Ol'man winter

[Pappy]

Well, for the past 2 weeks i've been buried (literally) in firewood. Toasted the engine in my splitter, installed new engine and there was an issue with the pump so I had to buy a new one:mad:


Next years supply is the priority. I ran out of pallets to stack on, so I went all Europeon on this stack.

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery-2/i-9xZ3tMN/0/XL/DSC0975-XL.jpg

This years supply is ready and waiting.

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery-2/i-RK39FwV/0/O/DSC0979.jpg

My buddy said my last firewood pics were not "me" so I had to add some flair haha

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery-2/i-s67cHbK/0/O/DSC0988.jpg

[Pappy]

This is all red oak for next year

[Pappy]

One of my Turkeys came to give things an inspection LOL

[Pappy]

Hopefully in 2 weeks I will be done. I loose a few days this week due to the national, but my fingers are crossed I can get done before heading to Loretta Lynns, then I can kick back, hunt all winter and not have to split and stack haha


I still have to cut up another 200 trees thats down but that will wait until after deer season LOL

[catch22blaster]

Thats a ton of fire wood Pappy haha. But dnt remind me of winter i hate winter with a passion hahah.

[beastlywarrior]

dang pappy got wood

[CJM]

You sellin a bit of that or is your house that poorly insulated Ken?

:devil:

[slightlybent47]

Hey there Pappy, I’ve been at it all summer long as well. I have about 75 cords cut, split and stacked and ready to go. I will sell most of what I have and use the rest myself. I only use 2-3 cords a year but I put a pot belly stove in my work shop so I will be using a little more this year. I delivered 200 bags of wood to my local feed stores and convenient stores today on consignment so I hope sales do well this year so I can ride more next year. I only got to race 2 races this year because the budget didn’t allow for it.
Broke my axel so I’m back to riding with the stack axel now. It slows me down going into corners but it pulls much better coming out. The wider axel makes for more wheel spin where as the narrow one hooks up and rips out of a corner. I guess I can’t have it both ways.lol

Good news is with the drought we have plenty of trees to work with but that wood will have to wait till next year. I have a feeling there will be a lot of fly by night wood chucker’s that will try to sell green wood this year but they won’t do it long when they find out how much work and money it takes.

Red oak is one of my favorites because it smells so good. Burr oak is very good as well.

I want to get a band saw mill and start cutting slabs for mantels and rustic furniture but those things are expensive.


Nice work on all that wood!

[slightlybent47]

Picture of some of the wild fires we have had this year.
http://i53.tinypic.com/qn1ixs.jpg


Here is just one of the stacks of wood I have ready.
http://i55.tinypic.com/2dgji48.jpg


My camera is busted so I don't have any recent pics.

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

Maybe this is because I'm a "City Boy", but why in the hell do you guys need that much wood? Do you not have house heaters or what?

[slightlybent47]

I’ve been using a wood heater for years as my primary heat source.
I love it, nothing like settin by a nice fire on a cold night and smelling the wood as it burns. A wood heater works much better then a fireplace because you get heat from all sides instead of just the front. I would not recommend using a wood heater if you have very young kids. The heater gets very hot and if you touch it your going to stick to it like a stake does in a hot frying pan. And you know how kid will horse around and sooner or later someone’s going to get a nasty burn.

I also cook on it in the winter time. It heats my house and cooks my dinner all at the same time.lol
With a sealed heater like the one I have I can burn most any kind of wood and not get the smell in the house unless I open the glass door.

You city slickers are missing something if you don’t have a fireplace or heater.

It also works as my paper shredder, instead of shredding old documents and putting them in the trash, it goes in the heater.
The newer types of wood heaters use a catalytic burner that burns most all of the smoke before it goes up the smoke stack. So you don’t even see any smoke coming out of my chimney. There also lined with fire brick on the inside so they do a great job at being very efficient.
My heater looks like this one.
http://i55.tinypic.com/o5uavt.jpg

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

We have a fireplace, but we have gas heaters during the winter. lol. I enjoy sitting next to the fire, I just didn't know people (besides the Amish) still used these bad boys to heat their houses during the winter. Us "young buck city slickers" wear horse blinders. :p

[slightlybent47]

Well my house is small, only about 1500 sq.feet so that little heater heats the whole house just fine. You don’t need to live in the country to have and enjoy a fireplace. But most fireplaces built these are just sheet metal and are not designed to use all the time. My wood heater is made with 3/8” plate so it’s very well built. It took 3 grown men to move it in because it so heavy. I have just one fan that blows from the heater room and pushes the warm air through the rest of the house. Witch makes it work great because the living area is warmer then the bedrooms. I like the bedroom a little cooler then the rest of the house.
And hey! The Amish aren’t totally backwards.lol
I saw an Amish guy working his field with a horse drawn hay cutter but behind the hay cutter he had a gas powered rake.lol kind of a contrast in technology I would think.lol

[Pappy]

All we heat with is wood.

Not much selling going on, folks around here are broke and getting worse!

We are high enough on the mountain to get some serious cold with long stretches of below freezing etc. Wind is crazy here the past few years as well. 1 woodstove heats the entire house, around 4000 sq ft counting the basement. We loose power here like crazy as well, so we also cook on ours, and I have another outside that can be used to cook on.

[Pappy]

That TX wood looks good. I bet it dries fast in that TX heat? I really dont call our wood seasoned here for 18 months to 2 years. It stays so damp during spring and summer its hard to get it to cure right, thats why I moved where I keep alot of it this year. This was all winter cut last fall and split and is better, but still needs alot of time in the sun and wind. Jacklegs around here tell people 6 weeks is all thats needed LOL.



and dont get me started on the Amish......havent met one in years that wasnt a crook.

[woodsman250r]

Originally posted by Pappy
That TX wood looks good. I bet it dries fast in that TX heat? I really dont call our wood seasoned here for 18 months to 2 years. It stays so damp during spring and summer its hard to get it to cure right, thats why I moved where I keep alot of it this year. This was all winter cut last fall and split and is better, but still needs alot of time in the sun and wind. Jacklegs around here tell people 6 weeks is all thats needed LOL.



and dont get me started on the Amish......havent met one in years that wasnt a crook.

LOL, six weeks for Oak to season?? Some people just don't have a clue about firewood. But then again I have a neighbor down the road trying to sell fresh cut pine as "seasoned firewood."

And I couldn't agree more about the Amish! They are all over the place around here, and drive me nuts! Especially out on the lake when I'm fishing! They load down there pontoons with about 20 people, keep anything they catch, and will come right beside you as soon as they see you catch something. And I've never seen a poor Amish man without a wad of cash in his pocket...must be nice not having to pay taxes!

[Pappy]

Around here everything is touted as "Amish Made" or "Amish Quality" and its junk.

I usually try and stay full with 2 years supply of wood, sort of like my dad did. We would always cut up a down tree (many of them) then go to a tree that was cut up the year before, split and stack. We always had a nice warm house, 2 huge woodstoves is what it took to keep the big farm house toasty.....that too was the sole source of heat.

[fastredrider44]

We heat our hour solely with wood and also the workshop. This makes my 9th year selling firewood. (I think it is because I let my wood season longer than 6 weeks) lol. I generally pull tops out to the fields, leave it on the edge of the fields and cover it in plastic for the greenhouse effect. I've always wanted to try stacking some upright like that, but I was afraid the bottom would wick up water and rot real fast.

How many ricks do you burn a year? We burn around 8-10 in the house, 3400sq ft. I supply to a few other people that burn year round and most around this region burn 10-12. I was just wondering what colder climated people burn.

[Pappy]

6 to 8 cords usually.

[CNC_guy]

Not putting a chimney in my house when we built it is one of my biggest regrets. I HATED cutting and stacking firewood as a kid and swore on my daddy's chainsaw that I would never burn wood. Good Lord was I stupid.

On a different note, a guy I work with has bought some contraption that sits on the edge of his yard that burns wood and is tied into his house and his detached garage. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but he says it's supposed to heat around 4,000 sq ft. This is his first winter using it and I'm anxious to see how it heats. Have any of you had experience with this type of heat?

[Pappy]

The outdoor furnaces are all the rage around here. Mixed results from what I hear BUT I think alot depends on the house, the duct plumbing etc. Add up the cost of the unit, a roofed structure to keep it from being weathered and I dont think there will be much savings over a conventional wood stove. Many homes here were not built with ducts for ac or heat pumps so its an added expense for the majority.

I've always enjoyed firewood. Even as akid I looked forward to it. I learned how to back up a wagon when I was 8. My dad made me back up everywhere that fall lol. Some of my fondest memories of my dad are when we cut wood.

When I was 14, he went commercial on the farm and we would get demo loads of logs daily. Two man crew year round cutting, splitting and delivering. We knew the largest land contractor in the area and the wood was 100% free as they cleared for the build up around metro Washington DC. Between firewood and hay its all I knew.

I love the smell of good wood smoke, brings a smile to my face. I love looking out and seeing a great supply of wood knowing we wont go cold. I'm sure my kids think as most that it is just more work, but one day they may feel the same way about it as I do or did.

[fastredrider44]

What kind of splitter do you use?

[CNC_guy]

I liked hay much better than firewood. I look back now and miss those times when my brother, father, grandfather and I would cut wood though. I would give anything to have just one of those days back.

My grandfather always wanted at least 2yrs worth of firewood stacked up at all times. In his later years, he would work on his stacks year round. I'm convinced being active and doing that is what kept him going into his early eighties. He and my grandmother passed a month apart in '06 and there is still firewood stacked at their place.

[Pappy]

I use the Huskee 6.5 hp 22 ton. The first one of these lasted 8 years, hoping to get that out of this one. On the farm, we used homeade units that were run by the PTO on the tractors.


I always hated hay, and still do.

[slightlybent47]

Usually it takes more time to cure around here but this year we have been so dry that my wood has dried faster.
We have only had a few rains this summer. I planted a garden on Valentines Day and it was 4 months before I got a drop of rain and when I did, I only got 1/4”.
Then a few months ago I got a whole inch of rain, and last week I finally got 41/2” in one day. That’s all the rain we have had this year. Everything is dead or dying form the drought. There are dead trees everywhere!
So my wood has cured much faster this year.

As a kid we had a farm up in Grapeland TX and we spent a lot of time there. I can remember the smell of the country, the hay, wood and just the smell of the woods.
I can remember going to school after a weekend in the country and wishing I was still there. I too would give anything for just one day with my dad and take a trip to the country. Back then we just hung out and did some hunting and tended the cows while we were there. We didn’t do the wood thing back then but we always had a wood heater in the cabin and just cut what we needed at the time.

Pappy I have the same splitter as you do. One question though. Did your hydraulic pump get weak after awhile?
On the back of my control valve is a cap that is held on by two screws. There is no gasket there just metal to metal. I tried to make a few gaskets but it just blows them out and seems to work better without one. It leaks a bit there but not too bad. What could be going on with it?
It’s gotten weak and doesn’t split pecan very well any more. It still splits oak just fine but pecan seems to be very hard to split. Most of wood is sold as BBQ wood so I need it to split pecan.
Been thinking of up grading to the 35 ton splitter.

[Pappy]

Not sure on the gasket deal. I do know guys that sharpen their wedge several times a season. Keeping the fluid changed helps also.

My old splitter, the engine blew. Then I blew a coupler and just didnt have the time to deal with it. Its a $13 part and once fixed i will just sell the old splitter.

[slightlybent47]

My wedge seems to stay sharp, though I did have to take some off one side because it started to drift to one side when I split something. I’ve never changed to hydraulic fluid because I drove a tree transplanter for 20+ years and we never changed it in those machines and they always worked fine. In my opinion the hydraulic oil should be fine as long as there is no moisture in it. I wonder if the hydraulic oil filter needs changing. It still has the original one on it.

I seem to have a problem when I go from the vertical back to the horizontal passion.
The lever that moves the ram will stick for awhile after I change passions but it clears up after awhile. It still works fine other then that.

[HondaPohl]

Man I only have a cord and a half. Need more. I want to install an outdoor furnace tho. Thats the ticket!

[Pappy]

They claim that the hydrualic fluid can get air in it on these units, and that is why most folks change it when it starts to loose pressure. Ive added wing wdges to a few for friends, with good red or white oak, you only have to go in 3 inches or so and it will pop apart super fast. I dont do it to mine because im not in a huge rush LOL.

I split from daybreak until 2pm today. Rain and an empty gas can forced me to call it a week LOL. It will be a huge accomplishment for me if I can get all this done on schedule. I am flat out of places to stack however. I am so sick of pallets, getting them, throwing them away after a few years etc. I think maybe a few more of the stacked piles will have to work. I made a large one last year and the wood inside was good to go. Nice way to keep a large amount really. And depending on how its stacked and such, you can slow down the drying/seasoning for longer term storage.

[Pappy]

Maybe I should get fancy like this haha

[slightlybent47]

I don’t get in any hurry ether.lol I’m doin good to get a cord a day cut and split.
I work at home so I can work till I get tired and take a break. I’m so spoiled now I don’t want to ever work for anyone else again.lol
Boy the wood chucks are out in force down here. Craig’s list is full of people selling wood rite now. I sure hope they get tired and run out of wood soon.
I think with so many people out of work there doing what they can to make some money.
Few of them will do it long term though.


As for air getting in the oil, I’ve not here that one yet. But it could be what is goin on.
I don’t have any trouble splitting anything but pecan. That stuff is tuff!!

[slightlybent47]

Ok I borrowed my brother’s camera and took these pics.
I started a new project a few weeks ago. I wanted to make a better place to stack my wood and I needed something to block off the neibers view since he can keep to himself.
I had a bunch of old used lumber stored in my barn and I need the room so here is what I came up with.
I made some racks that hold ½ a cord and I divided it down the middle so it’s easer to pull out 1/8 cord or ¼ cord depending on what the customer wants.
They seem to work very well and if I like them I will start making them out of treated lumber so they will hold up for years to come.
I attached some photos and as you can see I have a lot of wood this year.
http://i51.tinypic.com/mio0x.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/anhrq0.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/f4h5xk.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/2hz4jmu.jpg

[Pappy]

They use metal racks in this area. I'd love to get ahold of several of them!

Your wooden ones look great, nothing beats some form of organization LOL

[slightlybent47]

Thanks: If they work out, I plan on putting fencing boards on the back so it will look like a wood fence on the back side. I may go ahead and start with the fencing soon and get rid of all the tarps. That will keep everything dry except on the front side. I don’t want to close it all in because the wood will mold if it cant dry out.
If I build a wood fence I have to have a permit, if I make them portable and put a skid on the bottom I don’t.lol

If they work I’ll have my fence (without a permit) and have a nice organized place to store my wood.
My goal is to have a clean yard with everything stacked and stored nice and neat.
I can store 10 cords across the back and 30 down the side and still have room to work.
I have about an acre and a half to work and store my wood on.
I made them 8’x5’x24” and there on skids so I can drag them around if I need to.

Steal racks would be the best by far but I would need about 200 of them.lol

[fastredrider44]

That's my issue with the wood. I have all the room to store it I need, but cut it, stack it, throw it in the truck, and re-stack it when I get to the customers house... I wish i had racks that i could just set on a trailer, and set off and save so much stacking. But I'd have so much money tied up in the racks that I can't do that. Always looking for better ways, but I've never had any feesible. I've done the pallets, but since I can't off-load them at the customers house, that really doesn't save me enough to make it worth the while.

Chainsaws are a whole nother can of worms, but what're yall swingin? Had any that just didn't cut it? No pun intended.

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by fastredrider44
That's my issue with the wood. I have all the room to store it I need, but cut it, stack it, throw it in the truck, and re-stack it when I get to the customers house... I wish i had racks that i could just set on a trailer, and set off and save so much stacking. But I'd have so much money tied up in the racks that I can't do that. Always looking for better ways, but I've never had any feesible. I've done the pallets, but since I can't off-load them at the customers house, that really doesn't save me enough to make it worth the while.

Chainsaws are a whole nother can of worms, but what're yall swingin? Had any that just didn't cut it? No pun intended.

I went from using cheap Pollen saws and bought a 20” stihl farm boss and it has lasted a very long time and seems to cut anything I put in front of it.
I have discovered by trial and error how to sharpen and keep it cutting at it’s best.
Several things to look out for: First thing is don’t let the chain get too loose: it will cut better with the proper tension on it.
Second is keeping the chain sharp! If it doesn’t pull itself through the wood, it needs sharpening.
Next is setting the rakes to the rite depth: if you don’t it will not cut as good.
And last but not least, don’t let the chain get to hot. It will make the chain stretch and wear out faster.
Most important do not at any time let the chain hit the dirt. That will dull the chain faster then anything I know.

Have you thought about using a pallet jack? If you had your wood stacked on pallets and had a ramp on your trailer, that might work for ya.

[CJM]

Guy I often help split and cut up the free wood he gets just puts it in a mason dump and dumps it out for the people in the driveway. No stacking period.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by CJM
Guy I often help split and cut up the free wood he gets just puts it in a mason dump and dumps it out for the people in the driveway. No stacking period.

Thats what I eventually will have for my own use...a dump trailer lol!

[CJM]

Originally posted by Pappy
Thats what I eventually will have for my own use...a dump trailer lol!

I was looking into them for awhile for a buddy, dang things are like 3-7g's depending on what ya get and if its new/used.

Whole mason dump truck is cheaper.

[wilkin250r]

Nevada gets hot (100+ degrees isn't uncommon) and DRY. If I can get it split in June or July, I could probably get away with 6 weeks.

[Pappy]

Holz Hausen is what i was gonna try next. Supposedly it will quicken the seasoning time down to around 4 months due to teh convection created by the proper stacking. Its the method used in europe to this day....and from what ive read it does indeed work, but find equal info that standard stacking is superior and faster

http://woodheat.org/images/stories/Firewood/HolzHausen/Img3-pat3.jpg

Continue it to 7 feet high and cap it

[slightlybent47]

Here is a few interesting ways to stack your wood.

http://i52.tinypic.com/15yx3c6.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/9kc9hg.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2s7dshj.jpg

[Pappy]

Good lord!!! LOL thats some serious stacking!