# Wood Handling - Too Much! And your number??



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

This may belong in the wood shed, and I am positive this idea is not new.....just new to me and popped into my head while I was CCS a cord of pine Saturday.

I realized I must handle each piece of wood close to a dozen times before I get to enjoy it in the fire, so...with this thought in mind here is a countdown to burn.

1= Cut the round
2=Load round on to truck
3=unload the round from the truck
4=stack the round
5=move round for splitting
6=split the round and move the piece to the wood drying pile
7=move the split to the dry wood burnable stack
8= load split on to wood carrier to take into garage as part of a 2 day supply to burn
9= move split from garage to stove to burn.

Now I realize everyone's number is slightly different because of the setup they have in their home, sometimes there are more (sometimes after I cut the round I roll it toward the place where I will be loading which adds another count to the handling process and some of you lucky folks will have setups that have less steps, still it surprised me as I thought about this.

What is your number?


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

Ha Typo...meant CSS of course


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 17, 2013)

I've started trying to take rounds I've cut to where I'm going to stack, which is in a number if different spots. I really need to put more thought into how I can handle the wood less. Will be watching this thread with interest...


----------



## wkpoor (Feb 17, 2013)

Anyone who burns for yrs has thought about how to reduce the steps. One thing I did was to get a grapple. Cutting rounds in the field and moving them is hard and time consuming.I gather and store the supply before  processing in log form.  I can move the logs right to the stack area for processing. When they have a season to dry outside I then move the wood into a fully enclosed shed, soon to be sheds, right next to the stack area. The whole process happens in a very small area. From the shed I move the wood to my walkout basement in a golf cart with a box on the back. I can move several days worth in one load on the cart.


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Feb 17, 2013)

Because we have access to standing dead trees that are already seasoned (<20% MC) we are able to skip a few steps.
However, if we're in a rush to empty the truck, we'll add a step in between steps 3 and 4, and we'll stack the rounds temporarily before splitting them, but ideally we'll follow the steps below.

1- Cut the round
2- Load round on to truck
3- unload the round from the truck
4- split the round
5- stack splits in the woodshed  
6- bring splits into the house and burn

Having access to trees that are pre-seasoned is really a nice asset.


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

Lumber-Jack said:


> Because we have access to standing dead trees that are already seasoned (<20% MC) we are able to skip a few steps.
> However, if we're in a rush to empty the truck, we'll add a step in between steps 3 and 4, and we'll stack the rounds temporarily before splitting them, but ideally we'll follow the steps below.
> 
> 1- Cut the round
> ...


Finding per-seasoned wood would be amazing. You must live in an area of low to no pressure wood gathering.


----------



## velvetfoot (Feb 17, 2013)

I buy logs, so:
1-Cut rounds
2-Split rounds
3-Transport splits to drying area
4-Stack
5-Transport splits from drying area to garage
6-Stack
7-Bring in to house to burn


----------



## Jon1270 (Feb 17, 2013)

In my (urban) area many scrounges are already  bucked by the tree service that took them down.  I have been hand-splitting the rounds on site before they ever reach my vehicle, which knocks off a few steps.  I'm still working out the routine at home, but I think I have enough space just outside the back door to stack 2 years worth of wood and never have to handle it again until it's time to bring it inside for use; no moving it from a drying area to a storage area.  That's the plan, anyhow...


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Feb 17, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> I buy logs, so:
> 1-Cut rounds
> 2-Split rounds
> 3-Transport splits to drying area
> ...


Hey Velvetfoot, don't mean to be picky,  but unless you have one of those Star-trek transporters, step 2 would be considered two steps, (1) loading and (2) unloading a truck or trailer of some kind.
But then I guess it's all a mater of how you break up the different steps. I guess your step 2 could be broken into 3 separate steps, where by you (1) load the vehicle, (2) transport the wood in the vehicle, (3) unload the wood. In which case Don and I would have to add another step to our lists.


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

The idea is not how many steps to CSS but how many times you physically touch a piece of wood up to the burn,....that is what amazed me


----------



## velvetfoot (Feb 17, 2013)

No, I buy a triaxle load at a time and they pile them up at the end of the driveway.  When I cut so many rounds that I can't get to the pile, I split the rounds.   I bring the splitter out there and back every splitting session.  I transport the splits with a trailer behind a lawn tractor.  
I'd like to keep the splitter at the pile, but I'm afraid it might get stolen, since it's at the road.

Edit:  Oh yeah, I've run out of stacking room, so unless I stack on the driveway (again), I'll be preparing a space in the back.


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Feb 17, 2013)

Don Williams said:


> Finding pre-seasoned wood would be amazing. You must live in an area of low to no pressure wood gathering.


I guess it probably is pretty low pressure compared to some of the hoops other people have to jump through that I've read about in this forum.
It's due to the mountain pine beetle. So the wood I'm burning may not be oak, but what it might lack in BTUs, it more that makes up for in abundance, ease of access and the fact that it's ready to burn.


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Feb 17, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> No, I buy a triaxle load at a time and they pile them up at the end of the driveway. When I cut so many rounds that I can't get to the pile, I split the rounds. I bring the splitter out there and back every splitting session. I transport the splits with a trailer behind a lawn tractor.
> I'd like to keep the splitter at the pile, but I'm afraid it might get stolen, since it's at the road.
> 
> Edit: Oh yeah, I've run out of stacking room, so unless I stack on the driveway (again), I'll be preparing a space in the back.


Gotcha


----------



## velvetfoot (Feb 17, 2013)

The only bummer, I bet, is that the softer wood is lighter and requires more area for storage.


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

Lumber-Jack said:


> I guess it probably is pretty low pressure compared to some of the hoops other people have to jump through that I've read about in this forum.
> It's due to the mountain pine beetle. So the wood I'm burning may not be oak, but what it might lack in BTUs, it more that makes up for in abundance, ease of access and the fact that it's ready to burn.


Ah got it. export some of those beetles please....we have too much ponderosa pine here.


----------



## westkywood (Feb 17, 2013)

Usually for me its:
 1- cut wood
 2- load wood in truck
 3- unload wood from truck
 4- split wood
 5- stack wood ( let ferment at least 3 yrs )
 6- bring about 5 days of wood in house
 7- put wood in stove
 8- shovel ashes in to bucket
 9- when buckets full, dump in concrete bin
 10- end of season, shovel ashes out of bin

And the cycle begins again.


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

westkywood said:


> 8- shovel ashes in to bucket


Did not think about ashes....guess it does count into how many times I handle a split


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 17, 2013)

Jon1270 said:


> In my (urban) area many scrounges are already bucked by the tree service that took them down. I have been hand-splitting the rounds on site before they ever reach my vehicle


People don't care if you tear the hell out of their lawn?


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

Woody Stover said:


> In my (urban) area many scrounges are already bucked by the tree service that took them down. I have been hand-splitting the rounds on site before they ever reach my vehicle​ People don't care if you tear the hell out of their lawn?


This one confused me too. If I owned a tree I would never allow someone else to take it or to come on my property to cut it up


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 17, 2013)

Don Williams said:


> This one confused me too. If I owned a tree I would never allow someone else to take it or to come on my property to cut it up


I wouldn't allow anyone on my property either, but this state is like the sixth largest hardwood producer. Tons of trees here and lots of people looking to get rid of wood out of their yard. Tree guys charge to dispose of the wood.


----------



## lopiliberty (Feb 17, 2013)

1. Cut wood
2. Split wood and load the splits on the truck
3. Stack the splits from the truck
4. Bring wood into the garage
5. Bring wood into the house beside the stove
6. Load wood into the stove


----------



## charly (Feb 17, 2013)

I'm going to go the pallet route here on my farm.. have forks on my tractor...  Want to drop the pallets off  right where I'm doing my splitting and handle my wood once onto the pallet... Then when I need the wood I have a cement floor area in a foyer area at the back of my house that I can set the pallet on,,, roof over head etc,, out of the weather,,, back door right there to bring the wood in... So I'd handle the wood once to stack it and once to bring it into my house or the wood stove.. My buddy has been doing it for 3 years now and loves it... I'll frame the pallet so I can stack one pallet on top...I figure the  pallets are 40 x 48 inches and plan on having the wood stack 2-3 foot high..I have plenty of fields I can leave them out in to dry in the sun and wind... then just move them to my wood storage garage for the winter and bring them to the house as needed..  Maybe get a flat bed trailer that I can load 3 pallets at a time on as well..  Handling the wood less would be nice.


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Feb 17, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> The only bummer, I bet, is that the softer wood is lighter and requires more area for storage.


The wood I generally go after is lodgepole pine, which ain't oak, but as far as "softwoods" go, it's near the top of the BTU charts, so I go through less then you might think. BTU wise, according to this chart, lodgepole pine is slightly higher than "hardwoods" like silver maple, birch. cherry, elm and green ash.
Between the house and shop (about 2,000 sq ft in total), I usually only burn 4 cord per year.



Don Williams said:


> Ah got it. export some of those beetles please....we have too much ponderosa pine here.


 
You know, we have a fair amount of ponderosa here too, and the beetles have gotten to them as well, but I don't cut much of it. I live in a area of mountains and valleys, the ponderosa trees are usually found down in the valleys where most people live and the dead ponderosa trees are generally on, or blocked by, private lands and fences, so there is poor access to them. The Lodgepole trees on the other hand are up in the mountains a ways, and can be found in dense groves. As long as I can find a level area to back my truck in I can work the same area for a few years at a time.
I just recently found a new spot I hope to work for a few years, the last spot I was in me and another guy worked for the last 4 years. There was still a lot of dead trees in there, but they were getting to close to the river, and the rules on our permits say we are not suppose to cut trees with 50 meters of any lake or stream.
The other thing about ponderosa trees is they tend to be very big in diameter, and again, our permits have rules that don't allow us to cut trees over about 16" in diameter at breast height. Anything bigger is suppose to be reserved for wildlife. That works out fine for lodgepole, because they are such long straight trees, but not so good for ponderosa trees.
I have been known to bend that trunk diameter rule a bit sometimes, but I won't cut trees near a waterway. I find the trunk diameter rule a little silly, we can only get access to a tiny fraction of the dead wood out there, for every dead tree we convert to firewood there is probably a million others out of our reach that the wildlife can easily use.


----------



## DMbekus (Feb 17, 2013)

Fortunate that I have wood lot with house. This is my 1st year seriously burning wood and went through the 2 dry cords I had very rapidly.  Only thing saving me from buying wood or using more oil is I have quite a bit dry standing dead wood.

Last year's method:

1. Call oil company
2. Pay bill

Dry standing dead wood :
1. cut tree up
2. Split wood where tree is.  leave right where it is
3. Load wood into wheel barrel and bring into house as needed (stove is in walk out basement)
4. unload wheel barrel in house
5. into stove

Other trees down by storm or marked:

1. cut tree up
2. Split wood where tree is  (Sometimes drag logs/pieces by hand if in spot cant get tractor to)
3. Load wood into cart behind tractor
4. unload near house
5. Load wood into wheel barrel and bring into house as needed (stove is in walk out basement)
6. unload wheel barrel in house
7. into stove


having the stove in the basement has worked well. In that I bring wood in by the wheel barrel load and the mess is less of an issue.


----------



## Jon1270 (Feb 17, 2013)

Woody Stover said:


> People don't care if you tear the hell out of their lawn?


 
I don't do any significant damage.   I just carry in my Fiskars and split wood that's already been bucked before I got there.  I have a plastic sled that doesn't hurt the grass; it's not like I'm driving on the lawn.  One of the nice things about scrounging in urban areas with tiny lots is that a road is rarely more than 75 feet away.



Woody Stover said:


> Tons of trees here and lots of people looking to get rid of wood out of their yard. Tree guys charge to dispose of the wood.


 
Exactly.


----------



## KaptJaq (Feb 17, 2013)

Most of my scrounges are provided by a local tree-service. He cuts, bucks, delivers to my splitting area.  I split by hand on a petrified round (been using the same one about 5 years so I'm sure it is mostly rock).  The first time I touch the wood is to put it on the splitting block.  Split it and toss it to where it will stack to dry.  Next time it is touched is when it is brought into the house to burn.  I bring in a day's worth at a time but always have three days' worth in the house.  I guess that I touch the wood four times from dump to burn.

1. Move to splitting block.
2. Stack.
3. Move to inside rack.
4. toss into stove.

KaptJaq


----------



## Motor7 (Feb 17, 2013)

I have the same issues with "over handling" my wood. Since I have a tractor and 100 ac I cut standing dead trees into 10'ish logs, fork several logs at time and carry them to a landing where I do my splitting. I cut them up while on the forks so I don't have to bend over, then turn the tractor around and split everything with a PTO splitter. As I am splitting I toss the splits into a wire metal pallet cage which is then picked up with the forks & transported to a drying shed/barn then to my basement. Sometimes I stack the splits at the landing up on railroad ties if it needs more drying time, then stack them into the cages. Pallet cages are in the background on the left stacked 3 high:






The cages greatly reduce my handling time. I designed the basement garage door tall enough to get the tractor in there so I could drop loaded cages of wood. But my plan was foiled when I found that the damn mice make nests in the pallet cages between the splits. So the revised plan has the cages parked just outside the door and I use a Northern tool log cart to load the splits and roll them inside.


----------



## red oak (Feb 17, 2013)

Don Williams said:


> This may belong in the wood shed, and I am positive this idea is not new.....just new to me and popped into my head while I was CCS a cord of pine Saturday.
> 
> I realized I must handle each piece of wood close to a dozen times before I get to enjoy it in the fire, so...with this thought in mind here is a countdown to burn.
> 
> ...


 
So for me I would eliminate steps 4, 7, and 8.  I don't stack the rounds, I dump them off the truck in my splitting area.  I have one main woodpile so that's no to step 7.  I take the wood directly into the house so that's no to step 8.  Change step 9 to move from woodpile to basement.  So I guess that would make me a 6?  I'm sure I'm forgetting something.....


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Feb 17, 2013)

There have been many threads on this subject if anyone wants to do some study.

For us, we have our own woodlot so do not need a truck to haul. However, we do use the atv and a trailer. Some have tractors and grapples and they can be nice depending upon your woods. Ours would be a challenge but then, we have no use for a grapple as we do not have really big timber. Same goes for saws. We have no need for a large saw so why have one? I ran the big saws too much in the past anyway. I like the light saws now and so does my back.

We cut wood off and on usually from December 1 through to March. The wood gets stacked where it will get split. Following the splitting, it gets stacked right there. It then stays in the stack several years before burning.

1. Fell the tree.
2. Buck it up.
3. Load wood into trailer (small stuff wife does).
4. Unload trailer in spot where the wood will be split and stacked later.
5. Split wood.
6. Stack wood.
7. Move enough wood into barn in October to last the winter.
8. Move from barn to porch.
9. From porch to stove.
10. Wife empties ashes.
11. Spread ashes on vegetable garden.


----------



## gandrimp (Feb 17, 2013)

You just need more kids,,, Think of the work you'll save.


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

KaptJaq said:


> Most of my scrounges are provided by a local tree-service. He cuts, bucks, delivers to my splitting area. I split by hand on a petrified round (been using the same one about 5 years so I'm sure it is mostly rock). The first time I touch the wood is to put it on the splitting block. Split it and toss it to where it will stack to dry. Next time it is touched is when it is brought into the house to burn. I bring in a day's worth at a time but always have three days' worth in the house. I guess that I touch the wood four times from dump to burn.
> 
> 1. Move to splitting block.
> 2. Stack.
> ...


See that is what I am talking about. You actually move the round to the chopping block and then touch the split aside before you stack it so that is another touch of the wood.WE touch each split more than we realize


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

gandrimp said:


> You just need more kids,,, Think of the work you'll save.


Fantastic idea...my wife and I cannot have more kids....but it does not mean I cannot keep trying


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> There have been many threads on this subject if anyone wants to do some study.
> 
> For us, we have our own woodlot so do not need a truck to haul. However, we do use the atv and a trailer. Some have tractors and grapples and they can be nice depending upon your woods. Ours would be a challenge but then, we have no use for a grapple as we do not have really big timber. Same goes for saws. We have no need for a large saw so why have one? I ran the big saws too much in the past anyway. I like the light saws now and so does my back.
> 
> ...


getting close to a dozen!


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Feb 17, 2013)

Tis okay Don. I need the exercise now.


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

Lumber-Jack said:


> The other thing about ponderosa trees is they tend to be very big in diameter, and again, our permits have rules that don't allow us to cut trees over about 16" in diameter at breast height. Anything bigger is suppose to be reserved for wildlife.


Of course! makes total sense....not...supposed to leave big snags for the wildlife so that when a fire happens it provides more fuel to kill the wildlife. So stupid, they do that here after a fire, oh....leave the big trees that are burnt out for wildlife...then when we have another fire nearby it hits the dead trees and turns into an uncontrollable burn. Great idea environmentalist whackos!


----------



## midwestcoast (Feb 17, 2013)

Don Williams said:


> Of course! makes total sense....not...supposed to leave big snags for the wildlife so that when a fire happens it provides more fuel to kill the wildlife. So stupid, they do that here after a fire, oh....leave the big trees that are burnt out for wildlife...then when we have another fire nearby it hits the dead trees and turns into an uncontrollable burn. Great idea environmentalist whackos!


Leave the rants in the Ash Can please Don.
To the topic I'm at 8-9 pretty much like the OP.  I skip your step 7 & load from the stack to a little wood rack on my deck, but then I sometimes toss my splits in a pile after splitting & stack later so that takes me back to 9. Small lots with no space make reducing that # difficult.  When I finally build a wood shed it will go up by another 1, but be soooo worth it.
If you count the ashes it's 11, but most the wood is burned already so ashes should only count at like a 10'th or 20'th of a "time".


----------



## ArsenalDon (Feb 17, 2013)

midwestcoast said:


> Leave the rants in the Ash Can please Don.
> To the topic I'm at 8-9 pretty much like the OP. I skip your step 7 & load from the stack to a little wood rack on my deck, but then I sometimes toss my splits in a pile after splitting & stack later so that takes me back to 9. Small lots with no space make reducing that # difficult. When I finally build a wood shed it will go up by another 1, but be soooo worth it.
> If you count the ashes it's 11, but most the wood is burned already so ashes should only count at like a 10'th or 20'th of a "time".


but the rant was related to a previous thread here and would not have made sense out of context...sorry


----------



## firefighterjake (Mar 4, 2013)

1. Cut down tree and limb it
2. Buck tree into rounds
3. Load rounds into ATV cart
4. Unload rounds from ATV cart to Pick up or trailer
5. Unload rounds from pick up or trailer
6. Split rounds
7. Stack splits outside
8. Load splits (and small rounds) into woodshed after being outside for a year
9. Move wood from woodshed on to covered porch
10. Move wood from covered porch to woodbox beside stove
11. Load wood into woodstove
12. Dump ashes

What can I say . . . I like handling my wood.


----------



## AJS56 (Mar 4, 2013)

I actually have to think about this...  I am usually cutting standing or fallen deads on our own property.  So...
1) Fell and limb/buck tree.
2) Load onto trailer to haul up to barn area.
3) Unload in splitting/stacking area:
     a) Smaller pieces go directly into stacks
     b) larger rounds go into a pile to be split
4) Split rounds
5) Stack splits
6) Load on to trailer (about a week's worth at a time) to pull into garage.
7)  Carry into house/stove as needed. 
     Sometimes into woodrack by stove, sometimes just straight into stove.
8) Ashes into can and onto garden.

Of course, sometimes the little buggers fight ya and you have to bobble/juggle/drop/chase the darn thing into submission.  Kinda like cattle that way.

-AJ


----------



## swagler85 (Mar 4, 2013)

charly said:


> I'm going to go the pallet route here on my farm.. have forks on my tractor...  Want to drop the pallets off  right where I'm doing my splitting and handle my wood once onto the pallet... Then when I need the wood I have a cement floor area in a foyer area at the back of my house that I can set the pallet on,,, roof over head etc,, out of the weather,,, back door right there to bring the wood in... So I'd handle the wood once to stack it and once to bring it into my house or the wood stove.. My buddy has been doing it for 3 years now and loves it... I'll frame the pallet so I can stack one pallet on top...I figure the  pallets are 40 x 48 inches and plan on having the wood stack 2-3 foot high..I have plenty of fields I can leave them out in to dry in the sun and wind... then just move them to my wood storage garage for the winter and bring them to the house as needed..  Maybe get a flat bed trailer that I can load 3 pallets at a time on as well..  Handling the wood less would be nice.


That's close to what I do now really cuts down on handling.


----------



## BobUrban (Mar 4, 2013)

If I wasn't slightly OCD, a little obsessed and addicted to the fun or the work involved this would be no way to save money. 

Limiting or eliminating a step or two would be nice, especially at the tail end of the season but for me it is all part of the fun.  When it is no longer fun I will pay for grapples, when that is no longer fun I will buy CSS'd wood, when that gets old I will suck it up and go back on the bottle or move to south beach. 

I am hoping the last one never happens!!


----------



## TradEddie (Mar 4, 2013)

1-Pay tree service massive sums of money to take down mature oak/hickory/poplar trees leaning over house.
2-Cut rounds because tree service leaves them anywhere from 10" to 36"
3-Split rounds by hand where they lie, tree service has already trashed lawn.
4-Stack close to splitting area.
5-One year prior to burning, move to optimally positioned covered drying stacks.
6-Move from stack to beside patio door.
7-Move from outside door directly into stove
8-Move some to inside garage or beside stove n preparation for snowstorm/miserable weather.
9-Wait 2 years to save up enough for next-closest trees, hoping a storm doesn't bring them down first.

That's minimum. Probably 2 or 3 more steps in every case, the above is just optimism.

TE


----------



## charly (Mar 4, 2013)

swagler85 said:


> That's close to what I do now really cuts down on handling.
> View attachment 95824


That's good to hear.. I'm just trying to figure on how much framing to do on the upper part of the pallet to keep the wood in, and not falling out once it has dried.. I have a 30hp L3010 Kubota, LA482 front loader, with quick connect bucket and pallet forks, around 1200 lb lift capacity.. I'm figuring stacking the wood in my pallets maybe 2-3 feet high rather then killing the front end...I'm going to experiment and see what amount lifts well first. My plan is to bring the splitter and pallet right to were the wood is being bucked up..Then move the pallet to a central location to dry in the open fields.. I have the ability to bring the pallet right to my back door once seasoned and set it on a concrete slab that is a breeze way on the back of my house, out of the weather with the house roof overhead... Then I can either pick the wood off the pallet as I need it or load it into my racks inside my house in our back room so the wood is warm to load into my stoves... Pallets would save me a lot of work and time..


----------



## mecreature (Mar 4, 2013)

Sometimes I go out and just re-stack my rows for no reason at all.


----------



## ArsenalDon (Mar 4, 2013)

charly said:


> I'm just trying to figure on how much framing to do on the upper part of the pallet to keep the wood in, and not falling out once it has dried..


Never thought about a setup like you have...like the idea...what if you framed it, stacked it in and then roped the top of the frames together to hold it tight?


mecreature said:


> Sometimes I go out and just re-stack my rows for no reason at all.


Let me guess....retired?


----------



## Hills Hoard (Mar 21, 2013)

My typical wood hoarding mission / scrounge life cycle

1. chop up tree on ground
2. load in back of 4x4
3. unload ute in my driveway (where i process)
4. stand back admire new pile of free  wood with a cold beer while the wife looks at me like im an idiot or getting more wood.   
5. split wood
6. admire new pile of split wood with a cold beer.  hopefully the wife has gone back inside at this stage.
7. stack  wood pile.
8. move wood from pile  into wood shelter
9. take from shelter into the house
10.load into wood heater  (put feet up and drink a beer and enjoy the fact that it was free.)


----------



## swagler85 (Mar 21, 2013)

Hills Hoard said:


> My typical wood hoarding mission / scrounge life cycle
> 
> 1. chop up tree on ground
> 2. load in back of 4x4
> ...


You have the beer drinking down to a science


----------



## Hearth Mistress (Mar 21, 2013)

Don Williams said:


> I realized I must handle each piece of wood close to a dozen times before I get to enjoy it in the fire, so...with this thought in mind here is a countdown to burn.
> 
> 1= Cut the round
> 2=Load round on to truck
> ...



Since I'm just about out of my "good wood" and with crappy winter dragging on making it a damp muddy mess to even TRY to get the rest of my monster Sandy trees processed I haven't eliminated steps, I'm just not doing the hard part 

1- dial phone
2- order a cord of kiln dried wood
3- pay extra $45 for stacking
4- wait 3 hours for 2 guys to bring it up 2 flights of steps and stack on my pallets 
5- make a pot of coffee and share with the stacker guys
6- tip the guys another $20 because I feel guilty only paying $45 for them to stack for me, it is 3 solid hours of work.
7 - take 10 steps out my front door to my beautiful full cord and "then some" perfect stacks
8- fill my rubbermaid tote as heavy as I can carry it
9- bring wood in the house
10 - burn baby burn!


----------



## fabsroman (Mar 21, 2013)

On a lot of these scrounges lately, the trees are already bucked for me. So,

1 - split round
2 - load in truck
3 - unload from truck
4 - stack
5 - bring in the house
6 - load into the furnace

Even when the logs are not bucked, I rarely, if ever, bring rounds home to split them. I prefer putting them in the truck already split. Makes things so much easier moving all these heavy logs around. There have been a couple of exceptions when I have been pressed for time, but the vast majority come home split already.


----------



## Hills Hoard (Mar 22, 2013)

swagler85 said:


> You have the beer drinking down to a science


 
im not going to deny that.. ..on a few occasions I have had friends help with splitting and stacking...the more beer you give them, the more work they do...beer solves all problems...


----------



## Jack Straw (Mar 22, 2013)

It is what it is ....and if I sat down to count the steps thay would just be another step


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Mar 22, 2013)

Jack Straw said:


> It is what it is ....and if I sat down to count the steps that would just be another step


Does posting in this forum count as a separate step?


----------



## Jack Straw (Mar 22, 2013)

Lumber-Jack said:


> Does posting in this forum count as a separate step?


 
If I didn't hang around here I'd have another 6 cord


----------



## Montanalocal (Jan 10, 2015)

WOOD HANDLING

I think I have most of you beat (ha ha)

1.  Buck and transport rounds and load on to tailgate
2.  Climb up on pickup and transport and stack rounds to front of pickup bed (some).
3.  Transport to splitting area, and move rounds to back of pickup (some)
4.  Lift onto splitter for splitting into quarters to dry, so as to be able to lift to drying stack.
5.  Remove from splitter and stack by pickup.
6.  Pick up and reload onto pickup.
7.  Transport to remote drying pile and lift and stack.
8.  Reload onto pickup when dry.
9.  Lift from pickup onto splitter.
10.  Remove splits from splitter and load into wheelbarrow.
11.  Transfer to bulk dry pile and stack.
12.  Reload from bulk dry pile and load into wheelbarrow.
13.  Transfer to convenient dry pile by house and unload and stack.
14  Load wheelbarrow and transfer to side door of house.
15  Unload wheelbarrow and transfer to short term stack in house in stove room.
16.  Pick up split and carry it next to stove.
17.  Open stove door, pick up split and place it in stove.
(whew)
Oh yes, (18).  go back and pile all slash for land owner.


----------



## Andy S. (Jan 10, 2015)

Same steps as everyone else but I have stacks at home and at work. The work stacks require loading for transpot home and unloading. It is worth it to have the extra space.


----------



## tsquini (Jan 10, 2015)

I have stopped counting how many times I handle my firewood. I focus on the last time I handle it.


----------



## Rossco (Jan 11, 2015)

All depends really. Dry wood off the saw is Stella.

So dry wood snags:

1) Cut down (Hope it lands good)
2) Buck logs.
3) Flip & split (Use axe for both steps)
4) Load into truck (always have help)
5) Unload straight into wood room.
6) Burn at will. 

That's an ideal 6 step cycle. I could touch the log 10 times just getting it into the ideal cutting position.


----------



## Plow Boy (Jan 11, 2015)

I bring the splitter to the woods with me with my UTV. I cut up the tree then split in the woods. I bring the the trailer back later and load it. I stack into a pile at my wood stacks keeping all recent wood together. I don't touch it again until I burn several years later. What's that like 4 times before I burn I don't know who's counting.


----------



## KB007 (Jan 11, 2015)

For me it's pretty simple, since we buy truck loads of logs:

1) cut log
2) stack round
3) split using splitter backed up to stack of rounds, splits get thrown directly into trailer behind lawn tractor
4) stack splits in drying stacks
5) move to porch
6) bring into house to burn.

It's really step that saves me time and wear and tear.  I hate splitting nto a pile and then having to pick up the splits from the pile to load them to take 'em to stack.


----------



## Poindexter (Jan 11, 2015)

Buying five cords of logs, I got all my rounds into the side yard ready to split in nine calendar days.  If I had been driving out to the woods again this year it would have been all my free time for at least six weeks to get to the same five cords of rounds stacked in side yard.

So this year, easy way:

1. Cut round off log.
2. Carry round to side yard to await splitting.
3. Lift round onto splitter.
4. Throw split onto pile.
5. Carry splits to seasoning rack and stack.
6. Carry dry splits to wood shed.
7. carry dry splits from wood shed to rack in garage.
8. carry dry splits from garage to stove.

If I had more acreage I could build a bigger shed for both seasoning and storing, that would eliminate step six and get my number down to "7".


----------



## Soundchasm (Jan 12, 2015)

In a perfect world...
1. Cut round or split/quarter big rounds
2. Load into truck
3. Back truck up to splitter right next to storage area, off truck onto splitter
4. Throw splits into wheelbarrow
5. Stack
6. Fill wheelbarrow and bring into basement
7. Throw in stove

That's for the basement stove and walkout basement.  The upstairs stove has one more step since I stage that wood right outside a door.

The above has happened more than twice in ten years so I'm calling that my "system".  But every other year I get some big score where I'm carting home rounds with no place for splits since I already filled everything up.  And of course I've blocked my access to the stuff I want to use!  At that point I'm using every mental device I've got to FORGET how many times I've handled a split.

Most years I simply admit I'm like a Bower Bird with this firewood.


----------



## Trktrd (Jan 12, 2015)

1 Drag tree to wood stack area.
2 Buck and split - DONE!

You'd have to ask my wife what happens after that, that's where she takes over.


----------



## JustWood (Jan 13, 2015)

I get loaded at the mill and dump it at home. Scoop up with the loader and make a heaphausen near house. Tarp.
Load into wood room. Then burn.
Physically I only handle it twice. Mechanically twice.
Minimal and I like it .


----------

