What have you done this week to prep?

[mom45]

Impressive wood stack there, mom45

I'm getting tired of splitting and stacking but I hate to let the trees just rot. We had to take out several big ones this year that were dying and too close to the house and outbuildings. At least, we won't get cold.

 

[Car Ramrod]

That makes the 6 ricks we did on Saturday look like a pile of toothpicks, haha.

 

[mom45]

That makes the 6 ricks we did on Saturday look like a pile of toothpicks, haha.

 

[churchmouse]

I'm getting tired of splitting and stacking but I hate to let the trees just rot. We had to take out several big ones this year that were dying and too close to the house and outbuildings. At least, we won't get cold.

Will work for wood.....

 

[mom45]

Will work for wood.....

Lots more to do. I'm afraid hubby is going to suggest we start on the trees that blew down last week when we get done with this stuff. I don't know where he is going to stack it.

 

[churchmouse]

Lots more to do. I'm afraid hubby is going to suggest we start on the trees that blew down last week when we get done with this stuff. I don't know where he is going to stack it.

The back of my truck.......

 

[mom45]

The back of my truck.......

I guess I could fill my truck for winter weight and sell it as I drive around. We had a neighbor come and get a couple of truck loads the other day but I can't even tell where he took it from. I'm king of hoping it does rain the next couple of days so we can take a break.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I'm getting tired of splitting and stacking but I hate to let the trees just rot. We had to take out several big ones this year that were dying and too close to the house and outbuildings. At least, we won't get cold.

We've got six ash trees ranging from already dead to soon-to-be dead on our place. The biggest three are already dead, one of them our main shade tree for the front yard. It's really sad to see a nice big tree die in your yard, but having a wood stove does take a little of the sting out. And the other good thing is if it's in the yard, I won't have to haul the wood home. I've already cut several down in other peoples yards and I've got more than a season's worth split and stacked, so the standing dead ones can wait until spring to come down, almost like money in the bank.

 

[churchmouse]

We've got six ash trees ranging from already dead to soon-to-be dead on our place. The biggest three are already dead, one of them our main shade tree for the front yard. It's really sad to see a nice big tree die in your yard, but having a wood stove does take a little of the sting out. And the other good thing is if it's in the yard, I won't have to haul the wood home. I've already cut several down in other peoples yards and I've got more than a season's worth split and stacked, so the standing dead ones can wait until spring to come down, almost like money in the bank.

Just the mention of all that splitting/stacking has my back hurting.....

 

[Leadeye]

Hydraulics and diesel are your friends.

 

[mom45]

Hydraulics and diesel are your friends.

The days of the splitting maul are long past here. Log splitter is mounted where the backhoe goes on the Case 580. Turn the tractor around and throw it all in the bucket to move to where we stack it.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

For the first few years, I split all my wood by hand. For the "crotchy" pieces that were hard to split, I'd throw them in a separate pile to deal with later. My wife called it the "ugly wood". Last spring, the ugly wood pile was bigger than the good wood pile, so I broke down and rented a splitter for a weekend. We spent a couple of long days and got most of the ugly wood split and stacked. For some reason, I don't have as much enthusiasm for the maul now that I've used a log splitter.

 

[churchmouse]

For the first few years, I split all my wood by hand. For the "crotchy" pieces that were hard to split, I'd throw them in a separate pile to deal with later. My wife called it the "ugly wood". Last spring, the ugly wood pile was bigger than the good wood pile, so I broke down and rented a splitter for a weekend. We spent a couple of long days and got most of the ugly wood split and stacked. For some reason, I don't have as much enthusiasm for the maul now that I've used a log splitter.

This is still some serious work even with the hydro splitter.......

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

This is still some serious work even with the hydro splitter.......

Yeah, it is. Especially hossing around big stump sections. My wife handled the controls so all I had to do was handle the wood, and that speeds it up, but still a workout.

When I split by hand, it's more leisurely paced and I do it a bit at a time. But when you rent the splitter, you feel like you have to make the most of your time. I was spent when we finally called it quits.

 

[eldirector]

I split the last cord by hand as well. After felling and cutting it with a chainsaw. While I don't (currently) mind the work, it is sloooowwwww. My wife even suggested getting a good splitter, since she isn't a whole lot of help doing it all manually (she can stack the split wood, but that is about it). Assuming I can secure a good source for the wood (currently it is hit and miss), it may be worth it. A good splitter is fairly expensive, though.

Neighbor has 2 dead Maples. Might see if they will let me take them down. Been dead for over a year, so other than a little rot at the base, should be pretty well dried.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I don't own wooded acreage either, but I have saws, truck, and a trailer. Sometimes I get to cut firewood from woodlots, but most of what I've cut in the past year were yard trees.

Mostly friends and family that consider it a favor for me to cut the tree just for the wood. But it's a hard way to get your wood when you have to take out the limbs and rake up your mess when you're done. Plus the fact that yard trees tend to be branchier than woodlot trees and you get more crotchy pieces. I've turned down a few where the tree was too close to buildings or overhead lines, or just looked like too much work for the wood. But, with the ash borer killing so many trees in my area, dead yard trees are plentiful.

 

[churchmouse]

I don't own wooded acreage either, but I have saws, truck, and a trailer. Sometimes I get to cut firewood from woodlots, but most of what I've cut in the past year were yard trees.

Mostly friends and family that consider it a favor for me to cut the tree just for the wood. But it's a hard way to get your wood when you have to take out the limbs and rake up your mess when you're done. Plus the fact that yard trees tend to be branchier than woodlot trees and you get more crotchy pieces. I've turned down a few where the tree was too close to buildings or overhead lines, or just looked like too much work for the wood. But, with the ash borer killing so many trees in my area, dead yard trees are plentiful.

After the winter from "IceLand" 2 years ago we gave up on the manual labor side of gathering fire wood.
Sister owns acreage SW of indy with a butt load of available down or dying trees. Used the BIL's Kubota to cut drag them out after we dropped them. Spliter was an attachment to the tractor. Did a super job.
It got so cold and the snow so deep we could not get in to get the wood. I was burning it faster than anticipated as he was. They heat mainly with wood. Got really tough.
He sold all but one of his saws and the tractor. I sold my trailer and 2 saws keeping the newest one.
$50 a Ric, by 2 and delivered for $30. Got 4 rics in the sheds. I am good to go and my back thanks me for it.......

 

[eldirector]

$65 / rick delivered is pretty decent. Assuming it is dry. I bought 5 rick last year, and only 2 were really good wood. Mix of very dry cherry, walnut, and oak. Burnt great. The other 3 were pretty obviously just cut and split. Still green. Burns a lot better THIS year.

Now that the wood shed is DONE (w00t), I need to start buying/cutting a year ahead. The shed is 20' x 6', and I can stack to about 5' high. That's a lot of wood. About 4 and a half cord.

 

[mom45]

I saw an ad the other day for $70 a face cord and someone else was selling for $120 a cord. I told hubby we should get into the firewood business, but then we both decided it was not that much fun.

We still have some BIG chunks out there waiting for us but we don't seem highly motivated to do that right away.

 

[churchmouse]

$65 / rick delivered is pretty decent. Assuming it is dry. I bought 5 rick last year, and only 2 were really good wood. Mix of very dry cherry, walnut, and oak. Burnt great. The other 3 were pretty obviously just cut and split. Still green. Burns a lot better THIS year.

Now that the wood shed is DONE (w00t), I need to start buying/cutting a year ahead. The shed is 20' x 6', and I can stack to about 5' high. That's a lot of wood. About 4 and a half cord.

The small shed by the back door will hold just north of half a rick.
The bigger one holds 2 rics. We are stacking at the end of the carport now as well.

The wood I get is ready to burn. Never had an issue with it.