Firewooding 2020-2021 Season

[Grogmister]

Depends on what kind of wood it is, if it's pine or cottonwood or other crap it may just be campfire wood

Just talked to my dad. It’s mostly Ash and Elm but there is some Shagbark Hickory as well. He has a bunch already cut up and plenty still to cut. He will help you loaded if he is home and it’s all FREE. Located in the southern part of DeKalb County between Auburn and Ft Wayne. Don’t think you can find a better deal than that. 1st come 1st serve. Thank you!

 

[russc2542]

Turned the heat off when the weather got cold. the stoves is too much when it's just "cool" and the heat pump excels.

My dad has a ton of down trees in his woods with a bunch already cut up and stacked. He cannot get anyone to take it. Is there that many people who burn wood still for heat?

if only it weren't the wrong end of the state... I picked up a pair of trees across from my daughter's school: landlord dropped them in place and told the tenant to put a "free wood" sign on it. it worked.

 

[76caprice]

I honestly didn’t know there was a season on firewood? I cut all year round.

 

[OkieGirl]

I honestly didn’t know there was a season on firewood? I cut all year round.

Meh. We do cut it all year round, just much easier to drag it out once the leaves are off the trees so that seems to be when we are the busiest. We keep a can of orange paint in the side by side to tag standing dead through the year. It's a little harder to spot after the leaves are down. Winter makes the task much easier and a bit more enjoyable with the cooler temps while you are working your tail off. I honestly don't think we will ever run out of trees to cut and split and it's excellent mental health therapy!

 

[tmschuller]

Here’s my hauler..

homemade trailer and it was given to me by the previous owner. Two trailers equals one pickup full. Lots ash of course but the boiler doesn’t like it as well. It charcoals up inside unless I stir once or so a day.. anyone else have this issue?? Headed out this afternoon to work on that oak tree.


dropped this ash.. and it was a bear.. dull chain and no spares when I was out. Warming up and go out again after nap..

 

[indyjohn]

Meh. We do cut it all year round, just much easier to drag it out once the leaves are off the trees so that seems to be when we are the busiest. We keep a can of orange paint in the side by side to tag standing dead through the year. It's a little harder to spot after the leaves are down. Winter makes the task much easier and a bit more enjoyable with the cooler temps while you are working your tail off. I honestly don't think we will ever run out of trees to cut and split and it's excellent mental health therapy!

Here's a quick look at our process.

It's very therapeutic.

 

[churchmouse]

Here's a quick look at our process.

It's very therapeutic.

It is. I am at peace just watching.......

 

[tmschuller]

That looks great! I am a solo cutting process... a day in the woods by myself is a good one. Friday and Saturday are going to be cutting
Just started dragging out to a spot and cutting. I like it! I haul it up and stack in the barn or on a pallet by the boiler... here’s that red oak limb we pulled out.. 32’ long. Just sliced it up and going start splitting it.

 

[churchmouse]

We used to cut/split our wood and supplied a couple of older folks we knew with enough for a season. Right up to the winter that avg. -18* for days. We measured -21* at my Sisters place where we got the wood. What a hellish ordeal that was. Late start. We had no idea it was going to be that cold and spent too much time helping others and we were short. Our splitter was mounted on BIL's Kubota and the Hydraulics suffered terribly in that cold. Snow was insanely deep from the winds drifting it up along the wooded areas we pulled from. We all had an epiphany about the same time. When the Hydro on the Kubota took a crap again. Screw it. Packed up. Rolled out and bought some wood. Been doing that ever since.....

Many thanks to all who cut/split/pile and share the spoils of owning wooded ground.

 

[bwframe]

I cut up a couple of downed trees in a yard in town a couple weeks ago. Got a reminder that chainsaw work is a lot like shovel work. If you are gonna do much of, it pays to do it regularly. Muscles not normally used...

 

[t-squared]

Indyjohn, what's the reason for not cutting the wood to length out in the woods?

I get doing the splitting near where the wood will be stacked, but wrestling those heavy sections when you can just cut them to length seems like an unneeded sore back to me!!

 

[indyjohn]

Indyjohn, what's the reason for not cutting the wood to length out in the woods?

I get doing the splitting near where the wood will be stacked, but wrestling those heavy sections when you can just cut them to length seems like an unneeded sore back to me!!

This is ~my~ logic, not claiming it to be sound.

It's not that hard to flip a 5' log end over end to rest on the tailgate of the side by side, then lifting only half of it to get it into the bed. Even the really heavy stuff I can manage. Each log equals x4 16" rounds, so I've reduced the number of times I touch the rounds by 4. Once I get to the splitting yard, the gator has a hydraulic lift to dump the bed contents. So I can get it close to the splitter and cut the rounds there. Now I'm picking up rounds and putting them on the splitter. From there they go directly to either the cart or the wagon (the OG prefers 'her' cart) and then to the stack. It's about reducing the number of times I have to bend over to pick up rounds.

I don't know if that makes sense but it is how our process has evolved.

 

[Mgderf]

I have more firewood than I can use as well.
If anyone wants some, all you need to do is drag it up a hillside... that's really steep. and tall...
We're talking more than 75 yards from any road that doesn't require a monster 4-wheeler.

 

[indyjohn]

I have more firewood than I can use as well.
If anyone wants some, all you need to do is drag it up a hillside... that's really steep. and tall...
We're talking more than 75 yards from any road that doesn't require a monster 4-wheeler.

What's your general location? Somebody may get froggy and take you up on your offer.

 

[indyjohn]

Here's a monster Beech that blew over in April 2019. We've been cutting on it ever since. We take all the wood that is in the air and bypass the ground contact. It comes to the yard at about 35% moisture and burns well after it gets to <15%. I paced it from root ball to crown at 95'. Base is more than 38". Not sure how I'm going to deal with that, my calculator says it's more than 3,000 lbs from base to 10' up.

 

[bwframe]

[video=youtube;7_tsY2abJes]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_tsY2abJes[/video]

 

[Mgderf]

What's your general location? Somebody may get froggy and take you up on your offer.

My property is just north of Silverwood, between Kingman and Cayuga.
Like my dad used to say, "It's at 40th and plum. 40 miles out of town and plumb in the sticks"

 

[t-squared]

This is ~my~ logic, not claiming it to be sound.

It's not that hard to flip a 5' log end over end to rest on the tailgate of the side by side, then lifting only half of it to get it into the bed. Even the really heavy stuff I can manage. Each log equals x4 16" rounds, so I've reduced the number of times I touch the rounds by 4. Once I get to the splitting yard, the gator has a hydraulic lift to dump the bed contents. So I can get it close to the splitter and cut the rounds there. Now I'm picking up rounds and putting them on the splitter. From there they go directly to either the cart or the wagon (the OG prefers 'her' cart) and then to the stack. It's about reducing the number of times I have to bend over to pick up rounds.

I don't know if that makes sense but it is how our process has evolved.

I get it...basically a few big grunts instead of a bunch of smaller ones !!

 

[tmschuller]

[video=youtube;7_tsY2abJes]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_tsY2abJes[/video]

i buy mine through Baileys online. They carry about anything you could ever dream of. Their woodland saw chain is great. It’s worth checking out. Asplundh around me uses that brand. Cheap and durable..
I run all full chisel chain and have good luck with it.

 

[t-squared]

While we're on the subject of turning trees into heat, I'd like to pick a few brains. I'm looking at getting a splitter and this one has my eye...https://www.logsplittersdirect.com/YardMax-YU3566-Log-Splitter/p68198.html?icn=PED&icl=product+page
After doing some reading, this is probably a bit oversized for my needs. However, I feel the price increase from a "standardish" 20- 25 ton to this is fairly small.
This one has a Briggs engine so parts, if needed, should be easily sourced.
To help with efficiency, it has what I believe is a fast cycle time compared to others.
After reading some of the reviews the only complaints seemed to be that it has a heavy tongue weight.
I don't think this company offers a 4-way adaptor for the wedge, but I don't know if that's something that most folks use anyway...???
It will be getting used for wood for our fireplace insert and our daughter's "new to them" stove.
Another reason for looking at this size over a smaller one is that we will be splitting... the cost of it with them. It makes it so we can both have one in this higher grade for the cost of a basic one.

Are there any other things I should be considering while shopping for a splitter?