Work Done 2023

[Woody Stover]

These were cut about a week ago, and there's already quite a bit of checking on the ends. I'm thinking that this may indicate that the splits will dry pretty quickly. 🤞

Not sure how much water that theory will hold, though. I've got some Red Oak rounds laying around that were cut many months ago, and show the same checking on the ends and along the sides of the rounds, but I'm pretty sure these will still be pretty wet inside, and that wood isn't going to dry very fast. The Oak was a dead-stander as well.

 

[stoveliker]

I have seen unchecked oak splits of 15 pct and checked oak splits of 28 pct..

 

[Woody Stover]

Well, I've altered my plan for the rest of the Big Red Elm.
I was walking around on top of the White Ash heap on the other side of SIL1's shed (uncovered) blowing off leaf accumulation, and saw a lot of smaller, shorter or thinner chunks that will already be pretty dry, after sitting out there a year and a half. I tossed that stuff on the ground, where I can hand-split it, and I'll just finish filling her shed with that.
So I grabbed the last ten rounds of the main trunk and put those outside SIL2's shed, to be split and stacked in the empty spot you see in there, in the back. I've already got about a year's worth of dry wood in there for next year, and will finish filling those two rows on the left with dry stuff from the woods as I come across it. So this trunk wood won't even need to be dry this year, and I don't have to worry about making smaller splits or anything. BTW, those are double-rows in her shed, as they are in SIL1's.
Plus I still have the dry wood in the top, forked section of big red. Might be close to 3/4 cord, maybe..? I'll stack that where I can get to it if needed. I'll also stack some at my place because... well, I just like Red Elm, and always have. 😏
SIL2 is replacing the canvas on this shed with some staggered-board fencing panels, so that will look better, as well as get more air to the stacked wood.

 

[Garbanzo62]

Well, I've altered my plan for the rest of the Big Red Elm.
I was walking around on top of the White Ash heap on the other side of SIL1's shed (uncovered) blowing off leaf accumulation, and saw a lot of smaller, shorter or thinner chunks that will already be pretty dry, after sitting out there a year and a half. I tossed that stuff on the ground, where I can hand-split it, and I'll just finish filling her shed with that.
So I grabbed the last ten rounds of the main trunk and put those outside SIL2's shed, to be split and stacked in the empty spot you see in there, in the back. I've already got about a year's worth of dry wood in there for next year, and will finish filling those two rows on the left with dry stuff from the woods as I come across it. So this trunk wood won't even need to be dry this year, and I don't have to worry about making smaller splits or anything. BTW, those are double-rows in her shed, as they are in SIL1's.
Plus I still have the dry wood in the top, forked section of big red. Might be close to 3/4 cord, maybe..? I'll stack that where I can get to it if needed. I'll also stack some at my place because... well, I just like Red Elm, and always have. 😏
SIL2 is replacing the canvas on this shed with some staggered-board fencing panels, so that will look better, as well as get more air to the stacked wood.
View attachment 311974

You're a good man for taking care of your Sister In Laws

 

[Woody Stover]

You're a good man for taking care of your Sister In Laws

Why, thank you, sir..."Good man" isn't usually how I'm described by those who know me. 😆

OK, here's a pic of said White Ash heap on the other side of shed #1, after I blew the leaves off the top and tossed smaller, drier stuff to the left end of the main heap in this pic.
Full-length splits I'll put in that shed. Shorter, blocky chunks will go to SIL2, since I already stuck her with some mill-end blocks that I got from a friend...I don't want both SILs cursing me for the chunks! 😆

 

[thewoodlands]

Today I stayed away from any dead pines and took my first ride back in so I could clear the trails after this winter. Like usual there was plenty of branches across certain trails, two maple down and one hemlock, the clearing of the branches took longer than anything else.

 

[Wildflush]

Today I stayed away from any dead pines and took my first ride back in so I could clear the trails after this winter. Like usual there was plenty of branches across certain trails, two maple down and one hemlock, the clearing of the branches took longer than anything else.

View attachment 311989 View attachment 311990 View attachment 311991 View attachment 311992 View attachment 311993 View attachment 311994 View attachment 311995 View attachment 311996 View attachment 311997 View attachment 311998

Always like your pics. Nice property. Reminds me of where I hunt in the Berkshires.

 

[thewoodlands]

Always like your pics. Nice property. Reminds me of where I hunt in the Berkshires.

Thanks @Wildflush , I try and keep the trails open and then work on anything down after that.

 

[Wildflush]

Thanks @Wildflush , I try and keep the trails open and then work on anything down after that.

Would like a property like that someday. How many acres do you maintain?

 

[thewoodlands]

Would like a property like that someday. How many acres do you maintain?

With the house property (5.5 acres) a total of 142. I still enjoy it but it seems like I do less back on the bigger property and more on the house property with all the dead pine.

 

[Gearhead660]

Why, thank you, sir..."Good man" isn't usually how I'm described by those who know me. 😆

OK, here's a pic of said White Ash heap on the other side of shed #1, after I blew the leaves off the top and tossed smaller, drier stuff to the left end of the main heap in this pic.
Full-length splits I'll put in that shed. Shorter, blocky chunks will go to SIL2, since I already stuck her with some mill-end blocks that I got from a friend...I don't want both SILs cursing me for the chunks! 😆
View attachment 311976View attachment 311977

If you cut and delivered wood for me, i wouldnt curse at you!

 

[Woody Stover]

If you cut and delivered wood for me, i wouldnt curse at you!

I might do that--I'm coming to WI in a couple of months to see family, and friends from when I was there. But if my brother puts me to work on his stacks, I might not get a chance to bring you any. 😆

 

[stoveliker]

Well, not yet work done, but "to be done".

I had one bay (of 3) in my woodshed reserved for this year. But I also had a big rack of oak and a rack of pine that I had not moved to the shed. With this weather So I have more than half my bay left.

I tried to get log length delivered (free, here, apart from a "gas money" thank you for the driver), but no one wanted to deliver 2 cords in log lengths. Only a full 20 yard truck (I estimate that at 3.5 cord). I only need about 1 cord, and the rest would go to my elderly neighbor, once split.

So, unfortunately, I had to get rounds, again. Quite a few shorties, some uglies (knotty pieces) - both for my elderly neighbor, some ant-infested pieces but also quite some good (length). Not the nicest load. A little bit of maple. But the rest is all black locust. I think this is between 1 and 2 cords of locust. And that makes me satisfied

Splitting time. (Once today's and tomorrow's 77 F goes down to lower 60s again...)

@Caw, Long Island is filled with locust. I asked 2 days ago ("black locust, oak, beech, cherry"), and already now I got lucky.

 

[Woody Stover]

Well, not yet work done, but "to be done".

unfortunately, I had to get rounds, again. Quite a few shorties, some uglies (knotty pieces) - both for my elderly neighbor, some ant-infested pieces but also quite some good (length). Not the nicest load. A little bit of maple. But the rest is all black locust. I think this is between 1 and 2 cords of locust. And that makes me satisfied.

Yeah, dealing with the chunks is part of it. Even when I cut my own, I'll have some of that. I'm not gonna throw good wood away, it's just not my nature. Sure, it's more hassle and takes more time but what the heck, I'm an old man and my time has already run out. 😆
I'm trying to get more creative in processing the chunks...making flat slabs that will stack better, mixing in full-length splits to stabilize the mess, etc.
BL, being dense wood, requires a bit more burn-in time to get enough wood gassing, but once it's going you're set for a long time before you have to think about loading again..stuff keeps the cat cranking, then the coals burning, forever!
All told, great score!

 

[thewoodlands]

I started on this maple mother nature brought down just before winter hit, in the second picture you can see a ironwood it uprooted so I grabbed that first. After the ironwood I started to go after some of the limbs.

Here are the last two pictures, you can see where it broke off the rest of the tree and what's left.

 

[NickW]

I'm jealous of you guys wooding right now. I'm grouting chimney rock 🤮.

 

[thewoodlands]

I'm jealous of you guys wooding right now. I'm grouting chimney rock 🤮.

Last year we were hot and dry in April but May was very wet, we'll see what the rest of April and May bring this year.

 

[Wildflush]

Was 89 here today. Had the mini split AC on! Did some hand splitting after dinner.

 

[thewoodlands]

Was 89 here today. Had the mini split AC on! Did some hand splitting after dinner.

We hit 80 today with some pretty good winds, once the winds picked up I left the woods.

 

[NickW]

Close to 80 today here too. I've had the windows all open here in the Northwoods since I got here Tuesday. Haven't had a fire yet, but that will change Saturday. Last of the snow and ice melted off the roof today, but there's still plenty in the woods and shade. Very muddy out.

 

[thewoodlands]

Close to 80 today here too. I've had the windows all open here in the Northwoods since I got here Tuesday. Haven't had a fire yet, but that will change Saturday. Last of the snow and ice melted off the roof today, but there's still plenty in the woods and shade. Very muddy out.

Monday we start cooling off, daytime temps in the high 50's with the temps in the morning in the 30's.

 

[Wildflush]

We hit 80 today with some pretty good winds, once the winds picked up I left the woods.

Good idea. Don’t want any widow-makers falling!

 

[NHWS]

It's up to 46 F here (33 F overnight low two days ago). Last year springter lasted until the first week of August.

 

[Woody Stover]

I fiddled around a bit yesterday. Picked and split more dry White Ash outta the heap next to SIL1's shed, which I almost have full now. No pic of that.
Then I took the splitter to SIL2's shed, where it'll be used next on the last of the Big Red Elm trunk rounds. But on the way I stopped at the heap of all heaps, my summer project, about six cords (?) which is just 100 yds. from my stacks. Heap consists of White Ash, Black Cherry, Red Elm, Sugar Maple and Persimmon.
Anyway, there were four Sugar Maple rounds at the end of the logs-on-ground portion of the heap (the bigger ones are all 24" or better) where you see the quad. I stopped there with the splitter and got three of those to liftable size (the fourth will have to be sawed.) I got a pretty good quad trailer load and put it with the Elm rounds I already had at the shed.

 

[thewoodlands]

We hit 80 again today, my job today was cleaning up an area of dead pine and some cherry. We'll be planting 8 to 10 Norway Spruce bare root trees. Hopefully they all get planted tomorrow.

The area we're planting in has taken a hit with the winds since 2008, the biggest tree that came down was under a thread I named My Neighbor's Cherry, he didn't want any so we took all of it.