Firewood on a Hakki Pilkie 1x37

GRANITEstateMP · January 21, 2024, 08:04:18 AM

Man, I am so gonna miss the ash trees. Spent a bit of time the last two weekends cutting dead ash, and unfortunately not dead burning bush, around the processor area. Every time I think I know about how many are left, I find MORE. Probably half the wood will go to the processor, the other half either too far gone and into the bonfire pile or up to the farm for the boiler. Some are covered in ivy, thats always fun too. Good news, once cut and I take out a couple stumps, I'll have another nice tractor trail around part of the property. Kinda cold out now, got to bring in a bit more firewood to the basement rack, then tip a few more ash. I found an old stacked granite foundation, it was hidden with all the burning bush, I'm tossing the brush in there, burn it all off, then clean the area up.

GRANITEstateMP · February 04, 2024, 12:53:29 PM

Test, and I think we have success!!! Houston, the guy with the flip phone has re-learned how to post a pic! Easy peasy

This is the beginning of my mud season log stash, so I can keep delivering even if logs don't come in. I got caught a couple times real low during that time of year, now I try and stay ahead

GRANITEstateMP · February 04, 2024, 01:05:14 PM

Test 2.0, different way to add pic.

This is the log pile I'm working from. 12' is ideal for the processor and me handling them. Sometimes I have to cut the logs to make them feed easier when its go time. My shorts pile is in the foreground. The shorts take longer to process, but I don't mind, it still makes firewood, and not much waste wood

GRANITEstateMP · February 05, 2024, 08:24:08 PM

Had a productive day and a half of getting logs moved around. The pile from yesterday is gone!

All of that is either in my mud season stash, or two shorts piles that'll get worked up next time the processor runs. My log brow that feeds the processor is full and my mud stash is 3/4 full. I'll order up another load or two and that'll be a good jump start toward next season

GRANITEstateMP · March 16, 2024, 09:12:03 PM

no firewood done this week, but I got a new honda put on the 4ft wood splitter, and got most of my newest woodshed sided. Hope to get a little more production on either task tomm

GRANITEstateMP · April 22, 2024, 07:19:11 PM

Its that time of year again...wood orders were a bit slow at first with the wet spring, that changed this weekend! 3 customers ordered a total of 9 cord, 7 of which I can deliver to without sinking axle deep! I've had more preorders for campwood than ever before, but the camp ground doesn't open until mid May, which will mean a lot of busy days.

Landing is ready for next Saturdays first out going order

GRANITEstateMP · May 15, 2024, 07:41:47 PM

I got 20something cord already delivered, another 22cord of hardwood on order and 8 cord of camp firewood. The local campgrounds open this weekend and my customers are already reminding me

. I can't get in beforehand so they have learned to get on the waiting list early. I've been mostly by myself this year, life happens and helping with firewood for no money isn't THAT much fun! My buddy helps when he can, and we'll help each other get our next winters worth of wood put up, just might take a bit longer

GRANITEstateMP · June 04, 2024, 07:29:31 PM

cords 31-33, went out this weekend. I got another 1/2 cord stacked into one of the sheds for myself also. Gonna be real nice to get ride of all the pallet racks that are nearing the end of there service life

GRANITEstateMP · July 21, 2024, 01:16:42 PM

Been pretty slow lately, and I'm not complaining! Its been pretty HOT and that zaps my motivation big time. We got 2 more cord of 22's done today, making that oversized pile shrink a bit.

I got my basement topped off a couple weekends ago, got to cross that off the list. That also killed off two more pallet racks, got to get them into the burn pile. Finally did all the belts on the processor, I'd been avoiding that, but had one fail so did them all. I will try and motivate myself to get the last cord moved from pallets to the front of the new shed, that'll be for this year. Then on to finishing up next years wood.

GRANITEstateMP · September 08, 2024, 07:16:32 AM

Not setting the world on fire, but still going. Moved 2 more cords down the road yesterday. I've got a buddy heading over in abit, we'll work up 2 cords for a customer of his, then me and my son are heading to the local asphalt short track to help crew for a longtime friend.

My cords produced vs last year at this time is down almost 30%. Not too worried I've had more weekends to do "other" stuff and got more stuff done around the house while making enough extra cash to pay for things. I could still use an extra hour or two of ME time everyday, but I haven't figured out how to make that happen!

thecfarm · September 08, 2024, 07:31:03 AM

As long as it keeps you happy!!!

GRANITEstateMP · September 08, 2024, 07:08:21 PM

Ray, generally, I'm a pretty happy guy! Got the 2 cords done, we made good time, not a great day at the races, but we finished 5th and put it in the trailer in 1 piece, not bad.

GRANITEstateMP · October 06, 2024, 08:43:47 AM

Just a quick update, 2 more cord rolled out last weekend. I was trying to get to a good spot on my orders list, and I did. My plan was to fly to NC this past Thurs afternoon with a buddy. We were going to help another friend who is living in NC run the Whelen Modified race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. With all the devastation caused by the hurricane, that got postponed. I ended up working all day Thurs vs my planned half day, but took my Friday off and got some things done at home and helped at the farm. The main crew did corn silage, I was sent to overseed some of the already chopped fields. I got 22ish acres done between other projects. The fields got a mix of winter wheat (all fields) and some also got a clover / radish mix (in a state program for higher erosion fields). It felt good to help them not fall farther behind!

Saturday instead of turning wrenches at a track, I was turning little circles around solar panels. Had a bush hog job, 3rd year they've had me back to do it. Nice place, and I finished a great audiobook in too. Got home, trimmed a tree in the wife's family cemetery, and got a cord done too.

One more cord today, then check a box or two off the to do list.

GRANITEstateMP · October 29, 2024, 06:54:26 AM

3 more cords out the door this weekend, I was stating to see the end of my customer list... Then a neighbor stopped in and added 4 more cords to my list!

We're actually in ok shape if the weather stays decent and I don't get too lazy. Problem is that its getting dark earlier, even days when I get out at 4, by the time I get home I don't have much daylight left.

Old Greenhorn · October 29, 2024, 08:19:21 AM

I get the same thing with mushroom logs. Just about the time I can see the light of day and I have all the logs on the deck waiting for pickup, somebody else calls. I don't mind that too much, it' like bonus money. But 2 weeks after everything is done I usually get a new caller with a sob story, 'they didn't, etc', 'they were busy', 'they forgot' and they really need some ridiculous order. Last year it was a guy wanting 1,000 logs. He got about 60, only picked up 45, and I hope he has found another supplier by now.

Don't worry, the clocks move on Sunday, so maybe you will get a bit more daylight.

barbender · October 29, 2024, 11:59:23 AM

Audio books and podcasts make a lot of once tedious tasks enjoyable👍

GRANITEstateMP · October 29, 2024, 07:38:13 PM

Tom,

I am almost at the point where when I get the sob stories, I nod my head and then send them down the road...almost. I know I'm not getting rich doing cord wood, but I enjoy my time doing it and the extra income lets me make poor investments, like atvs! That being said, the guy who forgot to call in the spring, or couldn't find my flip phone number from his lake house all summer, yeah they aren't my problem anymore, I'll figure out another way to feed my wallet vs dealing with those numbskulls!

Now, the legit newbie, or my neighbor that has been taking care of his sick sister all year, they are getting taken care of. My neighbor swung by this weekend ordered 2 cord and helped me finish one, his first cord will be the next one off the processor.

Barbender, I almost left the kid at the farm this afternoon on the ride home. I listening to a Tom Clancy book I read last year and its getting good!!! I did stop and pick the boy up, good news, I got 2.5hrs of book left and just under an hour round trip each day, so I'm good til Friday! As a NH resident we get a whole bunch of free audio books through the library. Comes in handy for plow season too

thecfarm · October 30, 2024, 05:41:00 AM

Yes, on the darkness part.
I am getting my firewood now.
One down EWP at a time.
I put a head lamp on and work 2-3 hours each night.
We had a bad windstorm here and a lot of EWP pine broke off and some uprooted.
Sometimes I cut a bunch of trees when it's light out and I work on them through the week.

GRANITEstateMP · November 02, 2024, 01:17:48 PM

Its fall, leaves are everywhere!

Now is usually when I start grabbing logs from my "stash". I put up theses logs as a emergency supply bank in case of a bad mud season, or the loggers I buy from being on pine or softwood jobs. If I let the sit for more than a season, they get full up with leaves and pine needles

GRANITEstateMP · November 11, 2024, 12:51:31 PM

3 more cords off the list after this weekend, getting close to being done my regular customers. Didn't come without a screw up on my part, small partslist being put together...it'll get posted on the "Did something dumb today" thread!

Pretty sure I'm just shy of 80 cord done, and should be around 90 by years end. I've got a few projects to button up that might get done before MY firewood. My wife likes the firewood sheds that we've put up, enough that she wanted one. Happy wife, happy life, going to still be on skids, but with a floor, screened front entryway, and less siding but more screen windows. Also a little counter across the back so we can have dinner out there during the summer. I traded a local guy firewood for milled logs, we both ended up happy

GRANITEstateMP · November 17, 2024, 07:48:33 PM

2 more cords done today, my list is done...until I got another order after we finished! We got a nice atv ride in too, pretty good fall afternoon (I also got a 40min nap - it was awesome).

1 of the 2 cords is left to deliver, just need to know what location the customer wants it dropped at.

I picked up most of my milled lumber trade, still has a handfull of 2x6x10's to do and (2) 6x6x12 runners that we build the shed off of. Hope to have them by next weekend. I plan on bringing a mini ex from work home over the Thanksgiving 4 day and get the pad site prepped. Hope

Truck should be going in for fall maintenance this week, I trade the labor towards firewood. My screw up from last week was putting my trailer ball hitch through the cast aluminum licence plate holder on my aluminum bed. I felt like an absolute IDIOT. Good news is the part is relatively inexpensive and easy to replace. Bad news, the truck bed company never provided me a date it will land, and is horrendous at getting back to you. Fingers crossed I can cross that screw up as complete this week.

Both atv's got oil changes this week, I did tractor stuff last week, so getting caught up in that department...except the stupid lawn mower is running like crap, the mower I bought cause it was a year old with under 50hrs on it so I could just mow and not wrench...always something!