# New member from SW Pennsylvania



## Stihlmike (Aug 14, 2013)

Hello all. Just got my woodburner, and will be installing in the near future. Purchased a new STIHL saw as well. This is my rookie year and may need to rely on purchasing some wood for the winter.  I hope to get a few chord cut but it is tough when my wood truck is a Dodge neon. Hope you enjoy these few pictures. 

I will upload a few pictures of my install as well. I have everything drawn up in autocad and awaiting approval from my insurance company.

Any tips for a rookie will be appreciated.


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## Blue2ndaries (Aug 14, 2013)

Welcome to the forum StihlMike! I think you are headed in the right direction by 1) being willing to get ahead whether by purchasing or scrounging 2) willing to post pics (we like pics) and 3) joining this forum


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 14, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Mike.

It is always sad to hear or read about someone just getting into wood burning then find out they don't have wood yet. We wish you good luck but also want to make you aware that you may not enjoy your first year of heating with wood. That is because wood needs time to dry....even if you buy it. Never expect to buy wood that is dry and ready to burn even if it is advertised that way or even if the seller says so. Of course you could always check it out before buying but most folks will buy....and then find out it either has been freshly split or even freshly cut. Don't depend upon dead trees either. Usually if the tree is standing, perhaps the top third or so of the tree might be dry enough but the butt of that tree will surely be full of moisture. If the dead tree is on the ground, most likely it has already begun or already has turned punky. So good luck and I sincerely hope you are able to find something that will burn this coming winter. You might even look for some kiln dried wood which won't be perfect but will allow you to still burn.

Another word of caution:  Do plan on checking your chimney at least once per month all winter long. That is a must for all new wood burners. We've seen chimney's plug in a matter of a couple weeks because of the wood the people were trying to burn.

Good luck.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Aug 14, 2013)

Welcome to the forums Mike. I think you will really enjoy it here and the woodstoves way of heating. One question, which wood burner did you get?


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## PapaDave (Aug 14, 2013)

Mike, welcome to the Hearth.
We (meaning the guys who are smarter than me) can help with the whole thing to make sure you've got things where they need to be.
Lots of info here.
Post pics of the proposed stove site. Which stove? New, old? Size of home and layout will help.
How much space can you allocate to store wood?
That'll do for now.


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## Seasoned Oak (Aug 14, 2013)

Tip # 1  Plan on procuring a better wood hauler, unless you plan to have it delivered. Can get costly that way.


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## ScotO (Aug 14, 2013)

Welcome, StihlMike!  You're right up the road a short ways from me......I'm north of Altoona!  Welcome to the nuthouse, as we like to say!
Lots of advice to be given to a beginner, but Sav touched on some of that in his post already.  Big thing is the sooner you get your wood cut, split and stacked (C/S/S, as we say), the better.  Lots of us are over 3 or 4 years ahead on our wood supply.....it makes a HUGE difference when your burned seasoned wood...

Anyway, you'll learn a lot here, so enjoy your new addiction to woodburning!


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## Tenn Dave (Aug 14, 2013)

Welcome Mike.  One option you might want to look into is trading some of your green wood for some seasoned wood from a friend or a neighbor who has an excess supple of older wood.


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## NortheastAl (Aug 14, 2013)

Hey StihlMike, welcome to The Hearth. Lots of valuable info here to be had for the first time burner. I'm not one of the older members, but I can tell you to listen to what is said here. This was my first burn this past season, and I had tons of help from everyone here. I lurked for a couple months, then I just had to jump in. 

Backwoods Savage has given you sage advice about getting ahead in the wood dept.  I'm about 2 years ahead in quantity, but I have oak which ill take another 2 years before it is burnable. If haven't gotten one already, get a moisture meter. They aren't much more than about $30. It will serve you well to know how your wood is seasoning, and whether it will burn clean or make a lot of creosote. 

Good luck to ya. And again, welcome to the nut hut.


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## JOHN BOY (Aug 14, 2013)

Welcome to the Forum Stihlmike , nice saw . All you need now is a splitter a few axes and of course one milk crate.


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## NortheastAl (Aug 14, 2013)

JOHN BOY said:


> Welcome to the Forum Stihlmike , nice saw . All you need now is a splitter a few axes and of course one milk crate.


It's not official until the milk crate is purchased.


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## osagebow (Aug 14, 2013)

Welcome and good luck Stihlmike - it's tough sledding year one, but gets easier once you get the wood supply going. Keep that chain sharp and don't  "rock it "-( let cut the ground or rocks!)


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## firefighterjake (Aug 15, 2013)

Welcome to the forum.

By the way . . . rookie mistake . . . chord is actually a cord . . . unless you're making flutes out of the wood you're cutting.


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## Coal Reaper (Aug 15, 2013)

looks like you need some A/T tires for the neon


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## Stihlmike (Aug 15, 2013)

Thanks for all of the advice.

I am leary about burning this year. I may do the install on the burner and such, and wait until next year for actual burning. i have a nice shed that I am planning on storing some of the wood to keep it from getting moisture and plan on getting a better set up soon.

This is the woodburner I obtained from my uncle. It is brand new. It is a U.S. Stove Company 2007B.

I uploaded a pdf of the layout that i came up with so far to get approved. I may extend the base a bit. I may also create another area for wood stroage as it is a bit tight right now. I am very excited but want to be sure everything is save and installed correctly.


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## pyroholic (Aug 15, 2013)

Maybe all new members should be receiving a Hearth.com logo milk crate autographed by "The Fixture".

I'll give the new guy the benefit of the doubt on the "chord"and blame it on auto-correct.

Welcome, and for the record I truly enjoyed my first season burning thanks to the abundance of dead ash here. Not perfect, but doable without much seasoning time. This year will only be better. Check your chimney often until you get the hang of everything.

Watch your wallet. This savings from wood heat has cost me a bunch. All the wood and equipment listed in my signature was all amassed since February this year. No need to get everything at once though, I just have a special problem. Has been a great diet plan however, about 40 lbs since the wood fetish began. Never felt better!

You came to the right place, these guys will do anything they can to help.  You'll soon be a walking encyclopedia of wood burning knowledge.


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## Stihlmike (Aug 15, 2013)

I hear you on the wieght loss. I am down 10 pounds since is starting cutting on Saturday. I am also doing other exercise. Just when I thought that spring turkey hunting will get you in shape.


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## HittinSteel (Aug 15, 2013)

My brazilian rosewood makes beautiful chords.

Welcome StihlMike!


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## Pallet Pete (Aug 15, 2013)

Welcome Mike ! Be careful I believe wood burning is considered an addiction lol. The savings can be there if you can find a farm or some place to cut near your home. Us guys have lots of toys and money put into it by choice a lot of the time. I used an old beat up poulan pro 46cc for years and an old wooden maul handle with a chain for a log can't until I decided to upgrade to a true addict. The heat is like no other and even if it where the same cost I don't think I would stop. 

Pete


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## pyroholic (Aug 15, 2013)

After the stove, the first saw, and a maul, I suppose the rest was a choice for me. Definitely not buying wood, there is just too much available (free) when I have lived in the same farm town your whole life, as well as my parents. Not too many folks I don't know, plenty of farmers that want trees out of their way, and the EAB. Makes it easier to get permission if you agree only to take dead ash, of which there is still plenty.

My name is Pyroholic, and I'm a.... Pyroholic.


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## Ashful (Aug 15, 2013)

... and so it begins.

Focus on wood procurement. Worry about the stove later. You'd do well to spend this year collecting, splitting, and stacking wood. All but the oak will be ready to burn by fall 2014. By then, you can have your stove installed, and ready to roll.

Required purchases:

1. Spare chains and files for your saw. Figure on either sharpening or swapping chains at least once or twice, during a full day of cutting. Learn to sharpen. Youtube is your friend.

2. Splitting maul. Could be hardware store variety (my favorite is), or Fiskars 27. Splitting will seem like hellish work at first, but you'll get good quick. After a few days of it, you'll be splitting stuff with ease, that seemed impossible before.

Required reading:

Hearth.com.


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## Oregon aloha (Aug 15, 2013)

Instead of a truck I found a logger. He sells wood to me for chip price about $300 for about 5 cord (dump truck full) and I don't have to leave the yard or make truck payments. I cut and split at my leisure. The wood is green or from standing dead, not the best for this year, but it's an option going forward.


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## Ashful (Aug 15, 2013)

Oregon aloha said:


> Instead of a truck I found a logger. He sells wood to me for chip price about $300 for about 5 cord (dump truck full) and I don't have to leave the yard or make truck payments. I cut and split at my leisure. The wood is green or from standing dead, not the best for this year, but it's an option going forward.


 
Yes, this is the ideal solution for many members, and what I'd be doing myself, if I didn't have an older friend who always needed help cleaning up trees on his property.  Typical rate seems to be $75 - $150 per cord, delivered, in log form.  I've seen many stories of a full log truck (7 - 8 cords) for $600.


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## Stihlmike (Aug 15, 2013)

UPDATE:

my design got approved. I have the tile and everything at the house. I will be laying out the 1" non combustible spacer/ base design and get it fabricated at my place of work next week. Once i have the base complete, i can bring in the woodburner and layout the chimney and such. I will keep you guys posted on my progress.

If anyone needs help with laying out a base or something, send me a sketch and I can put it into a drawing for you. Wont ask for payment or anything like that, just a way to say thanks for the help.

WIll be cutting every evening for a while. I will be looking up the moisture reader as well. I don't want to chance anything with this.


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## BrianK (Aug 15, 2013)

Hi Mike,
Welcome to the forum. I'm over in Johnstown.

You might want to consider this ad in Ebensburg:



> http://classifieds.pennswoods.net/classifieds/viewad.cgi?adindex=2447755
> *Firewood/tri-axle load * (199 views)
> ​ 07:59 pm, 9 August, 2013
> Asking Price: $650.00
> ...


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## muncybob (Aug 15, 2013)

Ahhh, another PA wood burner I can sense your anticipation and hope all goes well for you. That $650 price on a tri-ax load is a good one, around here they are $750+...but of course it probably won't be ready to burn this year.


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## Stihlmike (Aug 15, 2013)

Wow thanks for the tip. Will contact them tonight. WIll be good to have that cut and split over the winter to dry for a year or two.


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## Ashful (Aug 15, 2013)

Stihlmike said:


> Wow thanks for the tip. Will contact them tonight. WIll be good to have that cut and split over the winter to dry for a year or two.


 
Since this guy looks like a feller, and probably processes a few truck loads per week, ask him if you can get a load that's mostly ash.  If he drops a load of oak in your lawn, you're screwed, as that won't be ready to burn for 2 - 3 years.  Ash split today might be ready to burn before the end of this season, particularly if it was standing dead.  Another choice for quicker seasoning is soft maple, but less likely to find that standing dead in western PA.


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## Seasoned Oak (Aug 15, 2013)

Stihlmike said:


> This is the woodburner I obtained from my uncle. It is brand new. It is a U.S. Stove Company 2007B.
> 
> I uploaded a pdf of the layout that i came up with so far to get approved. I may extend the base a bit..


MIke beware of this stove,i had the very same stove as my first woodstove. it almost caused me to give up the idea for good.
IT used to be called the "King" ,look on this website under stove reviews on this model.
ITs NOT an EPA stove. Its simply a steel box with a hole in the top and a small baffle in the back. MIne was advertised with 104000 BTU output. While you will get heat it is short lived. I could never get mine to burn longer than 3 hours more often 2 . No way will you EVER get anything close to an overnight burn. IT eats wood like crazy and you will be refilling every 2-3 hours.  Some users have installed a second damper in the flue pipe i order to slow the fire down but all that does is increase the risk of creosote in the flue pipe. I gave mine to my son for his garage, and bought a REAL wood stove


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## Stihlmike (Aug 15, 2013)

not what i wanted to hear. Being that it was free, I will make due for now. I will be using it as a suplement heat source as well as my oil furnace. Definetly not good to hear and kind of bums, me out, but thanks for the heads up. Looks like I will need a bit more wood.

 Looks like i will be setting an alarm and stocking it as well. I don't have the funds to get any upgraded stuff right now, but will look to do so in the future.


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## Seasoned Oak (Aug 15, 2013)

Stihlmike said:


> not what i wanted to hear. Being that it was free, I will make due for now. I will be using it as a suplement heat source as well as my oil furnace. Definetly not good to hear and kind of bums, me out, but thanks for the heads up. Looks like I will need a bit more wood.
> Looks like i will be setting an alarm and stocking it as well. I don't have the funds to get any upgraded stuff right now, but will look to do so in the future.


Not to worry,you can always use it as a supplement. One way is to do your burn get your house up top say 77-80 and if you place has any heat retention at all it can take quite a few hours to get back down to say 70. I do that in order to burn only 1 load a day in my harman instead of 2 ,1 load overnight and the house is good until the following evening unless its really cold and cloudy outside. And my house is only about 70 % insulated.


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## Stihlmike (Aug 15, 2013)

not sure if you checked out my sketch or not but the ceilings in this house are very low. 6'-6" it should heat up really well and probably will have to crack a window. I was hoping to beable to get a long overnight burn or have it going during the day. All in all is should cut back on the oil bill no matter what.

My wife will be happy if i crank it up to 80 though. We keep our house set at 65 now and the upstairs stays around 70


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## Seasoned Oak (Aug 15, 2013)

HOw many SF is the floor your heating and what is the room size?


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## BrianK (Aug 15, 2013)

Stihlmike said:


> Wow thanks for the tip. Will contact them tonight. WIll be good to have that cut and split over the winter to dry for a year or two.


 
I've been keeping an eye on all the local firewood ads on Pennswoods and Craigslist. My youngest is going to be 17 next week, and when my kids are out of the house my scrounging days are done, because my back just can't take it. Then I'll be buying it. The triaxle load advertized there seems to be one of the best deals locally.


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## MasterMech (Aug 16, 2013)

Stihlmike said:


> not what i wanted to hear. Being that it was free, I will make due for now. I will be using it as a suplement heat source as well as my oil furnace. Definetly not good to hear and kind of bums, me out, but thanks for the heads up. Looks like I will need a bit more wood.
> 
> Looks like i will be setting an alarm and stocking it as well. I don't have the funds to get any upgraded stuff right now, but will look to do so in the future.


 
Keep your eyes peeled, if there are deals to be had, particularly on Englander NC-30's, they will be posted here. Several members have obtained new stoves for under $700 IIRC. This usually happens in the early spring, the end of the burning season. Plenty of good used and nearly new stoves show up here in teh "For Sale/Wanted" forum too.

Probably could unload that US Stove on CL for a couple hundy real quick.


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## Ashful (Aug 16, 2013)

MasterMech said:


> Probably could unload that US Stove on CL for a couple hundy real quick.


...and then the buyer will come here to ask about his new stove. We are caught in a loop!


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## PapaDave (Aug 16, 2013)

Wood burning Matrix.


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## Pallet Pete (Aug 16, 2013)

PapaDave said:


> Wood burning Matrix.


( As the hearth burns ) the new daytime soap opera brought to you by hearth.com 

Pete


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## PapaDave (Aug 16, 2013)

One wood burning life to live.
Dark wood Shadows.
Days of our Wood burning Lives.
Bold and Beautiful Firewood.
Young and Restless to get more firewood.
I'll stop now.
ETA: Days of Our Logs.


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## Pallet Pete (Aug 16, 2013)

Guiding fire 
A tree apart
All my wood piles
How to survive a tree falling
Return to Peyton place woods

Ok a little obscure lol
Pete


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## Prof (Aug 16, 2013)

Hi Mike welcome to the forum. I'm from Lilly too! Small world. Send me a message if you need anything, I'd be happy to lend a hand where I can.

Dave


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## Locust (Aug 16, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Welcome, StihlMike! You're right up the road a short ways from me......I'm north of Altoona! Welcome to the nuthouse, as we like to say!
> Lots of advice to be given to a beginner, but Sav touched on some of that in his post already. Big thing is the sooner you get your wood cut, split and stacked (C/S/S, as we say), the better. Lots of us are over 3 or 4 years ahead on our wood supply.....it makes a HUGE difference when your burned seasoned wood...
> 
> Anyway, you'll learn a lot here, so enjoy your new addiction to woodburning!


 

I used to live in Ebensburg when I was going to Saint Francis University.  Nice country.


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## BrianK (Aug 16, 2013)

Prof said:


> Hi Mike welcome to the forum. I'm from Lilly too! Small world. Send me a message if you need anything, I'd be happy to lend a hand where I can.
> 
> Dave



We need to have a central PA Hearth.com meet and greet. 

Between you, Mike, Scotty, wood duck, PA Fire Bug and myself and probably others I can't recall at present we've got a pretty good representation here on the forum.


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## MasterMech (Aug 16, 2013)

Get within 3-4 hours of me and I'd be very likely to show up. I'm less than an hour from the NY/PA line on I84.


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## BrianK (Aug 16, 2013)

MasterMech said:


> Get within 3-4 hours of me and I'd be very likely to show up. I'm less than an hour from the NY/PA line on I84.



We just passed through your area on Saturday. We vacationed in New Hampshire last week, travelled out via I84 through Connecticut (ugh) and returned Saturday via the Mass Turnpike (ugh)  and visited a friend south of Albany for dinner, then took 87 South to 84, then back to route 80. 

We had a nice but brief visit at Woodstock last Thursday morning. Figured if I was in NH I had to stop.


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## MasterMech (Aug 17, 2013)

BrianK said:


> We just passed through your area on Saturday. We vacationed in New Hampshire last week, travelled out via I84 through Connecticut (ugh) and returned Saturday via the Mass Turnpike (ugh)  and visited a friend south of Albany for dinner, then took 87 South to 84, then back to route 80.
> 
> We had a nice but brief visit at Woodstock last Thursday morning. Figured if I was in NH I had to stop.


You were within 15 minutes of me.  Thought my spidey senses were tingling that day....


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## Stihlmike (Aug 19, 2013)

It is cool that we are on a forum with people from all over the world and have a few of us that close together.

I am in a bit of a bad mood today though. My STIHL cut out on me last week. Not sure exactly what the issue was but only having it for 4 days, I took it back to the dealer on Thursday at lunch time. I told them I needed it by the weekend and figured since I had just bought it there they would bump me up the list.

I checked on Friday on my way home from work, and the hadn't even looked at it yet. That changed in a hurry though. I told them that if I did not hear any progress by Wednesday I wanted a new saw. I can not afford to be waiting on parts and such, and miss two weekends in a row of not getting out there and cutting.

The issue is a bit confusing to me. The saw ran fine, then it cut out suddenly. It will run, but when you hit the throttle it kills it. Also the primar ball is not able to get any gas into it when you press it, and you can hear air when you push the button.

I am normally a patient guy, but with the winter and archery season coming, I need to get as much wood as I can by the beginning of October. I was confident I could get it done, but every day that saw is sitting in the shop, I am loosing a few days of heat.


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## Bigg_Redd (Aug 19, 2013)

Stihlmike said:


> Hello all. Just got my woodburner, and will be installing in the near future. Purchased a new STIHL saw as well. This is my rookie year and may need to rely on purchasing some wood for the winter.  I hope to get a few chord cut but it is tough when my wood truck is a Dodge neon. Hope you enjoy these few pictures.
> 
> I will upload a few pictures of my install as well. I have everything drawn up in autocad and awaiting approval from my insurance company.
> 
> Any tips for a rookie will be appreciated.


 
Here are some tips

1) Your chances of buying ready-to-burn wood are almost zilch.  Whether you cut your own wood or buy it, do so way before you plan on burning it

2) For the purposes of heating one's home the word(s) "season"/"seasoned" have no meaning with regard to your firewood. Also, because "seasoned" has no actual, quantifiable meaning.  Wood may be "seasoned" and wet.  Instead think of wood as "wet" or "dry."

3) Learn to file your chains.  It will be difficult.  You will do it wrong for a long time but eventually, with persistence you will get it right.  You can attenuate the effect of an improperly filed chain by cutting only small wood.

4) When you finally get a wood hauler, get a 3/4 ton or 1 ton.  People who buy 1/2 tons _as wood haulers_ are communists.


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## Ashful (Aug 19, 2013)

Bigg_Redd said:


> 4) When you finally get a wood hauler, get a 3/4 ton or 1 ton. People who buy 1/2 tons _as wood haulers_ are communists.


 
All great points, with the possible exception of item 4.  A 1/2 ton truck is acceptable, if you couple it with a tandem-axle trailer.


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## teutonicking (Aug 19, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Guiding fire
> A tree apart
> All my wood piles
> How to survive a tree falling
> ...


 
Remember to always wear chaps to avoid going to the General Hospital.
Your stove will be your Guiding Light.


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## TreePointer (Aug 20, 2013)

teutonicking said:


> Remember to always wear chaps to avoid going to the General Hospital.
> Your stove will be your Guiding Light.


 
+1000

That's because even the simplest chainsaw injury easily can cost a person $1000 for an ER visit..  Chaps are the best insurance policy out there for us wood cutters.


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## Seasoned Oak (Aug 20, 2013)

Girls are different ,my 16 yr old does not like anything before 2005


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