# I really do have too much wood (really)



## mobetter (Dec 31, 2013)

The missus and I sold off all of our toyz and decided we would buy us a place out in da sticks.

We found our little piece of heaven down a .4 mile lane behind a 10 acre woods.

Soon after the move the Emerald Ash borer was found in these parts, since about 5-10% of the trees are White Ash, I have some of the best firewood on the hoof (so to speak)

My problem is;

 I can't stand to use all of them nice logs for firewood.

I do drop some and cut the tops and not so straight ones up to burn, but there are Sooooo many!

 I need to get some hauled up to me Pole barn (75x45) uninsulated steel sided and erect some kin o' 'Man Cave'

 Not to rub it in, but most are 14-24" DBH and limbless for 20-25 feet!

 I have an old Country Comfort smoke Dragon in there that is worthless basically (soffit vents and ridge vents)

Gonna use a bunch o' them logs to enclose an area 'bout 20x30  big enough to work on a car/truck and be able to run everyone out with that old CC (close to 6 cube firebox)

 Think It will have a mezz atop to store all me chainsaws and mopar booty!


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## Jags (Dec 31, 2013)

You gonna make lumber or use logs?

(Thanks for reminding me that my Challenger door panels are still above my shop.)


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## mobetter (Dec 31, 2013)

Logs!

And it has the most awesome natural edge ever seen (by me)?


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## Jags (Dec 31, 2013)

Pics will be required.


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## mobetter (Dec 31, 2013)

Yup we've been here 9 years.

And I've had this plan fer the last 4 er 5,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

So don't be holding your breath for pics eh?

Here's the shed;


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## Jags (Dec 31, 2013)

Nice shed.


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## mobetter (Dec 31, 2013)

Thanks!

Yup been busy getting my pond dug, stocked, landscaping the place (had more grass in the driveway then the lawn)

Can't believe someone put all this up,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,then just walked away???????????

Guess we've been blessed!


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## Beer Belly (Dec 31, 2013)

HOLY CRAP !.....thats a Shed ? (nice), can't imagine what the house looks like


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## mobetter (Dec 31, 2013)

Nothing extraordinary,

The missus and I made a deal, she gets the House I get the Shed.

she shares , and I let her keep all her bins o' stuff out there.


I tell everyone, I live in a $130,000 house on a MILLION DOLLAR property!

Wouldn't have it any other way.


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## mobetter (Dec 31, 2013)

Not bad fer a couple High School drop-outs eh?


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## firefighterjake (Dec 31, 2013)

Very nice . . . and nothing wrong with that house either.


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## mobetter (Dec 31, 2013)

Thanks Jake,

 We learned what hard work was all about all through life.

 I would NOT recommend doing it the way we did.

 But we were getting older, and figured if'n we didn't take the plunge it was never going to happen.

 Shoot I don't need a lake cottage, or condo on the beach!


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## Beer Belly (Dec 31, 2013)

mobetter said:


> Nothing extraordinary,
> 
> The missus and I made a deal, she gets the House I get the Shed.
> 
> ...


 man o man o man....that is a beautiful place you right there


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## mobetter (Dec 31, 2013)

We were there at the right time, guess it was meant to be eh?

 The only way we were in the position to take the plunge was we flipped an old classic home we spent years restoring,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,on the cheap.

 Think I've lost all the pics of that place.

It was very cool though.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 31, 2013)

Mobetter, you stated you have lots of trees but we too had lots of trees. I can tell you that those trees will still last for many years. We started cutting in 2002 and have not stopped yet. Still many to go but only a couple have fell so far and one of those was from a terrible wind storm we had that uprooted some oaks right by it. Ash is one of the longest keeping woods you will find but of course the best way is to cut and stack it off the ground; even if in log form. 

Nice place and congratulations to you and your wife.


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## Michael Golden (Dec 31, 2013)

You have really nice grass, and one of the nicest gravel drives I've seen! Lol


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## BobUrban (Jan 1, 2014)

Go back and read what Dennis wrote. Here in Michigan we got the ash bug a few years ahead of you and my findings match that of Dennis.  If they are not unsafe in location just leave the dead standing for momma nature to fell for you and continue to clean up after her as she works.  My guess(and experience) is that you will have trouble keeping up - even if you only take the easy stuff.  Good news is that downed ash can lay on the forest floor in the upper Midwest for a few years without effecting it's quality with regard to firewood.


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## mobetter (Jan 1, 2014)

Thanks,

Yup it's a woodchuckers dream situation, but I'm always thinkin' outside the box eh?

I will have plenty to burn, but just can not even think about using them fine straight ones fer firewood!

Guess da guyz in da 'woodshed' think that be blasphemy eh?

I thought about a way to debark logs many years back, guess Mother Nature has done it fo' me!


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## BobUrban (Jan 1, 2014)

BTW - Most of mine has the bark held on by Poison Ivy vines - ARGGG!!  I go out in the winter with an axe and cut as many as I can so that in a year or two when they come down much of the devil weed is dead.  Helps but is not fool proof - me being the "fool"


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## mobetter (Jan 1, 2014)

Bunch of the ones here too,

 Boy was it pretty and red in the fall though,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,until you have to hatchet it off eh?


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## BobUrban (Jan 1, 2014)

Stuff is remarkably resilient - I cut a big chunk out instead of just slicing it in 1/2 - especially on those huge vines.  Not sure it is better but it makes me feel better.


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## Jags (Jan 1, 2014)

I like to cut the vines just to listen to them scream​


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## mobetter (Jan 1, 2014)

Them dudes have some tenacity,

 Yes we had a wind storm come threw year ago last June (duratio?)

 It took the tops outa a bunch of them dead standing ones on the N.E. edge of da woods.

 I cleaned them tops up last Spring, those vines were NASTY!


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## mobetter (Jan 1, 2014)

Michael Golden said:


> You have really nice grass, and one of the nicest gravel drives I've seen! Lol


Yup!

It is a never ending job!

They all came here in the back o' me old Dodge, the pit is just two or three miles from where I work.

.4 miles to the road, did it all with a square shovel and a grain scoop!

( lets me drink my beer without the missus hollerin' at me)


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## eclecticcottage (Jan 2, 2014)

mobetter said:


> But we were getting older, and figured if'n we didn't take the plunge it was never going to happen.
> 
> Shoot I don't need a lake cottage, or condo on the beach!


 
Sounds so very familiar...except...we went with the lake cottage.  We've got neighbors that could buy and sell us many times over, but our cottage was less than 100K, lol.

I am jealous of your "shed".


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## mobetter (Jan 3, 2014)

Been a 'laker' and a wood boat freak since a kid.

Had an Great Uncle that hopped a train up to Petoskey back in the depression.

 Old Bachler was a caretaker for the Graham Family. (the auto makers)
 He had an old 40 acre 'rock farm'

 We Spent all of our vacations up there back in the '50s thru the '80s

My Mom still has 15 acres,

If'n I ever retire, I'll probably end up there?


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## mobetter (Jan 4, 2014)

eclecticcottage said:


> Sounds so very familiar...except...we went with the lake cottage.  We've got neighbors that could buy and sell us many times over, but our cottage was less than 100K, lol.
> 
> I am jealous of your "shed".




Could not handle this place and a lake cottage.

Found a couple pics of the old place.

We flipped it for darn near half the cost of the new place, it had squirrels living in the walls when we got it!

It turned out pretty good for not much money but alot of sweat!








 Sure wish I could have put that old house out here.

 It was the old Catholic Church Parsonage..

 Still had the tunnel (blocked off) to the old Church next door.

 Made a nice wine cellar though!

 Yup it was nothing really flashy compared to some of the places in town, but it was built like a brick outhouse!

 Dry wall,  2x6s and vinyl siding do NOT compare eh?


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## eclecticcottage (Jan 4, 2014)

We couldn't do both either, we live in the lake cottage and rent out our old house.


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## mobetter (Jan 4, 2014)

I had to sell the old place to be in a position to get the 15 acre place.

 I kinda miss the old place,,,,,,,,,,,,,,you could NOT build a place like that today, it would cost you a fortune eh?


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## mobetter (Jan 4, 2014)

Michael Golden said:


> You have really nice grass, and one of the nicest gravel drives I've seen! Lol




 Har, har, har!

 I found some old pics of before we moved in,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Grass?


Yup, plenty in the 'driveway', Family all thought I was nutz!


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