Work Done 2023

[NickW]

Finished cleaning the chimney today. Might need to fire it up for the first time this season with lows in the 30's the next 3 or 4 nights.

 

[heavy hammer]

Just been splitting up what remaining piles of rounds I have and making sure things are ready for cooler temps, We are starting to get busy again at work so the more I can get done the better. Temps went from 70's and 80's to 60's with rain.

 

[weee123]

Splitter is earning its keep

 

[qwee]

I had to go 140 miles to Boise, anyways, so I drove my truck with trailer to get a load of wood from the recycle center ($40/cord). I blew a trailer tire and was charged an arm and a leg for a replacement. I traded some firewood for a chainsaw - a Shindaiwa 575. The saw needs a new fuel line but looks clean other than that. Kind of like a Husky Rancher but better (until you need parts).

I get to the recycle center and examine the pile of wood - there isn't much this time of year - I see pine, I see elm, and maple? There are two types of maple. Hmmm, one is kind of punky looking and one is white and is hard as a rock. This is my first time with Sugar maple - what a nice wood. The other punky maple is Silver Maple. I ask for the excavator to load up my trailer.

He starts pulling out logs quickly, plop, plop, plop, onto the trailer. Hey I say, "I don't want any Cottonwood!" Three Cottonwood logs were loaded before I noticed. Sorry he says, "I don't know my woods that well." Ya, right. Darn, I wish Cottonwood didn't look like Siberian Elm.

Fifteen minutes later he has the whole trailer loaded - that would have taken me 4 hours by hand. There is Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Maple, Siberian Elm, and 3 logs of Cottonwood. I go to another small pile and hand load the pickup bed with more but smaller Sugar Maple. I have to use a chainsaw here and there. There is some already cut Silver Maple but I pass on it.

I'm new to getting wood this way. I know I'm overloaded because the connecting electrical wire and chains between the trailer and truck are dragging. Wet wood is heavy. I begin my 2-hour drive back. News flash, a fatality on the freeway - expect delays. An hour sitting and going nowhere for a 5-mile stretch, but I finally make it home - a long day. While sitting in traffic I decide to sell all of my German made saws and go 100% with the Japanese made saws - they just feel more user friendly to me and are cheaper.

 

[thewoodlands]

Today I finally cleaned two saws and then sharpened 7 chains, some were used on that old dirty pine I've been cutting so they needed some grinder time.

Hopefully tomorrow, we'll put in another two loads of pine.

 

[thewoodlands]

After putting two loads of shoulder season wood in this morning, I started bucking up this pine in the woods.

Picture 4082 is what I started with, 4084 is a picture closer to the stump end, 4085 is some of the top bucked up, 4087 is a new trail that was full of dead pine, 4089 & 4090 are some of the rounds and the last picture is what's left.

 

[Riff]

VDOT is putting in a road next to our house and the crew was kind enough to leave the wood in our yard. Will be working on this for a while, have already put up 2/3 of a cord and at this rate looks like we'll have enough wood to finally get us truly ahead by a year or two. Nice mix of maple, black walnut, pine, and osage orange.

 

[thewoodlands]

We had some rains today but I decided that some pine rounds would get split, I split four trailer loads today with two pictured.

 

[thewoodlands]

We have an outside temp of 46.8 tonight, the house temps are 69 to 71 so we'll go without a fire.

 

[thewoodlands]

I'm not sure what's going on but the camera didn't save any of the pictures from today. I took 16 loads of leaves from around & behind the outdoor fireplace to fill in a new trail. Once this area is done it will allow me to push the snow further back off the trail.

When I took the dog for a walk, I grabbed my phone and took some pictures of the area I worked on today. In picture 0856, I plan on getting rid of that downed limb and fill that area in too.

 

[Garbanzo62]

Earlier this year I took down a poplar near my pool, with all of the summer stuff going on I only had time to split about half of it. Then about 6 week ago a large oak limb came down in my back yard. Just had time buck it up. Then Last week a Dead Standing Ash on my neighbors property next to the property line fell over. Fortunately a tree on my property caught it because it would have crushed one of my cars and hit the house. Our friend with the tree service came over the next day and took it down. It was in Odd lengths between 20 and 52 inches. (My stove takes 16" FtoB and 18" StoS). Saturday, cut the Ash to lengths that would work with the stove. Sunday, Split the Oak and Poplar, Stacked the Oak on the pallet, Hauled the Ash to the back yard. Yesterday, Stacked the Poplar in front of the Oak and started Splitting the Ash. Hope to have that Split and Stacked before the weekend.

 

[thewoodlands]

Just some bucking up a pine top near a trail I was working on and then filling the low part of that area in with one and two year old ashes with some sand on top.

 

[Wildflush]

Got another cord in April and some free pallets to cross stack on. Put the pallets on patio bricks to raise it off the ground. Sweep done early May.

 

[thewoodlands]

Today I split some pine rounds from two different areas just off the trails, both loads went over to the outside fireplace. Hopefully before the rain gets here, I can get some branches over near the outside fireplace and then after it stops raining, have a nice fire with some splits and branches.

 

[jblnut]

Decided to use the new splitter as a firewood holder and it was a fantastic idea !

The boiler pad is finally full ! I'll likely fire it up in a week as we'll be seeing mid 30's for a high and high 20's for a low after a wet rainy system moves through.

In prep for the wetness coming I moved the rest of the split stuff inside. Should be 4-5 cord in here with about half being cut and split already. Hopefully this is wood for 24-25 and I won't need it this year. I should have 5-5.5 months of wood by the stove already so that puts me into April-ish before I need this stuff. Here's to hoping I don't need it this year !

 

[thewoodlands]

All the dead branches that went over to the outside fireplace today are from clearing a trail late this summer, a before and after.

 

[Garbanzo62]

Finally finished Splitting the Dead Standing Ash that almost took out one of my cars. Created a quick backless bin out of 4 pallets. (The two upright ones are just tied to trees). MC is up there so not counting on this for this year, but it was an unexpected windfall. Guestimating about a 1/2 cord

 

[NickW]

Finally finished Splitting the Dead Standing Ash that almost took out one of my cars. Created a quick backless bin out of 4 pallets. (The two upright ones are just tied to trees). MC is up there so not counting on this for this year, but it was an unexpected windfall. Guestimating about a 1/2 cord

View attachment 317220

Yep, standing dead usually isn't ready to burn except MAYBE some of the branches...

 

[Garbanzo62]

Yep, standing dead usually isn't ready to burn except MAYBE some of the branches...

At least this wasn't in the wetland part of my property. Those wick up the ground water and rot faster.

 

[NickW]

At least this wasn't in the wetland part of my property. Those wick up the ground water and rot faster.

Yeah, that's what our property in the Northwoods is like. 4-5 acres of wetlands with a bunch of dead black ash... White ash from high ground will usually season in a year, black ash from the swamp is at least 2 summers.

 

[thewoodlands]

We had more rain overnight so I spent time getting rid of the branches from some trail clearing that I did weeks back and then cleaned up a few areas around the house lot.

Picture 4111 are the pine branches from the trail clearing I did a few weeks back that were brought over to the outside fireplace, three loads out of the area in picture 4113 were reduced to ashes.

Not pictured were some ash tops that went on the fire and some cleanup along a ridge we use for walking.

 

[thewoodlands]

I did more raking around the fireplace today and dumped them in the area I've been filling in, I also put more ashes in the garbage can, it was half full. We'll use it on a certain part of the driveway once we start getting ice.

Another five loads of splits went over to the outside fireplace, just need another good rain.

Pictures 4120 & 21 are some of the areas I raked, another four loads, 4125 was full of chitty pine rounds, 4127 is the same area after splitting everything. That area would get pretty narrow in the winter time after plowing all winter but with all the rounds gone and once I get everything raked up along with zipping off the stump, it will be much easier.

 

[Gearhead660]

I did more raking around the fireplace today and dumped them in the area I've been filling in, I also put more ashes in the garbage can, it was half full. We'll use it on a certain part of the driveway once we start getting ice.

Another five loads of splits went over to the outside fireplace, just need another good rain.

Pictures 4120 & 21 are some of the areas I raked, another four loads, 4125 was full of chitty pine rounds, 4127 is the same area after splitting everything. That area would get pretty narrow in the winter time after plowing all winter but with all the rounds gone and once I get everything raked up along with zipping off the stump, it will be much easier.

View attachment 317374 View attachment 317375 View attachment 317376 View attachment 317377 View attachment 317378 View attachment 317379 View attachment 317380

You keep the woods/outside cleaner than some people keep the inside of their homes!

 

[thewoodlands]

You keep the woods/outside cleaner than some people keep the inside of their homes!

Thanks @Gearhead660 , before we started heating with wood, the trails I made were just for walking. Once we bought the woodlot the wife wanted the Rhino so the trails around the house were made wider for it.

Once we started seeing how much dead pine we had, the outside fireplace was put in (stacked rocks) and that's when I really started getting stupid about cleaning up the house lot, the wife loves the trails for walking so the cleanup continues.

My FIL once told me how much work he put in on a lot but once it was done he could sit back and enjoy it and then do x amount each year.

Today was spent cleaning out three gutters ( two on the house and one on the garage) and then raking up more leaves that were brought over to the area I've been dumping them.

 

[thewoodlands]

We put in two loads of pine and a quarter load of ash for the colder weather we have coming in starting tomorrow night.

With the help of the boss ( step ladder holder) I cleaned the last four rain gutters, I'm glad that job is finally done.

After the rain gutters were cleaned, it was time I cleaned the pellet stove, that job is done too.