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how much time to split a cord of firewood?

Started by davidlarson, May 21, 2011, 08:13:19 PM

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davidlarson

My daughter has enrolled her two sons (my grandsons) in the local Montessori school, which is about to have its annual auction and fund drive.  I have a pick-up truck, a good Husqvarna chain saw, a new hydraulic wood splitter, and lots of trees that need Timber Stand Improvement.  I am learning how to cut firewood for myself, and since I'm now retired, I have plenty of unstructured time.  She asked me to offer to donate "one cord of mixed hardwood, cut, split and stacked," delivered to the home of whoever buys it at the auction.  A full cord of wood is 128 cubic feet, and my truck bed holds 42 cubic feet, which is almost exactly 1/3 of that, so I estimate I'll need to split three pick-up loads.  I plan to cut the logs to about 18" long, and usual firewood size diameter.
This project seems like a good cause, and I'm a grandfather who dotes on his grandsons, but I'm wondering how big a commitment I've made.  That is, in the experience of other Forestry Forum members, how long does it take to convert trees in the woods to a cord of split firewood?  Thanks in advance for estimates from experienced firewood splitters.
David Larson

Buck

single wedge splitter. blocks allready cut and staged. I can do a cord an hour at 45 yrs old.

and to add to that...I said I can.  I'm not mad at firewood anymore.  I prefer to set a lil slower pace and I complain more.
Respect is earned. Honesty is appreciated. Trust is gained. Loyalty is returned.

Live....like someone left the gate open

Al_Smith

With an axe, maul , sledge and wedges  about two cords a day ---maybe .

thecfarm

I really don't know.But here's a way to make it easier or the only way I would commit myself. Have a small sample on hand at the auction,than the winning bidder tells you where they live and you go home and start on it than. This way you throw it in the back of your truck and drop it off to the lucky bidder. Than a 2-3 days or next weekend another load and so on until done. This way you won't have to handle it 2-3 times. Whoever wins it may have to clean out the wood shed too and may not be ready for it until next weekend. The way that I cut it would take me a day just to get the wood out. I'm slow and clean up ALOT as I cut. I don't like to cut my big stuff for firewood.Just the small,nasty looking stuff.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

doctorb

I agree with cfarm.  There's work in making firewood that you can not avoid.  But you can avoid moving it around more than you have to.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

stumper

I have no way to estimate the time it will take you to fell limb and skid a cord because I have no way of knowing the skid distance, terrain, skidder capacity and speed. 

However, once it is on the landing I figure an hour to cut to firewood size and an hour to split.  For me there is another hour to load into the tractor bucket and transport to the shed and stack. 


Grunex

For me.........well first off lets say I'm a little younger (38) and I do this for a living but I usually cut about five cords a day and stack the brush, next day I can come and load or I will split and load depending on what the customer and land owner want......   some just want it blocked up and they will split it at home when it gets there. 
www.grunexlandclearing.com
Maintaining America's Heartland one acre at a time.

Al_Smith

Well yes you cut down and block out 5 cords a day with not much problem .However splitting it with just one person takes a tad bit longer than one day even with a hydraulic splitter .

Hard wood like oak is right at 2 tons per cord .That's a lot of weight to be slinging in a day no matter how old you are for 5 cords .On a 3/4 ton truck stacked real high that's at the least 7-8 truck loads .At a standard half cord per it's 10 truck loads .

woodmills1

I bet it takes 1+ hr to cut split and load your truck, stacked by hand for the 1/3 cord.  that would be from well organized logs in a pile already from trees cut down earlier.

I started my whole thing with a saw and a pickup

back then at a young 30 I was happy with a cord cut and split and stacked from logs on the ground in 4 hours and ifin I did 2 in one day I spent a half an hour flat on my back on the hardwood floor to stabilize
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

Grunex

Sir I think you misinterpreded my post from earlier today, I'm not trying to brag or anything like that I just was stating a fact for one person (me) two full days for five cord.  The wood is cut one day and loaded the next, It is also my fault for not being clear on the fact that the wood that I cut a lot of it don't need splitting, as it is trash wood.   As for the weight.........naw that wouldn't make a differrence as I set goals for the day in total area covered.  My average production is 2.5 cords a day with just a saw and hand picking the pieces and splitting what needs to be split.  Nothing superhuman about that. just average production cutting, cleaning, clearing and splitting.
www.grunexlandclearing.com
Maintaining America's Heartland one acre at a time.

Al_Smith

5 cords in 2 days is not unreasonable . I'm 63 years old and I think I still could get that much done although I'd be more inclined to use a hydraulic splitter .

Grunex

Sir I'm sincerely glad now that I think of it that we managed to clear the air as I really hate to get into "prove it" sorts of situations on these forums.  I'm sorry if I have caused any misgivings or misconceptions.   I will in the future try to explain my points a little better and in general not cause a raucus.   On a further point I do indeed use a hydraulic single wedge splitter and other sorts of machinery sometimes if landowner will permit it to facilitate getting the job done.  I do apologize also to the rest of the members of this forums for the same.  I hope that others will not feel "put off" because of my statements. 
www.grunexlandclearing.com
Maintaining America's Heartland one acre at a time.

stumper

Just to be clear.  My 1 cord per hour for splitting is with an hydraulic splitter, and my 8 year old son working the lever for me.

Over the last 3 days I have worked up 3 cords from tree length to stacked in the shed 250 feet from the wood pile.  We worked on and off doing this in between normal life being a dad, going to church, doing Memorial weekend stuff and doing a stumpgrinding job.

On a side note, it sticks to get old because I do feelit this mornig as I start the next cord.

beenthere

stumper
Are you missing some fingers, per the forum name?  :)

Keeping an 8-yr olds attention span alert while positioning firewood on the splitter might lead to more stumps. ;)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

stumper

Nope, I run a side business as a stump grinder.  :D

I only handle the sides of the wood we split and he does awesome working the splitter.  My biggest issue with him is that at 47 I run out before he does. ;)  His twin sister does good as well but her attention span and interst is less. 

I have had them working since they could walk.  Started out hauling fire wood from the door to the stove in their diapers proably around 2 years old.  I had to hide the small sticks in my coat and take them back to the door way so they had enough small wood to lug. 

I also take them stump grinding.  I have them work cleaning up the grinding mulch.  The biggest problem with that is they get more tips then I do now. ;D  The last job they received 6 model airplanes.

Grunex

Quote from: stumper on May 30, 2011, 09:47:52 AM
Just to be clear.  My 1 cord per hour for splitting is with an hydraulic splitter, and my 8 year old son working the lever for me.

Over the last 3 days I have worked up 3 cords from tree length to stacked in the shed 250 feet from the wood pile.  We worked on and off doing this in between normal life being a dad, going to church, doing Memorial weekend stuff and doing a stumpgrinding job.

On a side note, it sticks to get old because I do feelit this mornig as I start the next cord.

My dad got rid of the old oil burner in the 80's and went to full firewood for our heat and he used to take myself and brother and sister to the woods so that my mother could get some cleaning done.  My sister was a little younger and really could care less if she helped make wood or not and my brother wasn't much more enthusiastic either.  Between the two of them it was a battle to keep them focused on the job at hand.  It wasn't until I came with a chunk of wood one time and my brother was daydreaming and I ended up cuting the end of my glove finger off (near miss) that they both started paying attention.  Of course the funny part is I whopped and hollered and screamed like I had just gotten my finger lopped off and he could just see the end of the glove finger there laying in the ground!!!!!   he turned white and my sister cried and after about 20 seconds of that I said GOT YOU!  but neither of them ever forgot what they were doing again! It wasn't long after that incident that they both decided they were going to do nothing with the wood making and left it all to Dad and myself.  which was probably a good thing as it was a lot less griping to put up with.  
www.grunexlandclearing.com
Maintaining America's Heartland one acre at a time.

Tom

I split a cord of wood a few times.  Being more into pacing my efforts than killing myself, I guess I'll have to say that I probably average a cord every fifteen or twenty years.  Yes sir, I've come to understand that working smart is a lot more amenable to a pleasant life.  Did you know that a two thousand foot home can be heated and cooled just be flipping that little switch in the hallway?   Ever since I found that tool, I've become a lot more intimately acquainted with a glass of sweet tea and the porch.  :)

Sheesh!  some of you guys take yourselves too seriously.  :D :D

trapper

Tom 
You are correct but I still have a bit more braun than brains and money
stihl ms241cm ms261cm  echo 310 400 suzuki  log arch made by stepson several logrite tools woodmizer LT30

Grunex

 :D   
yup there are times I like to just flip the switch too.........  usually on Sunday  lol every other day of the week I cannot stand to sit still.    8) :D
www.grunexlandclearing.com
Maintaining America's Heartland one acre at a time.

woodmills1

still said I put 37 cord through the outdoor this year.  most pine and at least 30 through the processor

At 59 I can still do a cord from logs   cut, split and stacked in 4 hrs
and now all of it is over 16 inch

so we high jacked the thread is it time to give it back?
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

Bandmill Bandit

Are you going to get the boys to help you?? I know I would be since it is their school that will benefit if i am reading correctly.

I cut splitting blocks to 16 inch and split with a 8 HP splitter with the kids doing the stacking I can do about a cord in and hour and a half with blocks stacked and ready to split. If my splitter had the faster retract feature I could probably do it in an hour. By my self its about a 4 hour job.

Is your pick up a regular bed or short bed? A half dozen 32 inch stakes to fit the pockets in the box sides and 24" plywood or 3, 1x6 boards for an extension will get you into the cord range on a single load on a regular bed with out to much trouble.

Depending on the wood type and weather or not you have a 3/4 ton may make this and impractical idea. but then what farmer/logger red neck ever worried about the weight.
you jsut load'er up till the last piece falls off when you try to get it to stay for the 11 t eth time :D 
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

Tom

Quote from: woodmills1 on May 31, 2011, 05:57:49 PM
... is it time to give it back?

I don't know.   What time is it?  :D  How long does it have to be?  ;D

I thought all of the estimations were right on the money.  :P ;D

Al_Smith

 :D Well yes I can flip a swirch too but most likely would drink Budweiser in lieu of sweet tea although the tea is nice in summer .I've got  dandy of a geothermal heat pump,cheap but not free to run  .

Living where there is an abundance of firewood plus having ties to two tree service companies the wood works out real good for me .Besides that being a saw nut where else could I test out my saws ?

thecfarm

This thread hasn't turned to food yet.  ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Tom

 Al is talking about some kind of saw nut.  :D

tyb525

For those of you with a single-wedge hydraulic splitter, what kind of ram return time do you have in seconds? I haven't timed mine, but it seems like I spend half my time waiting on the return, and I could split a lot faster if it returned faster.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

WH_Conley

Can't remember for sure, I think it about 15-17 seconds. 35 ton splitter, seldom kicks down in the second stage.
Bill

Al_Smith

Mine is a home made rig with a 5 inch cylinder and 16 gal per minute pump .It cycles at the same speed as my buddy's with a 4 inch cylinder .Never timed it but no matter if it were any faster it would just wear me out quicker .

Oh I've heard them say they can outrun a spliiter with an axe . Maybe so but try outlasting one for more than 15 minutes . ;D

tyb525

Mine's an old Didier, I believe an 8hp, 16GPM, 5" cylinder, 30 ton.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

Al_Smith

Tonnage ratings are highly exagerated .The only one I know who puts out accurate  ratings is Timber wolf .Sure with a 5 inch and 3000 PSI it could do that much but most likeley unless the pump settings were altered and the relief set way high ,22-24 tons would be more accurate .--Not a bad thing because unless you cut it sideways 22 tons will clip about anything but a steel I beam .

tyb525

It makes no difference to me what the actual tonnage is, as long as it splits everything I put on there, which it does ;D
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

Al_Smith

Timely perhaps .Day before yesterday myself and  helper split and stacked just a tad shy of two cords of red oak .The wood was already cut ,between 16 and 30 inch rounds for the most part .The stack was only about twenty feet from the splitter .It was 94 degrees out so we hit it a lick and rested a spell .

Now keep in mind I'm 63 years old but never the less we had about 3 1/2 -4 hours in it .

Dean186

Quote from: Al_Smith on June 10, 2011, 07:43:30 PM
Timely perhaps .Day before yesterday myself and  helper split and stacked just a tad shy of two cords of red oak .The wood was already cut ,between 16 and 30 inch rounds for the most part .The stack was only about twenty feet from the splitter .It was 94 degrees out so we hit it a lick and rested a spell .

Now keep in mind I'm 63 years old but never the less we had about 3 1/2 -4 hours in it .

Those numbers sound about right to me, especially in 94 degree heat.   I find the stacking to be the slower part of the splitting and stacking operation.

Al_Smith

To further add to this thing ,just recently I had to remove an ash tree at my wifes rental .A double about 65 feet high in a back yard  done in by EAB .

Due to lack of room I had to disassemble one half of that double prior to falling but was able to gun the other half through a 15 foot gate opening .Ha,I can still climb but aren't nearly as fast as I once was .Although most of my bod thinks it 30 years old my knees remind me it's twice that . :D

Time consuming not like tossing a dead one in the woods .It had just a tad shy of a cord but still took 3 hours the time it was brushed out and sliced and diced .

Just pointing out it makes a lot of difference time wise where the wood comes from .

davidlarson

Progress report related to my original question -

I'm learning (by doing) how to retrieve wood from the forest.  In my woods are numerous dead red and white oak trees - I think from lightning or oak wilt or sudden oak death.  Some are still standing and some are down, and I've been cutting them into splittable 18" rounds, which are then transported to my shop using a Kubota RTV 900, and then split with my new hydraulic splitter, and then stacked in my pickup truck to deliver to the people who bought the wood at the auction.  I have been learning how to use the chainsaw, RTV 900, and splitter, and have of course had to clear a trail through the woods to where the dead trees are, and I'm learning as a beginner to do all of these jobs, including periodic sharpening of  the saw.  It all goes somewhat slowly, and has taken me about 8 hours from clearing a way to the dead trees to actually filling the truck with split wood, and so far I've gotten about 3/5 of a true cord.  Probably many FF members can do this more quickly than I, but I sense a real learning curve, and I think I'm getting more efficient and effective as I progress.  Anyway, I'm having fun in the forest, for a good cause, and I appreciate all of the comments submitted.

Thanks - David L. 

clww

Most green oak, 12" to 18" diameter, not too many knots, I can split a cord per hour with my Huskee 28 Ton splitter. The return time on it is 14 seconds.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

stumper

David, What diameter is the wood? 

I ask this because if you have a road sufficent to get a RTV you could haul the splitter into the woods.  This could be worth it to me if the wood was of a large diameter.  I have ruptured a disk in the past and find way to avoid lifting large rounds.  Bringing the splitter to the wood and cutting a couple of branches to serve as a ramp to roll the wood up onto the splitter would allow me to lift smaller wood and save me some pain.

Al_Smith

Besides ease of spilitting you also leave all that bark in the woods if you take the splitter to the work . Fact is I have so much bark piled up I'm going to have to haul it out with a skid loader .Then again in the location the machine is at it's probabley split 50 cords .Getting to be a mess though .

davidlarson

Stumper -

You're quite right about the advisability of bringing the splitter into the woods if I were cutting very big trees.  The machine is even designed to be able to split very large rounds vertically, so one doesn't have to do any "heavy lifting" at all.  So far, as a beginning firewood processor, I've been only cutting trees 10-12" diameter or less, which my 71-year-old back can manage, but as my skills increase, I'll need to bring the splitter to where the bigger tree pieces lie.  Thanks for the suggestion.

I've also enjoyed learning about the different species of trees in the woods.  I can identify sourwood, eastern white pine, pitch pine, red oak and white oak (Indians and white men), black locust, dogwood, beech, sweet birch, tulip tree, sugar maple among others.

David L.

shelbycharger400

I agree with al_smith
out of the several cords here,   i have 3 piles out back.   one mostly pole wood 10 ft long rows 6 ft high, 3 rows left in it,  and 2 other piles 15 ft long, 6 ft high, one has 7 rows , other has 5 rows ..    and a full cord of pine i sold in the spring.,  now workin on bout a 1/4 cord pine split.    i brought mostly logs home and processed them here, some was cut on site where the logs were before. I have done a combination of burning, and hauling of saw dust and bark.  It adds up REAL QUICK!      I find myself using a 3 in mason chissel to pop off bark whenever i can on the bigger stuff im savin for saw logs. .   

scottyblue

Quote from: Tom on May 30, 2011, 12:57:44 PM
I split a cord of wood a few times.  Being more into pacing my efforts than killing myself, I guess I'll have to say that I probably average a cord every fifteen or twenty years.  Yes sir, I've come to understand that working smart is a lot more amenable to a pleasant life.  Did you know that a two thousand foot home can be heated and cooled just be flipping that little switch in the hallway?   Ever since I found that tool, I've become a lot more intimately acquainted with a glass of sweet tea and the porch.  :)

Sheesh!  some of you guys take yourselves too seriously.  :D :D

I guess practicality comes with age eh? :D
Scotty

Al_Smith

Well on that I wouldn't even fool with the stuff except I come by it easily .

If I had to travel all over hill and dale just to scrounge up a truck load or two I'd give it up .Then again besides what I cut on my own I have two tree service companies that would give me all I wanted ,freebe .When you add all that up it would be foolish of me not to burn the stuff .

If I stayed on it steady  in about 5-6 days I'd have it done for the year ,so that isn't a big deal .

Bandmill Bandit

Quote from: Al_Smith on June 19, 2011, 06:59:35 PM
Well on that I wouldn't even fool with the stuff except I come by it easily .

If I had to travel all over hill and dale just to scrounge up a truck load or two I'd give it up .Then again besides what I cut on my own I have two tree service companies that would give me all I wanted ,freebe .When you add all that up it would be foolish of me not to burn the stuff .

If I stayed on it steady  in about 5-6 days I'd have it done for the year ,so that isn't a big deal .

And the exercise will allow you to enjoy the porch and sweet tea for  a few years longer. Nothing more satisfying or rewarding then knowing you just finished a "job well done" with that sweet tea in hand as you sit on the old rocker on the porch. Good for the heart in more ways then one.
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

Al_Smith

 :D Well yes a nice glass of iced tea goes good but Budwieser seems to go better .

The last week -10 days I've been acting like teenaged Paul Bunyan with all the dead ash trees .Getten-er-done but it seems my old bod is telling me I'm not a kid any more .

Most of the small stuff is done .I'll get to the hundred footers maybe 4th of July week .Those have salvagable saw logs in them .I'll have to get my old dozer fired up to drag those out .I don't think my old Fergueson can quite do it .Kind of hard to steer with the front tires 2 feet in the air trying to drag a 16 foot by 30 inch log  . ;D In addition those large trees will give me a chance to run my 100 plus cc saws of which I seldom find the need for .

stumper

I never take my big saw (husky 3120) in the woods.  It is just too heavy and there is not enough added power to justify the added weight.  In fact for a 30 inch tree I would likely not even bother with the Husky 394.  I would probably just put a 24 inch bar on one of my 372's and leave the second with the normal bar for limbing.  Save your big saws for the big wood and save your back in the process.

Al_Smith

Periodically you have to run them to keep the cobwebs out . If you don't you end up rebuilding the carbs more often .I doubt seriously though if I put more than two hours total on a large saw per year  or rather on all combined .

stumper

If you have troubles running the big saws enough you are welcome to come up my way and lower some stumps for me :D

Every once in a while I get a job cutting up a very large diameter tree (4 to 6 feet in diameter).  It is kinda fun giving the big saw a real work out.  However, I would not want to lug the big boys very far or very often.

Al_Smith

Well the novelty does kind of wear off after a while .It's still nice to have a Clydsdale in the bull pen if you need it . Then too that's one reason large saws last forever,they don't get used that much . ;)

Firewoodtroll-

Hello all,
    Last week had 20 pulp cord delivered on 7-11-11, all cut into 18-20 in. blocks-about 18 hrs using 2 saws- Husky 372XP
      and a 357 XP-gas them both up run till empty -take a 15 min.break and back to making firewood-has taken 5 days,about
    30 hrs to split-just chucked into a pile-I will leave it till Sept.then stacked in the wood garage-We use about 18 face cords a
    heating season-Iam 57 -and the age is showing,20 yrs ago I used to get wood lots 50 pulp cord -have it all felled/brush
    small tops-not using -area cleaned up-Split with a maul-2-1/2 weeks-What a job ! then hauled back home stacked-1 week
    I did have my son help stack-with me-also at the time I was cutting in Red Pine plantations-cut to 102 in.-pile them yourself-
       This was select cutting-12-20 dia. at the stump-easy going-cut every-other one-clear cuts-In pine can get really tangled at
    times in Jack Pines-if your a Novice-I now only make firewood for my home. :)

                  Paul
   
Those That Perfer Safety OVER FREEDOM Deserve Neither.

             Ben Franklin

Al_Smith

During the late 70's early 80's two things happened .One the price of home heating oil and natural gas took a big price jump .Two it seemed the price of farm land did too .

As a result there was a resurgence of wood burning plus a lot of small wood lots fell to the mighty D8 Caterpillar .

During that period of time I saw an opprotunity and sold firewood .I could back up to a bull dozed wind row and fill a 3/4 ton Ford in an hour which is about a half cord when split .By the time I had it split with an axe and delivered to the customer I had about 3-4 hours in it or about a cord a day if I cut split and delivered . Not a record but it paid nearly as well as working my regular job .

stumper

Assuming a "pulp cord" is a standard 128 cubic foot cord, 18 hours to cut 20 cord from tree length to firewood size is pretty good.  About 10 percent better then what I figure it takes me (1 cord per hour using 1 or two 372's).  At 47 a day of that has me pretty well beat.  Hopefully by the time I get to 57 i'll be better at it :D

Magicman

Welcome FIREWOODTROLL, to the Forestry Forum.   :)
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It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

CRThomas

Quote from: Al_Smith on May 22, 2011, 04:54:22 AM
With an axe, maul , sledge and wedges  about two cords a day ---maybe .
I get my firewood from a tree trimmer. I go pickup the cut logs. My truck hold about 5 ton. Split put in 1 rank bags it fills 5 bags. Then put in the dryer. Then have enough time left t wrap a 100 bundles that is only on a good day I am 70 years old. And retired. I do this 2 or 3 times a week. I deliver the rest of the week.( Info Walmart is selling wrapped firewood now that should tell you something.)

beenthere

CR
It tells me that we want to see some pictures of this operation.   :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

hookhill

This is how we figure one cord processing with our setup. Logs are in a pile, it is summertime, Husky 372 chainsaw, SuperSplit, conveyor, 3 cord truck.

1 hour to block
1 hour to split
1/2 hour to stack
1/2 to load after wood is dry
1 hour to deliver.

= 4 hours per cord from the log pile to the customer.


We gross $250 per cord

Log length firewood delivered-$100/cord
Fuel-$10/cord
Chains, misselaneous-$5/cord

Net-$135/cord/4 hours=$33.75/hour

There is also truck insurance and registration at $1200/year and that comes off the year gross. So if we do 100 cords we net about $123/cord or $30/hr. If something big breaks, like a Cat 3126 motor.....well you might have worked all season to keep your rig going.

jamesconley1962

(Use the Grandkids to help) Before my boys left home we could do 2 cords a day, we split with a hand split mall and only used the hydraulic splitter for the tuff stuff when we had enough in the woods to make a load.   That was from the woods to the wood shed and stacked nice and neat.   

muddstopper

How fast depends a lot on your physical condition and the splitter you are using. Last year I rented one of those 22 ton jobs, dont remember the brand. It took my son and I about 4 hours to split 2 cord. I was really fed up with the speed of the splitter and I was plum worn out from having to double split almost every stick.  A few days later, I got my home made splitter finished, with 4 way blade, and we where able to do another two cord in about 45 minutes.

brianJ

Quote from: Al_Smith on July 19, 2011, 08:03:55 AM
I could back up to a bull dozed wind row and fill a 3/4 ton Ford in an hour which is about a half cord when split .By the time I had it split with an axe and delivered to the customer I had about 3-4 hours in it or about a cord a day if I cut split and delivered . Not a record but it paid nearly as well as working my regular job .
Cant say that anymore and I dont mean cause we are older & slower.

jimbarry

Just the wife and I, 16" length, using the Hakki Pilki 37 Easy, we can go from 8ft logs to 128 cu ft (4 crates of stacked hardwood) in 2 to 2-1/2 hours.  If we're cutting the bigger stuff bucking with the chainsaw and the EastonMade12-22, it takes about the same amount of time.



 


 

 



 

FairFrank

Quote from: jimbarry on April 10, 2022, 06:41:05 PM
Just the wife and I, 16" length, using the Hakki Pilki 37 Easy, we can go from 8ft logs to 128 cu ft (4 crates of stacked hardwood) in 2 to 2-1/2 hours.  If we're cutting the bigger stuff bucking with the chainsaw and the EastonMade12-22, it takes about the same amount of time.



 




 




Wow! You did a great job. Due to my back pain, 2 logs will take all my day long. It's really hard to work for me even with 6 lbs axe(this) but serious logs should meet with 10 lbs+ to my mind! 

stavebuyer

Huge time difference in splitting 16" "stove wood" like you see bundled at the gas station and turning out 24" "hunks" for a boiler.

The Eastonmade 22-28 would turn out a full cord of boiler wood in 15-20 minutes. Same machine would take an hour for 16" stove wood when including all the pieces needing to be re-split.

Those times are for splitting pre-blocked rounds. Doesn't take too long to buck up a cord with a sharp saw but you need to include the time getting the logs staged, sharpening the saw, and removing the mess. Even with a top end commercial multi-wedge splitter; 3 full cords per day is more realistic than 4.

Going to the woods after standing trees or tops and ending with a full cord of stacked 16" split stove wood would be a good day's work.




doc henderson

I cut and split about 6 cord per year.  cuz I do it here and there and everywhere, when I have time.  with helpers I can do a cord and hour or a little longer depending on the help.

edit:  1/2 cord is more realistic, and some days that is an exaggeration.
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

Big_eddy

Quote from: jimbarry on April 10, 2022, 06:41:05 PM
Just the wife and I, 16" length, using the Hakki Pilki 37 Easy, we can go from 8ft logs to 128 cu ft (4 crates of stacked hardwood) in 2 to 2-1/2 hours.  If we're cutting the bigger stuff bucking with the chainsaw and the EastonMade12-22, it takes about the same amount of time.
My wife and I, with chainsaw and home-made splitter (4-way) do about the same . 2 hours elapsed, 4 hours total per cord. We don't stack in racks, but we stack on the tractor bucket and transport to the pile 1/2 face cord at a time. 
16" splits, from logs 10-16" diameter. If we get into a batch of smaller logs, it goes slower. Larger logs are not faster, once we start splitting into 6's and 8'.


 

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