
Quote from: crazy4saws on January 18, 2022, 08:59:10 PM
Big eddy, neat gator! Had no idea they made those. Hard to image life without one after owning one.
Technically ours is an AMT626. The single front wheel does not steer worth a darn especially when the box is overloaded, and the brakes do next to nothing but squeal constantly. Top speed is a measly 18kmh.
Despite all that, I couldn't live without it. For bringing home firewood rounds from the woods, it is perfect. If you can get it in the box, pile it on, or tie it down, you can haul it home, even up hills that my 4wd tractor won't climb empty. I can get it stuck, but it takes some work to do it. I built a bumper to reduce the tree damage to the plastics which further encourages inappropriate squeezing between trees to get right next to the felled logs to reduce carrying.
Right now it is pulling our splitter to and from the firewood area. Carry the saw, gas and peavey in the back going over, toss all the rejected rots, crotches, hunks and chunks into the back while splitting to bring home for our pile.
Another month from now it will be wearing a 100gal sap tank
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/63722/92A5316B-952E-4D7B-8C26-F3B8C6A49A86.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1642636140)
How well does that steer? Especially with a load, it seems as though it would want to keep going straight, no matter where that single wheel is headed. Is there any individual breaking of the drive wheels?
I use the Polaris 500cc 6x6 for getting in wood and it works great, but I build front racks out of hospital bed foot/head boards, (this is my 3rd 6x6) so that I can put a smaller rick of wood on the front. The one I am using now I built a back board in front of the headlite out of the back from a metal tube patio chair, cut the seat off and welded it to the rack, holds the front down on steep ground when loaded.
Quote from: PoginyHill on January 20, 2022, 07:19:40 AM
Quote from: Big_eddy on January 19, 2022, 06:49:27 PM
Quote from: crazy4saws on January 18, 2022, 08:59:10 PM
Big eddy, neat gator! Had no idea they made those. Hard to image life without one after owning one.
Technically ours is an AMT626. The single front wheel does not steer worth a darn especially when the box is overloaded, and the brakes do next to nothing but squeal constantly. Top speed is a measly 18kmh.
Despite all that, I couldn’t live without it. For bringing home firewood rounds from the woods, it is perfect. If you can get it in the box, pile it on, or tie it down, you can haul it home, even up hills that my 4wd tractor won’t climb empty. I can get it stuck, but it takes some work to do it. I built a bumper to reduce the tree damage to the plastics which further encourages inappropriate squeezing between trees to get right next to the felled logs to reduce carrying.
Right now it is pulling our splitter to and from the firewood area. Carry the saw, gas and peavey in the back going over, toss all the rejected rots, crotches, hunks and chunks into the back while splitting to bring home for our pile.
Another month from now it will be wearing a 100gal sap tank
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/63722/92A5316B-952E-4D7B-8C26-F3B8C6A49A86.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1642636140)
How well does that steer? Especially with a load, it seems as though it would want to keep going straight, no matter where that single wheel is headed. Is there any individual breaking of the drive wheels?
Honestly, it steers okay. The rear wheels on each side are chain driven together so all 4 drive. It has a differential lock for those rare cases where both wheels on one side are slipping. If you press the differential lock, it goes straight forward regardless of which way the single front wheel is pointed.
On bumpy ground or if heavily (over)loaded and going uphill, the front wheel will come off the ground - making you go straight until it touches down again. But in general it steers as well as can be expected. I'm sure the 6 wheel ones steer better - hence why these were replaced with them. Mine is not at all unstable. At 5' wide, with a center of mass about 12" off the ground and no suspension - on a steep sidehill, it will slide sideways long before it feels the least bit tippy.
Individual wheel braking - Ha! - I would be happy with any braking. The brake system is cable operated with pads about the size of a quarter. They MIGHT slow it down but they will not stop anything. Fortunately (?) the top speed is SLOW and there is enough friction in the 4 wheels chain drive system that it slows to a stop reasonably quickly after you take your foot off the pedal. Or when you get to the bottom of whatever downhill you are on.
Most of my neighbours run Mules, Rangers and similar. They are faster, more powerful, suspension and brakes, windshields. Even still - If something were to happen to this - I'd buy another gator soon as I could - probably a 6 wheel version. They are simple and tough. I have raised 4 boys on this property so our gator has had a tough life. Given it has 2 speeds - stop and slow - it has seen absolutely no love. It has spent its entire life pedal to the metal. (And I shouldn't blame the boys for that - I drive it just like they did)
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I am heating my firewood today :) well actually it is heating me. fire_smiley
Doing a little backwoods clean up.
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When my back bothers me I cut highstumps(firewood anyway)...
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Quote from: Magicman on January 20, 2022, 09:53:02 AM
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I am heating my firewood today :) well actually it is heating me. fire_smiley
You're going through your supply at a feverish pace MM!
Diff lock!? Nice.. I never noticed that on the two parts piles i have. Where is the actuator located?
Does yours have electric dump kit? If so is it strong?
Ever break anything on them?
Quote from: mike_belben on January 20, 2022, 11:52:19 AM
Diff lock!? Nice.. I never noticed that on the two parts piles i have. Where is the actuator located?
Does yours have electric dump kit? If so is it strong?
Ever break anything on them?
Diff lock is a lever under the left heel.
I have the Armstrong dump kit. I have considered fabbing a hydraulic one from a porta-press, but most of the time mine is loaded with wood or other items that will be individually removed. When I use it as a chipper hopper, I do need to rake the chips out. Too heavy to dump.
Define break. I've replaced the engine which was worn out when we got it, removed the parking brake cables when they failed, new choke cable after it rusted solid, plastics are beat up. Tire or two. Rebuilt the brake calipers a few times trying to achieve some semblance of stopping power. But nothing catastrophic and nothing surprising given its lifestyle
So the F-N-R box is pretty strong then.. Glad to hear that.
I've been cutting in the woods today, got a load and a half out. Oak, ash and hickory in the barn, out of the weather and ready to split.
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Happy cutting.....Cutter
Very neat and organized operation. Staging to optimize the time when conditions are suitable to be in the woods sure adds to efficiency. Experience always shows. Well done.
"Very neat and organized operation"
Just a wee understatement - more like a surgical procedure room.
Very very good looking setup Cutter
That's the cleanest woodshed floor I've ever seen, didn't know they existed :D Very nice work as always.
stavebuyer, Andries, newoodguy, thanks for the kind words. You make me feel good.
Quote from: newoodguy78 on January 20, 2022, 07:26:55 PM
That's the cleanest woodshed floor I've ever seen, didn't know they existed :D
It only takes a broom. ;)
'Only' a broom plus Pride. thumbs-up
Quote from: cutterboy on January 21, 2022, 07:42:58 AM
Quote from: newoodguy78 on January 20, 2022, 07:26:55 PM
That's the cleanest woodshed floor I've ever seen, didn't know they existed :D
It only takes a broom. ;)
I have a sign on my shop wall which reads:
IF YOU CAN'T OPERATE A BROOM, YOU CAN'T WORK HERE
it seems to work...mostly.
Cutterboy, that is a neat box you built for your tractor, looks like something I could slide my 3 pt bale carrier under and go pick up wood. When I split wood, seems like there is a huge mess of bark laying around afterwards. What do you guys do with the bark?
ffkansas, you are right about splitting wood making a mess. I take all the bark and wood debris and dump it in the tractor paths in the woods. I'll fill in a low spot or put it on a bumpy-rocky section to smooth it out. In the end it all turns to dirt.
Compost it for gardens
I burn my bark. it is nice this time a year to be able to warm the hands occasionally, and it smells like a wood yard.
Usually some dry moss in the bark or leaves to help start a fire in the stove. ;D
Everybody has a little trick to fire up the fire .If it's all just a little bit of coals left come morning I toss in a few small splits and use the fan on an industrial heat gun .With a forced draft it doesn't take long and I believe about hot enough to forge horse shoes .I don't have a horse though nor have I ever forged a shoe .
most of my bark gets pushed and piled with the tractor. I let it sit then turn it, maybe add some cow manure to it. If I missed some bigger wood chunks, then it just becomes nice fill
Quote from: Al_Smith on January 21, 2022, 04:09:30 PM
With a forced draft it doesn't take long and I believe about hot enough to forge horse shoes .I don't have a horse though nor have I ever forged a shoe .
They used to harvest sugar maple and beech in these parts to smelt iron from the local quarry. Was as good as anywhere in the world according to records. Mostly export to England. Near as I can tell, only thing here made from local iron was wood stoves at the Enterprise foundry. No car, locomotive, or factory from local stuff. Confederation of Canada killed any industrialization from local production this far east and sucked all the wealth for Toronto and Montreal and parts west. Made us a welfare state then begrudge transfers from Ottawa. According to the 'new' history written by Trudeau's croanies, no permanent settlement here until after Montreal, Que. ::)
To get on that subject Ohio believe it or not has iron fields plus coal. Problem being they are not in the same location .So several centuries ago in the hanging rock iron deposits they cut down nearly every tree for miles around to burn into charcoal .It's a state park now replanted with pine trees by the 3c's during the great depression .One of the giant iron furnaces or what's left of it still stands .I cannot imagine how much oak it would take to fire that thing using nothing but axes and cross cut saws .
Quote from: Al_Smith on January 22, 2022, 09:57:59 AM
To get on that subject Ohio believe it or not has iron fields plus coal.
Oh, we've got coal here to. Hard not to, since this place was all submerged long ago along with all the bogs after that. :D There's a 300 year old coal mine in Minto. But with this climate action plan, they shut that down, can't have power by coal ya know. ;D
I posted in another thread already how many axe men, horse teams and charcoal shovellers where working to run the one in Woodstock, 30 miles from here. This operated just as the railroad was established. All rail road in these parts were after timber. The head office of the NB railroad was in Woodstock. Alexander "Boss" Gibson, who made his fortunes and lost it long before the depression, cotton mill and lumber. Got beat out by the Montreal syndicate on the cotton side of things. Never had to replant here, all grew back and has been cut twice again. :D Seen old photos of over 100 years back. Sure a lot more cleared and than now. Where dad built a new house across the river from Woodstock, that used to be 250 acres cleared. All grew back and German's bought it and decided to subdivide into building lots in the last 30 years. Only when government has big hiring boon is there much building going on. $15/hr jobs don't stir housing boon around here. :D
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on January 21, 2022, 08:28:46 AM
Quote from: cutterboy on January 21, 2022, 07:42:58 AM
Quote from: newoodguy78 on January 20, 2022, 07:26:55 PM
That's the cleanest woodshed floor I've ever seen, didn't know they existed :D
It only takes a broom. ;)
I have a sign on my shop wall which reads:
IF YOU CAN'T OPERATE A BROOM, YOU CAN'T WORK HERE
it seems to work...mostly.
I need a sign like that.
I like a clean organized work area/shop gets away from me from time to time. Everyone else here works under the drop it and leave it for the next person motto. When it gets out of hand there's a six pack and an evening with the stove going to get it back on track.
i am a neat freak trapped in a slobs life. it constantly gets away from me, and constantly drives me nuts. sometimes i get so overwhelmed i cant fix anything until i stop, put away every single tool where it goes, and then go sort hardware into bins to calm down. i dont wanna say its anxiety but its something. an irking, or discomfort. im still moving and building so where stuff goes is constantly changing as i stuff 10lbs into a 2lb bag and always have more irons in the fire than i have dollars or hands or minutes. i come here to walk away from my own life as a pressure relief valve to regulate it all.
Spent the morning helping out a neighbor who is battling cancer. He marked out the logs he wanted cut out of storm blowdown hard maple, we bucked them up and culled the firewood....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/storm_clean_up_tom_g_.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1642877895)
He sells the logs to a local amish pallet mill...
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A week ago we cleaned up blowdown for another farmer neighbor, hard maple BTU's...
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In between I was down a few days with covid...fever and throat on fire and no energy. Much better now.
Scott B.
Here's my little operation...
The firewood rack outisde the back door is almost empty. This is supposed to be about the warmest day in the next week or so, so I'll fill it up.
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It takes two of these to fill it. This is number one.
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And this is number two.
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And that will last us about two weeks, so one loader bucket full is about one weeks worth, burning as supplemental heat in a fireplace insert.
Quote from: upnut on January 22, 2022, 02:11:58 PMSpent the morning helping out a neighbor who is battling cancer.
Good on ya', as our Australian friends say. This cutting will warm you in more than two ways.
I go through about 1 face cord a week usually .Here of late about every two three days I get a couple of garden carts .I little good running 024 Stihl does just fine on those EAB killed small ash trees .Dry as a bone problem is they are right on the ground thus I have to file often .Doesn't take me very long .Cold doesn't bother me but the wind cuts right to the bone .11 was the high today with 15 MPH winds ,I stayed in the house brrr .
Around here, we call it "Next Guy's Problem Syndrome". As in, I will leave this tool, part, keys, truck, cow, here, then it's the Next Guy's Problem.
Haven't found a cure, but a good dressing down seems to help keep it at bay for a bit
It's probably 3/4 to 1 full face cord a week here. That's going to slow some now, I'm running the blower fan continuous and much smaller fires so I can supply heat to the grow tent continuously. There's times when a small bed of coals will supply lots of heat but may not trip the limit controls, this way I recover all the heat possible and keep the place in the mid to upper 70's pretty constant. ;D
hilltopper, I like that old Oliver. You don't see many of those around.
Quote from: hilltopper46 on January 22, 2022, 05:45:19 PM
Here's my little operation...
The firewood rack outisde the back door is almost empty. This is supposed to be about the warmest day in the next week or so, so I'll fill it up.
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It takes two of these to fill it. This is number one.
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And this is number two.
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And that will last us about two weeks, so one loader bucket full is about one weeks worth, burning as supplemental heat in a fireplace insert.
Used to do that routine.. split, stack for drying, unstack to bucket, re-stack in rack in garage near indoor wood burner (main heat for 40 years).
Then decided to split, stack right on
pallet, store
pallet for 2-3 years drying, then weekly move pallet of dry wood to garage near wood burner.
Helped to stack once, and unstack once.
Kids were not impressed that I waited to use pallets until they had moved their life away from home. :D ;D
the old German saying, "to soon olt, to late smart".
Quote from: cutterboy on January 23, 2022, 07:27:14 AM
hilltopper, I like that old Oliver. You don't see many of those around.
It's due to be replaced this year - I have a new Farmall 60A on order. I'll miss the Oliver, though, it has done everything I ever wanted it to do. And I've been able to repair what broke, so far.
Quote from: beenthere on January 23, 2022, 11:26:43 AMsplit, stack right on pallet, store pallet for 2-3 years drying, then weekly move pallet of dry wood
That's the plan when I get the new tractor with the pallet forks for the loader.
Like that firewood rack too. We have a dealer that used to sell Oliver, then White, and now Vermeer, that seems to be able to track down parts, and get water pumps and such rebuilt for Olivers. A neighbor has an oliver he uses still. They were way ahead of IH as far as transmissions go. IH just had a great engine. And then the last design of IH finally had a decent transmission.
Ebay will have stuff for old iron. I know Bernstein gets parts for vehicles from the 40's and that he uses every day. Some stuff 'new' old stock, never opened. He gets VW bus parts and motor bike parts to.
It's a shame Oliver/White went out of business, they were ahead of their time with a lot of things. I think it was cockshutt that first had power steering on their tractors.
We've got two 2 series Whites here for their age they treat us well. Some people aren't a fan but personally like the design of them for the most part.
Ran a five face cord load and a load into Dakota Truck Guy's Dakota today. I was going to wait until Thursday when it's supposed to be in the mid to upper 20s. Today was in the upper teens with some sun and a light breeze. Not a bad day at all. Guess I'm used to it. Glad I did it today because another 5 cord order came in from a returning 1st time customer. He bought a load in November. He's on the schedule for Thursday. I cleaned up what was left of one pile of 100" and started another. The deck's full for Thursday. The next two days are supposed to be in the upper single digits to low teens for highs. Time to fire up the stove and go to work in the sugar house. That season is fast approaching.
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Getting next years laid in.
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If it isn't one thing it's another ,tractor won't start .Jeep must have some water get in the hydraulics ,blade won't move .Last resort a cord of basswood I can get to .Better than nothing .
I think what happens with the Jeep is the lift cylinder is a one way, gravity drop .Old as dirt and likely the shaft seal leaks and rain dribbles in. Another thing I forgot to do . ::) It's not going to thaw out in the near future supposed to get down to 1 above next few days . :o
I'm sure an oak or two within easy reach can be sacrificed Al. Hey, there's always the snow scoop. Neighbor notices me using the scoop a lot this winter. "What's wrong with the snow blower", says he. 'Nothing', says I. 'The scoop works fine to'. ;D [not a true story, but makes the point]
We've never had enough snow to bother with a snow blower, suppose to get 12" this weekend though. ;D
How can north of maine not get enough snow for a snowblower when southern maine is a sled and ski mecca? Am i missing something? I was in a flatlander part of southern mass and knee deep snow was probably once a season.
It's not the latitude Mike, It's the longitude. He is in an area that gets more of the warm sea currents which temper the weather a little bit, sometimes a lot. It's a complex climate they have there and very spotty from what I can tell. I think it's very different just a little north of where he is.
Yes to what OG said, NS is very similar, even more regulated by ocean temps since it's more exposed. It really isn't a harsh winter here like lots of Americans think, I'm sure Wisconsin, Michigan etc get colder winters than us.
And there is rain expected in this weekend snow. :D
If you go to Moncton, which is out the toe of the shoe in the SE, they get a lot more snow at times. We probably have 4 different zones in NB from the Fundy coast to the Bay of Chaleur. Yesterday it was raining in St John on the Bay of Fundy. 18F for a high here and snow, that by 3:00 pm was clear and sunny. How many days have I looked out toward Maine and it is snowing on the Masardis hills, and not here? Lots. This morning was a fog over in Bridgewater, Maine but it was raining snow. No clouds. But all the trees around here have Hoar frost. So we will definitely get that rain, maybe not a lot, but some. :D
And Yarmouth , NS has a grow zone of 6, up here it is 4b (colder). ;D
Cut about 27 rounds today before noon when it was 6 degrees outside, nice and sunny though and no wind, perfect for cutting wood.
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Latitude probably influences temperatures more than precipitation. Most of New England's bigger snowfalls are from coastal storms where more accumulation near the coast versus inland or up north. But if it's too warm, then southern regions will get rain or sleet and reduce snowfall.
In the last several years, northern Vermont has generally had less snow than central and southern Vermont. But we always colder than southern Vermont.
Mountains are another factor. I live between the green mountains and white mountains. We often get cheated from snowfall because of the shadow effect of precipitation as the moisture rises up over the mountains. By the time it gets to us, there isn't always a whole lot left.
I did get a load of bass wood in 2 below weather .Should have waited until afternoon when it was 12 above .Load some, get back in the truck. repeat .Its a tad on the damp side doesn't burn real good .However the propane furnace takes up the slack .
The good news that I didn't realize is Georgias' GMC Envoy does have a receiver hitch so that solves the problem of retrieving the ash,hickory and oak .I figure I have about 5-6 more weeks of nasty weather .I might limp on through or I might not .
I'm only talking about 3-4 inches of snow but in the woods it's over leaves .The Ford Ranger with fat tires can't hardly pull itself let along a trailer full of hardwood behind it that weighs a ton and a half .
Al I really need to know how someone retired and living at the same homestead with his wood source within spitting distance of the front porch, collects and rebuilds saws and dozers as hobby manages to run out of firewood at the beginning of winter? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Quote from: PoginyHill on January 26, 2022, 04:46:28 PMIn the last several years, northern Vermont has generally had less snow than central and southern Vermont. But we always colder than southern Vermont.
Yeah, my kids have been really bummed about that. We live just far enough north in VT that they've missed out on several days off school due to snow days over the last few years.
HeyJohn, I have been wanting to ask: given your sig, are you the John Mc from the old skivt-l listserve ?
Zippski
Leigh
Quote from: Wood Shed on January 26, 2022, 03:24:53 PM
Cut about 27 rounds today before noon when it was 6 degrees outside, nice and sunny though and no wind, perfect for cutting wood.
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I usually stay in the house at anything down to about 12°. I have been out a few times at 16 and the temp started to drop. I wear certain cloths and when I start to feel cold, I head for the house. And I can feel it when it gets down to the temps that I don't like.Like that set up you have. Does no damage to the woods. Can't hardly tell you have been there. Nice dump trailer you have.Looks like you have just about as much snow as I have. A few days from now we may get 8-12 inches
Quote from: zippski on January 27, 2022, 12:23:15 AM
HeyJohn, I have been wanting to ask: given your sig, are you the John Mc from the old skivt-l listserve ?
Zippski
Leigh
I do enjoy sking, both Alpine and XC, but that was not me.
Quote from: stavebuyer on January 26, 2022, 06:53:03 PM
Al I really need to know how someone retired and living at the same homestead with his wood source within spitting distance of the front porch, collects and rebuilds saws and dozers as hobby manages to run out of firewood at the beginning of winter? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
It's a soap opera .My renter died and it took three months to get the place back in shape to rent again .Then I managed to rupture myself thinking I was 30 years old not over 70 .That took 6 weeks to recover .Then my geo thermal bought the farm and it was another two,three weeks installing a new propane furnace .That ended mid November and I could finally get on the firewood .It's not that I'm out it just isn't easy to get to short of a wheel barrow .Granted I should have been at about Sept Oct it just didn't work out the way I planned it to .--the best laid plans of mice and men ----
Now comes the propane furnace which I bought wholesale .It does good and you can't hardly hear it when it runs plus the house was built in 1983 with radiant ceiling heat .We aren't going to freeze or rupture the water pipes because they froze .I can certainly afford the gas or electric but here I sit in the finest hardwood area in the country and other than the labor involved it's all free .The temp is at 17 above as I type so I'll get a load in a few hours which won't take long to fetch .
keep pluggin away al.
A bad luck streak for sure; I just imagined you would be the guy to already have 2026s firewood split and stacked.
Mine's all cut a year ahead for the very reason that crap can happen, the worst is to one's health. So at most, I have wood in a pile 5 steps from the woodshed, 2 more to the basement door. I cut this fall for a year from then. So I have hedged my bets. Not saying one couldn't lie in a hospital bed for 14 months, but chances of making it by then might be slim at best. Probably die of pneumonia by then. One just never knows.
Take care Al, we're on your side. ;)
Quote from: SwampDonkey on January 26, 2022, 09:41:34 AMAnd Yarmouth , NS has a grow zone of 6, up here it is 4b (colder).
Yes, the bannana belt of the east coast of Canada!
The temperature difference as I travel inland is quite noticeable, I have left my camp (40km inland) in a snow storm with 18" of new fluffy snow on the ground and could see the progression of less snow as I drive home (2km inland) once home it was all rain, the difference in elevation is about 300ft (104' home and 430' at the camp) so not a big factor. The opposite is true in the summer as it will often be 5 to 10 degrees warmer at the camp.
It does get cold along coast too but often gets above freezing during snow/rain events, last storm that blew through created lot of freezing spray at the coast.
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:D Oh it isn't that bad I just belly ache too much .I usually have enough cut to last at least two years I just got caught behind the 8 ball this year .I could be bold and say that will never happen again but some times the cookie doesn't crumble that way .
It will warm up some time or at least it always has in the past .I've got some dandy trees dead standing plus wind blown that are large enough to test out a pair of Partner 100's I did total restores and rebuilds .Those are
one of Swedens finest ever built I just want to see how gutsy they are .I've only test ran them on 20" stuff .Lets see what they are made of on 3 feet stuff ,my bet is good . 8)
Dad, uncle and grandfather cut wood with Partner saws long before Husqvarna. And Husqvarna back then was a different saw than now. ;D
So what your saying, is you've been blessed with saws and wood, but can't stand the rest of us having such good time. Classroom troublemaker eh? :D ;)
I don't know why Partner chainsaws were not a big hit around here back in the day but the concrete saws were highly regarded .Now regarding the firewood it wasn't as bad as I thought .Here's around a half cord of the best, shag bark hickory .Dry as a bone and hard as a rock .Her 2002 Envoy did good in spite of the fact I had it in 2WD instead of 4WD .It's way too nice to take into the woods ,154,000 miles runs like a top and is nearly perfect in every other way .
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Nice warm load of wood I'd say. ;D
I'll toss in a few hickory then bass wood over the top .Once the bass wood has a little heat on it it does fairly well but won't hold a fire over night .The hickory will hold plus by volume is twice the BTU's as bass wood .It should be weights about twice as much .
I find aspen gives coals until 5:00 am here, if loaded at 9:00 pm in the stove. They last quite awhile. But with a forced air furnace, doesn't really matter about coal bed, after a certain point. If there is a coal bed 3" deep it's not going to trip the fan. During the day, I keep the fan on continuous and have small loads, maybe 1/3 or even less full of wood. I get heat off of barely any coals to have 75 degrees, a square shovel full rounded up. The purpose of doing that is to also supply heat to the grow tent. Win win.
Living space
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Grow tent (77 F)
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Coal bed <1/3 firebox. That's hot enough to trip the fan, but not continuously. Burning aspen.
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My wife and I cut some wood tonight after work. It was -8c and blowing and snowing out and we had blocks left, so kept splitting until 30 mins after dark.
Cut and split a cord total. Mother nature delivered 4" of fresh snow over the same 2 hours.
If they weren't before, I'm sure our neighbours are now convinced we are both off our rockers, but actually it was a very pleasant evening. (Except the time I forgot to flip the tractor seat up between loads.)
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Your neighbours are just jealous of hard workers. ;D
I'm jealous of neighours who play and pretend all day, then deliver new expensive toys after dark. Where does the play end and work start? :D
The only time I can remember burning aspen was in the Colorado Rocky Mountains on our yearly deer hunts .It was either that or spruce . I took a little Poulan S-25DA chainsaw which I had to retune for running at around 9,000 feet altitude . I thought the aspen burned good though . Those little sheet metal Reeves stoves really put out the heat inside a tent .That tent was a big army squad tent from the Korean war that must have weighed 150 pounds .It took two men and a boy to lift it .It's been over 40 years since I've done it .I was a lot stronger then . ;D
The good Ol' days Al. ;D I've not had to live out of tents in the cold, but my uncles did in northern Quebec. You was either too hot by the stove or half frozen stiff on the far side. And the tent walls were covered in heavy frost, which would melt and make a wet floor for your wool socks to soak up. :D
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tappers BSA, low 14°, peak 40 mph winds. good breakfast, sausage and eggs. I am taking the pics.
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Mr. Fee, former NAVY pilot, former scoutmaster, now flies with JB.
Actually that old heavy duty squad tent was made for cold weather .It had provisions you could use two stoves if it were really cold but we only used the sheet metal Reeves which has long since rusted into nothing after all these years .Those things if memory serves were only about $12 and we'd get three -four years out of them .That tent is still on the shelf in the little barn where I grew up at .That pot licker is far too heavy for normal camping in warm weather .My uncle bought that thing the size of a small circus tent surplus for 5 dollars .
Those giant things might have been used when they built the Alcan during WW2 .Probably used "tundra daisies " oil barrels to make stoves .Those things will run you out of a 30 by 36 garage in that tent you'd be down to your undies .
" in that tent you'd be down to your undies " not allowed by BSA! :)
It was comfy in there out of the wind, prob 50 to 60°. just right for cooking. 2# sausage and 2 dozen eggs took 10 minutes to cook.
Odd to me .That bass wood was dampish about a week ago piled in a big heap .Put about half a face stacked in the Ranger and I'll be monkeys' uncle if it didn't dry out especially as cold as it's been .Is it possible to freeze dry like instant coffee ? ??? It burns fairly well now however a tad quickly ,I'll take it .
Can't be any worst than fir for heat. ;D
Yesterday and today's wood delivered and dumped. They had hauled in some of yesterday's load and thrown a tarp over what was left. I've got a five face cord and a three face load to run off tomorrow. Business is steadier than I'd like it to be this winter ;) ;D Not complaining but I really need to do some other farm related things :) :)
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I think wood still dries in the winter, Al. Especially if the temperature is on either side of freezing. "Freeze drying" is a phenomenon we witness on our woods roads in the spring. The mud thaws out, things get pretty sloppy by the afternoon. Smooth it out at night and it freezes hard overnight. The mud will still be frozen in morning, but it looks oxidized and dried out. When it thaws, it will actually be dry until moisture comes up from the frost below. Anyways, scientifically I have no idea what's going on but I've witnessed this many, many times. No reason it wouldn't happen to firewood, too.
I hung laundry out on the line a few days ago that didnt spin well and it had icicles dripping out of it. Was a stone cold gusty night. Next morning that laundry was dry. In summer it woulda took 3 sunny humid days, or 2 windy ones.
I think its the dry air on really frigid nights. Airborne moisture crystallizes out of suspension and drops to the ground which leaves the air able to pick up more moisture than usual i guess.
With dirtwork a cool windy days is just as good at drying our dirt and mud roads as a sunny one.
Really Mike? I have a huge clothes rack, like 9' tall. On a windy hot day, I can dry everything in 20 minutes. In winter it can hang there 2 days and still be frozen stiff. Neighour is a big wash and hang to dry house wife, but in winter it ain't out there unless airing out, not dripping wet. :D
Quote from: SwampDonkey on January 30, 2022, 10:40:01 AM
Can't be any worst than fir for heat. ;D
Yes it can. Poplar. :D
Poplar/Aspen is 80% of my firewood. It's actually nicer than fir. Just cleaned the flu this morning, clean as a whistle, no soot. Mom's uncle burnt 100% aspen firewood in the kitchen for decades in an Enterprise Monarch. :)
Hating fir must be a coastal thing. Guy from the coast once told me
fir was no good for firewood. Inland mountain man told me fir was good for firewood.
So I tried it having plenty of it around.
My take, fir is good but slow to dry. get it dry and it makes as good of heat
as any of the other properly dried softwoods and poplar.
Burning 80% softwood this winter, pine, spruce, fir, hemlock. Hey, its free !
And next winter looks to be about the same.
Don't get me wrong, fir is ok, but it burns hot and fast (half the time of hardwood). At least here it does. As for drying, after blocking and splitting, it doesn't take long. Cut it down in the winter, dry it over the summer, ready for the fall.
Nice looking website Jim, the good life aye.
My other 20% is mostly balsam fir with some spruce and small bits of hardwood that won't make a decent tree. I burn a bunch of wood, but that is fine because I'm thinning my ground. So I'm not letting it rot. A slow way to thin, but I have to make a living at a real job. This is the most efficient use of my time and a valuable resource. A heck of a lot more valuable than pulp and cost way less to get out....no roads, no heavy equipment, no paying to get it trucked. Money stays in my pockets, $thousands. ;D
That sums it up pretty good for my situation too SD..
I've thought about doing some commercial harvesting but
just can't justify the costs involved and what little $ goes in my pocket in the end.
So, just cleaning up the woods is worth about 1K staying in my pocket a year for heating.
Think I've spent $500 on firewood over 30 yrs, no oil or gas either.
Passive Solar home design has added big savings in heating too.
Oh yeah, solor heat here can get 77-85F by 10:00 am until 4:30 pm in the winter. Little smudge in the early morning, then let'r go. :) Right now I throw 2 or 3 sticks in once in awhile to heat the grow tent. Keep the fan on. Window open right now, 0F outside, feels nice. Free air exchanger to. :D If I wasn't running the grow tent, I'd burn less wood. Stuff grows better 75-80 degrees than 60-65 degrees, better germ. to. Basement is cooler than living space. Still have winter squash down there, keeping well. I'm not paying no $2 a pound, one of them 10 lb squash would be $20. Lordy!
Quote from: SwampDonkey on January 31, 2022, 05:07:46 AM
Really Mike? I have a huge clothes rack, like 9' tall. On a windy hot day, I can dry everything in 20 minutes. In winter it can hang there 2 days and still be frozen stiff. Neighour is a big wash and hang to dry house wife, but in winter it ain't out there unless airing out, not dripping wet. :D
Yes really. It aint my fault your air is busted up there. ;D
Im not gonna fib about laundry. It really happened, last week or so. Dry air in summer is a bit of a rarity. But it can be completely swampy/misty in summer and that really slows down the drying whether on the line or in the machine thats outside on the porch.. A dixie tradition.
Your air would be busted to if it were -20F below, if not the plastic coating on your clothes line would be. :D
It seems like it's always something ,one thing after an other .Starter problem with a tractor ,after using three starters to make one that's fixed .Jeep hydraulics froze up .Raised the blade with a cable come along will thaw it out in the garage later .Then the danged new propane high efficiency furnace had a moment .
Fault code "flame escape ,spread "or something which meant basically a down draft on the exhaust .WTH is that ? Come to find out I need to install a double 90 on the exhaust pipe to prevent that . I would have thought that could have been mentioned that in the installation instructions . >:(Live and learn .---I'm supposed to be retired not working my tail off every day .Besides that it's not real warm out this time of the year working outside like Nanook of the north.----mumble grumble ---
On the other hand slowly and surely I'm getting rather well versed with high tech heating systems which prior I knew very little about so it's not a total lose .All that said I've still got to haul firewood as we have a storm bearing down on us with 8 to 12 inches of snow on the way .Global warming maybe . ???
Quote from: mike_belben on January 30, 2022, 11:50:51 PM
I hung laundry out on the line a few days ago that didnt spin well and it had icicles dripping out of it. Was a stone cold gusty night. Next morning that laundry was dry. In summer it woulda took 3 sunny humid days, or 2 windy ones.
I think its the dry air on really frigid nights. Airborne moisture crystallizes out of suspension and drops to the ground which leaves the air able to pick up more moisture than usual i guess.
With dirtwork a cool windy days is just as good at drying our dirt and mud roads as a sunny one.
Well, I guess the thermodynamics geek in me will come out now. Several things at play here. Energy flows from higher energy to lower energy. The bigger the difference, the faster it flows. Relatively warm water in clothes has a lot more energy than the dry air it is exposed to. The quickest way for the water to rid itself of energy is to evaporate. The dry air is more than welcome to accept it. Wind is also adding energy to the clothes by flopping them around, enhancing the flow of energy (water vapor) to the dry air.
Ice can also go from frozen to vapor without becoming water - its called sublimation. That's why ice cubes in your freezer will slowly get smaller over time.
When the air is warm and humid, it is already at capacity with water vapor (air temp is near dew point - near 100% relative humidity) and won't be sucking up moisture from damp clothes as readily.
Pardon the science spewing, but I must admit, it's fun sometimes... smiley_roller
Quote from: SwampDonkey on January 31, 2022, 09:46:56 AM
Oh yeah, solor heat here can get 77-85F by 10:00 am until 4:30 pm in the winter. Little smudge in the early morning, then let'r go. :) Right now I throw 2 or 3 sticks in once in awhile to heat the grow tent. Keep the fan on. Window open right now, 0F outside, feels nice. Free air exchanger to. :D If I wasn't running the grow tent, I'd burn less wood. Stuff grows better 75-80 degrees than 60-65 degrees, better germ. to. Basement is cooler than living space. Still have winter squash down there, keeping well. I'm not paying no $2 a pound, one of them 10 lb squash would be $20. Lordy!
Made the mistake of starting a morning wood stove fire in the kitchen yesterday.
With full sun was about 80 inside by 10. Not doing that again today.
Tied with Ray at -10* this morning.
PoginyHill, thanks for the science lesson. You explained that very well.
I have always thought it strange that you go outside in the winter and there is moisture in the air (vapor), liquid water here and there and snow and ice (solid), all at the same time. What other substances can be found in vapor, liquid and solid form at the same time ?
Almost every substance has a "triple point" - the temperature and pressure a substance can exist as a gas, liquid, and solid. The kicker here is exist in equilibrium. That point for water is 32F at a pressure just above a perfect vacuum. Any slight change in temp or pressure from that point will turn H20 into all vapor, all water, or all ice.
But the gaseous form of substances can mix in other gases, such as air, under different conditions than the triple point. That involves partial pressures and is above my paygrade to explain.
But for the everyday example of water and ice - they are not normally in equilibrium. Ice forming on a pond is not in equilibrium because water underneath is slightly warmer, being warmed by the earth and is "turning over" because of water's unique property of becoming less dense just as it approaches the freezing point. Water is most dense at 39F. Warmer and colder than that it becomes less dense. Most substances become more dense continuously as temperature drops even into their solid form.
PoginyHill EQUILBRIUM. There's that word I haven't seen in the last four and half years since I retired from working on freeze dryers to freeze dry animal vaccines.
Quote from: SwampDonkey on February 01, 2022, 05:39:45 AM
Your air would be busted to if it were -20F below, if not the plastic coating on your clothes line would be. :D
Yeah i escaped that rut and am not going back.
Plastic coated clothesline? Pfft. What kinda civilized person do you take me for?
Try high tensile galvanized 12.5 awg electric fence wire. I wonder if things would dry faster hooked to the charger.
The washer is on the porch with just cold groundwater that would freeze at the spigot if not for a frost tape. The washer freezes up pretty often but its better to have laundry every few days than go to the laundromat every week with all your money like we did for years.
Starting over after you lose it all aint easy folks, trust me. Avoid risk.
Quote from: hedgerow on February 01, 2022, 02:26:56 PM
PoginyHill EQUILBRIUM. There's that word I haven't seen in the last four and half years since I retired from working on freeze dryers to freeze dry animal vaccines.
Hope I didn't conjure up any bad memories.
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I had this whack of split Red Oak firewood at the Cabin that needed to come home so...
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With my sawing postponed and waiting on my customer's 'no show' help, I made a quick trip this morning.
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OK, it ain't as neat as cutterboy but it is stacked in my woodshed. This should take care of me for next year. :)
The only time i see laundry on the clothes lines any more it belongs to the German Baptists in this area and it isn't on the line this time of year .They do have driers you know . Fact just about anything except a TV and a computer . Yes indeed in case anybody asked I have been "clothes lined " as a kid .Dang that hurt . :o
Quote from: mike_belben on February 01, 2022, 02:27:40 PM
The washer is on the porch with just cold groundwater that would freeze at the spigot if not for a frost tape. The washer freezes up pretty often but its better to have laundry every few days than go to the laundromat every week with all your money like we did for years.
smiley_thumbsup :D :D You're not alone.
"It got above 32F today so I dug the washing machine out of the snow bank" :D :D :D
Washing Clothes - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLKUzvBqAcc)
Shied your eyes @Roxie (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=1566) , washing the long handles. ;D
And I hollered out "Ethel, don't look Ethel!" But it was too late, she'd already been incensed! :D :D
That's a modern Maytag. No gas engine ;D ;D
MM in MS that looks like 10 years of firewood. good for you! :)
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Found a good use for metal shipping crate woodland mills sawmill came in.Holds about a weeks supply.
Waste not want not
No picture, but we finished off our log pile today (in the rain and after dark) and tidied up a bit in advance of expected snows tomorrow.
Working a few hours on weekends and an hour or two each evening, we processed the last tandem load in 12 days. So we have ordered another two loads of logs. That should keep us busy until syrup season starts
It isn't much today but it was easy to get to .Used my little buddy 024 Stihl my $50 special .It's enough for maybe half a week . Bone dry hard as concrete dead standing ash .This is small enough it won't need split .The trailer is full of oak so I used the garden cart .Fact I found more dead standing so it looks like I'll make it this winter in spite of getting behind the 8 ball .
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If the woods is old enough and you have a few acres where you can find snags around, you won't be froze out. ;D
I've still got 4 cords in the house and 3-1/2 outside under the porch all seasoned. It doesn't look like I'm going to be burning much more than a cord this month. Been working on part of a rank left over from last month, that was waste high x 10' long. Then probably burn one full rank, 6-1/2' high after. Two ranks is ~ 1.5 cords.
I don't think I will ever run out of dead trees!!!
Then there are the ones that will never make a saw log.
It's never ending at The C Farm. ;D
The snag farm .. :)
Well I had half dozen ash logs I could get to .Problem was they were frozen fast .I had thought I had
cribbed them up but evidently had not .Typical Ohio , last week some days never got above10-12 degrees .Today it hit 42 . Who knows next week it might be below zero .It's entirely possible within a year for the temps to fluctuate over100 degrees within a year .It takes me a while to get used to cold weather but after that I do okay with it .That winter in Key West in 1967 thinned my blood I think .
We've got about 42" of snow here now, 26" this week so far, so wading around after snags up here with a tractor or even on foot isn't going to happen. :D It's not even fun for a smaller skidder, you have to drop and winch to even move. :D Two skidders near here are parked at the house. :D There's probably close to 5 feet of snow on the back side of the wood pile for next year. I keep the front cleared near the house. We are due for a quick February meltdown soon. Then some more real cold. ;D Sunday-Tuesday looks cold again. Be more ice. :D
I've been splitting a lot of wood the past two weeks. I have the wood splitter set up in the barn just inside the big barn door. I bring the rounds into the barn in the tractor bucket so it is handy for me to grab and split.
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This is what my storage area looked like two or three weeks ago.
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and then this morning and then this afternoon.
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The row I'm working on is the last row on this section. When it is finished I'll move to the other side of the barn and start all over again.
A full woodshed is a warm feeling.
The pile keeps growing. Mine keeps growing with snow on top. ;D :D
Mine has not yet reached the pile stage .
Crackin' and stackin' weather.
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A Superbowl Log:
I am not much on football anyway because I never played, and then with the "flag flap" I ceased watching, but that mess has died down so.....
I had always saved a nice log and appropriately named it the Superbowl Log and it was burned on Superbowl Day if it was cold enough to warrant building a fire. It's cold enough today but I didn't really have a suitable log so I retrieved my 'kindling chopping block' and thusly named it a Superbowl Log.
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Being a full 12" X 14" and with a sorta fork, I didn't know whether I could get it into the firebox in the insert without burning myself but with some twisting and grunting it finally fit. So there it is and it will surely burn for the rest of the day no matter who wins.
Quote from: jimbarry on February 11, 2022, 07:56:34 PM
Crackin' and stackin' weather.
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You look about 10-15 years younger than 55 Jim. Must be from all the exercise that is making firewood
Neat looking operation
Quote from: Magicman on February 13, 2022, 02:08:42 PM
...without burning myself but with some twisting and grunting it finally fit. ...
I picked up a set of leather welding mitts that go 3/4 up the forearm. Keep them beside the stove. Best $20 ever spent.
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Neighbor said come get it. 5 or 6 loads.
Nice to work without snow and mud. ;D
Very odd indeed. Minus 2 the other morning. We are horribly dry, only about 4 or 5 inches of snow for the year so far. Normally we get about 6 to 8 weeks where its fairly white. About Christmas to Valentines Day. Never remember a winter this open. Decided I'd better get on those while it's dry and frozen and easy to get to.
It was about 7 going on 8 years ago took a trip on interstate 80 to Denver .I 80 goes through some open country near Ogallala ,didn't see too many trees .Did however pass a dairy operation that must have had 2,000 Holsteins and hay stacks 30-40 feet high and 200 yards long .Dang that was a lot of hay .Passed a grain train prior to that had 4 power units on the back,4 in the middle and 4 on the lead .That thing had to be 3 miles long .Interesting state I must say .
I've seen trains like to coming from the prairies and Piece River across the width of British Columbia and all those mountain ranges into the terminal at Port Edward, which is 500 miles north of Vancouver. Coal trains to, same port. They keep going and going and going. :D More than one train tunnel to go through. Kicking Horse Pass is one site to see, I have not been there, but the folks have been.
I finished toting in the firewood changed into the Carhart arctic,14 degrees and took a walk about .In my back fence row I came across a scad of wind falls .Nice dead ash ,bone dry and up off the ground around 6 inch to 10 .Perfect .It will take some fancy backing but I can get right next to them .File the chain on the 024 Stihl and make the chips fly .That's a better option than going to the gym like the country club set in designer sweat suits .Old blue jeans ,Red Wing boots ,flannel shirt and a ragged well used Carhart coat .works for me 8) Supposed to get up nearly 50 in the next couple of days which is a lot better than 20 .
It got up to over 30 today and no wind so it wasn't bad at all .I got a little bit but my word that EAB killed ash is about like iron wood This is just shy of half a cord and I had to file twice .My little 024 Stihl did grunt a bit chewing away on those larger rounds .
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Al,
Glad to see your wife's SUV got parked and you got your tractor out!
Nice evening for cutting and splitting
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The moon came out so we got an extra half hour in.
Her Envoy is a cream puff ,that old Fergy is a warrior .Dang short tongue trailer .I can put a semi in hole a lot easier than that thing .
Short trailers can make any experienced sober driver look like a fall down drunk who shouldn't be driving. :D :D Some of my best entertainment (except when I am the driver).
That trailer is worse on the back of that old Jeep. First you can't see real good where it's going plus as short as a CJ Jeep is it doesn't have a short turning radius .
Al I had a CJ5, what the heck kind a jeep is that?
I had an old WWII vet buddy that owned one of those, he was always fixing a winch or installing a drive shaft. :D :D Then, what does he do? Goes out and buys a Grand Cherokee for him and the dogs. :D He lost his wife to cancer, so those dogs where like his kids. They were anyway before she passed, but even more so. His conversations where like how he could out talk anyone else in the conversation. :D :D Some people don't like that, but my grandfather and I thought it was a hoot. He got even one Halloween. He was toothless, although he had false teeth he never wore. So grandfather, the joker he was, gifted him a bag of molasses caramels you can only buy at Halloween. He got a kick out of him trying to out talk and have caramel juice run down his chin. :D :D
Quote from: doc henderson on February 15, 2022, 11:23:11 PM
Al I had a CJ5, what the heck kind a jeep is that?
It's a CJ 5 also I think 1964-65 but it's the parts from two or three .My dad did at least a dozen total rebuilds from the frame up and this is his last .I've got enough parts in my shop I could almost make another one
This one I still haven't got it right yet but considering dad did this work when he was over 80 years old the ole boy done good .His best was a 1948 CJ-2A it ended up in Texas and the guy drove it from north western Ohio all that way at about 45 miles per hour because those old duffers were slow as a snail but they could climb a tree if they found traction .
Yesterday back at it, on the edge of a field. Cut an ash and some small maples. Most of my fields are bare now but the edge of this one still had snow.
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Some 4 footers
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Some rounds
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back in the barn.
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Happy cutting.....Cutter
Well this morning I can see the woodpile after all the rain in the night. It will soon be white again, I suspect, by tomorrow. :D
Quote from: SwampDonkey on February 18, 2022, 04:41:19 AM
Well this morning I can see the woodpile after all the rain in the night. It will soon be white again, I suspect, by tomorrow. :D
Same here :)
Ohio and this goofy weather .It went from 10" of snow or so to melted to 54 above yesterday .Now it's 18 above but come next week will be above 50 .I suppose for those who tap the sugar maples this stuff really makes the sap flow . For me if I want to snatch some more wood I'll have to wait until the top of the ground freezes back up .Mud is one thing I could do without .
We got a drizzel of rain all day yesterday and about 5 pm it had the roads iced up .Then about 1" of snow last night .I'm not leaving the house today because these yahoos don't know how to drive on ice and they've lived here all their loves .It's a good thing this area is as flat as Kansas .
Yep, rained all night, then this morning a bunch of ice build up and now going over to snow out of the NW with wind hurrying it along. :D
I built my last fire this morning for about a week. High in the 80°'s this week but back into the high 20°'s next week. Rain through Thursday and sawing scheduled for Friday.
Typical weather for late Winter here. My firewood here at the house is getting sorta low. (Actually I just counted eleven sticks.) I can bring more up but I hate to have to haul unused wood back to the woodshed.
The extra firewood can't be more than an armload can it? Wouldn't fill grandmother's wood box by the old cook stove. ;) :D :D
It will be a few weeks before I have to cut firewood, but I will probably cut 2 or 3 cord in the spring, a little extra safety net for next winter, on top of the 7-1/2 cord sitting in the snow outside the door. ;D Still about 6 cord of dry wood left for the winter. :)
As usual in this neck of the woods the weather is all over the place this time of the year .Started out just after dawn it was 12-14 above .Now shortly after noon it's 42 .Tomorrow it could hit over 50 .I have been splitting some rounds with a sledge and a wedge which I don't usually do just to be rid of it off the trailer .I might make a run to the woods or just wait until tomorrow .
That super duper fancy high tech propane furnace is making a monkey out of me .Might have the exhaust froze up or the intake blocked but the discharge only gets up to about 85 degrees, should be 115-130 or so .Then it knocks out the flame spread sensors so something is amiss I just haven't figured out what yet .I'll win because I always do I'm just a tad bit befuddled at the moment .That said the woodstove insert has carried the entire load this winter which is a good thing .
Doing a reverse skid. :D Hitched a young hickory tree to the tractor bucket and backed up to pull it out of the woods and into the field where I could cut it up.
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I then went after this scrub red maple.
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It has warmed up here, ground is getting soft. Rain tonight and tomorrow so I won't be cutting in the woods till it firms up again. Time to split wood in the barn.
All that heat locked up in wood fiber. ;D
@cutterboy (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=1157) I've been waiting for you to post a picture of the front end of your tractor to tell what make it is. Just my luck the grill is missing :D. Is it an old Massey industrial? Keep up the good work and watch out for the mud.
newoodguy, you are exactly right. Massey Ferguson model 20 industrial, probably early 1970s but not sure. 42hp. My dad bought it used about 35 years ago and passed it on to me 20 years ago. It has treated me very well over the years.
TractorData.com Massey Ferguson 20 industrial tractor information (https://www.tractordata.com/industrial-tractors/000/1/3/136-massey-ferguson-20.html)
Got a warm day and lost some snow. Splits pile continues to grow. Log pile shrinking.
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Big_eddy, that looks like quite a pile of split wood!!!
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Quote from: thecfarm on February 23, 2022, 06:59:07 AM
Big_eddy, that looks like quite a pile of split wood!!!
Somewhere north of 60 cord so far. We are 2 months and 15 cord ahead of where we ended up last year, with one more truckload of logs arriving this week.
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Good lord
what does it say? @Big_eddy (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=53722)
Quote from: doc henderson on February 23, 2022, 08:35:50 PM
what does it say? @Big_eddy (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=53722)
Metcalfe Firewood is my guess.
I guess you are right! thanks.
Despite appearances, it is not all stacked. It's probably the worlds largest holtzhaufen pile. I stack a outer wall, then dump splits against or over it with the tractor bucket. Actually, ever since I knocked the wall over dumping a load, I stack a double outer wall and then dump splits against or over it.
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Quite a mountain of wood. Enough for 6 old drafty farm houses up here. ;D
Looks like a lot of ash. My favorite. :)
Looks like a lot of wood to me.
And work!!!! ;D
I'm a bit of a math geek. There's 60 cords there.
Each cord takes about 10 logs or 120 blocks. That's 600 logs or 7200 blocks. I picked each one up at least once. So did my wife.
Assuming each block is split in 4, there are 28,800 splits there. Each one has been stacked on the tractor bucket - once.
If you are keeping up, we are at 43,200 touches so far.
And every piece will get picked up and stacked on the loader bucket again to load the trailer before we deliver.
Total 72,000 touches to deliver 60 cords. And to think some people PAY for gym memberships????
I know how much touching was involved getting 10 cords each for two old farm houses and two potato sheds. That wood had to be handled into big wood sheds and basements or dumped/thrown into piles outside the doors of the potato sheds.
Quote from: Big_eddy on February 24, 2022, 02:19:51 PM
I'm a bit of a math geek. There's 60 cords there.
Each cord takes about 10 logs or 120 blocks. That's 600 logs or 7200 blocks. I picked each one up at least once. So did my wife.
Assuming each block is split in 4, there are 28,800 splits there. Each one has been stacked on the tractor bucket - once.
If you are keeping up, we are at 43,200 touches so far.
And every piece will get picked up and stacked on the loader bucket again to load the trailer before we deliver.
Total 72,000 touches to deliver 60 cords. And to think some people PAY for gym memberships????
With that volume I would recommend a conveyor to pile and load into dump truck or trailer with a grapple for your bucket. Even if you give away a little extra to compensate for exact measure the productivity and efficiency will more than make up the difference. Thats a lot of wear and tear on the joints!
The boss aka wife aka splitter operator and I have talked about a conveyor many times. It is the logical next addition to our process. If the splits would magically disappear from the splitter and end up on the pile, her splitter throughput would at least triple. Right now she tosses a block in, splits it, then walks to the end and unloads the splits into the bucket. She spends much more time unloading and stacking than loading and splitting. But in her words, she "doesn't want to just stand there pulling the handle". She likes the variety and moving about. So we continue as is. We do like to clean up all the blocks at the end of each day, so once I'm done cutting and building the wall of blocks for the day, I take over at the splitter exit and load the bucket. When we are both working the splitter, we can process a lot of wood fast.
Eventually I will find or build one. But first on the project list is a splitter build for my son. It will be similar to the Big_E Mk II splitter we are using, but with some improvements to address a couple of things that could be better.
Geez and I thought I accomplished something with 15 Chem totes and 4 face cords. ::) :)
Well it's not a mountain just a wood box I burn about 1 a day if it's 10 degrees ,less if it's in the 20's .Problem lately is that danged dead wind blown ash has moisture on the bottom
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from being on the ground and doesn't want to fire off real quick .A little help from a window fan takes care of that after a few hours .
Quote from: Big_eddy on February 24, 2022, 07:28:43 PM
The boss aka wife aka splitter operator and I have talked about a conveyor many times. It is the logical next addition to our process. If the splits would magically disappear from the splitter and end up on the pile, her splitter throughput would at least triple. Right now she tosses a block in, splits it, then walks to the end and unloads the splits into the bucket. She spends much more time unloading and stacking than loading and splitting. But in her words, she "doesn't want to just stand there pulling the handle". She likes the variety and moving about. So we continue as is. We do like to clean up all the blocks at the end of each day, so once I'm done cutting and building the wall of blocks for the day, I take over at the splitter exit and load the bucket. When we are both working the splitter, we can process a lot of wood fast.
Eventually I will find or build one. But first on the project list is a splitter build for my son. It will be similar to the Big_E Gen 2 splitter we are using, but with some improvements to address a couple of things that could be better.
The key to gaining with the elevator is a push plate on the cylinder so the next round pushes the finished splits past the wedge and off the end. Keeping busy is accomplished with an autocycle valve instead of holding the handle. Be as busy as you want to be. Autocycle and elevator will keep the Big E hopping trying to keep rounds stocked for the Mrs to bust.
Nice operation you have built!
I am considering the auto cycle valve, but I like my set up as simple, neat and tidy. I did not use it in the beginning with a 12 y/o son and his friend occ. helping out.
I made a short video yesterday from the seat of the skid steer about the lil tips I have learned about making firewood with a processor. I hope it is not illegal to put a video up on a picture thread!
Halverson HWP 120 Hacks - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHkZP23Ov1U)
PC
Well we finished off the log pile and tidied up a bit today. All we have left to split now is about a cord of cherry I set aside. We have a smoker customer likes cherry and it's a lot easier to separate when it's in log/block form, than when it's mixed in the splits pile!
Our next load of logs is "late", but I have a couple of repairs / mods I'd like to make to the splitter, so I guess that's what will be on tomorrow's plan.
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Quote from: Big_eddy on February 24, 2022, 02:19:51 PM
I'm a bit of a math geek. There's 60 cords there.
Each cord takes about 10 logs or 120 blocks. That's 600 logs or 7200 blocks. I picked each one up at least once. So did my wife.
Assuming each block is split in 4, there are 28,800 splits there. Each one has been stacked on the tractor bucket - once.
If you are keeping up, we are at 43,200 touches so far.
And every piece will get picked up and stacked on the loader bucket again to load the trailer before we deliver.
Total 72,000 touches to deliver 60 cords. And to think some people PAY for gym memberships????
All you got left to figure out now is how many calories you burned. :)
Quote from: paul case on February 26, 2022, 07:35:52 AM
... I hope it is not illegal to put a video up on a picture thread!...
video = motion
picture ;)
He burned ALL THE CALORIES!
cleaning up from the winter. making the junk stuff I give away for non woodstove heat applications. fire pit ect.
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my buddy Tim at the splitter/conveyor.
I use some of the junk wood on the outside of the retort to make lump charcoal on the inside containing oak.
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chunked up some bigger wood today, that wasn't processor friendly. Got a few more logs to do, then pre split with the skid steer, and once we get a good pile, we'll finish on the regular splitter
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I just came in from sawing some wood that was almost 18 inches across.
Does take longer to saw up, but does add up fast.
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on March 06, 2022, 05:08:30 PM
chunked up some bigger wood today, that wasn't processor friendly. Got a few more logs to do, then pre split with the skid steer, and once we get a good pile, we'll finish on the regular splitter
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What kind of wood are you splitting?
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OK Guys, here is what I started the Winter with.
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And here is what I am down to now. Two more fires and I will have to wheelbarrow a few more sticks up from the woodshed. The forecast is for 29° Saturday, 25° Sunday, and 34° next Monday. Yup, I had better grease da wheel and git ta rollin'. ::)
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It snowed out by da mailbox. :)
I can tell you ain't from around here (Michigan) :) 2-4" today, but there's hope because the latest I ever seen it snow was the middle of May say_what
Well I bit da bullet and wheelbarrowed an entire load up. Come on March Winter, I'm ready for ya. :snowball:
This morning I cut an ash tree down into the brush and vines and thorns. I had to cut my way through that mess to cut up the tree and take out the rounds. I knew this was going to be a lot of work, and it was, but I got a nice pile of firewood.
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It started raining right after lunch so didn't get back to it but tomorrow looks good for cutting wood.
Quote from: Wlmedley on March 06, 2022, 09:09:33 PM
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on March 06, 2022, 05:08:30 PM
chunked up some bigger wood today, that wasn't processor friendly. Got a few more logs to do, then pre split with the skid steer, and once we get a good pile, we'll finish on the regular splitter
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What kind of wood are you splitting?
That pile was about 1/2 ash, and the rest was a mix of red oak, maple, a birch, and a beech or 2
All the ash around here died a few years ago .I had about forgot what it looked like .
QuoteThis morning I cut an ash tree down into the brush and vines and thorns. I had to cut my way through that mess to cut up the tree and take out the rounds
Can you not pull that downed ash out of the brush and brambles with the MF ? Save diving in there with the saw to fight it and then hand carry out the firewood.
beenthere, I have to go through a field to get there and the ground is too soft for the tractor. If the ground dries out a little bit I can get my CubCadet with the dump trailer in there to haul the wood out.
It's about over with .Fact I let the fire go out .If a cold snap comes again I'll light it back up .The ash around here are long gone but ash doesn't rot up like hickory on the ground it will still be good for several years .It's just a little tough on saw chains cutting on the ground and hard as a rock .You get a lot of chances to use the file to say the least .
It doesn't take long to fetch a trailer load and what needs to be split use a sledge and a wedge .However my little buddy, Stihl 024 is going to need a new chain and clutch drum ..325 chain is one size I don't have many loops plus clutch drums galore but none that size .Stihl for reasons unknown only list the rim drives as rim drives with no OEM numbers but they do with a sprocket drum .So it looks like a drive is in order to my friendly Stihl dealer to pony up some money .I think the flea bay sellers are putting out false information on what fits what and an 026 doesn't interchange with an 024 .Got a nice one of those that doesn't work .
A beauty day to block some hardwood. Cutting the stuff too big for the processor.
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Quote from: Magicman on March 07, 2022, 11:45:26 AM
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OK Guys, here is what I started the Winter with.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_1914.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1646670958)
And here is what I am down to now. Two more fires and I will have to wheelbarrow a few more sticks up from the woodshed. The forecast is for 29° Saturday, 25° Sunday, and 34° next Monday. Yup, I had better grease da wheel and git ta rollin'. ::)
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It snowed out by da mailbox. :)
Geese Louise Magicman I burn that much in four days. :) Its 8 degrees here right now. >:(
Bbbut, we don't gots dem Glaciers down here, but I did have to lite a flicker yesterday and this morning. Yikes !!! :o
It might be over, I certainly hope so .I got a nice load of wind blown hickory yesterday ,nicely dry from 4" to about 6 " which of course doesn't need split .Plus I might have finally figured out that danged high tech propane furnace that's given me fits .Come on spring time .I much prefer sitting on my duff in my lawn chair enjoying a cold one than freezing my behind off with a chainsaw .
Cut some dead cherry next to the driveway. I like the short trip to the wood shed 😀
Going to try my first picture on the forum.
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Well I put pic in twice but I did it !
I've done the same thing. Quite a feeling of accomplishment when the first one goes up, at least it was for me. Nice job.
Got 56 cord of birch in 16ft coming on sat morning, the start of the camping season.
I really wanted to be working up some firewood today...raining and the last of the frost is coming out, not a good combo. Hope for better weather tomm
I have quite a bit of wood on the ground all cut up to length. I'm just waiting for a field to dry up enough to get the tractor to the wood.
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You've got those woods about as clean as your woodshed floor. :o Keep up the good work.
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Firewood for next year
Been comin home with a load of trimmings from the bucksaw every workday. Loaded by the knuckleboom.
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Now if itd just split itself...
Goofy typical Ohio weather this time of year .Mid 20's at night high 50's day time .The firewood box is loaded up but the fire is out .Finally when the heating season is almost over I got that high tech pain in the back sides furnace running after I figured out how it works .It's top secret, they don't tell you much .--that's a story for another time .
First slabs of the year, cut up and stacked in the barn. Mostly red maple, little ash, little aspen.
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I don't know it you really call it firewood, but it is keeping me warm. :D
I am cleaning up this area.
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Lots and lots of branches to pick up.
I cut a eastern white pine that the top broke off. That produced some branches.
I have a OWB that will take a 54 inch stick. Some "firewood" is only an inch through. Not asking that stuff to get me through the night, just a few hours. Might take 4-6 fillings, and time but it does make heat.
That area of woods looks really nice.
Sunday is sorting day.
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Saturday, I cut and split firewood as I went and tossing brush off the trail, most of the tops landed out of the trail. But some dry dead stuff would land on it. I like clean trails, and my limbs feed the soil. ;D Wood was forwarded to the road, then later loaded onto the pick up. I figure I got 6/10th hauled in and stacked. Takes 3 pickup loads to make a cord in the Tacoma. Enough to finish a rank in the house, so the wood room is full. And enough for a smaller rank out under the porch, which could take another wheel barrel load. Probably need to cut 6 pick up loads to replace what gets burned by June 10th. Then cut 2023 wood this fall. Been only a couple days that were 60's here, and that was in March. Been colder ever since, barely enough 50 degree days to count on one hand. 47F today, and all day to get there. Keeps the flies at bay. :D Great cut'n weather, can't be beat, as long as it ain't snowing and raining. ;D
Drive through pick up comes in all shapes and sizes.
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Ever wonder what 768 cubic feet (6 cords) of 14 inch long split hardwood looks like? Here you go. Normally 4 crates make one cord when stacking 16 inch long firewood pieces. For 14 inch firewood we stack each cord using 5 crates to allow for good, end grain air flow drying.
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looks great Jim!
Jim did the guy with the stock trailer take a load of cows to the pasture or to town? Looks like he made good use of the trip and back hauled firewood home. That's planning ahead.
Quote from: hedgerow on May 18, 2022, 04:17:30 PM
Jim did the guy with the stock trailer take a load of cows to the pasture or to town? Looks like he made good use of the trip and back hauled firewood home. That's planning ahead.
You would think that but no. He didn't want to pay the delivery fee of $55 for 2 cord of a 4 cord purchase so he made four 70km round trips. He likely paid more in fuel not to mention his time. To each their own I guess.
Yesterday, built eight crates.
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And put some logs into the ugly pile for the chainsaw later.
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At the tail end of the ugly logs is this pile. These will cook some more in the wind and rain, sun and snow for another year. Then I'll slice into them to see how much, if any spalting there may be.
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Black fly season is upon us. Not exactly fun times when its mid 20's ºC but we solider on.
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A pic of the brow at the start of the day
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It's missing a couple of cord worth of logs now
Nice shady spot you got there.
Thanks Jim. It doesn't take long for the sun to come up and start cooking us. When it gets like that we'll set up a little pop up canopy over the processor. It's not ac but it's not direct sun either
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It's getting there however rather slowly .This is a tad over 3 1/2 cord of ash of the four I need for a season .I've got some oak and cherry to drag in the logs for which won't be good to burn until next spring .Plus a couple of large dead standing hickory which should burn .They've been dead for a long time and eventually the roots will fail then over they go .Some times mother nature does a good job and some times not .I usually hit the target but some times I miss myself .
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Hooray the last of the ash for now .Got the four cords .Now comes the cherry . I wasn't always this slow but then again I've never been this old before .
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First cherry of I think 3 that got wind blown .Because of the 100 foot oaks these things have to grow tall and skinny to get to the sun .Then a big blow comes through and
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snaps them off like a tooth pick .This is right at 75 feet of log .These things need to dry out before they'll burn so it's next years firewood .
Early in the spring a big wind came through and knocked down a lot of trees .Then about two weeks ago another hit after all the leaves were out and left me with this tangled up mess .You have to be a tad careful with this stuff else you could have a 1500 pound log on top of you .Got-er-done !
After using a 42 cc stock saw for a couple of weeks I broke out a 72 CC modified saw .Talk about chips a flying .Like going from a flat head Ford to a Corvette .
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So here it sits ,first tree bucked ,second about Sunday or Monday .As the pieces got bigger it was easier to line them up so I could roll them .I'm not nearly as strong as I once was .
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Two cord blocked, split and stacked. Lunch time!
2 tanks for the 372xp. $1.50
5L for the splitter. $12.50
Time spent with the boss... priceless ;D
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This morning at 6am I was on the tractor heading up to the woods going after a black birch that was uprooted last year. It uprooted when I cut down a large oak that knocked it over.
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Cutting this tree was a little tricky because it was hung up in some other trees, but I managed. When the tree was cut off the stump the uprooted root mass closed right up.
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I had to cut down a small hickory to get the birch down to the ground. After that I cut it in 16" lengths, loaded them into my firewood carrier and brought them back to the barn where I stacked them.
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This wood will be processed this coming winter for use the following winter.
Happy cutting.....Cutter
We got two cord done and on trailers this am, our goal was 3 but the heat wins, I give! It's 92 now, we did a short atv ride but it was even hot in the woods. Gonna deliver, hit the hardware store and groc shop, fuel up (ouch), may help with the last field of first crop, THEN me and the boy are heading to the lake to take a swim! Maybe I can convince the wife to bring us pizza for dinner when she is done milking???
Jim Barry, that not making firewood in the summer idea you have is sounding better to me every day!
It's in the low 80's ,not bad at all .I'll have about 3/4 of a cord of cherry cut and split in an hour .The two more logs which are 30 footers I need to retrieve
cut from the top at the split should make a full cord .It might get dry enough in 5 months or it might not .Then after all that about 6-8 cords of white oak that's been piled up about 10 years with a skid loader .That should be real handy to work on ---not .
Having the long covid and vaccine problems I did not have enough energy to take down more dead ash this spring so I wound up buying wood. Bought 20 oversize face cords of ash off marketplace for a very reasonable price. Can only get 2 face cords in my dump at a time so it took 10 loads over 3 days. All set for a long winter. We got lucky my wife found it only 3 miles from our house.
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The trouble with dump trailers is it doesn't slide out. You have to pull forward and wind up with a 16 ft long pile. I can't believe how that Ranger tows. Handles the dump trailer as good as the old 6.2 Silverado with only a small sewing machine sounding motor.
Since you mentioned it I also have a Ranger ,1997 ,model .I think the last of the dual spark plug 2.3 liter engines .For a baby truck they can be surprising ..
Quote from: Al_Smith on June 29, 2022, 10:52:46 PM
Since you mentioned it I also have a Ranger ,1997 ,model .I think the last of the dual spark plug 2.3 liter engines .For a baby truck they can be surprising ..
This only has a 2.3 with a turbo and it's real torquey. The other day I put it in sport mode and put it to the floor for the first time. It took of like a big v8 when the turbo spooled up. My wife was impressed by how it sounded and felt like a big v8 launching when the front end pulled up. I didn't tell her that was the sound of a v8 piped through the stereo system on the Lariat models 😉. Outside it really sounds like a sewing machine. The 10 speed transmission from the f150 is a perfect match with a 3.73 rear. Pretty amazing the power they can get from a tiny engine.
It may sound odd but is true .Prior to that engine being upgraded to 2.5 liter I was part of the team making the last 1000 engine blocks .The machinery was so worn out we had to manually reset things about every third one .They were all good parts but it took some" yankee " ingenuity to get them through .
Before that upgrade was started we ran 150,000 2.3 liter blocks to keep up production numbers. It was 7-12's for about 5 or 6 months .
Back to firewood ,I got another cord or so cut ,split and stacked .The oak is next .
What's the odds this would happen ? Wind blown ,broke off basswood right dead center of a two stemed hickory .It was a little bit of a challenge recovering it .
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Not to worry this is not my first rodeo but it is first for something like that .I got it down, fence post style .Between the two wind blown there's likely over two cords .Basswood is not real good firewood but it all burns .
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Mostly red alder. Working on getting my own three cords stacked to dry, plus a few for sale.
Sure would be nice to have some level ground!
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A good morning at the wood pile, cracked and stacked 1-1/2 cord.
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This insect showed up. Have no idea what it is.
20220704 Insect visit to the wood pile - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhTuPNxwMUQ)
woodrat Looks like you are putting that new to your splitter and truck to good use.
Some pics of some of the loads that have been in this spring and summer. I missed some that came in when I wasn't around. Also a couple of making bundles a couple days ago, refreshing the top roller shaft, pillow blocks, collars and coupler on firewood conveyor, a pin broke on the Bobcat, the carburetor on the Honda needed cleaning. It was the first time I've ever actually found the spec of crud causing the problem. Been busy. About 80 face cord on the list yet. When that's done I'm shutting down to get the Kubota diesel set up to power the processor and I'm going to replace the 5.5 Honda on the conveyor with an electric motor. No more gasoline.
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I was out this morning on the buggy and cut a cord, split it this afternoon where she lies. Going out in the morning to haul'r in. Needed some more to complete my piles for this winter. Will all be stacked in the drying wind and heat of summer under the porch. Got a woodchuck who likes to hide in the wood pile. Actually 4 of'm at times. :D
Looks like you're getting it done Corley. :)
Jim, your bug looks like a sawfly. ;)
Well it's finally stacked and life can go on. Turned out I paid for 20 face cords and wound up with over 23 due to his oversized stacks. Just have to put the tarp on.
Firewood 2022 and Mower Arrived From Italy - YouTube (https://youtu.be/8GRIFMuRUyA)
Stinks to have to buy it but you have to do what you must do to keep warm.
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It took me a couple of hours snaking out
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this big wind torn oak limb .Tore a big chunk out of the 100 foot white oak .I had to fight the under brush like a jungle and cut that heavy pot licker into three pieces to pull it out .Intact it had to be 50 feet long .Counting about half of it I already cut up I'll get over a cord out of that gnarly thing . .
To recover firewood you have to get creative and use what you have .Often it's easier for me to haul out stuff rather than cut it up where it's at .If it's small enough the Toro zero turn mower works better than the tractor .It's surprising how much they will pull .In the pic is about half of an EAB killed ash that total was about 80 feet tall .Snatch it with a nylon strap that acts like big rubber band and give it the gun .
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A mower through my woods!!!! :o
There are a few places that you could pick your way through. But you have to have it air lifted up into the woods. :D
I have to bob and weave through mine as a matter of fact .I can crank that zero turn through places the Ferguson would never fit .Then it's a long cable to reach it . That said on that 5 plus acres I just bought the front approx. two acres is like a jungle .Like the song said --places a rabbit couldn't go. Fact this time of year on most of the 8 acres total of woods the under growth is so thick I can't see the downed ash trees .Have to wait until fall but this year I'm ahead of that game . Evidently the squirrels have worked over time planting hickory and walnut trees .
My ground is full of mounds, the mower would sit on one and tilt 360 ways. :D Most of my rocks are embedded in the mud below surface.
We do what we have to to get the wood in. ;D I won't be cutting wood again until October, no heat, no flies and a lot less leaves. ;D
Well it did say daily so here ya go .Tackled the oak and broke out the big Viking super saw,Husqvarna 2100 CD .Fickle as a teen aged prom queen that one .But if it decides to start after you nearly make love to it that old Swede gets with it .It's been over a year since I fired it off .A couple of the other orange brand ,038 Mag and 024
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. After all that dry ash that oak feels as heavy as lead ,22 inch .Then again I've never been this old before .
Like cutting a lot of aspen and then cutting the odd crooked legged white ash for the sake of taking out the trash that won't make a log. Dry ash firewood is a lot heavier than dry aspen when loading up the stove. ;D You'd think white ash had a lot more water in the wood when green since it likes the moister ground, but not wet ground like black ash. Black ash holds a lot of water, and almost as light as aspen when dry. The darn black ash takes a long time to get any size, slowest growing hardwood I ever saw. Bark feels like a bunch of cork. ;)
I'm pretty sure these were white ash .Were,like in past tense because nary a one is still alive and few dead are still standing .Green it would split easily but dead about like trying to drive an axe through concrete .Not to worry because my DIY splitter will go through any thing no matter what it is .
Yeah, I wasn't questioning it. Just comparing for sake of weights. :) Sometimes field edge ash is hard splitting to. Kinda like what roundup does to hard maple, won't kill it, makes it harder. :D That's maple in sprayed plantation. Run a clearing saw in it compared to natural ground and you'll see the difference.
Al, my little zero-turn gets firewood duty too. :D
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My Toro has larger drive wheels and does good with the deck raised which surprised me .The yard cart I use takes 4 or 5 trips to equal my trailer which holds about 1/2 cord .With all that EAB killed ash much of it does not need split .It's all within 500 feet from my house so it really doesn't take long although I don't hit that hard .I mean after all I am supposed to be retired .Get a yard cart full, unload it then drink coffee and annoy people on the internet then back at it .About every two three days I suppose . Maybe 4-5 hours but come about 4 PM this time of year it's a barley pop on the patio .Maybe several ;)
Every woodpile tries to fall over...
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this one was successful. >:(
The wood stacked against a wall leans, and may eventually fall over, because the outer end of each piece dries faster than the other end, thus shrinks more and is causing the lean. Doesn't take much on each individual split piece, but is accumulative the taller the stack is piled.
I always stack so that the front, away from the wall, is slightly elevated and 3 or 4 inches away from the wall or other piles at the bottom where I begin. All it takes is placement of the wood so a few pieces with the thicker end is to the front. Easy solution. ;)
I bet that surprised you and 🥵
Hot today but going to be worse this weekend and have a delivery scheduled for Sunday to combine it with another task. Have been trying to line up back hauls, no sense driving the pig anywhere empty. Only selling green wood this year split right into the truck! Demand is more than I would want to handle without a processor and bigger truck. With short side boards this mason body holds two face cord.
We went and jumped in the river for a while then I filled the truck from one of the "mini landings"
Sorry about your wood pile cutter :-\
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So its not just mine? Lol . I just put some props on the end pile that has been there for a year and a half, got my doubts it stays up until fall.
Here's where we are at this year.
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20220806 Our firewood yard. - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE-RJue26MI)
More pics of loads that have come in. I missed the 20-cord trainload. He was in when I wasn't. I've got some stocked now, but it won't last. Thirty-five face cords on the list to do now and another 50 waiting on them to call when they're ready. 100" is harder to find than I'd like. Winter's coming.
My fox buddy showed up the other night. I had the Bobcat shut off a few minutes checking and returning texts when it scampered in and hung out for a bit. He had a companion by the sugarhouse that never came into the yard.
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Great photos Corley!
We're busy with firewood these days too. Too many dogs though, so our fox is shy.
Great pictures!! That's pretty cool!!
Good on all you guys getting ahead. I feel like I've been treading water for weeks now. We'll get a few cord done then get a few cord more of orders. I looked at my order list the other day, I'm booked through September. No new customers, no more orders till we get caught up. I felt the stress melt away as I said it!
I was hoping to get 4 cord one this weekend. Its been super hot, so then I was thinking 3 cord. A buddy got me, the wife, and kid, Patriots practice/inter team scrimmage tickets for Fri night, a great day away for us. We got home late Fri, so we got 2 cord done, but had a good weekend!
@GRANITEstateMP (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=8262) I hear ya. Having that responsibility of getting people's winter heating ready in time can be heavy on the shoulders. Hot here too, all during July the boss and I went out each morning at 7am and did 1 cord to beat the heat. A lot of mornings getting into the mid-30ºC. Some days only 1/2 cord, some days 1-1/2. It allowed us to get caught up on fall orders of seasoned wood. Then a call comes in and a new customer almost next door is looking for 3 cord of dry wood. We shuffled some pre-orders around and filled it. Come to find out they had enough for this year, they were looking for next year's supply. Fair enough, but they could of taken green wood. Someone calls now we are out of seasoned wood for the 2022-2023 winter. Only kiln dried will be available. We shuffled orders around a lot this year trying to appease new customers, it got confusing as to what belonged to who. No more shuffling. As we begin processing orders for repeat customers next year once their name goes on the crates it will be like written in stone.
This morning's 2 hour workout was eventually rained out. The sawdust can only provide so much traction to wet logs. A little before and after. Running a husq 372xp x-torq with 24 inch bar. 3 tanks of gas.
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The picture in my post above is wood croches and ends to go in my owb that dont make good pieces to sell for campfire and indoor stoves
Pile for campfires and indoor stoves got it right this time. For me easiest to add photos to my gallery from my phone and then make the post from my pc
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I just got done 30+ cord of too big for the firewood processor, had to run them through the sawmill LT15.
Quartered them. The new 59 cord came in and it looks like very few too big logs if any.
On the weekend my son a I drove up to Edmonton AB took a look at a western star truck with a picker. It will be a good asset, the logging company will not need to send a picker out anymore,
The picker cost me the same as a BTrain 22.5 cord and the picker 14 cord, the best part is they can send a Btrain a lot quicker then if they have to schedule the picker in with it.
This is going to be only a yard truck.
It's only a mere pittance compared to some but I'm down to maybe 2.5 cords to go and it's white oak .It's been piled up for 10-12 years but still hard as concrete and dry enough to burn as it is .Gnarly stuff .I cannot move those big rounds by hand any more but I do have a tractor that does it very well .Big rounds are time consuming but have a lot of wood in them . It might take me 3 weeks to finish but I am retired you know . I'm just trying to get it cleaned up .
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This started out at over 10-12 cord at one time .Due to fact it was tree trimmer drop off they typically cut the small stuff at two-three feet and use a skid loader .Then I have cut them down and file the saw chain often because that dirt does a number on them
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.There might be 4-5 cords in that mess
Last pic .When I have this last skid I'll have about twice as much as I need .I won't use this
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oak unless it gets really cold which the last couple years has not
Like I mentioned in another thread it was raining here this morning so I decided to deliver two full cords to a good customer that ordered them a couple days ago. Full cords means stacking them in the dump trailer so I can get one full cord loaded at a time. But I had Mrs. Lapp to help and it goes fast. Two cords at $250 each is an easy mornings work.
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For the last three days I've been logging ash and cutting the tops for firewood. The emerald ash borer has moved in so I want to harvest as much ash as I can right now.
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A couple loads of 8' firewood.
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Happy cutting Cutter
You sure get a lot done with that tractor!
Today I moved the splitter that hasn't moved in a few years .Heavy duty Judy home built .I moved it near the garage as I needed to replace some bolts that periodically rattle loose .I should have shock mounted the engine because a big single kind of rattles .What I'm into now it's easier to move the machine than move the wood .12 inch oak which I'll make good time on rather than 30 plus inch rounds .
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A word on that EAB killed ash .It's not as rot proof as say white oak but it's pretty close .They might stay standing for 5-8 years until the roots give way then gravity and wind takes them down .I have no idea exactly how long it takes until rot gets to them but will say after 10 years on the ground they are still solid and hard as a rock .You will get plenty of file time on the chain .If you are not good at you will be .
Al! I like your splitter. nice and solid, like mine. can a log splitter be too solid and strong? I don't think so! :snowball:
Yes that dead standing ash gets rock hard if the bark falls off. Thankfully, up here EAB hasn't arrived yet (it's coming) but we get a lot of beaver kill in black ash stands. It's the finest firewood that exists for people that don't look ahead and have their woodshed full😁 Be prepared for a lot of vibration coming from your chainsaw as you literally feel every tooth hit the wood (maybe it's the rakers, actually). It's well worth the effort though, IMO.
I had guessed that splitter at half a ton but I think more more like 3/4 ton . Just in the beam ( W 10-72 ) and the foot plate ( 2" ) and the Parker super duty 5" cylinder it's near 900 pounds .It takes at least 3 people to move it by hand .When old junk yard dogs like myself cobble stuff together out of junk usually it's built like a battle ship .Some brag about cycle speed but at my age it will out run me and I seldom speed it up much past half throttle .
On the ash I use chisel non guard chain and it doesn't vibrate just throws the chips . I file just about every tank of gas .You can gain more speed with a sharp chain as all the engine modifications combined .A dull chain puts undue work for the engine plus the operator .Some claim semi chisel is a better option but I don't .To each their own though . ;)
Al I'd never claim semi-chisel to be better, but I do run it a lot. It allows me to nick the dirt twice instead of just once😁
In Stihl I think it is RS and RM. they claim the rm stays sharp longer, but also pulls smaller chips from the onset. I love burying my boots in a pile of chips. Al I will have to go weigh mine sometime for fun.
There used to be a tool sold, it was a sieve that you would put all your sawchips in. If they all fell through the chips were getting too fine meaning that the saw was dull😂
Couple years ago when Stihl came out with RS pico chain myself and an other guy had the chains before the local dealers .He has some connections . ;)
It was for the MS 200T's .When I eventually went to the dealer the young lady tried to sell me a loop of carbide tipped. The dealer over heard the conversation and broke out laughing then explained to the girl who I was .I suppose the carbide option would work well for people who don't know how to file a chain but I'm not one of them .
I'm still working on the ash but this red oak had to come down because it was in the way of a big ash that was coming down next. I cut the stem into three 8' sections and brought them up to the barn to be cut up for firewood then went back and cut the top into 4' lengths.
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I had to stop on the way to the barn to go into the house for my coffee break. ;D
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Keep on cutting.....Cutter
You are amazing and it's good to see that you still remember the important stuff. 8)
Thanks Magicman. Just trying to keep up with you. ;)
As to the important stuff...9:30am is coffee time. Every morning my wife and I stop what we are doing and sit down for half an hour with coffee and a snack and a chat. My favorite time of the day.
That is great!
Some of our summer's work.
20220826 firewood splitting drive thru - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1kSSO8vRyg)
Jim I hope that is a go pro I see on top of your head in your profile/shadow, and not a Grinch inspired man bun! :D :D :D
Go pro indeed.
Any man that wears a bun is in transition.
That's a heck of a spread ya got there Jim! And, it's super clean too!
Cutter, I ran some ash through the processor the other day and thought of you and the ash your working up. I was pretty envious of yours, mine was covered in poison ivy vines!
Jim, all those racks of wood sure do look good sitting there in nice neat rows. It's almost a shame you have to sell them.
Granite State, poison ivy is no fun. I've had one ash tree so far with poison ivy but other than that it's been bittersweet and grape vines.
I had a bunch of aspens that had grape vines growing up them. Sometimes I had to cut the vine so the tree would fall.
It was just about the same size, about a foot across. Would have made some great cabins logs. But I was young and had no idea about that stuff. Just wanted the grown-up pasture back. I think this was the first field that I claimed back.
I had a couple dead white oaks already blocked up and some room in the wood shed so I figured I would split them up and stack today.l got the splitting part done and that's all I wanted for one day.I always try to keep two years ahead for one thing I like dry wood and the other thing you never know what might happen to keep you from being able to cut.I can't believe the volume of wood some of you produce.I always thought after I retired I might sell a little firewood.I believe I'll have to find another way to make extra money.Not sure without stacking but estimate about 3/4 cord here.
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To me, I'd estimate 1/3 of a cord. But when you do all of the work, it does seem like a lot more. 8)
depends. how long are the sticks?
You get a little here ,a little there .Keep at it long enough you have a stack .It's only a race if like some you sell it .
Quote from: doc henderson on August 28, 2022, 05:25:56 PM
depends. how long are the sticks?
Sticks are between 20" and 24".I've got a big stove.I'd hate to sell beenthere any wood.He'd probably make me pay him to take it 😂
:D :D
I don't buy wood, ;) ;)
Back decades ago when I wore a younger mans clothes I sold some firewood .When asked about the price my response was the wood was free the price was for the labor involved .
I occasionally say "I don't pay for it", but not everyone gets the reference. 8) :o :)
Another partial day in the woods .This is just an example of simple HS physics, a cable, pulley and eye nut and a 5 inch hydraulic cylinder. There was a time I was strong enough to set it up but those days are over . Some times you have to think outside of the box .I use a boat winch to lay it back down .
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Good idea Al I might have to use it on mine before long.
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Another one of my brain storms .A short tongued any thing is hard to back up especially behind
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a tractor with no power steering .The Toro has a big double framed hole in it about the right height for a trailer ball so that's what I did .A zero turn is about like a bulldozer .It will spin on a dime and give you back 9 cents in change .Now I can put it in any hole I want to with ease .Should have done that years ago .
Another 10 cord of 100" this morning. The hardwood pulp markets are tough right now. Arauco, and Weyerhaeuser in Grayling are paying very well for it as well as PCA (Packaging Corp. of America) in Manistee and to top it off the new owners of the paper mill in Escanaba are now buying hardwood pulp from the N. Lower Peninsula. There's not enough production to keep up with demand. Mark's got me down for whatever he can get me whenever. After this load of mixed white wood, he's got red oak from a job east of Lewiston. Long haul to Wolverine and I'd rather sell a sugar maple mix but I'll take what I can get. I've got a standing order in with another producer and another I've never dealt with is supposed to have me a train load of maple in a week or ten days. Maybe two weeks. Another supplier who I've bought a lot of wood from has their self loader down. Pat their driver had a widow maker heart attack on a landing just as he was throwing a chain over the load. He went down in the dirt and with no cell phone signal they loaded him in the crummy and met the ambulance. Probably a good they didn't have signal and didn't wait. I talked to him a few days ago after his first cardiac rehab therapy and the Drs say he won't drive for 3-6 months. And his boss can't find a driver for the truck. The rest of his rigs are cribs with no loaders and he's hauling into the mills in Grayling. Never a dull moment :) ;D
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Good heavens just looking at those massive log piles makes my back hurt just looking at them . That's a whole bunch of work there .
I spilt some hard Maple for fire wood today.
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I load the 1 ton with John
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cut to 20" wood'
Tip the body up, let them roll to me. Drop on top of the splitter, Then turn and stack. Later I'll be moving it in.
I've got more than enough firewood so now it's testing a few saws .There's a saw fest thing in mid October and I just wanted to bring a few that most people have never seen
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but some of them had not been started for several years .So far most of them fired right up .
So this is a few wind blown linden logs .Four to be exact .Left to right modified Stihl 038 magnum ,McCulloch Titan 70 ,McCulloch SP 1000 (Partner P-100 ) McCulloch 805 with an early 850 engine .The small saw is a modified Stihl MS 200 T.
I once thought the Titan 70 had about as much power as Stihl 044 but it does not .It runs very fast but does not have the torque to crowd it so if you drop the reins it does okay .The other ones you can crowd hard and the Partner probably sit on it and not stall it .
BTW Linden/bass wood is not very good firewood but it does burn ,just takes more of it .
Those saw look good!!
I just came in from getting a bucket of "firewood".
If I showed it to you guys, you would know I don't know nothing. ;D
Just a load of limbs that fell out of the trees.
The farm, it's not just you, I brought down some yesterday that probably should have been left in the woods. It'll burn!
This morning's activities.
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Since it's been mentioned I could heat my house just from the limb falls etc . from 4 or 5 acres of 7.5 of woods and never run out .Takes a lot of cutting but very little splitting a garden cart at a time .It all burns .As of yet I've never been in the front two or so acres of that 5 acres I just bought .That thing is jungle .
Neat thing about limb falls is you can do it with a little light saw .At my age I kind of like that .024 Stihl did almost all of it when I came close to running out last winter ,4 garden carts a week if it was fit to get into the woods .
Try one of the new cordless electric saws for the limbs, Al. It doesn't get any lighter than those.
I'm too much old school for a battery chainsaw although I do have some battery drills and a sawzall . :) Besides that I must have a dozen little 2 cube saws that need some exercise. At the moment I'm doing battle with a bunch shelf queens .Some seem to be winning . >:(
You all that are not hardwood snobs would be proud of me.
I have a pile of lilac to burn. ;D
I've been meaning to trim them thing for years and I mean years. I even found my garden in behind the lilac. :D It's the driveway, about 6 feet wide of lilac and the garden.
Now onto the next project.
It felt good to run the saw after not being able to since May.
Since it was mentioned on the home place my dad transplanted a bunch of lilac .Over a period of about 25 years they turned into a hedge row and over 20 feet tall and about 4-5 feet across .Largest lilacs I ever saw .Those shoots were about 4-5 inches in diameter .
I've been burning alders in the mix on a rare occasion. Some of those are 30 feet tall and 4" across. Even some grey birch and that is heavier than white birch, but just an oversized alder. Has less strength than yellow birch. The storms were always knocking it onto the power lines in Grafton. After awhile they had to clean up enough of them so there were none left to knock the wires down. Instead of doing the cutting on the front end when it would cost less. :D
happy birthday Ray!
Thanks Doc!!!
I had a few lilacs that was 4 inches across, shy of the 20 foot mark. It's good to thin them things out every 20 years. ;D
I don't think you can kill them unless you pull them out by the roots .
20220903 2-1/2 cord on Labour Day Saturday - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2KiTuHoeas)
Happy Birthday Ray! I know when it's Rays Bday, it means fair season is starting here in NH! Firewood will have to take a backseat the last weekend of the month, heading down the road to Deerfield Fair. Now back to your regularly scheduled firewood thread!
Thanks GRANITEstateMP. Yes, it's fair time.
We use to go to at least 10 in Maine. We would open the fair and then leave before the night crowd came.
There is a guy in my area who had a talk show about dealing with yard trees and such. His recomendation on pruning lilac is to prune them right after the flowers wilt and to remove 1/3 of the stems and take out the biggest stems each year. You'll get flowers each year and they don't get too overgrown. I've burned lilac and it's decent stovewood.
Happy birthday, Ray!
Thank you barbender.
I really apricate it.
Still cutting ash...
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Happy cutting.....Cutter
I'm going to miss that ash .I have a couple thousand board feet in rough lumber and maybe a couple more still in logs .Those were 90- 100 foot trees not too long ago .I might get another 4-5 years out of dead falls for fire wood then it's all gone .
Built 30 firewood racks. Each holds a face-cord (8ft inside width and 4ft inside height). With my 24" firewood pieces that'll be a full 1/2 cord per rack. I burn about 12 cords per year, so the 15 will provide a nice cushion. If these work as well as I hope they do, I'll shoot to have 2 years worth of firewood in the racks. I stole several ideas on the FF for the build and thanks to @doc henderson (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41041) for the idea of Gorilla Glue on the joints. Used green lumber, so minimal wetting was required for the glue to activate.
I did not want anything on top to tie the sides together (for easier piling near the top), so the idea of alternate side 4X4 should do the trick to keep the sides rigid.
I wanted racks to allow both ends of the firewood to be exposed for better drying, rather than the pallet-styles that are common and have two or more tiers. The weight of a rack of green firewood is just about at the capacity of my 70HP tractor's FEL. I have some rear 3-point hitch forks on order that I'll either use for ballast or to move the racks around.
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I've got an order for a face cord of smoking wood. He wants "fruit wood" and beech. I hauled this part of an apple tree out of the field before I mowed it few weeks ago. It was destined to rot. There's a couple more pieces in the tree yet. Maybe he'll want more next year. I've got some sticks of 100" black cherry and beech set aside in the yard to make up the rest.
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PH those look great and durable. That is a fair amount of wood to haul at a time. my metal crates take 4 to make a cord. I hope you can put a crate in place where you use it from, and do not have a bunch of hand moving to do before use.
Anything to make it easier.
Quote from: thecfarm on September 07, 2022, 09:04:51 AM
Anything to make it easier.
Couldn't agree more.
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Each crate hold 32 cu ft.
Quote from: doc henderson on September 07, 2022, 09:03:44 AM
PH those look great and durable. That is a fair amount of wood to haul at a time. my metal crates take 4 to make a cord. I hope you can put a crate in place where you use it from, and do not have a bunch of hand moving to do before use.
One step of handling is eliminated with these. The plan is to leave the loader, firewood table, and splitter in one spot and move the racks as needed to fill them and place them for drying. Before snow flies, I plan to convert a section of grass to gravel for better stability (these racks are a little top-heavy) and so I don't need to worry about grass growing around the base of these and inhibit good drying. I will start to fill these up this fall for next winter's heat. I'd be nice to have two years ahead, but for now I'll be happy with one.
I really like the incorperation of bracing with a 4x4 top and bottom. look forward to seeing the first ones filled, and to see if you find any improvements you recomend. it would be nice to have an indoor spot, like in a garage that you can set a full crate to use right off of. i do not have that, but a rack under cover just out the back door that holds a half cord. in the middle of winter, we will stash some on the back sun porch if it is snowy or icy. or use out of a crate just out the back door on the sidewalk.
Nothing gets wasted. Even the hardwood ends get sold.
20220907 Firewood hardwood ends - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52bXefwrspw)
That mention of fruit wood rings a memory .On the home place where my niece now lives was a big fat apple tree that eventually dies at well over 100 years old .As a kid of about 10 or 11 I built a tree house in it and nailed it .At over 60 years old I dead wooded it and hit those danged nails .The old tree got even with me . The wind eventually got it .That wood is all in the barn now saved for smoking wood .
Quote from: Al_Smith on September 05, 2022, 11:21:55 AM
I'm going to miss that ash .I might get another 4-5 years out of dead falls for fire wood then it's all gone .
You must be having better luck then I am then. I dropped a couple dead standing ash last year that were not even worth cutting. Just soft and punky. Around here at least there is very little ash worth cutting, either standing or down. The only ones that have been solid are the smaller 6-8" trees, I'm assuming they made it through the first flush of EAB and were killed by a later group.
I do agree I'm going to miss it. Has been my favorite wood to cut & split.
I tried several different styles of pallets. I ended up deciding a concrete pad was the best solution for me.
Issues I had with "stacks" are the single stack pallet is unstable to move. Even if you band it the wood shrinks and the bark slips as it dries. Double stacked pallets the inside face will not dry if the stacks are tight and will be unstable if they are not. Crates work fine but that's a big investment in a container for a low value product.
A grapple or even a fixed bucket with teeth to get the wood rolling into the bucket stored and loaded off concrete is an efficient way to go. It's not cheap but neither is the time and money to build and stack on pallets. If you sell measured dump it into a measured truck, trailer, or "measuring box" at sale time. Wood spilts in a large pile on concrete will season. The stuff underneath does not get as much air but doesn't get wet either.
Concrete would be nice but wicked expensive. For us, customers seeing rows and rows of crates with wood drying sells itself.
20220908 2 cord loading and delivery - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po9D9Na1rCs)
The downed ash at least from my perspective will remain solid unless it's right down in the mud . The sap wood could be punky but the heart wood is solid and hard as rock .Very very few still standing and those are less than 12 inches .The hundred footers fell over years ago .The roots give away and the wind takes them .I've got a lot downed 4 to 6 inch stuff .It takes a lot of cuts but you don't need to split them .
Did this four times this morning. In total, 256 cu ft.
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Your firewood operation is very neat and organized. Mine is a mess right now
Mine too, Bruno. Mine too.
I am guessing it pays to keep everything clean. I tripped over a small chunk of wood last year that resulted in a meniscus tear in my knee. This led to minor surgery that has taken close to 1 year to get back to where I was before I tripped on the wood. This getting old sucks... However very nice looking worksite!
I got a train load of 100" red oak in yesterday while I was working on getting out wood for the train load that came in today. I told the guy I'm working with I'll run the forwarder through next Friday and then I am back to firewood. I've close to 400 face cords on my list. Winter's coming.
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Mine certainly is not the amount shown by any means .I added about a cord and a half from wind blown linden trees .Not good firewood but it all burns .As the logs got larger the rounds
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got too big for me to handle some " noodling " was needed .Saw is a Stihl 038 AV I forgot I even owned .I gave it the "treatment" 10-12 years ago and for 60 cc's it does very well .
Earlier today...
20220917 1 cord delivery to New Glasgow - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQIp_jZsR_8)
Always a good sign when it sounds like bowling pins coming off the truck. :)
That's a great setup you have, Jim👍
Yes Jim, really nice set up. And that bag of kindling is the cherry on top.
Some of this stuff will be firewood .Maybe some will be out rigger pads . 100 foot cotton wood a tad over 5 feet .084 Stihl and a 70 year old Oliver dozer on a one inch nylon rope to tip it .I mapped out the lay and only missed it by about 1 foot .
Dang thing up and died on me and this one could do a lot of damage and it could have hit my house ,not good .
I was on the dozer and missed the look on these kid's faces but Georgia said it was priceless .They may never see something like this ever again but I'll bet they will always remember it .
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I guess this is related to firewood but more so to a splitter .So Tom who gave me a hand with the cotton wood owns a tree service .They also sell firewood during heating season .He has three splitters and recently bought another .Looks brand new .Yard Max whatever that is , 30 ton .Danged thing would not build pressure but the cylinder would move just no split .I knew it related to the control valve .Sure enough somebody had it apart and got an o-ring in the wrong place .Easy fix,20 minutes .I wish they were all that easy . ;D I ran a couple of rounds of white oak and it went through them like hot knife through butter .Nice machine .
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I discovered something today I never knew .I cut on some of the top dead limbs from that monster tree and they were hard as dry maple .Sounded like bowling pins if you clank them together .I had never cut a cotton wood before except a few hazard trees .I had no idea they could get hard as a rock .If that's the case it might take me 6 months to cut it up but my word I'd have three years of firewood .
Slabs cut up in the slab rack. It's all ash.
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A bucket load of slabs ready for transport to the barn to be stacked.
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Stacked in the barn and will sit there till this time next year. Then it will be moved to my basement.
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Below is some of the firewood cut from the tops of the ash trees. It will be split and stacked in the barn in December or January.
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There is still a lot more firewood on the ground in the woods I need to get. After I finish sawing the logs I'll go after them. The work never ends.
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
I intend to hit'r on Monday, weather permitting. I've got to run the clearing saw a short while to clean up the main trail of hardwood suckers and weeds. Perhaps lay down some corduroy in a couple spots. Then full speed ahead. :D Best time of the year for woods work my friends. :)
Good Saturday mornin' all.
20221008 Crackin' and Stackin' on an October Saturday - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWkjrPbgjI0)
Jim my brother was in New Glasgow this week and said how many trees were blown down from hurricane Fiona, I suspect your area is the same. Will their be a glut of firewood in the future?
Quote from: Hilltop366 on October 08, 2022, 11:09:32 AM
Jim my brother was in New Glasgow this week and said how many trees were blown down from hurricane Fiona, I suspect your area is the same. Will their be a glut of firewood in the future?
The amount of trees down wouldn't put a noticeable dent in the overall demand. If anything, the harvesting of the trees blown down in the forest might be a bit more difficult. If it takes the harvesters longer to pick through the mess they might charge more, in turn, we pay more and therefore would have to charge more.
0ºC at 7am. Perfect weather and time of day to be blocking.
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Should be enough for the winter
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6 bundels of Oak slabs $ 25 a bundel need to get the buzzzzz saw going
Yesterday we processed and stacked. Today is a delivery day.
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I have plenty to keep me busy for a while. A mornings splitting and stacking and some pole piles yet to get to. .(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/60091/imagejpeg_028429.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1665621511)(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/60091/imagejpeg_028329.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1665621434)
Nice looking stack of wood.
It sells CutterB. Nine deliveries out of ten I get the "That's nice wood." comment from the customer.
But I tell you guys, having said that I still occasionally lose contact with a steady customer for a while and then all of a sudden they call again. And it always turns out they bought from someone else for a while but came back to me. I don't take it personal. Its just business and everybody wants a bargain.
Had a very good customer that ordered two cords last week. She always gets her firewood way earlier than that. Usually in Aug. Then she buys a third cord or a pickup load in Feb. This year she didnt call till last week and when I delivered I saw she had some still very green and very thin, all bark, slab wood stacked up where we normally put her wood. She knew I saw it an she was embarrassed. She explained she thought she was getting a real deal and she didn't. No hard feelings form me, she learned her lesson and called me. Every bodies happy now. Good "DRY" firewood sells itself to folks with enough experience burning to know value when they see it.
Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on October 13, 2022, 08:47:04 AM
It sells CutterB. Nine deliveries out of ten I get the "That's nice wood." comment from the customer.
But I tell you guys, having said that I still occasionally lose contact with a steady customer for a while and then all of a sudden they call again. And it always turns out they bought from someone else for a while but came back to me. I don't take it personal. Its just business and everybody wants a bargain.
Had a very good customer that ordered two cords last week. She always gets her firewood way earlier than that. Usually in Aug. Then she buys a third cord or a pickup load in Feb. This year she didnt call till last week and when I delivered I saw she had some still very green and very thin, all bark, slab wood stacked up where we normally put her wood. She knew I saw it an she was embarrassed. She explained she thought she was getting a real deal and she didn't. No hard feelings form me, she learned her lesson and called me. Every bodies happy now. Good "DRY" firewood sells itself to folks with enough experience burning to know value when they see it.
All very true. Happens here too.
On the right, cut mid September 2022, moisture content (MC) 45-55%.
On the left, cut and split mid March 2022, MC average 45-50% and left to air dry all summer outdoors.
Its what they called "seasoned firewood" around here. The wood still has 25-35% MC.
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We kiln dry the firewood to bring the MC to 20% or less.
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Volume shrinkage after kiln drying.
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Hi Jim, stacked under cover makes a world of difference. Here I get it down to 16 or 18% air dried before the cold, tested on side grain, not ends. Dries even more with heat and low humidity in the winter where it's stored. Big checks on the ends. But I understand the conveniences (or non) with moving firewood around. I get that kind of shrinkage easily. I can see it when piled up flush with duct work or a 2 x 4 brace and weeks latter several inches lower. ;)
No smoky smouldery fires here. ;)
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JimBarry I'm glad your not selling wood near me. You'd be real hard to beat.
I'm lucky that there are only two serious firewood guys operating in my area and there is enough business for us all. Most guys that try selling firewood dont last long and cant keep their customers so they arnt real competition. Or at least not for long.
5 years ago others were $225 delivered. Now they are at $275. We've always been $20 or so more for seasoned wood, plus delivery. Pricing still isn't where it needs to be to show even a smidgeon of profit to build up in case of serious equipment failure.
20221017 Hot from the kiln, firewood at 19% MC - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMH4_Qqg1-A)
Some pics of loads coming in. Been busy. Still close to three hundred face cords on the list. Wood is in short supply in N. Michigan. I should be able to stay in reasonably seasoned wood for much of the winter. There's a bunch of it on the job I'm running the forwarder. It was cut and bunched in May and June and left until he got back to it in September. It's dry enough that the bark is sloughing off much it but there's still some moisture in it. When that's all that's available it's good enough ;D :)
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Corley you have an elk herd up in your neck of the woods or are you working on a game farm?
Man, that's a lot of wood Corley! Is it a mix of hardwoods? Hard to tell by the pictures.
Down in the woods yesterday to get some ash tops from a tree I logged a couple of weeks ago.
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Happy cutting.....Cutter
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Splitting away the punky stuff is part of our quality control. The home heating firewood we sell is the best parts of the tree. What you see on the ground is what was sorted from 1/2 a cord of firewood. The 32 cu ft crate (1/4 cord) beside the boss is more of that lower quality wood, we call it campfire grade (C-grade). When dry, it starts quick and throws a decent flame. Good for the workshop, campfire, or use it for starting your home fire. We currently sell them for $59 a crate.
Jim, do you do any soft wood cords, or do you produce enough c-grade wood through sorting to fulfill those types of orders?
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on October 22, 2022, 06:22:42 PM
Jim, do you do any soft wood cords, or do you produce enough c-grade wood through sorting to fulfill those types of orders?
I don't produce softwood on purpose. Sometimes there's a couple logs in a truck load, so they get split and stacked. I might of sold 1/2 cord all last year to a lady for her cottage. There is zero demand for it, although I do see other sellers moving the product. The C-grade hardwood, we generally end up burning it ourselves. Usually around 20 or so crates a year. Sometimes we can go a year and sell one or two, some year's none. This year I had 14 crates and figured it was our house supply for the winter. It's all been sold.
The elk is a member of the MDNR's Pigeon River State Forest herd. Unfortunately he's a victim of brain worm. He's been hanging around the same spot since I've been working out there. I've about hit him with my pickup and so has the guy I'm working with. It needs to be put down. I was going to call the DNR yesterday and didn't get to it and I didn't see it yesterday or today. This pic was from Wednesday when it was raining and snowing. The poor thing doesn't know it's miserable :(
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That pile is all mixed hardwood. It runs very heavy to sugar maple with bug killed ash, beech, ironwood and a bit of soft maple. The door post gets in the way of this pic of the pile. I've got it replenished. He hauled quite a bit away the week I was processing firewood. 60 cords go to my yard 8) 8)
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Do the elk get brain worm from proximity to whitetails, like moose do?
Yup, but they're not as sensitive to it as moose. That's why there's never been an attempt to reintroduce moose into the Northern Lower.
Interesting, never know what you're going to learn on here. I had no idea there were elk in Michigan.
Corley is quite a big fan of the Muchigan elk, if I remember correctly😁
Quote from: newoodguy78 on October 23, 2022, 06:57:59 AM
Interesting, never know what you're going to learn on here. I had no idea there were elk in Michigan.
And also elk back in Wisconsin
Elk in Wisconsin | | Wisconsin DNR (https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/elk)
We have two small herds in Minnesota as well. They are kept intentionally small through hunts, because they are in agricultural areas and elk are tough on crops. I sure wish we had more, one of the Ojibwe tribes has an elk reintroduction plan in place for east central MN, west of Duluth. I for one can't wait👍
And Elk in Pennsylvania. :P
They restored them in Eastern KY and have been hunting for some time now.
Our Wisconsin elk are all brought in from KY, 'cept for the newborns. Feeds the wolf packs.
Hunting season is for a half dozen permits for citizens, and the tribes also get to shoot some.
It's most certainly not like the mountains of firewood many have but it's enough .It's all tarped down including good ole "Ollie " my Oliver dozer almost 70 years old and still kicking .I've got a few more years on me than Ollie and I'm still hitting on all cylinders .
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Well, I did it again. :-[ Cutting firewood from a hickory tree top.
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It's only stuck on the very tip but I could not wiggle it free. I had to use my other saw to cut it free.
These came off a neighbor's property a few years ago. I hauled them out with the Iron Mule I had at the time. They are hard on agriculture. I don't appreciate them at all. I counted 14 bulls in my corn field once upon a time. Haven't noticed evidence of them in the neighborhood in a while now.
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About Elk in Michigan (https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/hunting/elk/about-elk-in-michigan#:~:text=Michigan%27s%20native%20elk%20disappeared%20around,possible%20in%201964%20and%201965.)
Nice volume of firewood there, but don't think you will get much more drying of the wood with the tarps down the sides that way. Needs air. just sayin...
Might cover the top but not the sides.
Nice bulls, and the Iron Mule looks like a very handy rig for hunting camp😁
Sometimes you just gotta stop and admire the struggle it takes to make it.
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A fellow could get rich if he could sell much of this.
I sell a pile of it, and rich I ain't. Although, retail price for bundles here is around $6.50 each. Lots of labor and handling in those little buggers!
@Corley5 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=27) I just spent the last weekend camping and a little bird hunting in your beautiful part of our state. I have been applying for over 15 years to get an elk permit and have not been successful yet. My brother did get a bull permit a couple years ago and I was able to go with him to get a 5x5. What a fun time.
Quote from: Wlmedley on October 23, 2022, 11:00:49 PM
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A fellow could get rich if he could sell much of this.
Considering most retailers want half the SRP, $5 to produce one of those and ship it to the retailer, I just don't see it being worthwhile. 128 cu ft kiln dried might get you 100 - 110 bags. That's $500 to $550 a cord (more or less). When a loose cord of kiln dried can sell for $395, that leaves $100-$150 for bundling with a shrink wrap machine, piling them onto pallets, wrapping the pallets for transport, and then delivery. Lucky if the retailer will offload with forklift.
A while back we thought sawing 1x1 pine for kindling with a bandsaw mill and chop saw would be profitable and bagging into 1 cu ft netted sacks. It's not. It's definitely not. Depends on scale I guess. If you can set it up and do 1-2,000 bundles a month. Maybe. It's A LOT of physical work though.
Working on some hickory now.
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My bundling set up is not the most efficient so labor is a killer. I also got used bundlers for a fraction of new. It's something where it's good to have the money coming in when there's a lull in other business, and a real nuisance when I have other more profitable things going on. I am going to try to make use of my slow time this winter (if I can stay out of a forwarder😁) by bundling myself instead of paying others to do it. I don't care to do more than 2 hours of it at a time, it is kind of mind numbing.
Well, I've hauled in 7 Tacoma truck loads recently. All split and ready to dry. 23 more to go. ;D Got rained out this afternoon, but hauled 3 loads anyway.
Looks like the bundles are a loose,loose situation.Don't make much producing it and I know you wouldn't save money burning it.I guess the retail store would make pretty good money.
QuoteLooks like the bundles are a loose,loose situation.
Is that loose, loose ? Or is it lose, lose ? There is a difference. :snowball:
Tight bundles.Lose money burning them :laugh:
Quote from: beenthere on October 24, 2022, 07:17:17 PM
QuoteLooks like the bundles are a loose,loose situation.
Is that loose, loose ? Or is it lose, lose ? There is a difference. :snowball:
But they are related :) Those loose with their time, lose most of the time.
A couple weeks ago I picked up a bundle account after taking them a sample load of 150. They're happy. It's a campground 7 miles from the yard. They go through about 300 bundles a month from May through September. I wasn't looking to do more bundles. They contacted me. The fella who had always supplied them was a long-time firewood guy in the Petoskey Area. He went from semi to fully retired at the end of the summer. There's $$$ in them for me but I really prefer dumping five face cord loads of loose green hardwood in client's yards ;) ;D :)
Quote from: Wlmedley on October 24, 2022, 05:44:30 PM
Looks like the bundles are a loose,loose situation.Don't make much producing it and I know you wouldn't save money burning it.I guess the retail store would make pretty good money.
I would think the best money would be selling them roadside (very close to where the wood is being processed) near a campground or two for 30-40% less than the campground charges.
The problem I ran into with roadside sales was theft. My wagon was cleaned off the 4'th of July weekend, only half was paid for. Too much labor in bundles and crates of kindling to just give it away. I only sell by the rack or half rack now, still pays for my fall bird hunting trips... 8)
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Scott B.
People complain about the cost of bundles. People that cut their own wood can't see paying that much for a little bundle of wood. Has it occurred to you that you may not be the intended market?
Most people that come up camping don't even own a chainsaw, and want the convenience of grabbing a bundle or two to have a campfire and roasting some marshmallows.
I know people make comments to me about how ridiculous the price of the bundles are. I welcome them to show me how to do it for less. For my time, I make better money with regular firewood and my sawmill. The retailers aren't getting rich off it either, by the time you figure in a few stolen or broken bundles they are just making regular retail mark up on it.
If you can go cut your own wood for "nuthin' ", then by all means do so. I would too. But don't forget the cost of your $20,000 pickup and $900 chainsaw, and whatever other tools you're using to do it. If you want to make money with a business, you can't just throw those things in for "nuthin' ".
I could see theft being an issue around the right crowd if it weren't closely watched. Maybe a firewood vending machine would be the solution $0.50/lb or $1.50 per stick.
Most people not in business for themselves think that those who are sit on an easy, comfortable goldmine.
Quote from: bigblockyeti on October 25, 2022, 09:03:45 AM
I could see theft being an issue around the right crowd if it weren't closely watched. Maybe a firewood vending machine would be the solution $0.50/lb or $1.50 per stick.
Couple years back, we had a member that had a vending machine for firewood. Offhand, don't recall the member name. Think he may have been peddling his machine.
The stores that track their inventory closely tell me theft actually isn't too much of an issue for them. I suppose with cameras and bundles being bulky it deters most. Depends on the situation I'm sure.
Woodshax I think is his name, BT. They would be a great solution for some situations.
Quote from: barbender on October 25, 2022, 08:55:10 AM
...I know people make comments to me about how ridiculous the price of the bundles are. I welcome them to show me how to do it for less. ...
Same here, only its kiln dried firewood instead of bundles. Especially since we have to purchase our logs and have them delivered here to our wood lot.
Yes, even though I don't do kiln dried my prices are way higher than a lot of what you see advertised. I can't compete, nor do I care to try, with a couple of kids with an 266 Husky and a pickup making spending money. Nor do I begrudge them! They might do 4 pickup loads in a fall, but my customers need me to be able to deliver a load of cut and split year round, within a reasonable time frame. So I need all of the equipment in place, and logs bought, to be able to supply that. I can't do it with the 266 and 78 Ford F150😊 I'm not bothered if a customer scores a cheap load, either. Who are they going to call in January when the snow is 3' deep and the boys can't get out into the woods?
Honestly, the people that buy wood from me never complain about the price. They want to know when they call me, they can get a load of wood with a minimum of fuss. As it has been said, the wood is a bit of a byproduct, what you are really selling is a service.
Quote from: barbender on October 25, 2022, 01:23:58 PM...a couple of kids with an 266 Husky and a pickup making spending money.
Those were the days...no school due to an ice storm, out in the neighborhood with Dad's '67 Ford shortbed and a monster of a Mcculloch making BIG money (for a 17-year-old). Sorry, off topic...just thinkin' back.
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Should be able to haul out a few sticks with this.
New toy, Jim?
Quote from: barbender on October 28, 2022, 04:45:46 PM
New toy, Jim?
Hell no. The guy harvesting our next year's supply of firewood.
Is that an old Koering Jim? I remember the old feller forwarders cutting whole tree hardwood on Freehold and Crown land. Let the hardwood slaughter begin. :D
Quote from: SwampDonkey on October 29, 2022, 04:10:32 AM
Is that an old Koering Jim? I remember the old feller forwarders cutting whole tree hardwood on Freehold and Crown land. Let the hardwood slaughter begin. :D
TimberKing I believe.
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13 pickup loads (Tacoma) of firewood hauled in this week. Two more loads makes 5 cords. Five cords more to go. ;D
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New toy ;D
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I don't know if you can see my hitch tube and 2" ball stuck in the new splitter's hitch latch, they didn't want someone to lose it :D. The witch hazel is in full bloom up on the hill right there
Looks like and exact copy of my Swisher! Enjoy! Now if I could only get mine back. >:(
That part beam design is used on a lot of splitters many from the Pacific rim countries .It appears to me it's just like the one I replaced the control valve on a couple of weeks ago .That one used a "Dirty Hand "style pump and valve .Surplus Center BTW must have bought a couple of box cars full of them selling them cheap .
I looked at an oregon and a County Line that I think rolled off the same line as this one
Only splitters we have owned here were local fabs. One was a tractor mount vertical, would split anything. That went with the farm sale. The other horizontal pull behind with a Kabota engine we still have. They do make vertical ones that pull behind. I think they work both ways. For my firewood there I only use a Collins maul, easy to bust up aspen and fir with one wallop. By the time you load a chunk of aspen on the splitter and pull the arm, I've already split two or three rounds. :D I split where she falls when the log is bucked, toss to the side of the trails. Got no logging equipment to pull treelength so you do what ya gotta do. No roads either, and that keeps the curious off the ground. Them types don't walk much. :D A SxS buggy, a chainsaw and a maul is all I need. ;D
I got a doctor's note :D. I think it included swinging framing hammers too but my eyesight isn't that good. It didn't help at checkout though :'( :D
I swung a 5 pound axe for years but I'm not 25 years old anymore .A maul never seemed to work for me except for the hammer head portion .Since I've built several hydraulic splitters. My present probably weights 1500 pounds and is bullet proof .Took me about 20 years to amass all the steel, engine , pump ,cylinder.etc and 4 days to fabricate it .However I still have the axe which is likely over 100 years old, hand forged .I call that my arm strong splitter .Problem is the arms part are nearly 75 years old .The hydraulic splitter doesn't get tired like the arm strong version .
:D ;D As mother always put it, you found muscles you didn't know you had. I can remember mom's uncle in his 80's still hand splitting firewood to fill the wood shed. Never owned a splitter. Money was no object, but too mean and stubborn to spend it. :D My uncle (his nephew) bought one, took it over to the old fella's and showed him how nice it worked. He liked that, someone else bought one and he never even had to load it or split wood. :D :D :D
I do hand split the hardwood. One yard tree 40-30" across for a few feet at the bottom had to be all hand split, no way I'm lifting that kind of wood onto a splitter. :D But where I'm cutting the firewood the hardwood isn't big, young growth. The hardest to split is actually black spruce and tamarack. I cut a few spruce out of trails, and some crooked stuff. Tamarack is all crooked in my book, even if it looks straight, it spirals as it grows. :D
About 75 years will be my limit on the wood gathering and will be pushing the electric furnace button from then on. :D My grandfather cut firewood until he was around 80, lived to 87. But when you are retired from full time work, you have a lot more time available to spread the labour over several months instead of 6 weeks. :D I cut and split firewood in the mornings, I'm not 25 either. ;D I rest up the rest of the day. I'm not out to make records, just firewood. I also don't go out in rain and snow. ;D This fall has been wonderful, almost 65F today. :)
I like the Collins, any splitting axe I've used just gets stuck in the wood. A PITA moment. :D
I see Bernstein (Youtuber in ND) got himself a new wagon (Polar) and he restored an old Grizzly ATV to get his firewood. But he's working on land that used to be pasture, although a lot of it is slopped and wet bottom land. But seems to like his new toys. He's always gone wood cutting with the tractor or the M37. :D I think he's about 68 by now. And he has lived off the grid for many years on the back of the farm.
Polar 1500 Heavy Duty ATV trailer - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umGElnlZGRI)
I don't even try to lift those big rounds just use a cant hook that is older than me and tip the splitter upright .That I did with a cable via a pulley and use the hydraulics do the deed .Lay it back down with a boat winch .Every so often I do break out the steel wedges and 8 pound hammer or rip it with a chainsaw .A big round or a stump doesn't come around that often .
I'm looking to do this but with a small machine, if that's even possible. I like chainsaw work and bucking up logs but when I am staring at a pile that is 150 cord of logs I get back spasms :) Are there smaller units out there?
Firewood the easy way - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jVZxcfr5to)
This is more like it as that's about the size of ex I have but the grapple arms seem kinda small. Looking to handle between 4" and 20" diameter. If that's even a possibility.
Naarva S23 stroke harvester in excavator - S23-sykeharvesteri kaivinkoneessa - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P41TwU-kVpY)
Part of this skidsteer attachment might work for you... with or without the splitter feature.
Southside added a similar link in the other thread started on this question from JimBarry
Wood splitter C&C Equipment Bobcat T190 Skid steer attachment 812-336-2894 Processor - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1uDzwAODYM)
I see one on a skidsteer mount like beenthere's post. Hahn machinery. They've got two models. Comes out of Minnesota.
https://www.hahnmachinery.com
My dad cut firewood until he was over 80 but that McCulloch Pm 610 got a little too heavy for him .I had a couple 3 cubers I sent out for him .Like myself he had three sources of heat, gas, electric base board and the insert .He only cut about 2 cords a year by then .
I cut 8-10 cords here Al. I will slow down to probably 5 or 6 cords in 10 years and just use electric in fall and spring. Gas or stove oil up here isn't even an option unless you're a millionaire. $2000/month plus, in the deep cold of winter, ain't happening. Electric would run $3-400/month, like 1-1/2 cord of wood and don't have to handle it. :D By the time I am 70 or 75 I'll have wood as a backup plan for outages, 5 cords in the firewood room on standby. No power, no electric heat. With wood, at least there is convection and radiation working in your favour. :D
The insert with the fan will heat the whole house but it's L shaped .Without the fan about half the house . During the ice storm of several years ago I ran on a generator for 4 days .We had nearly everything ,TV,micro wave, two refrigerators , coffee maker etc .Slept in the living room so I could hear if the generator ran out of gas .It went through about 4 gallons in 8 hours and that was when gasoline was around a dollar a gallon .That would be rather costly at todays prices .
My first house had a oil fired hot water heater and baseboard heat. Fuel oil was 15 cents a gallon which included free burner cleaning every fall and free insurance on the zone valves and circulator pump. Was a good system and cheap heat.
My current home was all electric heat, hot water heater, dryer, and kitchen stove. My electric bill was substantial. Got fed up with the cost and went to all propane which for a few years was pretty reasonable. Then propane got a little pricey so I bought my own tank which got me a price reduction. Along came our purchase of some wooded land and the purchase of a Lopi wood stove insert for the fireplace. The wood stove heated the house so well that my propane furnace only runs on rare occassions but I still need propane for the dryer, water heater, and kitchen stove. My propane use seems to run about 200 gallons or so a year. This year the fall tank top off was $2.60/ gallon. :o
Since we own 220 acres of woods and this summers timber sale was just under 1000 trees it looks like I will be cutting, splitting, stacking 3-4 full cord annualy for as long as I am able.
Maybe I should install a solar system and convert every thing back to electric. Have to keep the Lopi of course for power outages. Either that or entice the grandkids to keep me supplied with wood. :laugh:
bitternut
My first home had an oil boiler furnace and also the price per gallon was 15.8 ¢. 1968.
Job I had was around $2/hour raising four kids. The good Lord helped out a lot, I'm thinking.
Since it's been mentioned I also have a glass front Lopi insert ,circa early 80's .From what I can figure it's rated for 55,000 btu which is more than enough for 2100 square feet .Danged thing is built like a battle ship and heavy as lead because I have moved it .Plate steel and fire brick lined it should out last me .I have however replaced the door gaskets a few times .Wide open you could forge a horse shoe in it .
Mom and dad were in a 4 day outage from an ice storm around winter 2006-2007. Had to have been then because that was the only winter in recent memory we never had snow, it came as ice and rain all winter. But all they had was a propane fireplace as a back up and no generator. It was a cold 4 days with no way to push propane heat 38 feet to the opposite end of the house, let alone around the corner to the kitchen or even the basement. It wasn't frigid cold, but if it were stuff would have froze. I think it was in the 30's F and in March. All they had was heat pump and electric furnace as regular heat, so that didn't work. I've had a generator here at the new place from day one and it's wired for it. Can't run hot water tank or oven, but I can boil water, freezers and fridge, draw water from the well, lights, cook on top of a mini stove, got phone (if a tree or ice doesn't take the line down) and internet (if the towers don't come crashing down in ice). You can actually run phone off your internet now instead of a land line if you want. Of course there is cell, but we don't have good cell coverage here even though we are within 10 clicks of 3 towers, one is in the US, 2 others behind big hills. No good to us. You might get 1 bar and it fades in and out. Think of Jeff at the UP cabin. :D What gets everyone's goat around here is the cell coverage follows the 4-lane, the residences out from the 4-lane don't mean anything to them. It's been brought up several times, but the CRTC does not put regulations in place to enforce any standard of coverage or even time frame to get it back on line during a disaster. CRTC is like your FCC.
One of them posts to ramble on. :D :D :D
I looked at dryer costs for laundry running off electric, it only cost me $5 a month, run 4 times a month on average. So I said good, no need to carry clothes to a line or put in any fancy expensive $$ money savings device. $5 is cheap convenience. If I lost power for an extended period, all I need do is bring out the dry rack that will hold a week's laundry. Either outside or beside the stove. :D
Yeah, and back then beenthere, one income was suffice to support a family and today 2 incomes is often just scraping by. For context, the price to sell pulp for the last 30 years has been around $100-120 a cord, stumpage has remained at around $30, hardly a change. Price of firewood went from $125 to $350 or more a cord. My grandfather on a pension could buy a brand new F150 every 2 years with cash.
Well unless you live in Key West you have heat of some kind .When this house was built,1973 radiant electric was very popular until they jacked the price of electricity .Then it was natural gas or profane, er propane .Fuel oil went out a long time ago .That stuff was a pain in the behind .
The big old farm house I grew up in had stoker fed coal to the tune of 12 tons a year and I shoveled every bit of it .Later changed to natural gas forced air and recently to 95 % condensing furnace .So things evolve as time marches on .
As I've said before I have three sources of heat ,propane ,electric or the insert .With the insert if you can get the fire started you will have heat but you have to tend the fire to keep it going .
Coal was never a thing here in residences out in the country. I think places like Montreal or Toronto in 'upper Canada' had coal. I still bet most used wood because they're surrounded my millions of acres of maple woods. :D Even today, travel from Montreal to Ottawa, woods woods woods for every mile, pretty much just maple, then boom here you are in the next city. :D Around these parts, it was way more convenient to go get some firewood off the woodlot. And it was within feet or yards of a house not several miles it would be by train or something. Everyone had a horse, a bucksaw and an axe. And many had a whole family's worth a free labour. ;D
You have to take in consideration what the location is .In Ohio , Kentucky, West Virginia .Pa and Virginia they had both deep mines plus coal fields galore .Most of it is still there .Years ago fire wood might only be used in the country but not so much in urban areas .When and if more friendly methods such a natural gas came along they used it .
Fuel oil might have been used in the country along with "bottle gas ", propane for kitchen stoves .Water heaters in some cases .In those days I never saw the 500 gallon tanks used today .Fact my grandmother who lived to 94 and split wood until she was over 80 had bottle gas but heated that farm house with two wood and coal stoves .Firewood ,some times corn cobs and lump Ohio coal for the night .That coal, a dump truck load only cost her maybe 8 dollars a ton and might last her 3 years ,late 50's early 60's .
NB has lots of coal, in fact one mine was used going back 400 years. Only reason it isn't now is due to the 'climate movement'. But that mine was far from here and most likely train coal when trains came along. Before that it was likely for forges and not huge amounts mined in the early times. The local steel smelter 30 miles away in the 18 hundreds was fed by wood with horse drawn wagons. And was as good as any steel at the time. Coal was a local thing back in the day, if it was 100 miles away at the far corners, it never benefited the family in the boonies. No practical way to get it. I've never heard of any horse or mule drawn coal trains. Only shipping on the river was the steamers, but that was short lived and just before the trains.
Quote from: SwampDonkey on November 02, 2022, 05:36:01 PM
... The local steel smelter 30 miles away in the 18 hundreds was fed by wood with horse drawn wagons. ...
I don't know which question I have is more important.
You were born in the 18 hundreds?
The smelter was fed your wood ... and wagons too?
I'll stop horsing around now :)
They have played this fuel stuff like a political foot ball for decades .You had cheap fuel oil then it turned into gold .Cut rate all electric homes then jacked the price .Plenty of gas then out of the clear blue they ran out or so they said .Now they have so much it should be cheap, guess again it's not.
During the 70's and 80's came a resurgence of wood burning .Every little shop who could weld did. All kinds of wood stoves and every one was the best on the market or so they said The trees grown up in fence rows got cut up and not so much later the fences were removed and 40 acres fields almost over night turned into 160 acres .They were trying to change NW Ohio into Kansas and nearly did .The mighty D8 Caterpillars did a number on the 10 acre woods every where .No more squirrel hunting ,gone . Fact just recently I saved 5 acres of fine big oaks from the loggers and house builders but it cost me dearly .As long as I'm above ground nobody will cut them except me and only then if they become a hazard. On the other hand I have a life time of firewood all 500 feet from the house and never cut a live tree .More times than not the wind puts them on the ground and I cut them up .
Read it again Jim. My mouse has powerful clicks. :D :D
Cleaning up maples in the sugarbush downed by May's dericho, lost about 50 taps.
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Hauling out of a mature stand.
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Be hauling in today with the pick up to keep building the wood pile. :D
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2 cord of mixed hardwood, 14" long. Moisture content start 31.4%. 5 days drying, finished at 20.2% MC.
We did okay today. Was heading out to deliver to our last firewood customer of the year, and saw our arborist neighbour pulling into his yard with a trailer load of blocks. Waved as we passed. Dropped our load and on the way home, his trailer was out by the road with a free firewood sign on it. We had the trailer on, so stopped and transferred everything from his to ours, and arrived back home with about 1/2 cord of hard maple blocks. I don't normally seek out "free" firewood, but this was too easy and it was already blocked.
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From this to that
2 people
5 hours
256 cu ft of 14" hardwood
I've got 8 cord in now, for next year. If I need a load or two more to top off the stacks that will be determined next May. ;D
Six feet high in the middle, 40 feet long, 14 feet spread at the base.
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The pickup is in there some place. :D
A sixty face cord order I finished up a couple days ago. I took him 20 a while back and the last 40 the end of last week. I had parts of five days in it.
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Reminds me of the days of heating two farm houses and two potato sheds, a mountain of wood. :)
Corley that new truck looks like it is working out real well for you 8)
I was bringing wood in to fill our wood box this weekend and it made we think just how lucky our firewood customers are to receive "real" firewood. All we get to burn are the rejects! There was not a real piece of firewood in the wheelbarrow.
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Them rejects will keep ya just as warm. They make straight ashes, to. :)
I love seeing my OWB filled with all of the scraps from my firewood operation👍👍
If it burns it's beautiful! I do draw the line at box elder....ugh!
Scott B.
All of our uglys and shirts go to 2 owb of the wifes family. Keeps my dooryard clean and them warm
It all burns some just does better than others .
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I'm just a homeowner (wanna be homesteader), but I enjoy looking at this thread so I figured I'd snap a few pics today.
Got some slab wood from the local mill, as I've had trouble from two different local folks getting log length firewood delivered. And I'm way behind for this winter.
Pulled it out of the truck on to pallet forks, cut it to 20" lengths, split, put in bucket, drove to firewood racks near house, stacked there.
I got some IBC cages and love them. Need more, but don't wanna pay the prices they're going for! So I just stacked the old fashioned way today.
It will help keep you warm!!!
Been hearing that a lot lately from new customers. They've been waiting and waiting from their regular supplier and no delivery and no followup. So they call us.
What's the going rate for a truck load of slabs in your area?
I'm in upstate New York. 1/2 cord of all oak and maple, pretty dry (all 19% moisture content or lower), was $50. And it was over the half cord advertised, as two wound up being 1 1/2 cords neatly stacked.
A tree guy down the road said he'd get me a small log truck for $200. I called several times to follow up. He never showed. It's been over a year.
A really nice local family that logs and owns a lumber mill quoted me $900 for a load they said would be 7-8 cords. Couple follow up calls to them but still no show.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20221111_144411-firewood-splitforce-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1668211608)
Jim. I'm really curious how you like that in comparison to your previous splitter.
Quote from: Big_eddy on November 12, 2022, 08:08:49 AM
Jim. I'm really curious how you like that in comparison to your previous splitter.
We did a half cord yesterday. I bucked a log or two while she split and stack. Then I'd split and she would stack. We were dealing with rotten logs so a lot of resplitting. Even dealing with that we split and stacked 2 crates in 40 minutes. That's a full 20 min faster than the EastonMade.
Even quicker than the Hakki Pilke because that takes an hour to do two crates, not factoring in the time in the skid steer sorting the log pile and bringing logs to the processor log deck.
So yeah, faster in every way. We'll get around to doing a couple vids to show side by side performance.
So much better control over the size of the splits and also have the ability to "avoid" the really tough knots. The downside would be keeping fingers out of the line of fire as it appears to be foot activated?
And self propelled? Looks like a hydraulic motor and sprocket on the left, look forward to the video.
Scott B.
Quote from: stavebuyer on November 12, 2022, 02:36:24 PM
So much better control over the size of the splits and also have the ability to "avoid" the really tough knots. The downside would be keeping fingers out of the line of fire as it appears to be foot activated?
Foot pedal.
20221111 Split Force 9ton First Impressions - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObwVMJ0SN1c)
Nice machine and nice operation. i could not work with my wife, so it is nice to see you two working together. i have only one other observation. there is no need to ever have your thumbs on the top side of the log. after years of use, it may come down to only one. I have a horizontal splitter and I always remind folk to keep all fingers away from the log ends where the wedge and pusher goes.
x2 Be careful where your hands are Jim. ;) Nice wood splitter.
It's down to below the 30's at night so it's time to load up the trailer and light the fire .
Into the rotten logs today. More mindful of fingers on top. :-[ ;D
How long does it take to split and stack 32 cu ft? - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVTOEbP9LH0)
looks great. that thing is snappy, and by the time you felt and realized to let up, night be to late. thumb is the most important digit. having an opposable thumb is part of what sets some animals (us) above the rest. see something say something. thanks for being gracious about it. :)
Quote from: doc henderson on November 13, 2022, 05:18:46 PM
looks great. that thing is snappy, and by the time you felt and realized to let up, night be to late. thumb is the most important digit. having an opposable thumb is part of what sets some animals (us) above the rest. see something say something. thanks for being gracious about it. :)
This reminds me of why so many industrial machines require both hands pushing two N.O. switches to activate, it only takes once.
Quote from: doc henderson on November 13, 2022, 05:18:46 PM
looks great. that thing is snappy, and by the time you felt and realized to let up, night be to late. thumb is the most important digit. having an opposable thumb is part of what sets some animals (us) above the rest. see something say something. thanks for being gracious about it. :)
It's the only part of your statement I would challenge. :)
yes, maybe only the opposable thumb part. :D
Jim been following this piece of the thread since your decision to upgrade. That is one nifty machine and will outperform my single horizontal by a very long shot.
It's a nifty machine and I really like your large staging and sorting tables, that was good planning! It almost seems to me that your are trying to drum up business for that builder with your videos by adding the attractive model with the mad sorting and splitting skills. Between the two of you switching places seamlessly as a tag team and moving things along you folks really crank out some wood. I know your video was a timed event for comparison, but I wonder how long you guys can keep up that pace?
I do love that machine, especially the mobility aspects, pretty neat. Best of luck to you guys, you work hard and earn your income. Ain't no doubt about that. :)
Another Yellow Hammer and wife team. ;D
Meaning you both know what the other wants without talking.
Good job!!
You got me huffing and puffing just watching you two work.
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on November 13, 2022, 07:04:28 PM
Jim been following this piece of the thread since your decision to upgrade. That is one nifty machine and will outperform my single horizontal by a very long shot.
It's a nifty machine and I really like your large staging and sorting tables, that was good planning! It almost seems to me that your are trying to drum up business for that builder with your videos by adding the attractive model with the mad sorting and splitting skills. Between the two of you switching places seamlessly as a tag team and moving things along you folks really crank out some wood. I know your video was a timed event for comparison, but I wonder how long you guys can keep up that pace?
I do love that machine, especially the mobility aspects, pretty neat. Best of luck to you guys, you work hard and earn your income. Ain't no doubt about that. :)
Not trying to drum up business for the maker. But, I will give credit where credit is due.
That is our normal pace. :) We only look to do 1/2 or a cord a day. So we like to test ourselves regularly to see how quickly we can crank it out. Some days we do 1-1/2. On the rare occasion we do 2 cord.
Thanks for the comments.
Quote from: thecfarm on November 13, 2022, 07:09:33 PM
Another Yellow Hammer and wife team. ;D
Meaning you both know what the other wants without talking.
Good job!!
You got me huffing and puffing just watching you two work.
Yeah, that's what happens when you've been together 24/7 in both work life and home life for the last 32 years. :)
I have cut a fair amount of firewood these past few weeks both from trees and from slabs. I haven't posted much because I've been so busy but it's a cold rainy day today so I'm inside. Here are a few pictures.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06264.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1668616785)
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Keep on cutting.....Cutter
Looks great 👍
Jim, are those splitters available in the US? And just as they are? We were watching your video in the store this morning and were wondering how many safety buttons and levers the US would mandate on that splitter and ruin a good idea. :-\
Quote from: upnut on November 07, 2022, 11:38:44 AM
If it burns it's beautiful! I do draw the line at box elder....ugh!
Scott B.
I burnt some the first winter at the new house. I had an old one sprawling in the front yard. No way I was going to waste wood. It was warm. Even burnt some red pine. Red pine is good firewood, but a bear to split. It ain't straight grained like fir. :)
Quote from: Spike60 on November 16, 2022, 02:25:34 PM
Jim, are those splitters available in the US? And just as they are? We were watching your video in the store this morning and were wondering how many safety buttons and levers the US would mandate on that splitter and ruin a good idea. :-\
You'd have to reach out to the company that makes them to know for sure. So far as I know, no changes required.
Put two of our splitters up for sale yesterday. Split-Fire 255 and the EastonMade 12-22.
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SwampDonkey- The BTU's were ok, but the acrid smoke and box elder bug infestation I can do without.
Scott B.
Never experienced either here. Barely a puff of smoke from an efficient furnace.
Finishing up another stage of a friends ongoing pasture/field reclaim. He cuts them, and piles them up. We process his firewood and keep the rest. This is the last of the ugly hardwood, it's going to a buddy that wanted a deal on log length...
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guess I needed to clean up the lens a bit
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None of it was pretty, but the landowner is happy, my buddy got a few bucks for trucking a short haul, the guy getting the logs was happy, and I crossed 1 more loose end off my to do list! 2 or 3 loads.of pine that'll go to the farm for the OWB, then we reset till he starts the next section. Not getting rich doing this, but keeping up good relationships with neighbors and friends.
We did get.3 cord done off the processor this weekend too, 127 for the year so far.
Can't put a price on good relations with friends and neighbors.
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on November 27, 2022, 12:34:15 PM
Not getting rich doing this, but keeping up good relationships with neighbors and friends.
The older I get the more I realize just how valuable those good relationships are.
cutterboy
Can you correct your quote that takes up so much space? Not sure what caused that or what was intended. tks
Quote from: beenthere on November 28, 2022, 11:54:46 AM
cutterboy
Can you correct your quote that takes up so much space? Not sure what caused that or what was intended. tks
On my screen cutterboy's post is 2 7/8" and yours is 2 5/16" when I hold a tape measure up to them ???
When I tap on cutterboy's quote, it is blank and takes 5 thumb strokes on my screen to get to where it has text.
there is a big space after the quote sign. mine is small if collapsed and big if expanded. he can go in and back space to the left of the quote until it backs up to the quote symbol.
The code that makes up the page shows a ton of html line feeds for the post. They are shown as blank lines by the browser.
I think there were a bunch of line returns in the quote like his return key was stuck. :D All fixed up. ;)
Took in another split load of bug killed ash and mixed green hardwood.
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Had a client claim he was a 1/4 of a face cord short on his ten face cord order. Maybe he was. He's picking this up Wednesday. I won't be there 😎🙂 It's well over a quarter cord. Not worth arguing over $21.25 worth of wood 😉🙂
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Now I'm in Grand Rapids for the Michigan Farm Bureau State Annual Convention. Three days of R&R, food, visiting, trade show, discussion, and policy. Much needed break for me.
What's your GCW on that rig as pictured?
That client would probably get put on my "any more headaches and don't do business with" list. How did he accurately measure 1/4 face cord missing? I would've did the same thing, give him more and move on. But I wouldn't put up with too much of that. Not that we should be above being questioned on our measurements, just seems like that would fall within the margin of error on that amount of wood.
It can easily happen when stacking out wood, depends on how neat a job he does. He might stack it over into another shelter and be the same over and never say a peep. Some folks will reward you with a kind word or gift for the bonus, others just want to let you know it stacked out a little short and not necessarily complainer types. Corley did right and didn't slam the guy. ;)
Quote from: beenthere on November 28, 2022, 11:54:46 AM
cutterboy
Can you correct your quote that takes up so much space? Not sure what caused that or what was intended. tks
Sorry about that crazy post that took up so much space. Thanks SD for fixing it.
I have been using computers for about 25 years but I still don't "get it"
The offender's family too ;D :) He had it tightly stacked.
Even worse!😂😂😂 Does he keep a string line and hammer handy and put it up like he's setting block?😂
Got a pretty good white oak on the ground last week that had a little fire damage and was dying.Made up my mind that it was all going to be used as firewood.I try to keep two to three years ahead and white oak is my favorite firewood.Got the top cut up and going to have to figure out how to get main log out off a little gully.Butt would make a good saw log but I think firewood is more valuable to me than lumber.Hard to decide sometimes
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Mill it up and burn the slabs, you can always burn the boards later if you need to. No splitting required.😁
Ever since getting a sawmill. I think its a sin to use a saw log for firewood, but that's just me. :D
I committed a lot of sin using up ash trees before the borer hit here. Great firewood.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10180/Apr_19.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1398359866)
I've probably got about 500 board feet of 1" white oak boards stickered in a shed and the same amount of red oak.The white oak is mostly clear.I've priced white oak for $2.00 bf and red for $1.00bf.Haven't sold any.Sold quite a bit of poplar and pine for$.75 bf which I won't burn.If I can't get my price it's worth more to me for firewood.I don't advertise any but around here people mostly want sawmill lumber for barns,sheds or maybe floor or roof sheeting and poplar or pine meets their needs.Does seem a shame to burn it .Didn't think anything about it before I got a sawmill.
I know what you been Beenthere! I am still burning some Ash I should saw. I did build some really nice shelving with one log here recently. Im hoping that will inspire me to burn slabs and keep the lumber. Not but a couple Ash trees left on our property at this point. Just a few years ago it was probably a close second to pine. Our woods have really opened up as it has died. Sad to watch!
Quote from: fluidpowerpro on November 30, 2022, 08:56:07 PM
Ever since getting a sawmill. I think its a sin to use a saw log for firewood, but that's just me. :D
I feel the same but my definition of a saw log has been skewed too. Now if I see a crooked Ø6" black cherry limb that's not rotten, I can't help but wonder what's inside so it has to get milled.
As far as the ash I had some dandies.90-100 feet tall and 3 feet across .I have saved the good logs and cut the rest up for firewood which as I type the stove is burning .As it turns colder that will be mixed with oak .The oak coals up better for over night fires .I might have 4-5 more years for ash firewood as I have many dead falls on approx. 7.5 acres of woods land .
I do firewood differently than most .I cut in the summer before the heat of the day in the hot sun gets to the boiling point .Maybe 2-3 hours every few days until I get enough .I'm retired and have not sold the stuff since the mid 80's .I was completely done around late September, cut stacked and tarped .Now it's just toting in enough for about a days worth that takes me about 15 minutes and loading up the trailer once every week that takes less than half an hour .
Good evening Smith
Glad to see you have it all figured out, probably long ago
We do what we do on a daily basis, and are happy
My sawing customer this week bucks and splits the tops into firewood. So, what is so different about that you ask? The difference is that the excess firewood is neither used by him nor sold. When I was setting the sawmill up he asked if I knew anyone that needed firewood. ??
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It so happens that a former co-worker of mine has a wife with progressing mental issues which prevents him from leaving home too often for very long. I called him and he came with a neighbor and quickly got loaded up. He is seen here bending over and the neighbor in plaid shirt. My sawing customer in the background and the tailgunner to the left. He went back for another load after I finished sawing.
I don't sell any firewood, and donate as much as I burn myself. Half a dry cord going out in the morning to a friend who now has serious medical problems and who has been a hunting and work buddy over the last 50 years.
Good on you MM
Firewood is a gift that warms both parties, just a little differently. 👍
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Moved the mill off to the back wall. Now my mill building is a firewood building, well at least for the winter. My firewood inventory will be used up this season and I should have next year's in those racks over the winter. Quite a luxury to be processing under roof. Right now I'm gathering logs before the woods becomes difficult with snow.
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Pictures from the last couple of weeks.
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Large red oak rounds quartered with splitting maul and wedge so I could more easily deal with them on the wood splitter.
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Hickory
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Keep on splitting.....Cutter
Cutterboy you do some good wok. That is some clean nice looking firewood.
It's been to wet to log here for a few days so Ive been catching up in the firewood yard. All
though that's going to mud as well. ::) Hoping for some cold weather to put some frost in the ground. 8)
I delivered one pick up load to a new customer and one cord to an old and valued customer today. Sold three racks this week and have a cord to deliver Sunday. So I'm staying busy.
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This is another case where I prefer our cold northern winters to what some of you deal with. A lot of the country spends the winter muddy and not quite frozen, and too cold to dry out. We don't have that issue😁 -30 is nothing to shake a stick at, but outside of that I'll take our nice solid frozen surfaces over mud any day.
I am in mud now. Just might have to cut in another spot. Water runs right through an area that I want to cut some more firewood.
But I will be cutting there for a while, and I know it will smooth back out. Won't be ruts 3 feet deep with a 40hp tractor.
We have been getting some rain.
Since mud has been mentioned in this area at times it's like the swamps of Louisiana .Best to stay out of the woods at those times . I can do it with a dozer but my word does it make a mess out of things .That said if I can get the lead out I might snake a few out this winter or I might just wait again for the hot summer sun .Retired I can do as I darn well please . ;D
Yeah, wet ground for sure with all these monsoon rains. :D My window for cutting wood is pretty much late June to mid October as far as not making grooves across the land. And if you're using old existing winter roads in the warm season, those are mostly a shallow ditch with the root mat scalped off. With berms along the sides and no ditches. Given heavy fall rains those roads become wet and the water doesn't run off. It's got to go into the ground. :D Later when it freezes you're walking on shallow thin ice, the water soaked away under it, down you go into muck mire. :D
Yes, mud here too. I'm staying out of the woods for now. But there is plenty of wood in the barnyard that needs to be split and stacked in the barn.
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I learned something today I never knew before .Black cherry will dry as fast as green ash .I had several wind blowns over last winter I carved up this last summer .Believe it or not it burns nearly as good as the popcorn dry ash .Fact I looked up the BTU's and it's nearly the same as ash .
This I did know about cherry .Once it's grounded best to make haste because it does not take weather very well .Neither does it standing dead .
I like cherry to Al_Smith. Cherry makes up about half the wood i sell and burn myself. We got lots of it and it does dry quick. Soft maple cherry and ash make up 90% of my wood. Oak, hickory, hard maple and beech are great in the stove but take so much longer to dry.
Every spring I try to put at least a load of logs next to my shed as my "Emergency Log Stash". If my log supplier is on a softwood job, mud season is extra long, or I don't have time to sort "processor logs" I can dip into that pile.
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I was pretty good about restocking the emergency stash this year, so yesterday, I moved all of it from the dry staging area to the processor brow. I for got what the side of my shed looks like without a pile of logs! The processor brow is now just about full.
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Guess I better start sorting my last load of logs and refilling the Emergency stash for next spring!
They claim this part of Ohio is in the cherry belt ,whatever that is .With good intensions in the past I saved a few good lumber logs but my progress on a home built bandsaw mill is in slow motion .As such many got sliced into firewood because of the logs degrading .Saying that the ash logs are holding up well for lumber plus a couple of white oak logs .
Selling firewood on a small scale as I once did is a young man's game .I gave it up in the mid 80's.Did it all with a Poulan S25 DA and a Mac PM 610 .The two most under rated chainsaws of all time and I still have them .Old saws,old wood tick kind of goes together . ;D
Have plenty of cherry here but not my favorite to handle or burn for that matter.
Much messier than tight barked ash, maple, beech etc.
Sold the last of the ash on the woodlot( now owned by my son), 158 trees, so it will be ash tops for firewood for a couple of years at least for both of us.
My old Central Boiler classic, now 17 years old is a good trouble free unit but kinda hungry.
My sawdust pile has gotten out of hand. I hadn't moved it away from the building in a few weeks. That's the dust from a couple hundred plus face cords of wood. I moved it away from the shed while my help caught up with making bundles. I haven't hauled the whole bunch away in too long. I normally spread it on the fields spring and fall but haven't taken the time in over a year. Maybe next spring. We made and delivered 170 bundles today.
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13 cord load of oak. It was the clean up load on a job. More than half was standing dead. The rest green. I'm not sure how dry it is. I'll run some for my OWB to see.
The fall firewood rush is officially over here @ Whittaker's Farm and Forest Products. We ran out 115 face cords and 170 bundles the last 8 days. There're 10 face cords on the schedule for this Friday and a five-face cord load one day next week and our own wood to do. The everyday day in day out wood production is done 8) 8) 8) Crazy season it's been. There'll be wood to do all winter but nothing like this has been. Back to running forwarder Wednesday after some maintenance on the firewood equipment tomorrow.
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This is 14-15 cords of "cleanup" at the end of a job, mostly maple and birch, piled against all that was left from last year's pile on the right. You can see the ends of that stuff is grey.
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Because this is not a high pressure logging area there aren't many saw mills .However one about 8 miles from me does a fair amount of hardwood .The piles of saw dust sometimes gets huge .Then all of the sudden it disappears .Sold off by the box car load for charcoal etc .About like the slaughter houses of Chicago decades ago .They used every part of the pig except the oink . ;D
I just got a heads up from my main log supplier that my cost is going up $15 a cord on the next load. They have held pretty steady price wise when things started going up, but said that with diesel fuel prices still high, and parts and consumables the same, they had to go up. I understand, and I hope my customers do also. I've tried absorbing parts of price hikes in the past, and realized that's not something I can continue to do, long term.
In my travels today I checked out a game lands clear cut that I heard was happening. Found out I know the logger and made a good deal for 10 tri axle loads of decent looking poles. I'm pretty happy to get a head start drying this stuff. Ill have it piled up in the wood yard off the ground and hopefully cracked and stacked by the end of Feb. (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/60091/image.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1671747041)
eb.
We finally started to come out of the deep freeze, so it was time to dig the Dyna out of the snow and thaw it out. I really need to put this thing under cover.
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And then I was visited by a streaking Corgi😊
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The conveyor belt was froze down, one of the live deck chains was froze, the main feed chain was frozen down too. And then the throttle cable. The choke cable was still free though, a small victory😁
I use Heat driveway melt on the bottom side of my conveyor belt to keep it from slipping with snow and ice as well as keeping it from freezing up when it sits for a while :) I'll be back in the business Saturday and Sunday.
Yeah that's the other challenge, getting the belt to not slip in the cold. Is that a salt Corley?
Prestone® Driveway Heat® - Prestone® Total Protection (https://prestone.com/product/prestone-driveway-heat/)
That's it 8)
Cutting on the edge of a field for a few days after Christmas. Maple, hickory and ash were on the menu but here are some pictures of a clump of ash I cut.
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Has anyone ever used that log lifter tool in the above picture? It is time consuming and kind of a pain but it does keep half the tree off the ground. After dulling two chains in the frozen dirt I brought that out.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06432.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1672523138)
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
Quote from: cutterboy on December 31, 2022, 04:48:27 PMHas anyone ever used that log lifter tool in the above picture? It is time consuming and kind of a pain but it does keep half the tree off the ground. After dulling two chains in the frozen dirt I brought that out.
Sure have. Its better than cutting part way through a log and then rolling it over to finish the cuts. You just can't do that large of a log.
It's too wet now for the tractor to get into the woods but my zero turn mower and little dump trailer can get into the area I have been cutting. There is just one really wet spot so I put down some junk boards to help it along.
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Will have to do some splitting soon.....Cutter
When it's wet ya gotta do whatcha gotta do. I have a little JD riding mower and a similar trailer, with the more aggressive tires I put on the back, I think it could go almost anywhere if it had a locking differential. The best part is if you get it stuck, you just jump off and pick up the rear setting it down where you can keep moving.
It's nice that you keep care of your woods.
I just pull up to a stone wall and throw rocks into the bucket. I go in with a load of rocks, come out with a load of wood.
Cutterboy the only way somebody is going to keep you down is if they strap you down! Nice job 💪
Neighbor said "I'm done cutting, come get what you want..." After a couple days of rain and thaw decided to break out the lighter footprint unit. Five trailer loads so far of mostly hard maple...
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Cleaning up tops is not fun, still makes BTU's.
Scott B.
upnut, that's a good neighbor you have.
I know that cleaning up tops is time consuming and a general pain, but as you say, it does produce firewood.
One rack at a time.
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Moved the old timberking off to the side and now it's the firewood building. Sloppy muddy mess out there.
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Pulled out what's hopefully at least 6 cord before the snow came. Well it's come and gone and so is what frost was in the ground. 😫
This was the heaviest load, wasn't sure if the tires were going to make it up to the firewood area. Good old govt. Goodyear custom extra grip that are at least 25 years old!
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Nice log trailer!
$300 side of the road deal... a good 20 years ago. Retired USMC and I built the bunks. Been very handy.
Are those some storage drawers on that trailer. Looks like you have plenty of toys to keep you busy 😂
Just me or is that a wooden pole on the wagon? Nice load of wood good way to keep it clean.
It was around -5°F here this morning, I make a shroud with cardboard and a canvas tarp and direct heat into it to warm up the engine, pump, and hydraulic reservoir. It's all just part of getting stuff rolling in the cold.
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Quote from: Walnut Beast on January 06, 2023, 07:12:29 PM
Are those some storage drawers on that trailer. Looks like you have plenty of toys to keep you busy 😂
Yes, drawers. I think it has something to do with aircraft support on the runway.
Guy78 I think your looking at the tongue, yeah I put a 4" pipe 10' long on it for moving long poles on a short trailer.
Quote from: barbender on January 06, 2023, 11:51:44 PM
It was around -5°F here this morning, I make a shroud with cardboard and a canvas tarp and direct heat into it to warm up the engine, pump, and hydraulic reservoir. It's all just part of getting stuff rolling in the cold.
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We need some of your temperatures, just some 😆
Yes I know some of you would pay money for a few -5° nights. It turns your mud into concrete! Just make sure to have everything smoothed out as much as possible before she sets😬
upnut, the time is in the tops. But there is wood in them tops!!!
Unlike most when the frost is on the pumpkin ,like colder than a polar bears nose I don't cut because I hate cold weather. The older I get the less I like it .
However cutting mostly downed trees I have to deal with dirt and thus I get a lot of file time in .Try as one might you will hit the dirt .It's only about 5 minutes to touch up a 20" loop so to me it's not a big deal .I use strictly chisel chain ,Stihl or Oregon .The only semi chisel or chipper is on the 50 plus year old antiques .Those saws are just a hobby as I seldom use them .
Why don't factories put a clutch before the pump on hydraulic splitters to make them easier to start in cold weather?
I have a wood splitter that a 5 year old could start in July. Then that same wood splitter a 60 year old man has to pull and pull to get it to start when it's in the 30's.
I put a magnetic heater on the oil pan and cover it with a moving blanket.
Not quite like July starting but close.
Only takes about 5-10 pulls to get it going.
Quote from: trapper on January 09, 2023, 03:35:07 PM
Why don't factories put a clutch before the pump on hydraulic splitters to make them easier to start in cold weather?
I'd guess because of the expense to add the clutch. However, anyone could add a clutch for that easier winter start.
Maybe centrifugal, or go with an electrical clutch. Maybe like a fan clutch on an auto. Might need a belt or chain drive.
Electric clutch installation for small hydraulic pumps - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxxVtFMZLGM)
I wonder if anyone makes a love joy coupler that has a dog clutch?
Not a dog clutch but I see that there are these.
http://www.maxtorque.com/coupling.php (http://www.maxtorque.com/coupling.php)
Quote from: thecfarm on January 09, 2023, 05:52:15 PM
Only takes about 5-10 pulls to get it going.
Must not be a Honda. Guess I got lucky when i picked up that used Troybuilt splitter
last summer . Has a 160 cc Honda engine, 2 pulls at 30* .
No it's a briggs.
Start great in July,just an easy pull and it's a going.
Come Dec it's a bear.
Quote from: thecfarm on January 09, 2023, 05:52:15 PM
I have a wood splitter that a 5 year old could start in July. Then that same wood splitter a 60 year old man has to pull and pull to get it to start when it's in the 30's.
I put a magnetic heater on the oil pan and cover it with a moving blanket.
Not quite like July starting but close.
Only takes about 5-10 pulls to get it going.
I have the same problem. My splitter has a 13hp electric start, and at cold temperatures the starter can't spin it (and the pump) fast enough to catch. I need to pull the cord to start it until the hydraulic oil warms up.
I have found that putting the magnetic heater on the oil tank by the outlet works better than putting it on the engine "oil pan". I believe it is the thick hydraulic oil that is slowing the engine down - not the engine oil. Warming the hydraulic oil helps a lot.
Quote from: beenthere on January 09, 2023, 06:50:01 PM
Quote from: trapper on January 09, 2023, 03:35:07 PM
Why don't factories put a clutch before the pump on hydraulic splitters to make them easier to start in cold weather?
I'd guess because of the expense to add the clutch. However, anyone could add a clutch for that easier winter start.
Maybe centrifugal, or go with an electrical clutch. Maybe like a fan clutch on an auto. Might need a belt or chain drive.
Electric clutch installation for small hydraulic pumps - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxxVtFMZLGM)
Typical hydraulic pumps designed for log splitters are not designed for axial loads (chain or belt drive) They are only designed for direct connection to the engine. You could solve that easily enough with an intermediate shaft and some pillow block bearings, but it makes me wonder if anyone makes an "inline" electric clutch assembly that you could mount on the engine shaft and connect to the pump with a lovejoy.
If you are using a electric clutch then you need a battery and charging system which would not be practical on a lot of splitters.
I think the most practical would be a inline dog clutch, sure it is going to clunk when you engage it but no worse than a outboard motor and like a outboard the work is being done in liquid so the would be no great shock load when engaging.
On my homemade splitter with a 5 hp briggs if I move the valve handle in and out and let the pressure off of the cylinder it starts alot easer
I'm working on getting a cone of wood put up with logs that have been sitting for a year. Not dry, but not green. Burnable, for the people that will run out of wood in about a month. Then I will swing around and start another pile of the green wood I just got in.
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I don't have any problem starting my splitter with an 11 HP IC industrial Briggs engine .That's most likely because it has an electric starter . :)
If I have a cold engine that does not want to start I warm up the head and cooling fins with a garage sale special hair blow drier. Saves a lot of pulling and yanking and cussing. May not address the problem of resistance from the pump but still help.
I had an MTD splitter that started easy as pie, until the first time I tried starting it on a 20° day. The cold hydraulic fluid keeps the engine from spinning fast enough to fire and catch. I pulled that cord until I was blue in the face, nothing. Got mad and resorted to a sniff of ether, that got it going but I think it burned the rings after doing it a few times, because the engine started burning oil.
The better solution was to point a torpedo heater at the pump for 15 minutes. Then it would start up like summer.
I often just pop out a plug, squirt a dropper or two of fuel in and replace the plug. If there is a spark at the plug, have good results.
Quote from: beenthere on January 11, 2023, 12:19:40 AM
I often just pop out a plug, squirt a dropper or two of fuel in and replace the plug. If there is a spark at the plug, have good results.
I do the same with my old splitter with a 8hp engine. But after 18 years I'm replacing the old Briggs with a 13hp Honda.
A gas rag held at the intake will do the same thing. ;D
What you could do is replace the general purpose hydraulic oil with Dexron automatic transmission fluid . That skinflint small electrical contractor I worked for thought he would save money by replacing 60 gallons of Dexron with general purpose .Problem was it took half an hour to warm up enough to use the line truck at about zero degrees .Meanwhile he had 5 electricians that were getting paid very well doing nothing .Penny wise, pound foolish .I tried to tell him but what did I know ? I was just the job foreman .
I put atf in my splitter years ago. Night and day difference to start in cold weather.
ATF is good for a lot of things .Fact years ago when it got colder than a well drillers back sides every so often I used it for bar oil .The saws would start but they couldn't pump that thick bar oil other wise .That said in that colder oxygen rich air they would really run good .I didn't operate very well though . I had so many clothes on i looked like I weighed 300 pounds instead of 200 at that time in my life .
My splitter had ATF in it, and it still wouldn't start. It needed assistance in some form😊 I usually run ATF in my Woodmizer hydraulics, but I switched that to oil made for snowplow pumps. I figured I'm operating in the same conditions😊 That helped some, but not as much as expected. I can still pop a 250 amp Mega Fuse on the really cold days😬
Also, I can say from my experience in the woods, where I got to experiment with different hydraulic oils on someone else's dime- not all hydraulic oils are the same, and like everything else, you tend to get what you pay for. The cold weather performance of the higher dollar oils was substantially better, that all comes down to that cold pour point number iirc.
Looking at the owners manual for my 27 Ton Troybilt says to preheat
hydraulic fluid reservoir for temps 20*F or lower.
Doubt I'd be out there at much lower than 20* but was out there today at 25*
and with no wind and bright sun was decent wood splittin conditions.
Beats doing it at 65 with blackflies in your ears, nose and throat.
That's perfect splitting weather, IMO
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My little one man operation
You're only a little ways from me and you have snow in the fields?
Mine are bare in places and I can see the grass showing.
Still had problems starting my old splitter in the cold Evin with atf in it. The other day my wolf ridge wouldnt start with electric starter on it. Just bought a moving blanket from HF to cover hyd tank when warming the 0il.
@trapper (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=5228) Before I put the ATF in my splitter I would back off the Lovejoy coupling connecting the pump to the engine. After the engine was warmed up, reconnect and go to work.
I was running some birch through my firewood processor today. It's kinda tough to run the machine and hold the phone camera at the same time. It's pretty hands on, between throughing chunks that are too big back in the splitter box, repositioning logs, and catching the last cut as the last piece always wants to fall in the chute.
The Dyna is a solid machine, mine's an SC-14 with a 38 hp Kohler. It has a 14' conveyor, which was an upgrade from a 12' when it was made. I think it's a 2014, but I'm not even sure. I bought it 2 years ago on an online auction. Sight unseen, which was a bit nerve wracking as I had never did anything like that before. But, it only had 38 hours on it iirc, it looked good in the pictures and I figured how bad could someone screw it up in 38 hours?
Anyways, it was like new and I got a super deal on it so I am thankful for that. I was looking at Dyna's website the other day, a new machine the same as mine is now $64,500😬
I still couldn't justify spending that much for my business- I don't want to have to work hard enough to support big machine payments😊
There are quite a few things I would like to modify on this machine. Mostly small refinements, some of them Dyna is now installing on new machines. It needs guarding around the control panel, it would be really easy to lose a piece of wood when loading and wipe out the joysticks.
Dyna has "log catchers" on the live deck now, basically 4 spur sprockets that grab the next piece and don't allow the one behind it to fall in with it. I am constantly fighting 2 pieces falling into the feed trough at once. I definitely want a set of those.
The bar plate is a primitive design that makes it WAY more difficult to change a chain than it should be.
All in all, I would say a very good machine.
Birch firewood on the Dyna SC-14 - YouTube (https://youtu.be/wVA-UntlMhM)
Man that is a nice unit you have! Works pretty slick 👍
Yeah that ts a slick splittin operation barbender has going.
Lots of moving parts but takes most of the hard labor out of it.
Thats what I would call production.
Probably took 3 hrs. or more to get through that 1 1/3 cords of Red Oak
behind the splitter in the pic above.
Slow going but had to wrestle with some of the 20-24" dia. pieces.
Lucky I didn't bust a nut.
Been cutting ash again but this time in the brush and vines. The trees below were held up by the bittersweet vines but after some slashing and hacking I got them down and cut up.
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Most of the trees I pulled out to a clearing and cut them up. They were then loaded into the little dump trailer and transported up to the barnyard and stacked up waiting to be split.
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Rain, sleet and snow this morning so no outside work.
Cutter
Next up as winter permits. Like to pile cut the smaller 5' bolts.
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Got an OK deal on a small used TW splitter this summer and was going to sell my old homeowner unit but never got roundtoit, so far glad for that! Logs get skidded out to multiple different landings and it came in handy today to have the old splitter at hand instead of taking the truck out on the public road, around the corner and then back with the TW just to split two face cords and then have to bring it back to main processing area.
This is cherry and yellow birch from a small spot I am forcing to regenerate to spruce and pine. There are two good spruce and two good white pine providing the seed source but otherwise poor form cherry/birch/red maple/beech. It will take me a while 😂 A referral from another guy wants 2 fc loads delivered individually with some time in between, my niche but something the big boys don't want to do.
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This splitter handled 5-20 full cord for the past decade and works great since the Briggs got thrown in a dumpster. Owes me nothing and not worth much might as well keep it! The predator is not great but it starts every time even in the cold after sitting for 8 months
After hunting season I have access to a nearby woodlot for firewood cleanup. Spent the morning getting several lodged red elm trees on the ground, this one was a bit of a challenge...
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No damage done, ready to buck and split....
Scott B.
I don't have a picture but I have an assortment loaded on my fire wood trailer today. Ash, oak ,
cherry and cotton wood .I was surprised at the cotton wood that wasn't cut until late September .It takes more air but so far it's burning just fine .Maybe it won't be so bad after all .
Took advantage of the frozen ground to harvest the last of three cherry stubs, tops blown off but the stems were still solid. Mud season on the horizon, hustle the firewood....
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Enough of a load....
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Dad's old sawmill shed now a wood shed, splitter inside needs to get busy!
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Scott B.
Scott, lots of firewood in those big rounds and they should split easily too. I spent Thursday splitting up a pile of big rounds and had a lot of split wood by the time I finished. No outside work yesterday or today because of the cold and wind. Tomorrow will be better and maybe the ground has frozen up enough to get the tractor back in the woods.
After a 3 week lull due to cold and snowy winter conditions got
back into the bucking and splitting. Gaining stacking space as the bolt pile dwindles.
Temps in the 30s make for decent working conditions.
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NYS DEC cleared a parking area for the Wildlife Management Area that boarders my property. They sold me the cut timber for $10/cord. I think it wound up being a bit more than the two cords they estimated because I told them I'd take fairly small stuff too. I don't mind burning limb wood. So I moved it out of their way and in to a pile using my Kubota L4701 and Frost Bite grapple. What a useful tool! Though I definitely need some practice to make a neater pile.
How much time do they give you to remove the wood in your piles?
Looks like a great place for a buzz saw to be put to good use.
8)
Quote from: beenthere on February 15, 2023, 11:48:49 AM
How much time do they give you to remove the wood in your piles?
Looks like a great place for a buzz saw to be put to good use.
8)
They said I had until April to move it, but I got it out before mud season. Yeah I'd like a buzz saw! My buddy has a second smaller tractor that he uses to run his buzz saw. That seems to work well. If I get another tractor though my wife will kill me. Hahah.
ajschnitzelbank - how do you like that Kubota L4701?
I was shopping for an upgrade a couple of months ago when I cracked my New Holland TC33D in two. I ended up repairing the TC33D, since I would have gotten very little for it in it's broken condition.
I'll still probably upgrade at some point. My tractor is great for getting in to tighter spaces, but it's really on the small side for some of what I'm doing with it. I was looking at the L4701 (it's hydraulics are much better protected than the several L3902 tractors the dealer had in stock). The dealer was trying to sell me on the MX5400 - certainly a great tractor, but too big for my needs and won't fit in my garage when the ROPS is up (once I add the limb risers and falling object protection, that ROPS is not folding down again).
Started splitting up a white oak cut last fall. Worked until I got my splitter cod locked with split wood.The longer I worked the less energy I had to throw wood away from splitter. I gave out about the same time I ran out of room :laugh:
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Although it was a very mild winter to me it's been a long one .The temps lately have been from high 20's night to mid 50's day time .It makes it a chore how to fire it to keep from having two over 70 years olds sitting around in their undies .I figure maybe two,possibley three weeks I'll let the fire go out and run the propane .
Been a couple warm days here, but the rest of the week is suppose to be frigid, so will burn some wood to make up for it. :D Another snow storm Thursday night. Drive way about all melted out the last 2 days, some ice along the edge, but brittle ice.
@Wlmedley (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=58995) Lots of time, it's not a race to the end. ;)
QuoteIt makes it a chore how to fire it to keep from having two over 70 years olds sitting around in their undies
Less wood, equals less heat. Wood Fire 101. ;) :D
No picture but either I thought I had more wood cut than I did or it was colder than I thought .I thought it was 8 cords with about 2 of cotton wood .I'm just about down to that with very little oak and ash left .Since that stuff only weights about half of oak it makes sense it would take twice as much of it .Takes more bundles but they are light not those 50 pound bundlles of oak .With only maybe 2-3 weeks to go I'll make it .Got about a cord and a half left .
I started a theoretical thread, and would like to invite you all to chime in.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=121556.msg1965867#msg1965867
Been cold here, near zero every day for a week, no burning during the sunshine, windows heat the place. Window even up some days in the sunshine. But I only burn a wheel barrow all day, I load the furnace once at night and once in the morning. It's after 4:00 pm here now and 14F outside, was -3F this morning, been no wood added to the stove since 7:00 am. 77F upstairs and 74F downstairs now. I started with 10 cords of aspen mostly in October and I've got 5 cords left. Plus 10 more outside the door to stack in spring. Looks like it's about to snow here before dark, snow coming over the Masardis hills in Maine. I don't burn as much wood as the neighbors, they have fires on all day long. A lot of them burn green stuff, blue smoke, less heat. I burn 12-16% stuff, 12% stuff in the basement. If burnt wood like that it would be 100 degrees in here and I'd be a grease spot on the floor. :D
Quote from: John Mc on February 19, 2023, 05:31:13 PM
ajschnitzelbank - how do you like that Kubota L4701?
I was shopping for an upgrade a couple of months ago when I cracked my New Holland TC33D in two. I ended up repairing the TC33D, since I would have gotten very little for it in it's broken condition.
I'll still probably upgrade at some point. My tractor is great for getting in to tighter spaces, but it's really on the small side for some of what I'm doing with it. I was looking at the L4701 (it's hydraulics are much better protected than the several L3902 tractors the dealer had in stock). The dealer was trying to sell me on the MX5400 - certainly a great tractor, but too big for my needs and won't fit in my garage when the ROPS is up (once I add the limb risers and falling object protection, that ROPS is not folding down again).
I like it so far. But I haven't used many tractors to compare it to. It replaced my Kubota B2301 that was smaller/less capable than I wanted. The b-series also felt so tippy to me all the time. I would have liked to get an MX5400, mostly for the added loader strength and larger front tires, but I couldn't pass up the 84 month 0% loan on the L4701.
This firewood business I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and about time .I find the older I get the less enthusiasm I have towards the end of the heating season .I don't think I could cut the mustard in North Dakota or Maine and certainly not in Alaska .
You could do it in Maine Al. ;)
You're not like those 20 year olds and want someone else to do it. ;D
The end of the season is the worst. Day temps might be in the 50's but at night in the 30's . You bank the fire in day light and it might take you 4 hours to get it coaled up enough to make it until day light again .The heat is in the charcoal not the burning wood long time .I've done it so long but it's still a pain in the behind .
Kickin' off the 2023-/2024 season.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230301_023000-firewood-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1677800278)
Moving (hopefully) the last rack
for this season before Saturday's snow.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25148/20230303_130828.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1678060706)
The racks hold about 90 c/f +/- single row cut at 26" for my indoor boiler.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25148/20230303_131804.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1678060922)
I almost lost this one, the temperature was above freezing and the snow on the forks was like grease against the wood.
We're burning some hemlock slabwood during the day, we're in the "shoulder" season, at least during the sunny days. This rack was was processed 4-21 and it's moved into a lean to just outside of the boiler room. Beech is my primary firewood and the boiler likes it after drying on these single row racks after 1 year top covered with rubber roofing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25148/20230304_094343.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1678061705)
Saturday's storm on next year's wood.
I forgot to update another thread I started about how to make forks not so slippery. But I ended up taking my 110 mig welder and "stippling" my forks, just pill the trigger and stop right away. Just leaves a rough little bump. It made the forks 100% better for my uses, and it also makes it so you're not rewarded with an immediate faceplant if you absent mindedly step on one in frozen season.
Trying to keep a couple years ahead on my firewood.Have plenty enough for next year but don't like cutting in hot weather and today was a perfect day to cut.Still working on the same white oak.20' butt log fell across a swag and was to high to safely cut.Hooked up cable and snatch block and got it pulled around but tractor not big enough to pull it out.Had to cut in two 6' and one 8' sections before tractor would pull them.Decided to save two 6' sections to mill into slabs for future bench material.Going to have to split a lot of big rounds with chainsaw.When done should have about a half year supply out of one tree (I hope) :laugh:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/BA5AC888-2CEB-43C9-B71C-EAE69BFD97A4.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1678221390)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/178529F1-DCB8-41B2-9300-4922B9365F6B.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1678221380)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/D7B87BB9-4F42-474C-864D-089C7CD6EACC.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1678231941)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/18EB8F0C-501A-4D00-9269-FB69B007A069.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1678231929)
Nice winching 💪
I used to like busting up those big white oak chunks.Could go around the outside with a 12 lb monster maul and have them split pretty quick.About 10 years ago doctor said maul wasn't doing my shoulder any good so I broke down and bought a log splitter.Splitter is slower than maul but I guess we all have to make concessions to keep on.Splitting chunks with a chainsaw isn't a easy job either but I guess if it was easy everybody would want to do it.Does produce a lot of shavings but now I can wallow them in splitter :laugh:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/F56ABD57-3035-4CFD-90C6-751F57997E60.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1678412300)
Look at it like this,a splitter doesn't get tired .
Won't see ground bare and dry like that until May up here. ;D
Ground has been bare almost all winter here.Now its getting dry and pollen count is coming up.Has been a strange winter.Probably snow in April :laugh:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230311_101359-firewood-splitting-filling-crates.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1678617447)
A senior client brings their own crates and we stack the firewood in. They only pay for what fits in the crate. The ones filled on the ground are about 30 cu ft each. With the small trailer, they can only pick up one at a time. Offload at home with their own tractor. They are a good 30 min from here so they pass by about once a week to pick up a crate. Green wood, they are prepping for the following year. Smart.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230312_134758-firewood-steel-crates.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1678787940)
20230316 Unloaded and re-loading the firewood kiln - full movie - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5VN1b0gZAE)
I've been cutting a fair amount of firewood this winter until last Tuesday's storm shut me down. Here are a few pictures from
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06624.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679224220)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06630.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679224257)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06617.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679224345)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06621.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679224394)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06632.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679224434)
the last three weeks or so. Mostly ash because I want to get to them before those nasty green bugs do.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06647.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679223848)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06647~0.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679223899)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06648.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679223958)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06644.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679224011)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06643.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679224056)
My goodness. I hit the wrong button and the pictures and text got mixed up. :D
Well anyway, temps down to 22f. Maybe things froze up enough to get back in the woods.
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
Cutter, those are some really neat pictures in more ways than one. 8)
Cutter,is the snow deep enough that you can cut logs up without worrying about chain hitting dirt or rocks?That would be a big help I would think.
On mine land I would need 4 feet of snow to be safe on not hitting a rock.
😂😂😂😂
Quote from: thecfarm on March 19, 2023, 08:11:04 PM
On mine land I would need 4 feet of snow to be safe on not hitting a rock.
:D :D :D :D
cfarm, you made me laugh out loud. A good way to start the day.
Wlmedley, When I took those pictures there was 2-4 inches of snow on the ground. In a field it would be a help but in the woods there are always rocks hiding just under the snow. So no, that much snow isn't much help.
Brother asked if I could help him move some firewood....sure! The farmer he is working for wanted a pile moved ASAP. We are at ten loads, with a couple more to finish cleaning up. Bucking and splitting should be interesting....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_xx.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1679354452)
Scott B.
20230323 Splittin' this. Stackin' that. - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DALSUJIQZs)
Mud season is a good time for me to work up our firewood. So today I started blocking up the wood I pulled out last fall. This will be 2024/25 wood.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/23_3_25-1.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679773321)
I used to cut off the pile. It's slower this way but easier on the back and I am not so good climbing on the pile and working with blocks rolling around under my feet any more.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/23_3_25-2.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679773202)
Ran out of gas - This is where I carry my saw gas and bar oil.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/23_3_25-3.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679773245)
Second tank like the first.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/23_3_25-4.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679773294)
Two tanks was enough for today. I can say I got started. Spitting snow now too.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/23_3_25-5.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1679773332)
gg
@g_man (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=11065) - I have a slightly different style grapple, but I cut my firewood to length the same way. I don't like cutting on a log pile and had a near miss one time when I slipped and cut up a pair of chaps pretty good but didn't hit skin.
Sure is easier on the back working at waist height and you can go faster not worrying about cutting into the ground or having to roll the log to finish the cut. I use a mingo paint marker to mark out the log first and cutting to length goes very fast with the measuring done already.
20230328 Kindling day - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNWqdTUQsAg)
I thought I was the only one who made kindling. Most people laugh when they see me doing this. ??? I use fir cut-offs from off the landing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/Kindling.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1680048248)
I have a rack behind the stove that I fill to the top every fall. Makes it easy for the wife when she's the one that has to start the fire.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/KindlingRack.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680048249)
gg
My kindling rack by the mill area.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13635/kindling_rack.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680099579)
One hot summer afternoon the kids decided they wanted an evening bonfire, always fun! Not wanting to swing an axe in the heat I slid the four-way wedge on the splitter and made a trailer load of kindling and small pieces for the party. Haven't split kindling with an axe since... :)...The wedge isn't stout enough for gnarly stuff, perfect for straight grained kindling wood...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/Picture0416181829_1~1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680104305)
Always keep some on hand now.
Scott B.
High in fiber and good for you! :D I was wondering watching Jims video, if they could adapt (safely) a multi split something for the processor for kindling. the axe seems to go faster. @jimbarry (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=10037) where do you source your bags? I think I ask you this a few years back, but do not remember.
Last summer splitting wood I had harvested making atv trails. This piece is beech. It fell because I was filming with other hand.
beech firewood - YouTube (https://youtube.com/shorts/H6mt_sfIXzU?feature=share)
Quote from: doc henderson on March 29, 2023, 11:57:24 AM
High in fiber and good for you! :D I was wondering watching Jims video, if they could adapt (safely) a multi split something for the processor for kindling. the axe seems to go faster. @jimbarry (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=10037) where do you source your bags? I think I ask you this a few years back, but do not remember.
The mfg does not recommend a 4way and I concur with that.
Bags we get come from bagsupplies.ca
Quote from: Mooseherder on March 29, 2023, 12:15:48 PM
Last summer splitting wood I had harvested making atv trails. This piece is beech. It fell because I was filming with other hand.
beech firewood - YouTube (https://youtube.com/shorts/H6mt_sfIXzU?feature=share)
That's the kind of beech we get around here. Last year's wood supply we sorted out the beech for ourselves to burn in our home. About 2-1/2 cord. Ended up selling it simply because we had more than enough and a fellow needed some late in the year. Difficult to air dry outdoors with no cover, but kiln dired, its incredible the amount of heat comes from it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20220319_081756-knarly-beech.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680121296)
Hey Jim, thanks as always for bringing us along. What are you using for saw pivot? I can't tell, almost looks like a bracket bolted on via the bar nuts?
yes I suppose a 4 way could get into you fingers.
Quote from: mudfarmer on March 29, 2023, 04:42:31 PM
Hey Jim, thanks as always for bringing us along. What are you using for saw pivot? I can't tell, almost looks like a bracket bolted on via the bar nuts?
Similar to this one (https://www.amazon.ca/Kweetle-Upgraded-Vertical-Attachment-Lumberjacks/dp/B0B5WG737T/ref=asc_df_B0B5WG737T/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=578935066763&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4471541959610368012&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000037&hvtargid=pla-1729272102443&psc=1).
Your customer is going to be asking for more beech next season. :D
Wish I could get my wife to help with the firewood.
She did run the control lever on the splitter for a few minutes once
but I've never seen her lift a stick of wood. Some guys have all the luck !
My wife enjoys running our firewood processor.
I thought I put it on bare ground
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25148/20230328_103138.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680173268)
Guess not, something melted. 😆
Had a 1/2 cord stack fall over too but 5 other 1/2 cord stacks are
going to make it. So 5 for 6 on the winter. ;D
Quote from: 711ac on March 30, 2023, 06:49:43 AM
I thought I put it on bare ground
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25148/20230328_103138.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680173268)
Guess not, something melted. 😆
It doesn't take much. The first year we built single row crates. It wasn't long before we started making double row crates.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230330-kindling-bulk-jim-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680182299)
Frozen ground melts on the exposed-to-the-sun side and turns to mud as well as settles. Result is tipping toward the exposed side.
Also, the firewood end grain that is exposed loses moisture below fsp and that end shrinks causing some accumulated results that will lean the stacked wood towards that exposed end.
After awhile, the whole stack leans out enough to tip over.
Quote from: jimbarry on March 30, 2023, 09:18:01 AM
Quote from: 711ac on March 30, 2023, 06:49:43 AM
I thought I put it on bare ground
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25148/20230328_103138.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680173268)
Guess not, something melted. 😆
It doesn't take much. The first year we built single row crates. It wasn't long before we started making double row crates.
It's the first one that that I lost. It was made about 4-5 weeks ago and @beenthere (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=180) was right about the sunny side, not to mention the deep snow between the racks.
I have success drying in a year to the point that my boiler likes it. Too much dryer and I get a huffing. Not great for an inside boiler. 👍
Quote from: woodroe on March 29, 2023, 09:13:43 PM
Wish I could get my wife to help with the firewood.
She did run the control lever on the splitter for a few minutes once
but I've never seen her lift a stick of wood. Some guys have all the luck !
Mine has never either.
In fact she let me build a cabin in the mountains so I can play with my wood in the summer. :o
It was a good trade. She's been to the cabin exactly once since I built it 10 years ago. ;D
Started processing the twelve loads of firewood logs, it's gonna be a slog for two old guys. My share gets tucked in the wood shed, I'm about three years ahead already.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewoodXI.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680215017)
Scott B.
Every stack of firewood wants to fall over. That is it's life's goal.
I feel your pain @711ac (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=15148)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58760/IMG_6427.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1680261841)
End of an afternoon of splitting.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230402_145555-firewood-fuel-up-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680477961)
Spent the day on ice storm clean up with my 16 year old hired hand. He started his first chainsaw lessons with me today, so I got the sawbuck set up as a first time operators area. He started with the MSA 120 C, basic safety and operational stuff. We then stepped up to the MSA 200 C that I picked up last week. We bucked up a dump trailer load of limbwood and still had 3 out of 4 bars of power available. I really like the new saw. We also fell and bucked four 10"DBH pine with the MS241, so he got a couple lessons with the Logrite cant hook and hookaroon. A good day all around....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_XIII.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680564688)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_XII.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680564756)
Scott B.
Another firewood day on the books.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230403_112820-firewood-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680567436)
I had said there might be two cords in the pile.
20230401 Making sawdust - YouTube (https://youtu.be/sA5dspCpvSE?t=153)
Turns out there were two cords and about 6-7 more pieces left on the ground. Not too bad a guess.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230404_085251-firewood-kiln-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680687773)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230404_102314-firewood-kiln.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680687133)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230404_102703-firewood-kiln.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1680687240)
Jim you have gotten me very interested in your blue splitter, or at least this "style".
I stand upright at my splitter and also push the wedge through the wood and don't chase the wood for the next split. But thinking of a large, smooth "table" to slide around heavy rounds sure seems appealing.
I'm just wondering how my 26" lengths would be keeping upright especially towards the end (smaller pieces) of the process. Of course much of the time I only halve or quarter the rounds anyway.
I hate arguing with myself. 😆
Quote from: 711ac on April 06, 2023, 09:46:54 AM
Jim you have gotten me very interested in your blue splitter, or at least this "style".
I stand upright at my splitter and also push the wedge through the wood and don't chase the wood for the next split. But thinking of a large, smooth "table" to slide around heavy rounds sure seems appealing.
I'm just wondering how my 26" lengths would be keeping upright especially towards the end (smaller pieces) of the process. Of course much of the time I only halve or quarter the rounds anyway.
I hate arguing with myself. 😆
When it comes to unmanageable pieces (crooked end cut or knotty wood or twisty grain) I lay the piece flat and split the side of it along the grain.
20230408 Splitting a wacky birch - YouTube (https://youtu.be/g-PiQHEzGlI)
20230409 Splitting away the rot - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtfUTedVMy8)
Work in the log yard continues, the lift crane on the dump trailer comes in handy....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_XV.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1681207974)
We repaid our neighbor for the use of his trailer by blocking up two loads of poles plus whatever he has dragged up over winter. Two saws and a backhoe with clam bucket made quick work of it. The Bota Buggy met his match.....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_XVI.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1681208319)
Scott B.
I had a good sized pile of 22in oversized wood. Got the wifes uncle to use the skid steer and BlueDiamond splitter to quarter them up. He didn't tell me he was gonna do it today so it was a nice surprise.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20230411_175146.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1681250398)
still got a bit more splitting to do. This wood is for winter 24-25
I'm also working on 24-25 firewood. My woods are just getting bare and dry in some areas. Cut this wagon load of Beech.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25148/20230412_151537.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1681334406)
It suprises me how dry it (the beech) seems for the date and weather, I thought it would be dripping wet with sap.
I moved the firewood operation out of the sawmill building. That was very handy this winter. This past winter was the first since it got finished.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/25148/20230412_151557.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1681334444)
I'm hoping to finish soon. The warmer weather is tempting me to get on to other projects.
I have the firewood I pulled out early last winter all blocked up now. Who would believe it is to hot to start splitting it in the middle of April.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/23_4_12-2.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1681420703)
gg
20230414 Hardwood weighs how much? - YouTube (https://youtu.be/Utivs7b4VZM)
Using the heck out of that scale, love it!
I hope you have your safety arm in place when you are getting out and working around the raised loader arms.
You Canucks' speech sounds pretty well the same as northern MN, except you say "out" and "about" funny and you day "garage" like Red Green😁
I'm in stacking mode here while the snow is on and before things get busy. I don't know where I'm going to stick it all, but will figure out something. Never burnt all last year's, will have 2-1/2 cord left over. I cut close to 10 cord last fall but room for 10, not 12-1/2. There's always the barn for the over flow I guess. ;D
Yup Jim, we always used 2.5 metric tonne per cord of hard maple/beech/yellow birch when green and 8 foot lengths. Obviously doesn't stack as tight as split firewood. ;) Green split maple firewood is probably 2.8 tonne/cord.
20230415 Blockin' Crackin' Stackin' Dumpin' Repeatin' - YouTube (https://youtu.be/5sHw_EpkbOI)
Quote from: PoginyHill on March 31, 2023, 07:28:03 AM
I feel your pain @711ac (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=15148)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58760/IMG_6427.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1680261841)
Thanks to @beenthere (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=180) for the reason this happened. Hope my fix will work for next spring!
Addressing some fallen firewood racks - YouTube (https://youtu.be/7--kelVjEkc)
So the lesson here is to build wide feet for the bottom of the racks. Another gem from the Forestry Forum!
Perhaps it would have stood up with the firewood if a chain was wrapped around the entire load with a slider hook so it would hold the wood some and squeeze the sides a bit, a few boards on the back in between the chain and the fire wood would help too.
I was thinking a piece of plywood and some big ratcheting straps. Probably as much work as just restacking though. :)
some uprights along the stack, even a single up the middle of the stack would give the center something to hold onto. or on the edges of each side.
Quote from: PoginyHill on April 18, 2023, 11:32:13 AM
Quote from: PoginyHill on March 31, 2023, 07:28:03 AM
I feel your pain @711ac (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=15148)
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Thanks to @beenthere (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=180) for the reason this happened. Hope my fix will work for next spring!
Addressing some fallen firewood racks - YouTube (https://youtu.be/7--kelVjEkc)
Use 1x4 or 1x6 and X-brace the ends of the racks together. Be sure to add fasteners in the middle of the X's. Here's a rough sketch. Using 1x boards will allow for the deflection needed where the two pieces cros over each other.
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The white pieces are additional 2x4 or 1x6 you need to place there to secure the ends of the X's.
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Or just fasten the ends of the X's to the side of your 2x4 upright pieces.
I'd use screws, easier to take off later without damaging the boards.
Spent a day moving log length pieces to my brother's log yard, closer to his woodshed. Bucked up the odds and ends left in my yard, where everything was staged due to time and room constraints. Last cuts....
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Another load or two of bark and debris to clean up, repair some divots, ready to mow again.
Scott B.
Well this past weekend I had to get the last of my large rounds quartered up so I can start getting those split....
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and make room for a load of logs. Time to get splitting and stacking 8)
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The Honda GX670 is retired. Almost ;) ;D. All that's left on the Kubota conversion is plumbing the fuel filters, fuel line from the tank, adding fuel to the tank, filling the hydraulic tank, and adding antifreeze, and engine oil. Should be running wood again tomorrow. Going to be interesting to see the difference in 24hp gas and 35hp diesel :) :)
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Corley,
I am watching, waiting for feedback, and envious! Is the raised oil tank for fuel or a big hydro reservoir?
That 35hp diesel will have twice the power of the poor Honda. I bought a Kubota V1505 for my Woodmizer, but it's just sitting under the bench. The guy had a second one, I might go buy that and put one on the processor. Nothing wrong with mine, it's a carburated 38hp Kohler and it has plenty of power. It does drink the gas pretty fast though.
The big tank is for fuel. 275 gallons I think. I was going to look at the tag before we put it on the stand today and forgot. I wanted a big tank as my fuel company has a 150-gallon minimum for delivery. I got it cheap and the big selling point was a working fuel gage 8) I had my help move the tank around in front of the garage one day and he got his wallet chain hooked on it and broke the indicator off. I wasn't happy. He hasn't come to work with that wallet since ;) ;D :)
I've worn out fuel cans keeping the Hondas fed. They would average 10 face cord on five gallons of gas. The 5hp on the elevator and the 24hp would run out at just about the same time. My next project is an electric motor to replace the 5hp :) No more gas.
The GX670's performed well. I never thought they lacked for power and they are durable. This is the third one since the machine was new 12/14/2005. The first had what we figure was a defective cam from the factory. It only lasted 2,400 hours. The second went over 4,500 before a hole appeared in the block ;) I didn't put the hourmeter on this one 2 1/2 years ago when it was installed. It had sawn a couple hundred thousand board feet on Fla Deadheader's bandmill in a previous life.
I picked up the fittings at HD tonight to plumb the filters. In the morning I need to go to Car Quest for fuel line and filters for the bases. That'll be my third trip there. Two trips to HD and TSC and one to the hydraulic shop. Quite a project. I got the engine, it's a V1505, over a year ago, was going to put it on late last summer but ran into issues sourcing the Centa Flex coupler. I got the parts during the middle of the fall firewood rush and wasn't going to do the job in the dead of winter. Now I'm almost there. I have to hang the radiator puke tank somewhere too :)
Got around a hundred face cord on my list.
I didn't get it fired up today. I sloughed off but everything is ready to run. I decided to let the fuel tank soak overnight and drain a bit more out before I hook the line to it. I rinsed it after I got it and felt it was fairly clean. After putting a 100 gallons of fuel in it today I cracked the valve and moisture and scale came out. I did that a couple times and it's running clean but I'll let it settle and soak overnight and bleed it again in morning. I forgot to take the air filter with me to Car Quest today to match up a replacement. I ordered an electric temperature gage for it while I was there. The true gage's sensor in the three gage kit won't fit in the head. It had an electric one on it before. I need to bleed the air out of the oil pressure gage line when it's running. Almost ;) :)
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Had this firewood all blocked up about 2 weeks ago.
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Just started splitting it the Saturday. I split it a bucket full at a time and stack it coming off the splitter. I let it air dry for a couple months before moving it to the wood shed. The stacking job is quick and dirty but it doesn't have to stand long. I have an old Speco/Huskey 22 ton splitter that I bought used 10 years ago when I stopped using a maul and wedges. I put a table and an adjustable return stop on the splitter to make things easier and a little quicker. The blocks are 18" +/- and I set the return stop at 21". It's slow work compared to some splitters but fine with me. I can keep up with it working alone. It takes about seven buckets to make a cord of split wood and I can fill, split, and stack a bucket of wood in half an hour. I put the camera out on my second bucket just for fun and in case someone here doesn't know how to split wood. :o(http://data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7) It goes into fast motion after a couple pieces then slows down at about 5 minutes while I straighten the stack up a little then speeds up again.
https://youtu.be/u1tGsMgfeW8
gg
Nice work g_man. I use a similar system. But what I do is turn my splitter around so i stand, and the splitter, is between the stack and the tractor bucket. The tractor bucket is facing right at me across the splitter. I use a pulp hook to yank the rounds from the bucket onto the splitter. That way I never have to get far from the splitter. Reach across for rounds, turn and stack with finished pieces. Never walk anywhere. I move the splitter as the stack gets longer.
It's alive and well. No pics. I ran a couple face cords this afternoon and I like it. I quit when the empty five gallon hydraulic oil pail was full of diesel. In the midst of hooking up everything else I neglected to hook up the fuel return line ;D :) That's tomorrow's project along with picking up and installing the new electric temp gage and new air filter. It carries a bit over 50 lbs of oil pressure at operating speed and over 40 at idle. I would like to add a tach but need to research what is needed. I also want to add a throttle cable. Right now there's a flat bar bolted to the throttle lever on the injection pump with a notch to hook over a bracket to hold it at speed. The previous owners solution. Not ideal but functionable. And I ordered a new gage for the fuel tank.
The counter fella at Car Quest dropped the ball and didn't complete the order for my electric temp gage on Sunday or the new air filter on Monday >:( >:( I found out return fuel needs to go back to tank. The engine didn't like it going back into the filter base ;) :D ;D It was worth a try. I'll have to run line to the top of the tank and adapt :) I finished the load I started yesterday 8) 8) I suppose I can take the Honda off now :( ;D :) 8)
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Corley,
What did that Kubota powerplant come out of?
It came off a mower of some sort. That's as close as I can get ;D The last guy put it on his CRD processor when the JD gave up. They tried to use the same pumps which were rated for lower RPM. This engine wouldn't work because it had to run about half throttle to make the machine work. Full throttle and the pumps would cavitate. He sold the machine. The new owner pulled the Kubota and put a 4 cyl. Deutz on it. It works and I got a good deal on the Kubota. That's the back story ;D :)
I went out and did a mobile job the other day, my second one. It's kind of nice to just process the wood into a pile, hook up and drive away😊 21 cords total.
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The customer loaded me with his centermount, he just stayed up there and dropped logs right into the chute all day. I never had to even touch my live deck lever😊
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Hooked up and ready to go home.
Be a few months before I get to 2024 firewood, after Thanksgiving weekend to be precise. ;D 2023's is all stacked and drying since 2 weeks ago. Stacked out to 11.5 cords, I had 2.5 cord left from this winter, so looks like I cut 9 cord last fall.
I have been trying to clean up the EAB killed blow downs from this springs windstorms. Finally drying out enough to get them. One load a day kills me with all the muscle loss after the vaccine that I can't build back..
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Well we have our summer's work ready to go.
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Cleaning up a logging site. Red maple.
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I could have gotten two logs from that tree if it had been straight. As it was I couldn't get one 5foot section without a bend.
Cutter
My Father use to say, that tree is so crooked it won't even make straight smoke.
Then........my dad would reply to that; 'It'll all come out straight ashes'. ;D
I've found red maple easy to split compared to sugar maple or yellow birch, when green. There's some nasty curly grain once in awhile though, but runs out up the log. There used to be a big market around here for curl red maple, but it had to run the log length. A lot never went more than 4 feet, so no money for that.
A couple years ago I modified my old Speco/Husky splitter so I could turn the beam around the other way. That put the work station close to the trailer so that it was only a short lob to load it.
I added another set of hinge pin ears and a set of lifting lugs.
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I had some big blocks to break down into manageable chucks to finish up this years wood and had to turn the splitter beam back around to run it in the vertical mode. Takes about 15 minutes - disconnect two hoses at the valve, pull the hinge pin, lift the beam, turn the trailer frame around, lower the beam, and reassemble.
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I used the tractor carry-all as an aide to move and position the big blocks and carry away the chunks.
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After those I had 8 more. These two plus 6 more that aren't in the pic.
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gg
It's been fairly busy. Wood's coming in and going out with more coming in more going out. We're about to enter the early summer lull. Winter's coming ;) The diesel conversion is working well. Added a diesel Tiny Tach and a throttle cable. 2850 rpms seems to be the spot. Need to replace the mower exhaust manifold/muffler combo with a vertical one to get the exhaust in the air.
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I am definitely jealous of that live deck👍
I'm jealous of the whole operation. You could knock out my yearly supply needs in a few hours, no doubt.
------------------------------
I have been working on mine, but my energy levels are so low these days I am wondering if I have that 'long covid' from my bout last august. I have to push myself to start each day. But the last week or so I am seeing improvement and today I did a 'full round' which for me a 1/2 cord, cut split, and stacked. I used to be able to do twice that just a year or so ago. I started this morning with a 1/2 load on the trailer, I bucked and split the rest of the load, then stacked it all, returned the trailer and bucked and split another 1/2 load before I ran out of wood in the pile. I am not nearly as far along as I would like to be, but am feeling better about it as I plug along. Here is the shop pile as it sits tonight:
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I didn't measure, and I should, to get an idea of the volume, but it's somewhere between 3 and 4 cords. That's 2 rows and I would like to add a third because a lot of this is really really poor punky wood. But I split and stack it anyway, because it will burn and make BTU's and it would just be junk laying around in the yard I would have to burn to get rid of. But I will need another row, just to be safe and not suffer through another winter like I just did. I figure 4 cords for the shop and 4 for the house. I have not split one stick for the house pile yet and I have nothing left from last season except a small pile of good emergency storm wood I saved, just in case. I was waiting until better wood was coming off the splitter for the house stacks. As I am out now, I will start grabbing logs I had been holding to mill into lumber. Time to face facts and if I ain't milling it, I should make it into firewood now when I need it.
I'm starting to come to the same conclusion Tom.From now on firewood is going to take priority over lumber up here.I know how much firewood saves me on my electric bill and any lumber I have may or may not be sold.I like a sure thing. I guess I could burn lumber but it seems counterproductive :laugh:
Well I have been having some long hard talks with myself trying to adjust to this 'reduction' in my working abilities, or rather productivity capacity. It's a tough conversation. I have a number of logs I put by to make lumber from but since I have been milling at Bill's, nothing is going through my mill. That's just the fact of my life now. SO I have two very nice ash logs by the mill and a couple of RO logs that have been on the log pile drying for 3 years that were never really good saw logs anyway. I also have 2 red maple logs I took down last year I wanted to mill because they were lightening struck 16 years ago and survived. I wanted to see what's inside. I just have to face facts and accept reality. I know that if I can get my firewood done by mid-June I will have a productive summer season without worrying about the heat next winter. The big mistake I made last year was giving into work demands first and trying to fit in the firewood in between, which, obviously now, did not work out and I scrambled all winter.
A good firewood pile is money in the bank. I always knew that, but I had to re-learn it last season, the hard way. I'm lucky this year, Bill has his 'spare' TW-6 parked in my driveway while it is listed for sale and I can do half a trailer load of split wood in about 30-40 minutes, probably less, but I don't count it very close. With the load loader and the 6 way wedge it is much faster than my little Swisher for sure. I am not so sure that thing will be available much longer when somebody steps up to pay his price, which is on the high side because it only has 150 hours on it. Gotta make hay when the sun shines, right?
If you can find a way, and I know this is hard, to get a year or more ahead it really makes a big difference.
It took me several years of cutting a bit extra each year, but I now have 2 years of seasoned firewood ready to burn in my wood shed so the wood I am cutting now is for 3 winters from now. Gives me a bit of cushion. I had a bad year a few years ago with work schedule and lots of competing commitments and virtually cut no wood that year. I was OK because I was ahead and caught it back up the following year. Now that I've been ahead for a while it somehow seems easier to keep up (Yes, I know that doesn't make sense). I may even be a bit too far ahead, but it's been working for me so I will try to maintain...
Yeah, I know, and you're right, it is hard. For me it's not so much the work or the wood, I could figger that out, but it's a place to stack and store it to keep it dry-ish. I did think about your suggestion when I was out there today and there is a spot I could build a woodshed by the shop, but the house wood is always restricted by storage space. I have no way to lift and move pallets or bundles to put for easy access for the house. I have to keep thinking on that.
Just like with any sawmill, it's the material handling that is the real challenge. If I could nail that before I get too old, I would have it made.
Edit to add: Of all the storage and handling methods I have seen and read about here on the forum in the last 5 years (or more counting old threads) I really like the racks that JimBarry makes which could apply well to my situation. He has a lot of thought into how he handles wood. I would just need to have some cover on them (simple tin) and make an area I could store them (a challenge for me here) and then a way to move them up by the house. I can borrow a machine for seasonal moving, but not sure I could get a machine here for a week or two while I split and fill them.
Tom, I finally got around to building a shed this year. The plan is for 3, with approx a years worth in each...just need to stop doing customer orders and start filling MY shed!
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and to get it filled with firewood before I fill it with other stuff...bikes, atv, mower, splitter. Oh man, I already need to put a lean-to off the sides
While watching 90 mins or so of Jim and his wife splitting wood one day, i noticed he had a large bin he was tossing hunks and chunks into. I had a few oversized pallets around, so a few mins with the chainsaw, screw gin and air nailer and I had some bins too.I don't have forks, so I built these so the front posts are just a little shorter than my inside bucket height. When the bucket is tilted back, the front posts jam upwards inside the front lip of the bucket, and can't come out. They are GREAT. Just load, scoop and go. Tilt and drop to leave. I have been using them while splitting for
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trash and kindling, and to collect rotted or soft wood for the backyard fire pit and the (insatiable) pool heater.
Really handy way to move quite a bit of wood around without having to handle it more than once. I've set aside a few more oversized pallets to make some more.
This is my DIY firewood processor, more of a system really. Super cheap and easy to build.
https://youtu.be/i73MBfzjkCk (https://youtu.be/i73MBfzjkCk)
We had to make about 70 bundles this morning, then go deliver 200, and 1/2 a cord of loose wood that had to be stacked. It is too hot out🥵
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I cut down an ash tree this morning for firewood. It fell into the thick brush and vines.
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Dragged it out with the tractor to an open area so I could work on it. Yes, that hairy vine is poison ivy.
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I got it cut up, loaded up and carried up to the barn where it got stacked.
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The emerald ash borer is in my ash so I'm harvesting as much as I can.
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
I had a dead poplar half fall hanging over the trail, so I knocked it down and cut it up. It was surprisingly solid for standing dead poplar, so it went onto the house pile, not the firepit pile.
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Cutter, I think if I cut through any of that Ivy vine I'd end up covered in it😬
I bought cattle exam gloves at TSC and use those but even if you pull the vines off, you can get it if any oil remains on the bark. A chain saw does a good job of aerosolizing the oil.
barbender and doc, I was as careful as I could be with that vine. I used my Logrite hookaroon to pull it from the tree. Only sawed through it to cut the tree down. It was cool here today and I had a hoodie on with the hood over my head. So far no problem except that typing about it is making me itchy.
takes a few days to show up, let us know!
I can touch poison ivy and have the reaction start within an hour, Doc.
I love picking wild asparagus. In a cruel irony, asparagus and poison ivy enjoy the same habitat. Some of the thickest, nastiest patches of ivy I know of surround the good asparagus patches. I don't drink and carouse, ride snowmobiles and motorcycles too fast, or any other such foolishness anymore. So I guess picking asparagus out of a poison ivy patch is my current form of high risk behavior😁 Now, I take my asparagus pickin' fairly serious. I have a long knife to cut the stems off so I don't have to reach far in between the ivy leaves. I wear a long sleeve shirt to protect my arms, and a pair of thin gloves. One time I wasn't wearing gloves and the edge of an ivy leaf streaked the back of my hand. It wasn't half an hour later I had raised blisters in a red streak in that spot😬
Thankfully, I've never seen the vining form of ivy up here!
I think the vines are the 20 y/o versions. please do not use the ivy leaves for TP, butt if you do, please post pics in the did something dumb thread. It is a contact dermatitis. not everyone is allergic. most of my patients come in a few days later, but that does not mean they did not, not see it, and therefore did not realize what it was. we ask, have you been to the lake or camping lately. It is usually a few days later. mine can be within a day, but I am often in denial as well.
Haha I think that picture would top Magic's feet!😂
I think I can honestly say I've had ivy on every part of my body, except for the soles of my feet and under my hair. It is torture!😬 Even having had it in my nether regions, I still think having it on my face is the worst. My facial skin really thickens and gets swollen from it, I end up looking like the poor guy from the movie "Mask".
I suspect when I get it all over, the first areas to appear are from the actual contact. But as it continues to spread for days after, I suspect that is a broader allergic reaction. What is the word on that, Doc?
I think it is dose related. so the first areas to show up got the biggest dose, and often there are streaks where you brushed past a leaf. then it "spreads" to the lower dose areas. It is the oil that you react to, and you can get it from boots or clothing, but not usually spreading from scratching, and especially after washing ect. you can get it in winter when there are no leaves. so, we always use caution pulling on a big vine on a tree that has been out in the woods for years. I am not good at it, but the best thing is to try to kill it with brush killer before it seeds. you have to spray every month or so until all the seeds are gone or open up the area to sun and keep it mowed. the face and the nether regions tend to be soft skin and really swell. heat brings out the itch. steroids and antihistamines help the symptoms. I have never seen it on the palms. If you are paying attention or knowingly get into to it, you wash the area with soap and water before the oil can penetrate the skin. it should reduce or eliminate the reaction.
Yep I've went running for the sink or shower many times.
Quote from: barbender on June 04, 2023, 10:25:41 PM
So I guess picking asparagus out of a poison ivy patch is my current form of high risk behavior😁
:D :D :D That is funny!
A poison ivy story: My father was burning brush years ago and there were poison ivy vines in the brush pile. He was not wearing a hat and got a bad case of poison ivy on his bald head. He claimed it was from the smoke but I wonder if it was from rubbing his head with his gloved hands after handling the vines. Anyway, my brothers and I teased him about that for a long time. ;D
I've heard of people getting it just from smoke. Nasty stuff that ivy😬
My resistance to poison ivy broke down at about 25 years of age when I cleared our land for our house and yard. Burned many a pile that included PI.
Now I have been lucky when I know I've been exposed to it, to wash within two hours with soap and be sure to put all the clothing in the laundry. And washing hands after tying my boot shoestrings every time seems to work well for me. One key is knowing when you have been exposed to the plant, the leaves and the smoke.
Poison sumac was one that did get under the skin on the palms of my hands. Much more severe itching that was below the surface rather than PI that seems to itch at the surface blister. Just my experience, and prolly everyone reacts a bit different.
Before age 25 I worked a summer at the Harvard Black Rock Forest and the PI vines were thick and tall. Had to poke/push your way through it daily getting logs out. Presented no problem on the skin.
beenthere brought up boot laces, thats what gets me every dang time!
beenthere, It was the same with me. As a kid and young man I was never bothered by poison ivy but around age 30 I started to have reactions to it.
Quote from: doc henderson on June 04, 2023, 10:10:51 PM
takes a few days to show up, let us know!
Day three no itching. All is well.
That is good!!!
I have it on my land. I do spray it when I see it. I never really get rid of it. Well along the edge of the field in the woods.
I got rid of some when we bought back some of The Farm.
There was a stone wall covered with it. I kept that wall barren for 3 years. If it was green I sprayed it!!! I hauled off the stone wall and we mow it now.
Quote from: cutterboy on June 06, 2023, 07:03:52 AMAs a kid and young man I was never bothered by poison ivy
Same here. After climbing a tree to retrieve a remote control model airplane the tree had snatched out of the sky. Only one vine of poison ivy in the tree, but boy it found me. Ever since then I have to be careful around it. It wasn't even my plane.
I've heard that story more than once. People think they are immune to it, but it catches up with them eventually. Same thing with bee stings.
We don't have it around here. But once in awhile you can get into stinging nettles. The natural antidote is jewel weed/spotted touch-me-not- juice. The stems are succulent and full of juice. It works, I've used it. The two plants usually grow together here, on wet seepage areas and banks of streams. There's more jewel weed around here than nettles. Nettles aren't that common here. Jewel weed is kind of interesting in itself, when the seeds are ripe in the pod, they will burst open when the pod is touched. ;D
We have wild cucumber as well, it only grows around the creeks here. But I have never seen it north of here or east of here. Used to grow around the old school yard on the fence. Kids and wild cucumber tag. :D
Quote from: thecfarm on June 07, 2023, 06:02:08 PMI never really get rid of it.
I don't think you can get rid of it completely. The vines are just the tip of the iceberg. The roots spread like crazy just under the ground. It's probably kin to sweetgum or popcorn trees.:D
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans
Applying something containing triclopyr to the end of a fresh cut vine near the ground will totally eliminate that particular plant. There can be several individual plants around the base of the tree though, so each will need to be cut and treated. There will be dropped berries in the area also, so you will probably get some regen the following year even if you kill all existing vines so you need to monitor for a couple years. Just cutting vines near the base in spring will help mitigate for one season and limit the berry production. Birds eat the berries and help spread it around, so anything you do to limit berry production limits the spread.
Quote from: doc henderson on June 08, 2023, 05:10:43 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans
Oh my, a member of the cashew and pistachio family? Say it ain't so! Roasted cashews are my favorite.
Yeah, I have to avoid that poison stuff at all costs, seem to be pretty sensitive these days.
As for my wood, I keep plugging along as I can find the energy. I had this pile of rounds:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20230607_103845164_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1686180695)
Not a lot, but more than trailer load. Still I managed to fit it all on the trailer, probably the largest load I have put on, so more than 1/3 cord.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20230608_172114776_HDR.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1686268386)
Probably closer to 1/2 cord. I am out of logs...again... and will have to go a-foraging. ;D
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on June 08, 2023, 07:57:14 PMAs for my wood, I keep plugging along as I can find the energy.
I'm in the same boat. I wasn't able to get the wood cut during cool weather. Trying to feed wood heaters for my uncle and mom's houses and my fireplace. Just my uncle and I to work on it. I hope your weather is cooler than ours. It's pretty hot here and getting hotter.
Cooler? Oh heck yeah! In fact I was splitting with a jacket on today for a while. The smoke has kept the sunlight off the ground here for 3 days now that I have noticed. Actually we had 8 minutes of sunshine today. High today was 62° and it's a bit depressing and damp. Kind of like October. I should have run a junk fire in the shop today. My wife and I were both moaning about it at dinner time, wearing an extra layer each, or more. Tonight after dinner I finally said "enough' and I started a fire in the stove. ;D It's 71 at my desk now and I still have that extra layer on. Just burning all those little splits and stuff that fall off the splitter and the short blocks that are a pain to stack.
Tomorrow should be a little better, I hope.
11-1/2 cord stacked here since April. Will cut wood this fall for the next year sometime after Canadian Thanksgiving. Nice cool weather and no bugs in my face. :D
My son and I used to keep a year ahead, but life got in the way eventually.
I sold most of my Ash in 2008 fearing the coming EAB infestation.
The woods here is now his and the EAB finally got here in earnest, so we harvested the remaining marketable 144 Ash last year for saw logs and sold them.
Skidded just under half of the tops out this spring and the wood will be for this year and subsequent heating seasons.
Not as dry as we would like but as the poem says "Ashwood green or Ashwood dry" etc.
So far working just half days as this is all I can do anymore we have his wood bucked up and mostly split, Mine about 25 percent bucked up.
We do 23 inch wood.
He burns in a wood stove in his basement and I have an older Classic OWB which is pretty hungry.
one of these days I'll post pics.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230609_083515-firewood-curly-birch.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1686486955)
Some wavy birch.
Burn'n up the money wood. :D
One 16" block in an otherwise b*tch of a log to split. 26" across with hidden crotched meant some noodling. A lot of it looks like this
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230609_083059-firewood-curly-birch.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1686508359)
We had some firewood gifted to us to get it out of the owners way. It had been on the ground at least a year and the soft wood was rotten. Most of the wood 2-3" in was was still hard as a rock. We turned two of these 16' trailer loads of wood into 5-6 smaller 8' trailer loads. I lost count. This plus the two small oaks I have on the ground will probably finish off all the wood I need to cut this year for the three houses. My wife and uncle pitched in and with the help of our new 25ton splitter we got done in record time.
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The last short load of old wood and a very tired Mrs.
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Now, I just need to cut and split the green oak and the firewood project should be completed for this year.
Always nice when it's gifted, but there is no 'free firewood'. You've gotta work for it one way or the other, every time. ;D
----------------
Speaking of 'working for it'. Today was one of those days that took a lot more effort than I ever expected. Some may remember back in Feb of 22 we had a ice storm here that kocked out power for a week or more. I had a big hard maple come down that whacked my garage and clobbered the chain link fence. At the time, I took care of the top wood pretty quick and repaired the roof. Ever since then I have been walking past it. Well "some day' was today. I couldn't start on the fence until I got the main stick out of there. About 25" on the stump and tapered up, the stick was about 25', but weighed a bunch. More than my Mule would handle by a far piece. The issue was that I had to drag it across the creek ditch, through the fence, and across the back lawn. So I bucked into three sections and used the winch on the mule to pull them up to the fence. After two sections were pulled I had drawn the battery down pretty well. So I ran a line and put it on a charger and went off to rig a high line in a tree that MUST come down on the front lawn. The tree will need a pull line, because any error would put it in the house. I won't risk it, so I run the line. That took a little while and I hung the line about 30' up, figured and laid out the rigging for another day, it's good to go.
Returned to the maple, winched in the other two sections then started hooking them up to the arch and dragging them over to the splitter and I got them all bucked, had lunch, then cut a path through the swamp to collect the largest rounds off the butt end. I had to take them one round at a time, another 4 trips.
I bucked two more off the stump now that it has settled back and lifted up. I could not get these after the storm, they were in the dirt. I usually butcher these butt cuts at odd angles, but this one I aced, if I do say so myself. A nice clean flat and square cut with no overcuts. Poor photo follows:
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This stump is at a 45° angle and if I cut that round off it would have slid into the hole making it a real bear to get back out. Trimming the flares first made retainers to hold the round on , and then I could 'flip' it off (as well as anyone can 'flip' a 180 pound round) and miss the hole. It wasn't easy, but I did it. At one point while cutting my left foot found a weak spot at the base of the stump and I dropped in up to my knee. Had to put the saw down to get my leg back out. :D
Anyway, got it done. Here is a photo looking over the stump in the fall direction of the tree, at the bottom, you can see those two ears, in the middle you can see where the top rail on the fence is gone, and beyond is the garage it hit:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/52103/IMG_20230611_161535174.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1686529770)
A little closer up, you can see I have now pulled the fence across, but it is totally trashed and twisted, will have to weave in new fencing and you can see some of the creek swale.
I estimate I will fill a trailer with what I pulled today (only 1/3 cord), but by golly I dispensed a lot for sweat on that wood and I still have to split it. It needed cleaning up anyway, so it's done. All I had the energy for was to put another coat of poly on a job and do a beer run. I'll be in bed early tonight. it was a two shirt day, should have been 3, but I was too tired to get the third one and too covered in sawdust and mud, so I just let it dry out as I finished up.
Edit to add: ARRGH! I was just proof reading this post and realized that I need to take the fence section back down. There is another red maple that got clobbered in the storm and needs to drop right through that opening in the fence. I had put the fence back up with come alongs this afternoon to discourage bear and deer from wandering into the yard. It won't keep out that ground hog until I weave in a new fence section and fix it properly. But yeah, gotta get that other tree down. Oh well more work. ;D
The work never ends on the farm. ;D
I often wondered just how much weight I was hauling on my loads of fire wood. So one day I was taking my trailer to our woods to get a load of firewood and decided to stop at a Cat Weight Scales. I pass this scales twice on every trip to our woods. Been passing it for years. Guess you could say that I tend to procrastinate sometimes. Anyways I pulled in and for $13 I got the unloaded weight of my truck and trailer.
On the return trip I got my loaded weight of the trailer load of wood. The wood was from our timber sale that was harvested last July. It consisted mostly of Red Oak with some Bitternut Hickory. My trailer is a 7 x 12 dump trailer rated at 12000#. The height of the sideboards is 39". I loaded the wood to the top of the side boards mostly except for the rear tailgate which has no side board. Did not want any chunks dropping off to harm anyone following me.
My trip home ( 100 miles ) was a slow ride, 55mph on the open flat stretches and 45mph on the steep hills. There are several hills to go up and down on the trip. The trip went well and my truck ( 2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD ) handled it fine but you definitely knew that you had a load back there.
Anyways I now have a number to sort of gauge how many more blocks of wood to pile on the trailer. Red Oak and Hickory are the heaviest wood that we have in our woods. When I split the wood it felt very wet yet even though it has been dead for a year so green fresh cut probably would not be too much heavier than what I had. My load was not to max load of the trailer capacity but increasing the weight would require increasing the height of the tailgate. i think I will be safe and satisfied with the present load capacity.
Loaded trailer ready to depart
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<b
All split and ready for stacking
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Oh yeah, the wood weighed 7500 #
Based on the photo with the chunks of wood I was gonna say 1-3/4 cords aboard. With the weight being 7500lb I figure that's about about right for green/wet wood.
7'x12' by a average height of 3' comes just under 2 cord, once you count the extra air because of the blocks you are probably real close. :)
No pictures but I finally made it back to the woods .Wind fallen ash as hard as concrete .Used an 024 Stihl and dulled the chain on just a yard cart full of 4 to 8" logs .I'm going to break out the Partner 5000 plus on this small stuff .Although it's only 7 cc's larger than the little Stihl it's got a lot more grunt .
As it is I have these dead little trees every where in addition to some rather large ash .The deal with the small stuff is it doesn't need split and it's dry as popcorn .Plus it will lay on the ground for years before it gets punky .
1-1/3 cord if you go by our local 2.5 metric tonne per green cord, 2200 lb in a metric tonne. And heavier wood means less cords.
We pride ourselves on clean firewood. This stuff was super clean, it dropped right into the water in the trailer and got one last wash before leaving the dooryard ;D
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We got two cord done between rain drops and before fathers day festivities
Well I am just struggling to get the firewood done that I need and I am a one man show, so 8 cords is a lot of work for an old guy alone. I am thankful for the timberwolf 6 way splitter Bill parked in my driveway for a few months or I would really be suffering through these 22' RO rounds. ;D
Today was another day and another overfull trailer load.
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I can't get no more in that trailer than that and it's the biggest trailer I can fit through the backyard gate. The stack under the house is beginning to fill in finally, but I think I still need 3 or so more trailer loads to fil it.
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This year I have nice tight stacks, but still enough airflow, with maximum wood fit in there. The grandsons nor the wife have not been around when stacking time comes for some reason. >:( I am pretty particular on my stacks.
I have a birds nest in there over the header on the outboard side and the mamma and poppa birds sit on that clothes line right close and keep an eye on me while I am stacking. I talk to them and tell them I mean no harm and won't hurt their babies and they have stopped buzzing me, but they still watch me close. Anybody know what breed of birds these are?
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That's the best photo I could manage, they keep moving away when I get close. We play this game just about every year. At least this year they built the nest on the header instead of on the light fixture. I haven't checked the nest for an egg count yet. Firewood and nesting birds are always related here on our little acre.
I believe those are Phoebes. I have a pair that nest in my workshed, it's probably been several generations of them because they've been nesting in there for 10 years probably.
Yes, phoebes for sure. They love to nest under porches and decks on houses and in sheds and under roof overhangs. They are great little birds to have around, they eat lots of insects.
I'll most likely do 6 or 7 cords this year .If I only do a cord a week I'll be done about August .If a cord of hardwood equals a tad over 250 gallons of propane at $2.00 a gallon or $500 I'd have to shell out about 30 percent more in income taxes state and local .So far they haven't figured out how to tax my own labor but I suppose they are working on it .
When I wore a younger mans clothing I could do a cord and a half or two a day but as they say the old gray mare just ain't what she used to be . :)
Decided this weekend it was time to cut down some poplars and a dead elm that have been leaning heavily over the little "clearing" I usually park my trailers in. Being the only open spot in the canopy, the poplars were overweighted on the open side, which of course starts them leaning. I was at risk of one of them breaking or up-rooting in a wind storm or a heavy rain and squishing all 3 of my trailers.
It was a bit of a tricky spot to work. There is a very nice large elm tree on the corner of the clearing that I did not want to harm. All 4 trees were leaning heavily directly towards it. I planned to send 2 trees left of it, and the other 2 trees right. The right hand slot was pretty narrow with some white pine on the other side. If anything, I was okay to knock some branches off the pines - just stay away from the elm.
Being all 3 poplars were heavy leaners, I considered a plunge cut with trigger, but decided in the end to just notch and backcut the first one. It was the smallest going into the largest slot, so easy enough. It didn't take much of a back cut before it started to move, then I just let it go. The lean meant there was a nice large hinge directing it to where I wanted it. There was no sign of any tendency to barberchair from the fresh green poplar. The next two looked to be more difficult, as I had to pull them quite a bit away from their lean, but the lean got them moving while there was still 4-5" of hinge wood, and both came down exactly where planned. The elm was untouched, and only a few limbs came off one of the pines.
The majority of the day was spent feeding limbs into the chipper.
Once all the poplars were taken care of and blocked up, I dropped and blocked the dead elm.
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Poplar isn't the best firewood, and we wouldn't sell it, but we will burn it ourselves. Neither the maple evaporator nor the pool heater are fussy.
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I have a pair of those phoebes under porch. They like a leave deposits on my porch and step railings. Bad bad phoebes. :-X My grandmother would say, "have'n a s****'n good time". I need a fly whacker. ;D
They look similar to a barn swallow.
Big eddy, like you I don 't sell poplar (aspen) but I will burn it. There is usually some poplar in my stacks of firewood.
The picture of the stump surprised me. The back cut didn't go in very far. I'm amazed it was enough to send the tree over. Thanks for the pictures.
It all burns even cottonwood and linden .Just takes more of it .
Simple ,just load it full of oak,shagbark,beech at night .Then come morning toss in the lighter wood and let it roar .About every hour toss in some more .Nice and toasty all day and night .
Cutterboy.
I deliberately mix a poplar or two into each row in the woodshed. Makes for good kindling. Each time the woodbox is filled, there are couple of poplar sticks go in it. I set those by the kindling block beside the wood furnace, and resplit them while I'm waiting for the first fire of the morning to catch. That way there's usually a nice pile of kindling ready to go.
Al - you're right. It all burns. I liken feeding our pool heater to feeding our 4 boys when they were all teenagers. It really doesn't matter what it is, but there better be a lot of it!
I burn aspen all the time, and there is usually coals in the furnace in the morning if I put wood in in the evening. Unless it is overcast and well below 0F, I'd never be able to burn it all day, it's would be over 100F in here. A sunny day, you can forget about burning aspen all day here, way too hot.
Not my day .Pulled one of the splitters into the woods behind the Toro and got stuck in the mud .I got the tractor and ran out of gas pulling it out .Before I was done I had a mower, splitter ,tractor and a golf cart in the woods .Needless to say I got a lot of waliking in .I can only operate one at a time .
Quote from: Big_eddy on June 20, 2023, 10:23:01 AM
I liken feeding our pool heater to feeding our 4 boys when they were all teenagers. It really doesn't matter what it is, but there better be a lot of it!
:D :D :D
I know what you mean. I only have two boys but even so it was near impossible to keep the fridge stocked.
I don't know what the Good Lord is trying to tell us, but all the wood racks are full at all three houses and the latest storm left us this gift. I wish I had thought to take a picture before we started cutting. At this point we've had two saws running about 45 minutes and I've moved a bunch of small limbs to the burn pile. I hate to see these old pecans go. They were large trees when my Mother moved here as a child. We're cutting the all but the biggest fork for firewood. That's my uncle helping cut the limbs and his house in he background. Yep, he's a lefty.
I'm going to try to save most of the largest section for saw logs. I really need to find time to finish my mill.
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This morning's workout, a cord blocked, cracked and stacked by 10:30.
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Jim how are you liking the switch away from the processor now that you've been in that mode for a bit? Doesn't seem to be cutting into production.
We think it's easier. No more sorting of the woodpile for straight logs and no maintenance issues with the processor. It's the same amount of time to do a cord.
Nice 8)
We got 3 cords of 20-22in long wood done today between rain showers. I was pretty whipped by the end, lots of humidity.
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Here is the last cord loaded on my dump trailer. I was gathering strength to take the easy up back down and then deliver. The ac in the truck was refreshing
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on June 18, 2023, 09:43:01 PM
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We call them moucherolle in french as they eat mouches (flies). They are little flying ninjas.
No record breaker just another face cord today .About half a face and I'll get my cord a week tomorrow .When you don't start out until noon you can't expect too much .
All you do is work away, adds up after awhile. Kinda like a light steady rain. ;D
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I finished the first round of bushhogging the July 4th trails Friday.
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So after some bridge decking replacement Saturday, I pulled up some limbs from a last years storm downed tree. After splitting, this will become most of my firewood for this coming Winter.
Son and I have been busy, but only do one to two mornings a week.
This is almost enough for the two of us for this winter.
We will keep going tho as there are about 60 tops left in the woods to skid, buck and split all White ash
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<b
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You make it look easy Pete!
👍
Andries, Easy for me as I don't run the saw anymore just the tractor and don't run the splitter either, just stack.
Old farts privilege I guess and it still tires me out.
I forgot, My oldest grandson and a friend did a mornings splitting for us too, and another grandson does a little splitting and moves my wood to the woodshed and by the outdoor boiler for me.so I guess I fibbed when I said my son and I.
I apologize to all for my error.
BTW when we buck the trees up, I lift them with the forks on the tractor to waist height or so, so no back bending required.
Ill soon post a pic of my home built 44 year old splitter.
Lynn arent those orange tractors a great machine?
Yes Pete, this one is serving me well. Thank You "sawmill" for buying it for me. ;D
I had to get a cone of wood put up to make bundles with-
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From there, I'll scoop the wood with a big rock bucket I have on my skid steer, over to a hay wagon I use for a bundling station😊
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Yesterday's adventure included processing slabs at the mill into 1ft and 4ft lengths.
0730 hrs meeting the daily quota, 24ºC feels like 30. 4 crates done by 0930 and that's its for the day.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20230707_075729-firewood.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1688740318)
Certainly not a record breaker .So far about 2 cords of ash and almost two from last season About one more of ash then some hickory ,got a couple nice dead standing .Maybe some oak and the cotton wood will be the last .Life with all of it challenges gets in the way some times .Today it was the septic tank .
Al, when thats the problem, I drop everything til it ain't a problem anymore!
Split up the poplar blocks from the other week to test out some mods to the splitter.
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There was most of a cord by the time I was done.
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Left overs from milling get processed. Foot long slabs in bulk racks for drying, 24 cu ft. The sticks get chopped to 1 cu ft bags of kindling.
Last of the ash for a while .All grounded or standing dead .Dry as a bone and hard as a rock.This again is not much,around 2-2.5 cords .How ever at an hour or two every 3-4 days not bad for an old coot .Next will be about the same using cottonwood .I've got a 100 footer on the ground the top is dead .Not as good but does supply heat .
After that some shag bark what ever three dead trees produce .Unlike some unless a live tree becomes a danger or a nuisance I leave them alone .All the above will burn right now not wait for a year to dry out .
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This fellow Nova Scotian has come up with a DIY PTO power pack for his new Tajfun firewood processor, using a VW engine.
HOMEMADE 53 HP PTO POWER UNIT - YouTube (https://youtu.be/5Z0aN2mLsLg)
Slick, I like it!
Comments : Nice job,Ford starter relays are cheap .VW engines especially the 4 cylinder pancake, gasoine over the years have been used for everything .I saw a guy with a double blade small sawmill use one with a rope starter .I might mention he was a large man .
Picture this time .I cut the top logs out of a double cottonwood .Dry as a bone and surprising hard .Not the best firewood but it all burns .Recovered it today and chunked it up .Might split it tomorrow might not .I mean after all I am retired :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12054/DSCN13765B15D.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1690068594)
I'm playing the same, where's the shade game :)
This is shady in the morn
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But across the drive is the afternoon spot
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If it gets too hot I go to the deep shade and have a Ray moment. I think they make baby rocks that grow back here.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10017/rocks.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1690072966)
Can't really tell the size of them rocks.
I was outside and found some more I want to move. Just have to find the time do it.
That's about a 5' flake off the one on my left, it finally broke up and moved along today. well, pretty much all of those in the pic are around 5-6'. A big saw would be cool. There's one behind me in the pic that's bigger than the dozer. There are a number back there that are keepers, they aren't going anywhere.
I have many, many rocks that are not going anyways too.
Quote from: jimbarry on July 20, 2023, 10:44:53 AM
This fellow Nova Scotian has come up with a DIY PTO power pack for his new Tajfun firewood processor, using a VW engine.
HOMEMADE 53 HP PTO POWER UNIT - YouTube (https://youtu.be/5Z0aN2mLsLg)
That should work good and sip fuel, maybe I missed it but did he say what he was going to use for a governor?
I think so.
I see he updated the layout and used two steady bearings which makes more sense, trying to go with no governor as well.
I’M READY- finally. PLEASE weather- I’m ready, maybe you could cooperate??? - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQGLDsL_8sA)
I got around to splitting that cottonwood,about 3/4 of a cord .What a pain in the posterior that is .That stuff is as stringy as elm .I'll do a wee bit more with
that stuff and move along on some better stuff .I've got my 4-5 cords already which is what a normal winter takes .However with this warming trend may not need that much .
It's been a steady summer for firewood. No real slow downs. I was just about caught up and took some time for bush hogging and a bit of field work on the estate and now I'm back up to close to a 100 face cords on the list. Winter's coming. Some pics of loads that have come in when I've been there and thought to take pics. A view of Little Traverse Bay where I filled a 25 face cord order.
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How many cords are on that load? Great pictures!
Not nearly as much as above .About 2 cords of cotton wood .Not the best but it all burns .Dang is that stuff stringy almost as bad as elm .I don't think I'll cut any more for a couple of years . It might be dry by the end of the heating season or not ,time will tell .
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12054/DSCN13835B15D.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1691000514)
cotton wood is being used at the axe/hatchet/tomahawk throwing venues. I have an order for 2 x 10 x 48 inch. for 8 buck or about a dollar a board foot.
It makes good outrigger pads for line trucks,bucket trucks etc .It gets lighter as it dries .I think oak gains weight it never seems lighter but then again I've never been this old before .
Corley5, you sure are going through a whack of wood there! What do you do with your sawdust? I mix a lot of mine with cow manure, some horse stall clean outs, and chips. When I get the mix right it makes a nice loam. When its not right, it makes nice crappy loam!
How is the truck working out? I figure you've put enough loads through it at this point to know what ya really like and don't like. I forgot if you ended up keeping your old rig to repair...in your spare time :D. I'd love to add 1 more dump trailer to my mix, but I'm not impressed with prices so it can wait, more of a want than a NEED
Again it's not much but it is a picture .59 feet of log plus another 30
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of top still in the woods .Good old Ohio shagbark hickory .The two saws ,modified Stihl 038 Magnum plus stock Partner 5000 plus .I've got the Partner running just like it's reputation which was the fastest 3 cube on the market at the time .The Stihl I tweaked around 10-12 yeas ago but it needs some attention .I think the Bing 48 carb needs rebuilt because on a hot start it tries to drag me though the recoil starter .185 PSI static with leaky check valves will hurt you .
Al I cannot believe you skidded that log out with the zero turn. Nice! 8) :) :D ;D
Well, as you know I already have 11-1/2 cord squared away and dry by now. That will not all be burned, simply because at the start and the end of the season it's not that cold so a little nudge from the electric side of the furnace is sufficient. Only seems to add $50 to the electric bill. Mostly aspen and fir here in the pile. More wood is better than not enough of it. Love cut'n the stuff and not even hard labour to split. Aspen , nor balsam, isn't stringy at all, more like white birch. One wallop for halves, for the longer burns, 2 more for quarters for fire starting. No kindling needed, just a couple leaves of news print and a match. Never was easier. I will hit next year's wood after CDN Thanks Giving. 8-10 cords ain't nothing compared to Corley's piles, but looks like a mountain when split and stock piled in front of the porch. :) I split the wood where she falls on the ground, toss to the trails and later haul it all out with the SxS to the pickup. More handling, less input cost and no mess of wood chips, bark and slivers to clean up on the yard. Good exercise and enjoy the fall woods.
Hey Al, good job putting your zero turn to good use. There are more important things in this world than mowing the lawn. ;)
Quote from: SwampDonkey on August 05, 2023, 04:45:05 AM
More wood is better than not enough of it.
A simple yet profound truth.
People who heat with gas or oil will buy what they need but many people who heat with wood will buy or cut one less cord than they need.
Quote from: doc henderson on August 04, 2023, 11:43:41 PM
Al I cannot believe you skidded that log out with the zero turn. Nice! 8) :) :D ;D
I used the Ferguson tractor but the zero turn for no larger than it is is like a tiny bull dozer .I can use it to move the splitter that weighes about a half a ton .When ole Al builds something it's battle ship stout .Now had I been able to raise the front of the smaller log up off the ground the Toro could have moved it .As it is I just use the mower as a little doodle bug to carry my saws ,wedges etc .It will fit between the trees the Fergy can't .It's 54 inches the tractor a shade over 60 inches .
What? No David Bradley? :D
Trying out the David Bradley - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ8v6RSHB20)
Not sure, but maybe the path was too narrow for the old tractor. That thing looks like a leg or ankle breaker to me. :D
With the front of those teeny pecker poles digging in that guy will never drag them .
SD looks like a Man Killer as we called it in the day. :) maybe an axle with a set of wheels back a third of the way. seems like ground friction caused most of your trouble. a neat toy, but something you need some good mechanical common sense to run.
or a trailer tongue with two wheels like a log arch and pull with that.
Yeah Al I agree, and good jilpokes to do harm. He probably never used a skidding cone before. Was a popular device with winch sleds and pulley or ski-doos on private woodlots, maybe more so in Europe. Seen very few cones and sled winches used here, all I saw was at woodlot demos. The family here used horses, then the skidder. Had to make a living and not fart around. ;)
I think the old fart parks some of that stuff in the bushes over the years and takes a notion to make a video about it, never really making practical use of it. I'm sure he started out using some of that old stuff and gradually graduated to equipment better suited. He's always got multiple mechanical projects under way, an old VW bus, bikes and his old M37 and relics keep him occupied. :D
Not very practical but it does look like he is enjoying himself.
We use a cone. Handy little thing to get around stumps.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20037/20180526-ash6-winch-pulling-logs-gina.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1691331058)
You could use a "stone boat " ( wooden drag) if nothing else .Anything to get the front of the log up out of the dirt .Gotta use with what you have sometimes .
Yep.
Yesterday I milled up the last of five small ash logs. That left me with a nice pile of slab wood.
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Some nice meaty slabs.
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Cut between the uprights leaves 16" lengths.
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Two loads in the tractor bucket and the rack was empty.
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In the barn starting the stack for next winter.(2024-25)
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Also in the barn are three dry stacks for this coming winter. I will start moving them into my basement in a couple of weeks.
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Now I need to cut some more trees but the ground is still pretty wet. Tomorrow I'll have to see if I can get into the woods.
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
Add a "go devil" to the stone boat / cone / scoop list. Can make one out of a forked tree if ya gotta.
Nice work as always cutter, I hear you on the moisture. https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/record-rain-across-the-region "How wet was July? Record-breaking"
Well today is yesterday's tomorrow and I did not get into the woods because we got another inch of rain this morning.
Got this years wood into the shed. It's been "air drying" since Memorial Day but has seen more rain and humidity than sun. I stay a year ahead and alternate sides. Left side is for this winter. The right side is for 24/25.
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gg
Looks good g man.Money in the bank.
Nice looking wood shed g man, very neat. It gives me a warm feeling just looking at it.
I have a very similar setup to @g_man (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=11065). Holds over 8 cord when full; 4+ per side. Two sides are full now - one is for winter 23/24 and the other is for 24/25. Only problem is I should have made it bigger as I have another 4+ cord pile cut, split and stacked for 25/26 that is outside of the shed covered with a tarp. I hate tarps.
I like to be 2 to 3 years ahead and I like to burn dry wood.
It was to hot for me to do much the other day and I ended up making a bunch of kindling from some pine cut-offs that I had chunked up earlier for the purpose. Even hotter this afternoon so I'm just sitting here playing on the computer. My wife likes to make a short quick fire when she feels the need and I'm not in. The kindling makes it easier for her. I fill a rack down stairs by the stove.
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gg
I store the wood cribbed off the ground in stacks I can back a trailer between so I can load from both sides .I think I've got a tad more than six cords and might cut one more .Usually I go through around 4-41/2 cords from November until mid March. With this warming trend might be less .
Depending on the tempeature it might be part cotton wood and part oak or all ash .The more dense woods for over night the lesser for day time .I'll tarp the stacks around the end of this month .
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The guy with the David Bradley is going to get himself hurt.
He needs a forcart attached to the tractor that he sits or stands on and his choker connects to that so when the outfit moves forward the choker will naturally lift the front of his logs a little and he'll be skidding them not just dragging them. Big difference. A small log arch would be even better.
Having said all that a regular garden tractor would still be better and safer. Those walk behind tractors were awesome for row cropping, cultivating and such but really were not intended for woods work..
The DB walk behinds were real popular when I was a boy .Massive in respect to other brands the last of them weighed over 300 pounds .I've got a book of the Nebraska tests that list just about all of the models produced .They had all kinds of devices such as front mounted buzz saws both verticle plus horizonal used for cutting Christams trees ,plows ,reel type lawn mowers ,riding sulkies and such .The originals used a single cylinder Red Seal Coninental engine but I've seen them converted to 15 HP Wisconsin two cylinder baler engines .Just about any engine would work .
Danger on Wheels. :D
DANGER on wheels - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBcCXseD6oU)
Oh my that gizmo could be a real arm pruner if it got away from you . :o
My grandfather had a stationary one for bucking firewood. He never used it in my time, but I remember it sitting in the weeds under the power line where it was probably last used in the 50's. :D
I've got a stationary buzz saw I haven't used in years .It's got guards on it and worked very well on small stuff cut into poles When I was a wee boy my dad had a mounted buzz saw on an f-14 Farmall which made it portable .The rear mounted buzzsaws for like 9N Fords worked well too .They used a right angle pulley using a short length of flat belt .Those things date back to the time when chainsaws were heavey as lead and slower than a snail with arthritis .
The last circular mill blade seen in these parts was used after a local wedding in the 60's for a jamboree, as a noise maker. :D :D After that it was leaned against a cement wall in the potato house for 30 years.
Okay now with a picture .16 foot red oak log the saw is a 1980's McCulloch version of a Partner p-100 ,99 cc's high compression .
It's very seldom I get into stuff this large plus hard as a rock .The big old Swede walked right through it .This is one of two I completely rebuilt during the Covid lock down .It may be old but it will hang with anything made today .That's just what I do . ;D
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I remember those Partners. Both sides of the family used them. Then came the day they went to Husqvarna. My father was hard on switches. I think the choke and the run switch both had some plastic missing. But he cut a lot of wood to. :D Fun to tinker on old saws. I rebuilt a thinning saw one winter, I got another 5 years out of it. It was of 2001 vintage, it finally gave in about 2016. All them years and several hundred acres cut. Not every year, the first 8 years it cut probably 200 but after that at least 500 more. ;D It was fuel efficient to, I could cut longer, smaller tank than the newer saw that replaced it. Same power, but less torque. Go figure.
I finished yesterday filling the basement with firewood for my basement stove.
Slabwood on this side which is mostly ash but also some cherry, red maple, hickory and a bit of white birch.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC06947.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1694638314)
Split wood and round wood on the other side which again is mostly ash but also red maple, cherry, black birch, hickory and a bit of white birch and aspen.
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And then plenty of kindling to wake up the fire in the morning.
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The chimneys have been cleaned and the stoves gone through and cleaned so I am ready for winter.
Cutter
On that rock hard and heavy as lead oak I'm going to borrow my neighbors skid loader that has a front mount splitter .I've got two splitters myself but those rounds are so heavy I can't hardly move them unless they are quartered .I fixed a 56 cc Makita chainsaw for him today .Wouldn't oil right and a dull chain .Mean while unless it rains I'll cut some more downed ash until I can get the skid loader .----then by George I'll be done 8)
Greta job, that has to feel good Cutter!
It's also a great way to make guys like me fell totally inadequate. :D arg-smiley taz-smiley
Great job. That's the way I like it to, stoves and chimney all clean and firewood at the ready. I always inspect the chimney one more time before lighting the first fire in case the birds have a bunch of straw up in it. But worst case if missed, that will burn up quick like a leaf of newsprint. ;D
This fall will likely be too wet to get to that older fir where I was last fall, but I have a 4 year reserve of standing wood beside the road for fall cut'n to avoid wet ground. ;D It's usually dry as snuff in a normal year until November back there. But it was greasy back there in August, ain't been any dryer weather since. :D
A few years back I installed a single wall stainless steel liner inside a clay lined chimeny because I was getting a creosote problem .That cured it .The only portion to get any build up is the top 6 inches above the exit .Once a year I run a brush through it .Actually it was made in Ohio,22 gauge seamless from a builders supply for a fraction of the price than a so called stove shop .
Now another picture .As far as I know the last of the red oak for the season .It doesn't get much better than this stuff .Not too bad for an old coot if I do
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12054/DSCN14165B15D.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1694808193)
say myself .All split .I'll stack it in the mourning .Time for happy hour ;D
Didn't know you were 85. ::) ::)
Not quite that old , yet but I'm looking forward to it . :)
Al, what's the story with the ole Ford in the background?
Gathered up some hemlock logs for campwood from a neighbors new driveway
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I pulled the trailer with the Kubota. Sometimes I feel you need to remind folks that this is NH and you shouldn't be surprised to see a tractor driving down the road
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Other times, I just want to do 13mph and to he** with all the flatlanders that are in a hurry to go nowhere!
Should keep things cozy at the camp.
Built a smudge here today, Lee is a cold storm with NE winds and rain. Only 56F outside. She's about 78F in here, don't want it hot. Wasn't a rip roaring fire. Keeps the dampness away. ;D
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on September 16, 2023, 03:05:08 PM
Al, what's the story with the ole Ford in the background?
It's resting at the moment .1977 ford f-250 with a 300 6,C4 tranny and 263 thousand miles .It's tired but weather I rebuild that tough old engine remains to be seen .It's been a good one though and I just can't seem to part with it .It owes me exactly nothing .That's the neat thing about living in the woods,nobody can see your junk . ;D
That Ford is too new, old Bernstein drives stuff from 40's vintage. Just a little rib poke'n, Al. ;D
Grandfather was a Ford man, up until his last vehicle, which was a Toyota. My other grandfather was into Dodges and Chevs, never a lot of miles, just a lot of years on them before they made rust bucket vehicles. And a farm truck made do as a pickup truck. Dad courted mother in an old farm truck used to haul taters. Went to the dance hulls and the whole nine yards. When her father first seen it in his yard he asked, 'what's this?', rolling his eye. He was always a jokester with a few words. Yes, there was more said about the transportation and character of anyone courting in it. :D Well, dad didn't turn out too bad, and was a successful farmer that the government bureaucrats and food processors couldn't beat out. The last man standing where others lost out. ;)
I've only bought one new vehicle in my life and it still looks almost new .2009 Mercury Grand Marquis that replaced a 1990 Cadillac . Other things like tractors etc everything I own is old .I'm frugal for one thing and although I made my living as an electrician I also know how to turn a wrench .On more modern stuff if I can't figure it out Google will .My teenage years were in the era of 57 Chevies and even today I could almost rebuilt a Chevy small block or a Ford Y block engine with my eyes closed .
Now the firewood stuff I've been around most of my life .Fact I developed that power swing in baseball by swinging an axe .i certainly don't need to burn it but due to fact I have an abundance of it .Plus it keeps me limbered up rather than grow fat in the rump from watching reruns of old movies on the telly .However instead of hitting it a mighty lick I only do it about 4 hours a day ,that's enough plus I am supposed to be retired .
I've got a old ford 250 packed in the woods too. Mine is a 1976 with a 6 banger too, 4 speed.
Quote from: thecfarm on September 17, 2023, 07:51:42 AM
I've got a old ford 250 packed in the woods too. Mine is a 1976 with a 6 banger too, 4 speed.
Isn't that where Fords belong ?? ;D
gg
Dad's uncle left a few old vehicles from the 40's and 50's behind the house in the orchard for the porcupines and coons to live in. Could be an aspen growing up through the engine compartments, as I don't think any of them have an engine. ;D Back in the day, there was nowhere to get rid of old carcasses. ;)
My father had an old car grave yard at the edge of a back field. When China was paying big money for scrap metal people wanted them so we were able to get them hauled away. Also some old rusted farm equipment.
When China tried to corner the market on scrap steel they loaded up old rusty freighters that were lucky to make one more crossing over the Pacific .The entire mess was cut up,ship and all in India . I think back then they melted anything from I-beams to old beer cans ,old wire fence .That metal went from old rusty Edsels to cheap Chinese stuff in a period of about 50 years . Steel never goes away .It starts out as iron ore and ends up as rust which is iron ore for all intents .Mother natures form of recycling if you think about it .
The government had a few pick up days scheduled a few years. Might have gone on for 5 years, then fizzled out. First, they wasn't going to give you a dime. Second, if it was all grown up in trees and brush, it was going to stay there. Government doesn't work for nothing, neither is anyone else. :D
It's been close to 40
years ago we retrieved a 1935 John-Deere model B that as sunk half way up to the axles .This was before the run on scrap steel .It took my Oliver OC 6 crawler to snatch it out and chainsaw to cut the trees around it .My bud completely rebuilt it . I think he paid $100 for it .Although the engine was stuck the magneto still worked plus one of the rear tires still held air .
Neighbor just brought an old narrow front end Farmall back to life, 17 years sitting on a stone wall in a hedge row. "new" tires so dry rotted you can see through the cracks and a tune up and it's moving hay wagons :D
I've lost track of how much old junk I've retrieved from the scrappers .One was a John-Deere model A I brought home in 5 gallon buckets .My daughter still talks about that deal .Took the good ole Oliver dozer to get that one also which itself took my brothers wrecker to get it .Only one I didn't finish and that was a Farmall F-20 somebody made me a deal I couldn't refuse .
logrite trailer and wolfridge splitter go together good for me, I can fill the trailer with 16 inch peices and when split into campfire wood it fills one of my half face cord racks, The trailer was one of the first ones made which I won at one of the pigroasts, Still works like new, The loglift on the splitter is a backsaver,
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No pics today but I took the tally .3.5 cords of dry red oak,around 3.5 of dry ash about 3/4 of not dried hickory .Maybe another 2 or3 of mixed like ash,cotton wood and basswood .I'll finish my stacks out by weeks end and be done before October .In a normal year I burn 4-4.5 cords . After that I've got some saws to tune and a few to tweak so I'll test on some type of wood enough to put a load on .Come cold weather and the leaves have fallen I have a couple of big trees to drop but not to cut up this winter .
Just remember the "Rush" song "Tree's" & The line "By Hatchet Axe & Saw" :) Pretty much nails it at my house. A video of the firewood season begins
Firewood Ops 2023 With A Husqvarna 575 & Tractor Supply Log Splitter - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLiiIorGNu4)
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cleaning up some sawmill flitches to make junk firewood. Cottonwood, ERC, light stuff made for a campfire or fireplace.
Junk firewood gives off nice heat. My stoves see their share of it.
I burn a lot of junk in my OWB.
I had my FIL come to the house when it was about 10°. He yollered, you can't burn that stuff!!!!
I told him, Lets go inside where it's warm and talk about it. :D
I have always burned a lot of junk, even in a wood stove.
It really tears me up to burn a piece of wood that I could sell to someone else😁 The more junk wood I burn in my OWB, the better I sleep at night. I could swear that it gives off a warmer heat😊
Up here you couldn't sell fir and aspen for firewood. I burn all kinds of it, in fact in the dead of winter it's plenty hot that I can't keep a fire all day or there would be a melt down. Some people can't get over their indoctrinations and wives tales or just because 'so and so said it'. The more you forget all about that, the better off you will be. Wisdom and money wise holds better prospects. :D
I can feel that aspen heat this morning. ;D
Quote from: Al_Smith on September 18, 2023, 12:15:44 PM
When China tried to corner the market on scrap steel they loaded up old rusty freighters that were lucky to make one more crossing over the Pacific .The entire mess was cut up,ship and all in India . I think back then they melted anything from I-beams to old beer cans ,old wire fence .That metal went from old rusty Edsels to cheap Chinese stuff in a period of about 50 years . Steel never goes away .It starts out as iron ore and ends up as rust which is iron ore for all intents .Mother natures form of recycling if you think about it .
Exactly, something that's lost on lost of people.
Quote from: barbender on October 10, 2023, 12:48:32 AM
It really tears me up to burn a piece of wood that I could sell to someone else😁
:D :D barbender, aint that the truth. We sell the good looking wood and burn the junk. But the thing is they both burn and give off heat. The difference is, we have the cash in our pockets. ;D
For a little bit, anyways!😊
Finally getting some cool weather and that's when I like to cut my firewood.Had a white oak I've been planning to cut but wasn't sure I could make it fall where it would be fairly easy to work up.Turned out that I couldn't so I spent half a day dragging sections out of a hollow.Not a real productive day but I've got more wood laying out than I did this morning.Got plenty of dry wood for this winter and probably for next winter but I'm not getting any younger and like to stay as far ahead as possible.Plan to cut up logs and split tomorrow.Cool sunny day and the smell of two stroke and wood chips.It doesn't get any better than that :laugh:
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It finally dried up enough last week to get back in the woods. First with the cub cadet and then with the tractor. So last week I went out to a big ash tree that had lost it's top in a storm.
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I cut some of it up and filled my little dump trailer a couple of times.
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Two days later I went back with the tractor, cut the rest of it up and took two loads out with my firewood carrier.
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All cleaned up and headed to the barnyard.
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Keep on cutting.....Cutter
I've got 3 buggy loads home, so it's a start. There's another cord and a half on the ground in the woods, bucked and split. I bring home a load on the buggy until I have all the time in for the cutting required then load it by the pickup load to bring the majority in. Can't drive home without a buggy load you know. ;)
It is raining like crazy today and I'm stuck inside so I have time to make some posts.
This past Wednesday and Thursday I was able to get back to harvesting ash trees in the woods below my house.
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More than half the trees in this section of woods are ash trees and the Emerald Ash Borer is having a field day.
I cut down two good sized ash trees and got one good saw log and a lot of firewood.
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All done now. Time to head home.
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Keep on cutting.....Cutter
Just finished stocking up the overhang with firewood for the upcoming winter. Although so is stacked, most is in skids. Wood goes from the splitter to skids then to dry. When I need to use it I move to my building with my skid steer. Saves lots of time.
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Two of my boys helped with splitting today.
Metcalfe Firewood splitting action (https://youtu.be/U6KITfB76Uc?si=8xdoTnYd9ovYYpA-)
They earned their steak dinner!
Well, the wood is all in for another year. 8 new cords for 2024. Another 10 cords is all dried for this winter. Let'r rip. :)
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Crates here as well. Makes moving wood a heck of a lot easier.
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Some pictures of my firewood activities of the last three weeks.
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All the wood stacked by the barn will start to be processed next month, split and stacked in the barn for next winter. For now I'll cut all I can and bring it up to the barnyard while the weather is good.
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
Nice looking firewood cutterboy. If I could I'd burn nothing but ash but ts getting less common here due to the ash borer. In a year or to I doubt I'll have much ash left at all.
It really is nice, we've never had much so I didn't know what I was missing here at home.
What I sell is green, off the log onto the splitter into the truck type deal, pretty much all ash this past year (not from our place) some very happy people that didn't plan ahead :D One guy the other day that has been absolutely the best to work with asked if I would ever get some more maple and beech for him, he is the only one smart enough to buy a year+ ahead and he will get his maple and beech for being a good guy, it will come right out of my personal stash 8)
Keep on cutting, cutterboy!
BCC Lapp, I have been cutting as much ash as I can the last couple of years because the borer is here and I have a lot of ash. It is my favorite firewood and will be sorely missed when it is gone. Makes good lumber too.
No pictures but it's time ,the frost is on the pumpkin .Moved the first trailer load up near the house ,between a face and a half cord .Half cottonwood and half ash .Both popcorn dry and this early the cottonwood should be good enough with the ash over night . Later it will
be ash during the day and oak during the night or hickory .
Needed 1/2 cord of wood to finish filling my woodshed.This will be used next year at the earliest.Split up enough today to probably make it.It is all white oak and will be the first time I have had shed completely full of my favorite wood.Maybe tomorrow I'll haul it up and stack it.I love the look of a full wood shed and should get to look at it quite a while.Also a picture of my old monster maul.Hasn't been used for several years but split all my wood for at least 20 years.Wish I could still swing it because it was a lot faster than hydraulic rig and good exercise but I've got a worn out shoulder and my doctor said it's probably time to put it aside.
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Nothing like the shed/pile filling up to give ya that warm feeling!
No pics for me today either. I had house and auto projects this am, then spent the late afternoon cutting and splitting the last big pile of uglys/shorts/crotches with the skid steer splitter. That mixed bag of ugly went up to the farm to feed the outdoor boiler. I hope to deliver 3 bins of cut offs from the processor up to the farm tomorrow, that should clean up two areas rhat were overdue for some love.
With a bit of luck, and motivation, I'll cut and quarter another cords worth of bigger stuff tomorrow to finish one of my last orders for the season...fingers crossed
GRANITE if where you are is like here you could get more orders easy. I see people on the local Front Porch Forum just starting to look for wood now. Never ceases to amaze me.
gg
Still working on my ash harvest. I cut a big old ugly ash on the side of a field. It's all going in to firewood.
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I just started cutting branches till I got to the main stem.
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Then cut up the stem into rounds. They will have to be hand split before I can move them.
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Now it's time to move the wood up to the barnyard.
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Keep on cutting.....Cutter
Cutter,
I like ash, but that one has plenty of "character", it'll keep ya plenty warm. I got most of my customers pretty well trained now to order early. I don't advertise anymore, I usually loose a customer or two a year and gain a customer or two a year. We are at 104 or 105 cord for the year, and I enjoyed not needing to totally stress out trying to reach last years total. My goal is around 100, so I'm getting closer! 2 more orders, then it's whatever I can get done for me and the guy that helps me...then lots of MAINTENANCE
Quote from: g_man on November 24, 2023, 07:39:06 PM
GRANITE if where you are is like here you could get more orders easy. I see people on the local Front Porch Forum just starting to look for wood now. Never ceases to amaze me.
gg
I know what you mean. We sold 8 cords in 2 days last weekend. All new customers for us. Only one was a new home owner just moving in with no wood left by the previous owner. The others all have been burning wood for years. Was okay by us. We had 8 cords left and prefer it gone before we start cutting for next season. They were lucky though. The trailer comes off the road once the salt goes on. That started Wednesday.
Now I have the wood yard cleanup done and we're ready for another season
Due to the fact a squirrel barbequed itself this morning on a transformer and knocked out the power I fired the stove up a week early .Nice and toasty burning cottonwood .
Yup, no doubt. And it'll (aspen here) heat just fine here in a lot colder weather. 10F this morning. I haven't put wood in here for 7 hrs, probably won't for 4 hrs more. 80F in here, window up to. smiley_sweat_drop
It was 20F at dawn .
25° and 4 inches of fine snow.
I actually feel warmer when I burn wood others would turn their nose up at😊
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It's actually only 20F outside here now after all day sun. Will be some aspen loaded in the stove for the night. ;)
That looks pretty nice and comfy doc - makes me want to put our stove upstairs instead of in the basement.
gg
It just feels different from the constant radiant heat from a wood stove compaired to 125 degree discharge forced air from a high efficiency propane furnace .It's not my imagination either . Most times until it gets down in the teens outside that I even run the fan on the insert stove because then it gets too hot .Imagine that two old folks sitting around in their undies :D.One thing I'm not going to do is freeze in my own house .
I pictured it for just a second and then said no thanks Al! :snowball: :o :o :o ::) :)
Same here Al, when comparing stove oil to wood on the same duct work. I prefer the wood. I can heat a space quicker and hotter on wood to. :D
I've been working on a very branchy hickory tree on the edge of a field. The trunk was cut into firewood lengths and hauled home and then I went to work on the top. Got most of it done today, will have to go back tomorrow.
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Keep on cutting.....Cutter
You are doing a most excellent job of whittling that top down. Just continue to be careful. thumbs-up
I plan to do some fire wooding tomorrow.
A lot of wood in those branchy open grown trees. ;D I had a big old 36" diameter maple with huge limbs that I got about 2 cords out of. I have another out there with the honey bees in it with just as much wood in it. ;D If they ever have to take that sucker down, better be in the cold or it could get mighty warm at the stump. :D
Friday was my day to finally recover this 54' fallen Water Oak and skid it to the Cabin.
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It fell a couple of years ago but the top and root ball kept it mostly off of the ground. Some of the sapwood is punky so I split most of it off.
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Marked it for bucking and a Grandson ran the splitter.
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Making good progress. The limbs on the left are from another recovered blow down.
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The 10' trailer is filled and everything is buttoned up until I get back. I now have it backed up to the woodshed for unloading.
I suspect that the remaining wood will be another trailer load and this should be enough to finish this year and probably most of next year.
Well, logging's been slow due to the wet and warm Dec. we have been having. Lumber is low and you can hardly sell blocking. But this is the one little bright spot for me. I cant keep these racks filled. I filled the $45 side and a $25 side late yesterday afternoon and this is how it looked this morning.
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It's not a lot of money but its fun and I get a kick out of it every time I sell a rack. Easily entertained I guess. :D
Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on December 16, 2023, 07:56:33 PM
Well, logging's been slow due to the wet and warm Dec. we have been having. Lumber is low and you can hardly sell blocking. But this is the one little bright spot for me. I cant keep these racks filled. I filled the $45 side and a $25 side late yesterday afternoon and this is how it looked this morning.
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It's not a lot of money but its fun and I get a kick out of it every time I sell a rack. Easily entertained I guess. :D
Do you fill those racks with loose wood or bundles ?
gg
Just stacked in the rack g_man. It takes twelve $25 dollar racks to make a cord and six $45 dollar racks to make a cord. I did try leaving some kindling bundles on top of the racks for $5 but did not sell enough to make it worth the time.
Looks like sort of an "in-town" location. No issues with the lock box?
Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on December 18, 2023, 08:24:10 AM
Just stacked in the rack g_man. It takes twelve $25 dollar racks to make a cord and six $45 dollar racks to make a cord. I did try leaving some kindling bundles on top of the racks for $5 but did not sell enough to make it worth the time.
Seems like a very fair price to me. I see 1 cubic foot bundles all wrapped in plastic in convenient stores around here for $5 or more. You probably have trouble keeping those racks full.
gg
Quote from: stavebuyer on December 18, 2023, 05:30:15 PM
Looks like sort of an "in-town" location. No issues with the lock box?
It is in the town that is closest to my place SB. Maye 3000 people in this town. No, Ive only been ripped off twice in many many years. Once in a while I'm shorted a few bucks or even five bucks but do you know within a short time I'll open the can and find that someone left it and paid it back. Kinda remarkable really. But as I said real small town, lots of folk's know me. I have other locations much like it. This one sells the most.
With my prices on these racks I make about $280 per cord of wood sold. That is good for a seasoned cord here. And I especially like not having to schedule deliveries.
I like it. Fill it on your schedule. No whining about price, volume, etc. Take it or leave it for the next guy. I ought to try that at my old log yard. Like you, I enjoy making the wood but not the retail part of the traditional phone calls and deliveries.
I gathered up a pickup load from fir and birch, a small bit of spruce that came down in the recent storm. The spruce was a 30"er that knocked over the 16" fir on the way down and the fir put a bad lean on a 10" birch, so he's in the woodpile to. I only took a little of the spruce, I had to cut it with the chainsaw some to split it. Like elm. If I had a dimension mill I woulda sawed 4 - 16' 8"x8" outta the but log. She's a good 20" on the small end. And chalk white. No such luck. :D
I sawed two White Oak logs into 2" bridge decking yesterday which meant:
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That I got a nice whack of side lumber and slabs seen here bucked into 2' lengths. I'll bring the splitter from the farm and do the splitting here. This may be dry enough for burning next year but being White Oak, maybe not.
The big old spruce that came down. 18 feet long but log, but there's another 2 feet to stump height. She's up rooted. She's an old brute for sure.
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It's in the brush and brush on top. :D
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Cut some spruce up for firewood, but I took all of the 16" fir and 10" birch. A Tacoma pickup full in all. A lot more wood than that, but I was done struggling with twisty spruce. :D
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That'll make a solid 8 cords, for sure, to stack in the spring. :)
We don't have as much as a snow flake around here, but that ground is hard like cement, frozen at 13F this morning. :D :D
I went out and cut for a while this evening. I parked the 4-wheeler a little too close to the tree I was cutting up :D
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So you had to settle for a Bark Christmas instead of a White Christmas. :D
Darn near froze my hands taking them photos, it was windy off James Bay for 2 days. ;D
I cut some fire wood yesterday. Some diseased beech, a yellow birch, and a nice apple tree that came down in the heavy snow. We had some nice cold weather this week and where it's dry the ground is finally froze enough so the wood stays clean. A nice change from limbing branchy fir trees. Logs like this make me wish I had a mill. The top was mostly dead and breaking apart so I cut it.
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gg
Ground was froze on the road this morning so I went after that big fir blow down that landed on the road. All sound wood, although I would have to say there was a small wedge like area that travelled up the trunk which appeared to be dried out and just turning a little light brown. Cambium wasn't dead there though and bark wasn't shrunk. Was still solid and no ants anywhere nor woody wood peckers. The but end where I cut that 6 foot long section below the break was solid through and through. I got a pickup load of wood. The tree was about 65 feet tall, 20" dbh. Nice easy splitting firewood. ;D
OK, I could not stand it so:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_5019.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1703798274)
I had to go out for about an hour and split a few rounds.
I ain't sawin' but I also ain't sittin'. ;D
looks good. It takes some guys weeks or months to get 5 years' worth of wood cut and split. It is fun to run a splitter for a while. :snowball: :)
That stack of slab cutoffs shown in Reply #1324 above just might take a whacking tomorrow. Everything that I am doing is for next year and beyond. splitwood_smiley
I realize that this is easy pickings for you guys with"grown up" splitters but:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_4988~0.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1703250903)
Reducing this to:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_5024.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1703873719)
This and
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_5023.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1703873719)
This was about a 3 hour job for me. The only thing bad is that it is not neatly stacked in my drying shed.
I have a wood splitter but never need it much. The species I burn most are easy splitting with the Collins maul. And a maul is much easier to move, no rope to pull, no gas needed and way more portable to where I need it. I usually split 8-9 cord every fall with it. All that needs doing is stacking in the spring when I've burned the other wood sit'n in the way. ;D
that stacking seems like a grand or great grandkid job. :snowball:
::)
Quote from: SwampDonkey on December 29, 2023, 02:03:59 PMI have a wood splitter but never need it much.
Quote from: SwampDonkey on December 29, 2023, 02:03:59 PMhave a wood splitter but never need it much.
I didn't use one much either 24 years ago. Matter of fact, I didn't even own one 24 years ago. The years and miles will catch up with you Donk.
Yes for sure, that will be the end of my firewood gathering, except a reserve for emergencies. Which will be a whole lot less than 8 or 9 cords and a whole lot more time gathering it as I will be on pension and not moving as fast. That is for certain. ;) A couple cords gathered and split spread out over several months instead of days is a certainty.
But my whole point was that I'm not dealing with difficult wood to split. I would actually spend more time farting around with a wood splitter than is required. If I gathered a lot of tough maple and yellow birch to split, you can bet that wood splitter would see more use. One can be stubborn and beat and pound oneself to death or work smarter. Mom's uncle was splitting wood until about 90 years old. Mom's brother gathered it and probably split most of it, but that old man was not buying any wood splitter. Didn't have to, mom's brother decided he was going to get one for himself. So then her uncle had no need for one. He was quite the character. He had all kinds of money, but he wasn't going to buy something to replace something that worked. ;)
Quote from: Woodcutter_Mo on December 23, 2023, 06:16:32 PM
I parked the 4-wheeler a little too close to the tree I was cutting up :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35112/IMG_20231223_164507485.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1703373211)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35112/IMG_20231223_164454728.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1703373330)
I parked my yard cart too close once, results were worse.
Picture of the box of the cart for others amusement.
(https://i.postimg.cc/qBWh7vfz/tach-006.jpg)
Klunker, Oh No !! :o
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_5029.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1703970563)
Da last load goin' to da woodshed.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_5031.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1703970562)
Whacked, stacked, and done. 8)
Final couple cord for 2023
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20231231_084533.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1704046182)
Got a pile of big wood quartered up with the skid steer splitter, all is 20-22in long
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20231231_085435.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1704046181)
Got the ole splitter and conveyor moved into place
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20231231_085501.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1704046179)
Time to get crackin'. When you can just see pieces over the side boards of that 14ft trailer, front to back, it's a 2 cord load (we rake the pile to help make it even while loading).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20231231_110215.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1704046179)
All thats left of the original pile ;D
Working on next year's firewood. I cut it into 24" pieces for my OWB from 16ft logs I gather with the Metavic loader. Wife teaching my grandson to use the splitter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58760/firewood3.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1704114768)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58760/firewood2.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1704114764)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58760/firewood1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1704114762)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58760/firewood4.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1704115119)
Granite that conveyor is the bees knees. If I ever find a used one local around here I'd grab it in a heartbeat.
At the right auction, like at an old potato farm, there's bound to be one or two around. At one time 3 or more welding shops around here made conveyors. There's one shop here that makes some with telescoping booms.
B.C.C. Lapp, I wish I had spent the money on one years ago! This one was well worth the day off and the ride to VT and back this spring. If it was a 24 vs a 20 that'd be ideal, but I saw this one lightly used and finally jumped!
Swamp Donkey, This one does have a jack on it. Low setting works fine for my dump trailers, but had to crank it up a bit to do a cord of boiler wood into the six wheeler
Poginy Hill, that is a sweet setup you have and you, JimBarry, and cutterboy must be in a battle to see who has the cleanest work areas!
Aint that the truth those guys are totally organized and everything is stacked perfect and you never see old tarps or broke trailers or anything cluttering up their area.
Meanwhile my log yard and splitting area looks like a badly built campfire. 8) :D
Thanks. My set-up has been decades in the making. I recall cutting green (wet, not the species) ash from the back of my pick-up truck throwing it in the cellar to be burned 48 hrs later. Neatness is not my goal - only reducing handling as much as possible. And no picking up off the ground!
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on January 01, 2024, 05:24:54 PM
Swamp Donkey, This one does have a jack on it. Low setting works fine for my dump trailers, but had to crank it up a bit to do a cord of boiler wood into the six wheeler
Yep. A telescoping boom changes the length of the conveyor so when loading long trucks of potatoes over the side you don't have to move stuff. Same when storing spuds in sheds. Only thing that moves is the conveyor boom, left-right, in-out, up-down. They are also self propelled off hydraulics, chain drive.
Poginyhill, that's a nice setup you have. It's nice to get the kids involved. You're lucky at your age to have a grandson old enough to help out. I'm 75 and my oldest grandchild is 12.
Granitestate, thanks for the kind words.
I had today off from work. Got another cord of junky stuff cut up, split, and loaded for the farm boiler. Cleaned up the remaining 22's from Sundays wood, and cut a bit more into the other dump trailer. Did a bunch more clean up around the wood yard. Also started to reload my log deck/brow. Resting now, waiting on the meatloaf to finish cooking. When the wife goes out, me and the boy make meals that WE like...smells like the biscuits are almost ready too!
Snowing outside,
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07175.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1704654204)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07174.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1704654229)
but I've got wood inside the barn to split so I can work during the storm.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07169.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1704654439)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07172.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1704654467)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07170.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1704654493)
Most of that wood is from a red oak tree I cut down Friday and brought back two logs. Yesterday I cut up the top and hauled it back to the barn.
Keep on splitting.....Cutter
This afternoon I was in the woods cutting up the top of a red oak tree I felled Monday. I wanted to do it yesterday but it was a snowy miserable day so I stayed in. It was cold up there, just about at my limit for working in the cold.
The gallery is currently off line. I'll try to post pictures later.
Hope you do cutterboy. It was -12 on my landing this morning. That's very cold for us here and we only see that a few days a year. Oh sure 0 now and then but not -12. TJ fired up with a little prodding, some praying and some cussing.
Called it quits about 2:30. Wind was more than I wanted to deal with.
Nope, gallery still off line. Hope the problem is not too serious.
BCC Lapp, at -12° I'd be inside by the wood stove. It is 11 degrees here now and that is cold enough for me. I'll split up the wood I brought down from the woods yesterday, in the barn, out of the wind. This afternoon I'll go back to the woods and cut up the rest of that red oak. However, plans have a way of changing so we'll see.
It's not a problem. It has been locked during the migration process so that photos remain intact and don't get lost while the other work is going on. Just hang in, it will be back soon enough.
Thanks Tom, I just read that in (Weird forum) and came back to edit my last post.
(https://woodchuckcanuck.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240128_144829-firewood.jpg)
Here are some pictures I was trying to post back on the 17th.
DSC07217.JPGDSC07217.JPGDSC07220.JPGDSC07223.JPG
Some more.
DSC07225.JPGDSC07229.JPG
Those pictures must not have been resized because they took forever to load
Quote from: Magicman on January 29, 2024, 08:42:26 AMThose pictures must not have been resized because they took forever to load
Only 12 days. :D
Now that is a Good Answer !! 8)
Yeah, they look like about 2.5 meg files when I use the browser inspector. Even though the forum resizes for display.
Good response. :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_from_big_tree.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352148)
This old yard tree had to come down. My Dad would have been 100 years old this year, probably played in the shade of this tree when he was a lad.
Scott B.
was that a maple?
Doc- Yes, hard maple....REALLY hard maple. Borrowed the neighbor's Husky 394XP with a 28" bar which worked well. My Stihl 241 buzzed up the top...
Scott B.
you could make a history cookie with birthdates and other important family information. put pins on the growth rings.
I have a big old sugar maple here that will soon have to come down, but not yet. One thing to mention is the family portrait of them all in front of the tree. The other thing to mention is the year the honeybees came to live in it and are still using that tree. :)
With these "just right" mornings, I am building a flicker with about 3-4 sticks in the morning and then letting it burn down and go out. That is enough to knock the morning chill off without being too hot during the remainder of the day.
- 20 celsius. Unheated cab. Otherwise good weather for salvaging windfalls for firewood.
near record high of 63 degrees. do we still have a degree symbol?
Not yet. The degree symbol comes along with the fractions which I also miss. I can produce a degree symbol with my keyboard but the forum sees it as those three black question marks which is an error and I have to retype.
Try ° for degree. That is alt-248, by holding down the Alt key and entering 248. Many symbols can be entered this way.
https://usefulshortcuts.com/downloads/ALT-Codes.pdf
If you are on a Windows machine.
Shift Option 8 always added the degree symbol on my MAC, ° OK, it still does. I think that I was not holding both the shift and option down simultaneously before the 8. °°° Got it now.
OK, option and the numeral 0 also produces a slightly larger º
°°° ººº yup larger.
° <- Alt+0176 on Windows. It doesn't appear until you release the Alt key, and you have to use the numeric pad numbers.
Beenthere's keystrokes work also, but I got the key code from the Windows character map.
I just use shift asterick: like -25*F
gg
Old tree cleanup continues...
firewood old tree III.jpg
Processing limbwood is going well, the big chunks will require reinforcements.
Scott B.
Is it just me, or is the photography better quality?
Some of the pics are not being put in their gallery, appears to me.
Quote from: beenthere on February 02, 2024, 06:35:49 PMSome of the pics are not being put in their gallery, appears to me.
You now have the option of posting directly to the post. It wont be in a gallery, only where it was posted. You can use either or. Easy-peasy
Also, the new gallery embed code takes you directly to the picture in the gallery when you click on them in the post
Tonights clover cam pic
Quote from: Jeff on February 02, 2024, 06:43:12 PMAlso, the new gallery embed code takes you directly to the picture in the gallery when you click on them in the post
Tonights clover cam pic
I couldn't figure out how to get a pic from my gallery into a post. Any hints ??
I also thought quality was better.
gg
Copy the embed code in the i fo box inder the photo and paste it in your post. That easy.
Quote from: Jeff on February 02, 2024, 07:36:44 PMCopy the embed code in the i fo box inder the photo and paste it in your post. That easy.
Thank you much. Your right - too easy. I won't ask what embedded code is. Sounded scary to me.
gg
Quote from: g_man on February 02, 2024, 07:55:32 PMQuote from: Jeff on February 02, 2024, 07:36:44 PMCopy the embed code in the i fo box inder the photo and paste it in your post. That easy.
Thank you much. Your right - too easy. I won't ask what embedded code is. Sounded scary to me.
gg
Its the stuff that makes your picture appear in the post
Firewood pile is in hibernation for a little while longer
IMG_20240204_094653.jpg
How do you get to your gallery and back to the post. it is taking about 10 clicks for me, and only one pic at a time. copy and paste. seems the same to get to the gallery and then past the URL. can I go straight to my gallery from here? the click or drag is looking on my computer.
can you press control and do several at a time?
I might need a video, Jeff. 😲 at least I figured out the emoji stuff. 😏😂
Doc, I am opening two tabs, one with the posting window and the other with my open gallery. It's a simple matter to click and switch back and forth between them.
thanks so open the second in "a new tab"?
Yes I open a new tab, log onto the FF and go to my gallery in it. That way I have my gallery open in one tab and the posting window in the other. I then click from one to the other. Copy my picture address in one and paste it in the other.
You are pretty smart (not necessarily pretty) for an old guy Lynn! smiley_old_guy :) :)
are you able to drag or do you copy and paste?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/edit/temp_b508beb9cc240f7969ccf0dd707dad04.jpg?223482586)
got it. drag I did not get. this is in Oklahoma at the mercantile with the pioneer woman Rae Drummond.
You mastered it doc. :thumbsup:
I copied and pasted. I do not know how to drag from one tab to another and I think that I would need two screens to drag and drop.
I'll give drag and drop a go here, gallery in second window.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/SD_Trail.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=15796)
Another try..
One of those is the code dragged over the next was drag and drop on the bar below the post window.
Full size?
Ok, I have to click the thumbnail in the gallery to bring it full size, then drag over and drop on that drop bar below.
OK, how are you having a source and a destination for drag and drop with only one screen?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_4988~0.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=350943)
I can easily copy and paste, but I have no destination when I start dragging. Drop bar below? Do you have two tabs open or only one?
Hey, I found it !! This is getting exciting !! :xyxnervous:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_4988~0.JPG)
Two tabs open and obviously only one screen.
Hot Diggity DanG.
I tried the drop and drag. got the thumbnail size that was small. tried to do the bigger pic, but it asked me for a size height by width in pix.. that I did not know so I put in a number, thinking it would give me the proportional other dimension. It did not so I made one up, and it stretched and distorted the photo. I deleted them. I now open two windows and am continuing to learn.
Make room where you want the picture in your post. Go to the other tab where you have opened your gallery. Click on your picture to bring it to full size.
Drag the picture to the address bar on your first tab.
so not the click or drag bar?
I dropped the picture where I wanted it to be within the text.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_9122.JPG)
I had already typed this so now I will fetch the picture and drop it between the two lines of text.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/2A400D7A-57BD-44FC-B889-B23E612845B3_adobe_express.jpeg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352269)
Got a picture to post with split screen on iPad.Cut a 22" red oak for firewood to use hopefully winter after next. (blob:https://forestryforum.com/329f4913-8753-4b43-89e8-f83029a0751b)
Had a picture there but it went away.I give up for now.
This one?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/0D9D24B6-C320-4D1B-9CB7-F24764FBB9D4_adobe_express.jpeg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352273)
Or this one?
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/F9005806-6A45-4F49-92DA-288657EAD68E_adobe_express.jpeg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352272)
You're doing a lot better than I am.My pictures show up like they're posted but when I look back to make sure they disappear.Took me a long time to figure how to resize to go in gallery.
Go to your pic in your gallery and scroll down to the BBcode (normal) and click on it. It should hi-light blue, then do a copy (ctrl-c) and then paste (ctrl-v) that in your post. See if that works for you.
Beenthere,thanks I'll give it a try.I don't have a computer but I'll try it on this iPad.My DIL can probably show me the next time she comes up if I can't figure it out.
@Magicman I open a second window, not a tab. With two windows open it works. But here it's working with just tabs. I click and hold the mouse button in my gallery, on the full sized photo, and drag and hover over the post tab for it to become active and drop it into the post window.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/SD_Balsam_top~0.jpg)
I believe that we have it now. Maybe different description but it's working.
Yeah, works either way here. Drag from screen to screen and drop on the area under the post your making that says drag and drop files here or tab to tab, dragging full size photo into the post and dropping. The code from under your gallery/album photo drags as well.
This is going to be a very workable photo posting process. I am pleasantly surprised. ;)
Old tree cleanup reinforcements arrived, testing the limits on the log lift...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_old_tree_VIII.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352313)
Half of a two chunk load...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_old_tree_IV.jpg)
What would we do without winches??
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_VI.jpg)
Used to be shade in the summer, now BTUs in the winter
Scott B.
With long work days and early darkness, we kept running out of light before we ran out of energy to split wood, so I was asked to rig up alight over the splitter. 5' of conduit and my Ridgid battery flood light, and our days are now extended. My wife says it's brilliant! :sunny:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/63722/E713B060-A40F-408A-BB05-0F1BD18ECA97.jpeg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352320)
I will certainly agree with her. I had to Google to see what kind of light you were using. smiley_idea
It's not permanently mounted, but only takes a second or two to install or remove. The nice thing about this light is that it has two smaller side light panels that can be independently angled, so we point one at the block pile and one at the splits pile, while the main light shines in the trough. So far a battery has out lasted us.
And it didn't cost me a dime. Everything was on hand. And it is way simpler than my original idea to run some kind of Led work light off the splitter battery. Lights, mounts, wiring, switches. Ugh!
Still working on the red oak I cut last week. My process time to burn time ratio is getting worse every year. When it gets to where it takes me a month to process a months worth of wood I might have to quit. Should get a cord out of this (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/E8C965BF-7760-43F2-8F18-6D6699F89CAF_adobe_express.jpeg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352352)
Geez, I never ever thought of the 'prep time to burn time ratio' before, but mine is not really good and now I'm even more depressed. :-\ To be honest with myself in the last 8 years or so I rely more on firewood than I ever had in the past. When I was working, firewood had to take a back seat, I was working 50 hour weeks and whatever time I had, I did the best with to get the wood in. Once or twice I would buy wood, but mostly I just sucked it up, beat the heck out of myself, and got my 2-3 cords done in my 'spare time'. Nowadays I am not only burning in the house, but also heating the shop and both are pretty full time, so 8 cord or more for the season and it seems like I spend a lot of my year doing wood. Since I can't do 8-9 hour days doing just firewood, I do a few hours at a a time, then do other stuff. This makes it take forever, and this year I screwed up and have been making wood every few weeks right up until now. And I got a cord delivered by a buddy last week.
I can't quit, I need the wood, so what to do? For me, I wasted a lot of time on junk wood I should have never put time into. Yeah, it made heat, but not much and it went quick. Good clean, solid wood is the way to go. I had some, but not a lot. Most of that went in the house pile and that half is in good shape. If I run out, it will be at a point where we really don't need that stove anyway. But the shop needs heat if I am to work out there at all, which is everyday.
Now you are making me think Bill and that makes my head hurt.
Tom, my problem is I can't bear to pay the power company $300 or probably more a month in the winter to heat my house when I live in a forest. I've always burned wood and even enjoyed working it up. Going from a splitting maul to a hydraulic splitter slowed down the process but I didn't have a choice being my shoulder is worn out. Being self sufficient as possible has been a lifelong hobby of mine although I have mostly failed at it but I'm a stubborn man and will keep trying :wink_2:
If I had the time and the weather I'd cut pretty steady here, but half days. Some would be left on the ground as it would be small and break down fast, some used as wet crossings for more trails. I've got a lot of thinning to cover. My 8-9 cords I cut I spread out over 4 weeks. That's cut, bucked and split and sitting in my yard. I take a couple days in April and stack it all under cover. All done with for another year. With the shop I might be able to burn 2 more cord. I barely burnt 1-1/2 cord in the old shop inside the barn. The new shop is not huge, 20' x 24'.
A couple weeks ago when it was below zero I had a wind fall dead shag bark hickory,100 footer .It's been in the high 40's lately so I made a few cuts yesterday . My word hard as a rock .I thought my little 024 Stihl was plentry on the top .Well it wasn't , today I'll break out a bigger shooting iron .On the base it's around 3 feet then I'll get a bigger saw .Mean while looks like I'll get plenty of file time . I doubt I can make an entire tank of fuel before it needs filed .
Tom I don't mess with what I call junk wood. Cotton wood, willow , elm they all go into the brush burn pile. I only process a little ash, mulberry, locust and hedge. Mostly what I have left on the farm we do most of our wood at is hedge {Osage Orange}. I have two guys that exchange hunting rights to help me cut wood. When they come to work I want to get as much done a we can. No since in processing twice as much wood to get the same amount of BTU's. I burn the Garn year around to heat my domestic. I have enough trailers that I have 15 cord on trailers. Just the AM I pulled a empty out of the shed and put another load of hedge about three cord in front of the Garn barn. That load should take me to spring. The two weeks we had in Jan with sub zero every day I peeled threw the wood. Back to one load a day now. I just don't process wood in the winter. I hate to say it but we do it in the summer as that is when I have time.
My experience with aspen and fir compared to sugar maple and beech is an extra cord, so 5 cord of maple and 6 of aspen. I always have extra wood, better than not. All depends on the house and the stove used. I remember a stove my grandfather had in the garage you could ride to Boston on it and still be cold. The one in the sugar camp would have you sweating in an hr. Both uninsulated buildings. :D
Quote from: SwampDonkey on February 09, 2024, 02:47:18 PMI remember a stove my grandfather had in the garage you could ride to Boston on it and still be cold:D
Swamp,
That's a pretty good line, it made me chuckle!
A load for the wallet and a load for the widow today. I think I musta got a game of tennis in there sometime the way it feels, time to quit typing ffcheesy
Quote from: GRANITEstateMP on February 09, 2024, 07:49:36 PMSwamp,
That's a pretty good line, it made me chuckle!
Common saying about crappy stoves up this way. :D
Another storm victim. I cut this large branch up yesterday and got a nice load of firewood.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07259.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352371)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07260.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352372)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07312.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352373)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07315.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352374)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07310.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352375)
The next step will be to cut the tree down. Should be one good log and a lot more firewood.
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
cutterboy, I notice the next much snow. But common for your area. I have not been out in the woods much. But think I have about a foot, no bare ground to be found here in Chesterville, ME.
We had a bad windstorm in Dec. I have a lot to clean up.
I think we had close to 10" here, but it's dropping this weekend.
We've got about 1/2" on the ground. This is the least snow I've ever seen in a MN winter.
In 1981 we had none at all here. Uncle and I burnt spruce bows on the weekends. The year the leaves came out in February. 2006 we had hardly nothing, but not as warm, lots of ice and crust. I thought I was going to thin early that year. Went north of here 30 miles and was 3 feet in the woods in April in the hills. :D
No snow here and working on getting rid of more dead ash. Nice having ready to burn standing firewood. Hate the mess though as they shatter when they hit the ground. Only have about 10 big ones left.
Working on some red oak for the 2025 heating season.
The red oak won't be dry for the 2025 season, partially dry for 2026, and great for the 2027 heating season (if it is split). Takes a long time for red oak to dry for good heating btu's. It will burn up before that for sure, but not good heat.
beenthere, I agree with you 100%. I should have phrased that better. I have plenty stocked up for next winter already and it will get split soon and will be a couple years before I burn it. Just like to keep ahead of the game.
Apple wood I could never get dry even after two years. Tried it one winter, then when I switched over to sugar maple it was a world of difference in heat. Some people love apple wood, I don't. I'd rather burn aspen and fir. :D
DHamsen, nice 322. They are fantastic. Love the liquid cooled Yanmar gas engine in them. I have one too.
Thanks, Big Eddy. The 322 comes in handy. Small enough to maneuver right to the work area. Light enough to not dig up and leave ruts. Plenty of traction even when I have the tire chains off. But heavy enough to handle my needs. I still have my first 318 from 1985. Picked up two 322 about ten years ago. Easy to work on and parts are easy to come by. For my firewood projects it a perfect fit.
The wood yard is a little closer to operational status.
But wait, there's another 10-12 inches on the way.
Feeling pretty lucky down here in Yarmouth Co. after that last storm completely missed us. Don't think we will be so lucky this time, suppose to start snowing around 3pm.
We were having high winds today so I was playing in the shop, when the power went out. But I had gotten the free lathe to run with a new start cap from the Red Green pile. Me and the hound went cruising for trouble and saw there was a large ash top in the bottom and the state dirt road was blocked. We went back and grabbed a saw and the loader and got that outta the way. Mostly I've been burning the punky things whole but there might be some wood in it. We hopped back in the truck and kept heading up the mountain looking at the line. Something must have felt wrong, I was looking up for where it crosses the road and couldn't find it, stop[ped to focus, and it was right in front of me. I looked down into the hollow and another big dead ash had taken it down. Well now I'm in a predicament, this thing is dangerous. I boogied back to the house and got dispatch to scramble folks and grabbed a sawhorse and pallet and went up to block the approach and the getaway sides. As soon as I got the far side blocked an elderly couple rounded the corner and were very thankful I was there, they couldn't/ wouldn't have seen it. I wandered down to one of the standing dead locusts and started making firewood when the power company truck showed up. I went up to watch the road for them while they went down into briar hello and then when they got back up to the road I got the loader again and grabbed the stump and bottom 8' off the bank. So, not a preferred haul but as the buzzard said to the chicken hawk, "Lord'll provide" smiley_smug01
Warm in here, 82°F on aspen BTU's. 12° out in the abyss.
DonP, It's people like you with a sense of civic duty thats good to hear about, not sitting back waiting for someone else to do what needs to be done. As to wood that's stubborn to dry, I have a few things for dealing with it. I tend to cut it up into shorter peices as a lot of water comes out of the ends. Stack it where it gets a lot of sun and air. Get it into my heated basement early in the heating season where it's warm and dry. Don't be in a hurry to burn it and use it for overnight fires to carry the fire. I'll take all the Red Oak that anyone wants to drop off here.
I appreciate it KEC and it has sort of been on my mind as we have talked about the younger generation. I was raised to get the door open and be the last one through it. My wife has commented several times, I don't think they teach civics anymore and home training ain't what it used to be. I am delighted those old folks stayed home for another cup of coffee.
Back on topic, I scored a 3"dbh standing bone dry locust on the way back up the driveway tonite, the peasants are toasty ffcheesy
Cut this red oak a couple weeks ago.Been working on it a little at a time. Finished splitting it up today. Plan on putting it in my new wood shed I built last year. Was hoping to sell shed but it didn't happen and a empty wood shed is a sad looking thing.(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/FD390FAC-46EC-408B-AADD-E75857554815.jpeg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352452)
Looks like a nice jag of wood as we call it up this way. :thumbsup:
It was sunny and I could see the splits pile from the log pile when we started today. Not so much later on.
I'm sure our neighbours think we are crazy, but it was actually a very pleasant day for cutting. We stayed out a couple of hours after the snow started.
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My neighbors think I am crazy because all I do is "work" around here.
But then the next thing they say, Is how good it looks around here.
SD, although not a legal unit of measurement, we also have "jags" around here.
Neighbor sold 25 Walnut trees from his woodlot, said clean up all you want. Cold overnight temps let brother and I get in with smaller rigs to do just that...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_with_roger.jpg)
It was a trashy woods to start with, will be a challenge.
Scott B.
Quote from: barbender on February 16, 2024, 12:16:26 AMSD, although not a legal unit of measurement, we also have "jags" around here.
It's actually defined in the dictionary. Not as a unit of measure, but as a 'small load', which could be wood, hay, rocks, or fish cakes for that matter. :D Then there is a twitch of wood, which is usually behind a horse or skidder, but again no volume defined. ffwave
Around here a "twitch" is a skid of logs pulled by a draft horse or mule. Somebody might ask a horse logger, "How far is it to your neighbors house?" And the horse logger might reply "About three good twitches." A twitch being the distance of either the whole skid to the landing, or however far the horse or mule can pull until it needs a breather.
My granddad used horses in the woods and referred to distance in twitches all the time.
Not to go off rails from the topic here but some of my Amish friends still talk in "rods, which are 16.5 ft.", and "chains, 66ft."
Rods and chains are land measuring terms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_(unit)#History
One of my brothers is a licensed surveyor. He's told me several times some of the most accurate surveys he's followed behind were originally done using the rod and chain measurements. Every time it's said with amazement and almost disbelief.
Just shakes his head when I ask him how much he paid for the top notch gps gear he has ffcheesy
I've used expensive GPS $9000-12000 in todays dollars and have also used $600-800 GPS units to measure silviculture areas. Have never had a dispute in 25 years between them and those paying for the area measured. None I've used are considered surveyor grade, but we are not doing land surveys. We are only measuring areas that can be anywhere within the bounds of a property. And there a lots and lots of property line disputes, some not even in the same spot as they are on a map. One authority tells the other they aren't legally responsible for errors? Who is? :D
Now my brother is a flat earther type, claims you can see shore to shore across the largest distance across the Great Lakes. Was fed bogus math. According to him you can see hundreds of miles. :D Heck on ocean front your only suppose to be able to see around 3 miles to the horizon on the rolling sea. Of course it's different if you're 100 feet on a cliff over the ocean looking at a 8000 ft high mountain on an Island. The mountain top is above the horizon. This is the type of stuff James Randi and Carl Sagan warned is the rot infesting society, especially Randi. My brother was always a sucker for flim flam.
Quote from: beenthere on February 17, 2024, 10:53:07 AMRods and chains are land measuring terms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_(unit)#History
Ahh yup, sure are. Along with links, sections, furlongs and more. But you dont hear them used much any more.
I've read old deeds here from the King Edward days that were rods and chains. We adopted metric in the 70's so old imperial units were dropped anyway.
"One and one half cigars N." ffcheesy
When I worked for the town we were replacing and extending a culvert and tuning up a drainage swale. Before we got started my boss had me double check property boundrys, there were two references to rods on one of he documents. Luckily my buddys dad was in town hall that day and he pointed me in the right direction!
All of the oversized and ugly logs that aren't for the processor get put to the side. Yesterday I cut them to 22in lengths
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Today it was split time! Most of these are big, so we quarter the whole lot of them with the skid steer mounted splitter. Any that need extra splitting will be taken care of while we're loading up the dump trailer. Most of this will be going toward my 2025-2026 burning season pile
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kinda ran out of daylight at the end!
22" wood is my size for furnace wood. :thumbsup:
This red maple had to come down because it was in the way of a large pine I was cutting down.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07331.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352608)
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I went after this old black birch that was on it's way out. It had lost it's top at some point and was rotting from the top down. I cut three 8' logs which will go for firewood and filled my firewood carrier with 16" rounds.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07335.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352611)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07340.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352613)
My stash of firewood logs.
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
Thanks Doc!
cutter, if it were me, I might try the modify button under "more" and see if some backspacing can be done to tighten things up.
These three pics of this afternoons work tell me something.
I really got to start taking the tractor with the forks to these jobs so that I can load them in 10 ft lengths instead of by hand. Take the time, move the machine, save my back.
That's why the good lord gave us hydraulics.
And, a little processor would be the bees knees.
On open seas the vision range is around 7 miles not three .On the ocean it's as plain as the south end of a north bound goat the world is not flat like a pan cake .--which BTW has nothing to do with fire wood ,just trivia .
Quote from: Don P on February 17, 2024, 05:42:24 PM"One and one half cigars N." ffcheesy
Nobody bit ffcheesy, that was an actual callout on an early NC survey a friend had to rectify. We were wondering, big, small, on horseback or on foot?
Quote from: Al_Smith on February 25, 2024, 05:00:24 PMOn open seas the vision range is around 7 miles not three .On the ocean it's as plain as the south end of a north bound goat the world is not flat like a pan cake .--which BTW has nothing to do with fire wood ,just trivia .
Depends on your elevation.
1.22 x square root(6 feet) = ~3 miles to the horizon if standing on shore with the water lapping your feet
1.22 x square root (30 feet) = 6.7 miles to the horizon.
On top of mount Everest 1.22 x square root (
29,029 feet) = 208 milesBig difference when you're on the deck of a boat versus standing on the beach. :D
Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on February 25, 2024, 03:34:15 PMThese three pics of this afternoons work tell me something.
I really got to start taking the tractor with the forks to these jobs so that I can load them in 10 ft lengths instead of by hand. Take the time, move the machine, save my back.
That's why the good lord gave us hydraulics.
And, a little processor would be the bees knees.
How do you like to load them into your trailer with the forks - Over the side and let them roll in. Or, come from the side behind the trailer and set one end in the trailer then come around and push the log up and in from the end ? Or another way maybe ?
gg
Quote from: Don P on February 25, 2024, 05:23:33 PMQuote from: Don P on February 17, 2024, 05:42:24 PM"One and one half cigars N." ffcheesy
Nobody bit ffcheesy, that was an actual callout on an early NC survey a friend had to rectify. We were wondering, big, small, on horseback or on foot?
Sounds like it might be 12" North, doesn't it? :wink_2:
Burn rate is way too variable depending on humidity and pony speed.
Glad you 'splained it, I just scratched my head and moved on.
I'm picturing someone with their head tilted back with one eye shut saying that. ffcheesy
Quote from: g_man on February 25, 2024, 07:19:55 PMQuote from: B.C.C. Lapp on February 25, 2024, 03:34:15 PMThese three pics of this afternoons work tell me something.
I really got to start taking the tractor with the forks to these jobs so that I can load them in 10 ft lengths instead of by hand. Take the time, move the machine, save my back.
That's why the good lord gave us hydraulics.
And, a little processor would be the bees knees.
How do you like to load them into your trailer with the forks - Over the side and let them roll in. Or, come from the side behind the trailer and set one end in the trailer then come around and push the log up and in from the end ? Or another way maybe ?
gg
g_man I usually cut a couple dozen rounds 16 inch and toss them in. That gives me a base on the trailer floor so what I drop from the tractor forks don't fall long or hit hard. Then I very gently put the forks over the trailer side tip em just ever so much till the log rolls or slides off. I put the smallest diameter in first. large one in last cause I can practically set them there. Easy on the trailer. But I'd love a trailer mounted loader. But the cost is nuts.
I filled the back of my truck many times. One stick at a time.
Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on February 25, 2024, 09:37:10 PMQuote from: g_man on February 25, 2024, 07:19:55 PMQuote from: B.C.C. Lapp on February 25, 2024, 03:34:15 PMThese three pics of this afternoons work tell me something.
I really got to start taking the tractor with the forks to these jobs so that I can load them in 10 ft lengths instead of by hand. Take the time, move the machine, save my back.
That's why the good lord gave us hydraulics.
And, a little processor would be the bees knees.
How do you like to load them into your trailer with the forks - Over the side and let them roll in. Or, come from the side behind the trailer and set one end in the trailer then come around and push the log up and in from the end ? Or another way maybe ?
gg
g_man I usually cut a couple dozen rounds 16 inch and toss them in. That gives me a base on the trailer floor so what I drop from the tractor forks don't fall long or hit hard. Then I very gently put the forks over the trailer side tip em just ever so much till the log rolls or slides off. I put the smallest diameter in first. large one in last cause I can practically set them there. Easy on the trailer. But I'd love a trailer mounted loader. But the cost is nuts.
Thanks - good explanation. I've never run forks but can see they are pretty useful for lots of stuff. I have seen guys load flat construction trailers with forks with great finesse but wondered about your deep trailer.
gg
B.C.C. Lapp, Does your tractor have rear hydraulic remotes? If so, a grapple is a game changer. My grapple is plumbed to my rear remotes, not ideal, it'd be great on my loader joystick, but I didn't have the coin for that! Once you get used to it, you'll be trying to figure out why ya didn't do it sooner!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18262/IMG_20230916_133825.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=347263)
I loaded this up with the tractor, then hooked back up and brought it home. It was a clearing for a new driveway, I got a call asking if I wanted it and it was a mile away. It was all softwood and went to some of my campground customers
Sunday got a STRONG cord of 22in wood done up. Its mine and now I got to get it stacked :veryangry:
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We always loaded a straight truck with 10 cord of 8' aspen pulp with a John Deere with FIL. An old 2930 from the 70's. Sold it for $32,000, was more than was paid for it new. The hydrostatic shift on it worked better than on the new tractors we had. Only needed a clutch to stop quick. Best John Deere we ever owned besides a little small one we used a lime spreader on. But newer ones we had had cabs and 4x4, never liked them.
Cut down an ash tree this morning for firewood. I got it skidded out of the woods and up beside the barn. The main stem got cut in half and skidded out separately and then another trip for two long branches.
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I wanted to get that tree out of the woods in a hurry as the temp was rising. It got up to 50 this afternoon. So, the tractor is out of the woods for a while till things either dry up or freeze up again. I do have a lot of wood to split so I'll manage to stay busy.
Looks like a good one for firewood!!!
I try to get rid of those too.
I ended up hauling manure for my wifes family today instead of working up firewood. It got up to 50 here also, fields started getting greasy about the time I ran out of gumption! Got a bunch moved between me and my brother in law, but after tomorrow am, its gonna be a while before we can haul again
You hauling and dumping or hauling and spreading?
Cousin had several semi-loads hulled in of chicken manure the first part of the month. A lot of chicken manure and what looks like black carbonized wood gets spread around here.
newoodguy78,
Hauling from a too full manure pit and dumping in the fields. We finally got to the.easy to move, don't make a giant mess material and thats when the sun warmed everything up and even the frozen ground was too slick
GRANITEstateMP I was spreading manure fast as I could Sunday and the last hour of light yesterday. Rain moving in again and the fields will be soft for days.
Yes I do have rear remotes on all my tractors. And I have been wanting a grapple for some time, just haven't pulled the pin. I'm always hoping to spot one at a farm auction cause sometimes stuff goes cheap there. Sometimes. ffcheesy
A grapple would be a game changer. Way better than the pallet forks I use now.
We're on our third or forth mud season and it isn't even mud season yet. I'm pretty sure this wood I pulled out this morning on my little trailer will be last last for quite a while. Blocked it up on the trailer and made a pile. This area usually dries up quick. But maybe not this year. When it does I'll block up the main pile and then split it all.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/24_2_27-1.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352698)
gg
ffcheesy ffcheesy Third or forth mud season. And it ain't even mud season yet. ffcheesy ffcheesy
A perfect description of this year. .
Cleanup from the neighbor's walnut harvest continues, a whole load of busted up hard maple saplings and a nice load of bone dry dead red elm ready for the brother's OWB...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_andy_s.jpg)
Brother's latest project, build a mount for the hoist on the front bucket to assist with big chunks...a couple mods needed but saves heavy lifting...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_roger_s_rig.jpg)
Old guys still cutting
Scott B.
The end of the cleanup of the big maple tree, plus a couple other yard trees that were removed. A little dirt work from the landing spot, plus whatever the stump work entails. In my opinion, tree removal outfits earn every penny they charge, it's a lot of work...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_the_end.jpg)
The little Stihl MSA 200 C battery saw delimbed all the trees removed plus this pine that blew over yesterday. It worked perfectly in this scenario....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38622/firewood_battery_saw.jpg)
Scott B.
And no snow. :wacky:
Yesterday I had a little snow, if I took a picture like that. With the rain with had in the night, I would think the snow is gone in my field now. Dark so can't see the field yet. But with temps in the 50's that little bit of snow I had in the open will be gone.
Had a call for seasoned firewood couple weeks back so had to use the snowmobile and sled to get it up to the driveway. About 3 trips made a 1/3 cord load $160 delivered. Red Oak
I found 4 good tri axle loads of poles that were cut last fall. Got them for a good price. Doing this kind of thing I don't make as much as I do with the wood off my own jobs but it speeds up getting a bunch of cords stacked and drying.
Still to wet to log. But I had a great morning of splitting and stacking.
Cut some of the darkest EAB killed ash I have seen on my property. Those little m18 saws are awesome for firewood.
20240308_132140.jpg
I have never seen any ash around here that had anything like that in it. We have white, and some green ash. Anybody know, could this be black ash?
No, that's not black ash.
Doesn't look like ash at all to me. Incredibly dark and massive amount of heartwood. Happy to be wrong though, I've only dealt with white ash as far as I know.
Supposed to be black ash. I gave the logger that dropped it for me the main trunk last fall and it was over 24 inches and very black center. It grew in a very wet spot and the color lightens when dry. This was a side branch off it.
It's typical of black ash up here. Dark brown heartwood when green turning grey-brown when dry. Where as white ash has a light brown color with yellow streaks. For basket making they use the light colored sapwood.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/blash-ash-descript.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352888)
I don't believe I have ever seem any black ash. We have none here. Different looking for sure.
The last two mornings the ground has been stiff enough for a couple hours that I was able to get a good start blocking up my wood. By coffee time things were already to soft to keep from making a mess but I have no problem with short work sessions.
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Yet another messy snow mixed with rain storm today. Weighted down branches. Never have had as many downed branches as this year since the ice storm in the late 90's
gg
Black ash is very light weight when dry, about like a stick of dry fir. You have to have some rather marginal land for black ash, usually standing in water during the wet season, with white cedar, willows and balm-of-gilead, sedges and cattails if it was clearcut. I've planted some on good farm ground/garden soil and they are very slow growing. Drought will usually do them in to. I've lost most to drought. One by the garden is doing good, but not straight and tall, the top tends to curve like a bow. I'll probably cut it this spring, shading the garden a bit.
I've never seen black ash with that dark of heart, that much sapwood (it's usually only about ½", if that), and thick bark like that. That looks like walnut to me. But sometimes, as my wife is always happy to remind me, i am wrong😁
Black ash bark is thick and corky-spongy up this way. Totally different than that of white ash.
A basket by Kelly Church in MI (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kelly_church_black_ash_basket.jpg)
When I was a kid I would hear them pound ash all day for baskets across the road (from my grand parents') on the reservation. Potato farmers used them for potato harvesting.
Black ash generally has thin sapwood. But, I've seen thicker sapwood on younger trees. On older trees it's thinner, especially trees that are not all that big and quite old. I wouldn't expect walnut to be in wet swamp lands. Jack knife into the inner bark, if it is yellowish, it would be walnut.
gman, nice pile of rounds for a couple hours work. I like the tent thing on the tractor.
btw, we must have similar schedules. My wife and I have our coffee mid morning after a couple hours of work.
Quote from: barbender on March 10, 2024, 01:19:12 PMThat looks like walnut to me.
barbender, I'm glad you said that. That was my thought also, but I have never seen black ash.
It does look like walnut. But walnut don't smell like black ash and it don't cut like ash, its more like poplar. So he would know if it was walnut when he cut into it. But it does sure look like walnut.
Not walnut, it lightens up quite a bit as it dries. The higher up parts of the tree were much lighter. Just about the first 16 feet was dark. Been dead a couple years. Right next to the ditch for all the road runoff so always wet.
Quote from: cutterboy on March 11, 2024, 07:27:16 AMgman, nice pile of rounds for a couple hours work. I like the tent thing on the tractor.
btw, we must have similar schedules. My wife and I have our coffee mid morning after a couple hours of work.
It goes pretty fast, cutter, when all I have to do is move down the line lopping them off. This pic is from several years back. Same place, same time, different tractor.
10:00 o'clock coffee is a must here.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/P1150879.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352911)
gg
boy oh boy gman, that grapple is a nice tool.
A grapple is definitely a game changer. Wish we had one years ago loading straight truck of 8' aspen, instead on just forks. :thumbsup:
gman, that is what I do as well. I have a mingo paint marker so I mark the log, then pick it up with the grapple and cut blocks at waist height. Works great. Easier on the back and you can move fast not having to roll the log to finish the cut or worry about hitting dirt.
Back in the woods after a few months idle. Couple hrs to clean up everything within 30' of this pile. Deadfall and blowdowns spruce and fir. Roll through with the splitter when things dry out. Felt good to be back in the woods with saw.
Got some nice weather so I moved the Red Oak firewood I split about a month ago into my new shed. Shed almost held it all.Approximately 1 1/4 cord. Shed looks a lot better full of wood.(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/574EC292-7014-4D3A-9475-26F42713B0B8.jpeg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352934)
Been stacking firewood to. ffcool
I am ready to go. But I can still see snow in the woods. Those and the wet holes I will keep away from.
I have one area across from the house I keep picked up. That always takes a lot of time. I have a couple trees that fell over and one that broke off.
The meadow will get a haircut this year too.
Have some rayrock that need to be hauled off too.
Ground needs to be levered off too.
Quote from: Wlmedley on March 14, 2024, 02:07:21 PMGot some nice weather so I moved the Red Oak firewood I split about a month ago into my new shed. Shed almost held it all.Approximately 1 1/4 cord. Shed looks a lot better full of wood.(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/68995/574EC292-7014-4D3A-9475-26F42713B0B8.jpeg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=352934)
I had your shed pic up when my wife walked by - She said "That's a cute little wood shed". I like it too - especially full.
gg
Bill I am glad to see you filling that shed. Nice and neat and money in the bank! I never realized until this last photo how deep that is. Must be 4 or 5 rows deep, how many cubic feet of wood can you fit in that one?
Tom,It's 5' deep and 8' wide and I stacked it a little over 6'high. I cut my wood around 22" so I've only got 2 rows of wood in it. Mostly built it to sell and since it didn't I decided to use it. My main wood shed is behind my barn and it holds a lot more.I've got 4 cords in it.
Blowdown carnage from December wind storm. A couple white spruce trees the one on the left measured 85' and the other 80'. Probably a cord of wood there. They grew in a Pine stand where a field was once upon a time. Looks like the taller one took down the other one that was broken off at 30' or so.
Quote from: Wlmedley on March 14, 2024, 08:46:31 PMTom,It's 5' deep and 8' wide and I stacked it a little over 6'high. I cut my wood around 22" so I've only got 2 rows of wood in it. Mostly built it to sell and since it didn't I decided to use it. My main wood shed is behind my barn and it holds a lot more.I've got 4 cords in it.
So that comes out to just under 2 cords (1.8 or so). Not bad, I like it a lot!
I like the shed too. It will fit 1.8 but he has it loaded at 1.375 now.
When I figure how much is in my wood shed I take the length of wood x the number of rows to get the depth rather than figuring the depth of my shed since I stack with air space between rows. My shed can technically fit 4.5 cord per side at 8x12x6' high each side for 9 cord total (mine is partitioned in the middle so I have the year I am burning and next years under cover). I cut my firewood at 18" and stack 7 rows deep, so I only count the depth dimension as 10.5' even thought he shed is 12' deep. So I figure I really only have 4 cord of firewood on each side and the rest is air space. I burn about 4 cord per year so that works good for me.
I really should have made my shed with 3 bays at 4 cord each as I am typically more than 2 years ahead which means I have at least 4 cord that won't fit in the shed and eventually needs to be re-handled.
Well, I was able to drive out the woods trails today with the SxS and picked out 3 cedars that made 7 straight 6' long fence posts. I could drive within a couple hundred feet of the cedar woods. Got them home and am barking and sharpening a point on them. Bark ain't slipping yet on cedar, but has to be barked as they are going in the grape vine garden. ffwave
what problems does bark on cause to grapes?
Peeled cedar will last much much longer then unpeeled.
I peeled a lot of cedar.
And the bark naturally falling off when in your grapes looks like a mess. :D
Bark tends to attracts bugs which help decay fungi.
that's it? so, the bark on is fine? ffcheesy ffcheesy
Yup, that's my story. smiley_smug01
I have a firewood customer that wants green wood in March. So, I have been working on that and today I was able to get my tractor into the woods. I cut down a good sized hickory that was leaning hard over a tractor path. Then the stem was cut into rounds.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07365.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353048)
I left the stump about 20" high and when I went to cut it off I realized it would be too big and heavy for me to handle. So I took the chainsaw and cut the stump right down the middle from the top to the ground. Then I cut it off leaving two halves.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07360.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353046)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07362.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353047)
As I was starting to load the firewood carrier my wife called and said there was a lumber customer there (who came without calling ahead :veryangry: ) He was willing to wait for me. Since I was loading up and heading home for lunch anyway it was no big deal. I quickly loaded six rounds and headed home.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07366.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353049)
This is how I handle those big rounds at the wood splitter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07368.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353050)
With the rounds in the tractor bucket at a height slightly higher than the wood splitter I can grab a round, turn and place it on the splitter. I'm not lifting it, just holding it and turning. I have the rounds laying down in the tractor bucket, not standing up as shown in the picture. Then split and stack in the box.
Keep on cutting.....Cutter
I used to have that same splitter, Cutter. Good machine, they're not fast but they are strong.
Quote from: barbender on March 23, 2024, 01:23:19 AMI used to have that same splitter, Cutter. Good machine, they're not fast but they are strong.
Looks like my troybilt. Strong but not fast describes it pretty good.
Discovered an 18" fir across the road this morning up by the woodlot. Uprooted from wind we just had. Went home for a saw and splitting maul. Was chalk white, no rot except a little bit on the first bolt off the stump with some ant activity. But barely see any at stump height unless you looked close. Bucked and split an oversized buggy load of firewood, some was in on the seat, the back was well rounded up, and tossed off the brush to the side. Made the 3 mile trip back home and added the firewood to next winter's pile. ffwave
Cutter i use almost the same set up exactly. Rounds are loaded into the tractor bucket. The bucket is positioned on my left side about arms length away. The other tractor bucket, or a small dump trailer, is across the splitter from me. So all I have to do is turn, grab a round, its already at the splitter height, move it on to the splitter. Its easy cause I don't have to lift the round. Just support it onto the splitter. The split wood goes in the other bucket and I either stack it when full or if Mrs Lapp is helping I just dump the buckets right at the pallets and she will stack. Mrs. Lapp actually likes stacking she says its good for the waist line. I hope she never changes her mind because if I split 10 or 12 buckets, which is somewheres around a cord if she stacks 4 or 5 of them it really speeds things up.
Loading even big rounds into the bucket is easy as its down on the ground. Until I get a processor, unlikely at best, its the fastest and easiest set up Ive tried.
I like your stacking system BCC. I don't think I could pay the dues for something like that.
gg
No, my wife is not interested either.
Yup, I know how lucky I am she helps. I don't take it for granted or ever leave her to much because if it turns into to much she might not like to come out and help. But she's a farm girl and working outside, getting her hands dirty is a way of life. I doubt I could ever keep her inside when there is work to be done that she can do.
In for a warm lunch and a cup of coffee. Pics from this morning in my wood yard.
This is the setup I'm using mostly now. Tweak it as equipment and time allows.
And my stacking system, ffcool Like everybody else that sells wood I sell the best and burn all the junks for my own stoves. Like all the shorty end pieces. We call them chunky's. .
But Ill tell you what, don't ever lose your head and call your stacker "My little chunky girl."
You might get a chunky up the side of your head. Just saying. ffcheesy
Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on March 25, 2024, 12:37:33 PMLike all the shorty end pieces. We call them chunky's. .
But Ill tell you what, don't ever lose your head and call your stacker "My little chunky girl."
You might get a chunky up the side of your head. Just saying. ffcheesy
ffcheesy ffcheesy ffcheesy ffcheesy ffcheesy
btw, nice set up BCC and thanks for all the pictures.
I wheelbarrowed all of my unused firewood back to the woodshed Saturday and emptied the ashes from the insert.
I am officially calling Winter over. ffwave
I've got at least another month of serious burning left, then tapers off. A cord and a half should keep things warm. :uhoh:
Supposed to have snow flurries here in a couple days so I'll leave a little wood on the porch.Last year I quit April 1 and had my largest electric bill in April .
running AC today. humid and was 75o in the house.
Winter storm warning for tomorrow night and Thursday here. Heavy snow and high winds with flurries lingering into Friday and Saturday morning.
gg
Had to toss another 2 buckets from the tractor into basement today. We've had more snow in past week than all of January, February and most of march.
A 3 day blizzard on tap up here, 12-18" possible. ffcheesy I've got wood to get stacked, but not digging it out of snow and ice. It can wait. ffcheesy ffcheesy ffcheesy
I'm hoping the steel gets on the shop roof today and the siding. Not a huge shop, so should be no problem.
Snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain today, tonight and tomorrow. Yesterday I cut and moved out of the woods as much firewood as I could. It's all in the barn waiting to be split.
Here is some of the wood I brought out of the woods yesterday that needs splitting.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07384.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353298)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07388.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353300)
Those are the two halves of the stump I chainsawed in half.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07386.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353299)
I did some splitting this morning, enough to fill up the box.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07390.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353301)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07391.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353302)
A box of oak for my neighbor.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11157/DSC07392.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353303)
I'm glad I was working inside because it's nasty outside. Rain with strong winds. Possible sleet and snow mixed in with the rain tonight. Fires are burning.
Keep on splitting.....Cutter
After a couple sunny 50* days the wood yard was finely OK to work in. Hard to believe there was 15" of new snow here a little more than a week ago. I started splitting yesterday morning too but only got this far. I had to quit before I ran out of steam and put the plow back on the tractor and get everything covered up for todays storm. Wicked windy now - surprised we still have power.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/IMG_1849.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353319)
gg
Ouch!!
Nice neat work and good looking firewood as always Cutter. If you were in Pa I'd hire you in a minute. Or come to think of it, you hire me. Even better. ffcheesy
Black ash firewood. A couple of trees where one had the roots smothered a bit from earth works and killed back the top, the other was shading the garden. One had brown heart, the 2 smaller ones on the top. The other had a dark reddish brown color, it was the bigger pieces. Split them up with the Collins. There was an earlier post or another thread by
@21incher with his black ash.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/black-ash-firewood.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353391)
The chunk on the lwr left has an exaggerated sapwood width, that is flare on the stump. And a little exaggerated on some limb wood cut at a node or fork. Nowhere near as heavy as rock maple or yellow birch.
Now that looks much more like the black ash in my area.
Same here, looks like NW. Ontario and S. Manitoba ash.
Might be a Northern look?
I've been picking away at splitting my 2025/26 wood that I pulled out last winter. Took some pictures yesterday. I fill the bucket with blocks. Any too big for me to handle up on the splitter I roll to the side.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/24_4_18-1.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353489)
I stand between the bucket and splitter. The splits get tossed onto the stack as I go. Hardly have to move my feet. After each bucket I have to neaten the stack a little. Doesn't have to be perfect. They will only be there a couple months, August, before for I move them into the shed.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/24_4_18-2.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353491)
When the big ones that I put to the side start getting in my way I put the splitter vertical and work off the carry-all. I chunk them up into manageable size and throw them back on the pile. The carry-all has a smooth surface so it is easy the slide the big blocks around and position them on the splitter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/24_4_18-4.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353492)
gg
Like that carry all.
Nice setup GMAN, and nice stack of wood. I'd say you are well ahead in the wood game if this wood is for 2025/26. I'm just finishing up splitting wood for next winter.
Thanks Cutter. I've learned that if I want to have wood to burn then I better stay ahead. You never know what might happen. A year ahead is my goal. The shed has two sides. Each is enough for a year. Right now the left side has a little more than one row left. I will fill it with the wood I an working up now after it air dries a while. This is my shed last August after filling the right side. Each side is 4 cords which is enough to keep us warm and comfortable all year and still doable for me.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21065/23_8_22.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=346440)
gg
Weather seems to be improving. Everybody is making firewood. I just came in for some coffee and I'm back out to the wood yard. Sun is shining here, grounds drying, life is good today. :thumbsup:
It's getting better around here too.
Last time I said that we got 18 inches of snow and then about a week later a foot of snow. :wacky:
Plus the spot my firewood is coming out of is on the meadow. Really wet down there. I did not even dare to bush hog it last year. Maybe this year I can get on it and do some cutting.
Might try collecting some downed and limbed trees today. 1st attempt
this year.
gg's carry all caught my eye. So much that I'm picking one up today !
Really should stay off the internet. ffcheesy
I've got a lot of trees to clean up. Some are out in the woods, those can wait until I need to drove through them to get to the other side. :wacky:
I keep about an acre cleaned up real nice. In a normal year it's always a mess. I take a chainsaw and cut up for the OWB whatever I think the mini bush hog cannot chew up. Mini bush hog is a lawn mower. :wacky:
This is really a nice piece of land. Not many rayrock to mow around.
From what I can see, no down trees came into the field this year. :huh?
Quote from: woodroe on April 21, 2024, 05:44:51 AM................
gg's carry all caught my eye. So much that I'm picking one up today !
..............
gg's ??
meaning g_man ??
I've used the carry-all in the past, but now use the pallet forks to carry a pallet of bucked firewood rounds to set on four other rounds at a convenient height to the splitter. Then place another pallet close to the splitter to stack the splits. Tractor with forks kept busy doing all the heavy lifting.
Also have the splitter up on car ramps to have it a more convenient height so no bending over.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10180/Apr_23_steve_splitting.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=164671)
Looks like a pretty efficient way to work it beenthere. Those are nice rounds.
Quote from: beenthere on April 21, 2024, 11:08:19 AMQuote from: woodroe on April 21, 2024, 05:44:51 AM................
gg's carry all caught my eye. So much that I'm picking one up today !
..............
gg's ??
meaning g_man ??
I've used the carry-all in the past, but now use the pallet forks to carry a pallet of bucked firewood rounds to set on four other rounds at a convenient height to the splitter. Then place another pallet close to the splitter to stack the splits. Tractor with forks kept busy doing all the heavy lifting.
Also have the splitter up on car ramps to have it a more convenient height so no bending over.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10180/Apr_23_steve_splitting.JPG) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=164671)
Yes g mans setup.