Work Done 2024

[all night moe]

Today I messed with the LP ventless wall heater in our kitchen. Installed a new 3/8 copper feed line. The old one had a kink in it that almost choked it closed. Trying to make a universal thermocouple work. It started to really test my patience. I walled away before I decided to teach the heater a lesson.

Went outside and brought the pickup over to the wood pile for another fill. There's about a half cord parked in front of the bilco door now. I have to go unload it soon. Past couple days, while tending to the furnace, I've been grabbing arm loads of wood across the basement to stack. It would have been almost a cord that I first threw down the hatch. I burned some to stay warm these past couple days.

I also started to assemble my mini kiln down there. It's a 4x4 pallet, on top of a 4'' thick foam board. @ pallet sides and wrapping with some old plastic sheeting. The plastic is full of little holes so it should vent nicely. Heat is from a trunk of no longer used ducting. I'm necking it down to 3'' and blowing it into the floor pallet. total stack height will be 5'.

 

[Pinesmoke]

I went and worked the big beech limbs today and hauled 20 16" rounds up to the splitter. Still probably 40-50 more rounds just in the limbs. I still have 20' of the 18"+ trunk I need to buck.

My neighbor runs a fireplace and I'm appalled at his wood stack. Took him down and got the small limbs up to 4" . They seem ready to burn like I had hoped. To bad he can't burn pine or he'd be set for life.

 

[all night moe]

I went and worked the big beech limbs today and hauled 20 16" rounds up to the splitter. Still probably 40-50 more rounds just in the limbs. I still have 20' of the 18"+ trunk I need to buck.

That beech is worth the fight. Sure, there's some hotter BTU per pound stuff but, it's good stuff. Seasons well and burns nice.

 

[NickW]

4 ash, 1 sugar maple, 1 beech and 1 oak tonight.

Love me some beech. Seasons quick, burns hot, coals well.

In regards to the above posts (and I'm not trying to be difficult Moe...). Beech is pretty high on the BTU charts, but isn't all wood the same BTU by weight? Density, thereby volume, is what matters? Theoretically 50lbs of pine (or balsa even) has the same BTU content as 50lbs of hickory (or oak or ironwood...), but obviously that much pine is a much larger volume due to lower density?

 

[all night moe]

4 ash, 1 sugar maple, 1 beech and 1 oak tonight.

Love me some beech. Seasons quick, burns hot, coals well.

In regards to the above posts (and I'm not trying to be difficult Moe...). Beech is pretty high on the BTU charts, but isn't all wood the same BTU by weight? Density, thereby volume, is what matters? Theoretically 50lbs of pine (or balsa even) has the same BTU content as 50lbs of hickory (or oak or ironwood...), but obviously that much pine is a much larger volume due to lower density?

Yes sir, you are correct. What I was getting at is volume wise, to get that pound /pound, I'd rather process that beech tree compared to multiple pine trees to get that same BTU.

I'm not trying to be difficult Moe...

It's all good, my friend.

 

[Pinesmoke]

That beech is worth the fight. Sure, there's some hotter BTU per pound stuff but, it's good stuff. Seasons well and burns nice.

I have to agree. The first big rounds I split were ready to go in a couple of months. This big girl was standing dead for probably 3 years and fell last winter. I want to get it off the ground soon, now the weather is cooled down.

 

[Gearhead660]

Cut down and split up a dead pine along the fence line. Filled up the wood wagon and cleaned the ashes out of Myra.

 

[Dieselhead]

Got to work on some spruce log length. Cut for about 4 hours.

 

[qwee]

I took the big leap (for me anyways) and bought a black Friday 100' roll of Oregon chain. I'm going to start making my own chains. Also, I've been splitting away this Thanksgiving holiday. This big pile is shrinking. Maybe a few days to go if I keep at it.

Before pic - 50 foot long/15 foot wide of unsplit wood,

Some progress,

There is about 15' or 20' long pile left but it is just 10' wide - and it is mostly poplar so it shouldn't take long to split. After that is split (or before) I need to start moving all of these splits so I can get my Chevy Volt to its charger.

 

[MRD1985]

refilled the on deck rack on the porch. Fine tuned pieces to length as needed. Lots of white oak and cherry coming up.

 

[Dieselhead]

refilled the on deck rack on the porch. Fine tuned pieces to length as needed. Lots of white oak and cherry coming up.

Is cherry the reddish looking splits?

 

[thewoodlands]

I finally made my way outside for some splitting & stacking, more pine. I split & stacked three loads before I called it a day. Those were in an area I plow snow so since this last Lake Effect missed us, I wanted them out of there before another system moves in.

 

[MRD1985]

Is cherry the reddish looking splits?

Yeah. Smells fantastic too.

 

[30WCF]

Didn’t really want to start a new thread for this, but I’m comparing 1.5 year seasoned under the shed with pine cut this spring in NC.
The left is what I cut this year and left in a big uncovered stack.
The right is what I burned some of last year.

This 1/2 season uncovered is 17/19%

A year and a half covered is 16%

 

[MRD1985]

Didn’t really want to start a new thread for this, but I’m comparing 1.5 year seasoned under the shed with pine cut this spring in NC.
The left is what I cut this year and left in a big uncovered stack.
The right is what I burned some of last year.


View attachment 332798

This 1/2 season uncovered is 17/19%
View attachment 332799

View attachment 332800

A year and a half covered is 16%
View attachment 332801

View attachment 332802

Shows you all it really needs is 6 months.

 

[30WCF]

Shows you all it really needs is 6 months.

I wonder about the middle of the uncovered pile, but I’m gonna check as I go till I find it too wet.
But I burned a bunch last year that was cut down in the spring.
Obviously that’s not my goal, but I’ll probably end up getting into the fresher pine towards the end of winter as I use it to burn down the hardwood coals.
But, it’s still sitting there like this. I was gonna get it moved now that it’s cooler out.

 

[stoveliker]

(Pitch) Pine here reaches equilibrium MC in half a year (in a shed).

Once equilibrium is reached, not much change is to be expected except for seasonal fluctuations (in the equilibrium MC).

 

[NickW]

Split and stacked a bunch again today. Guessing about a cord. Takes a long time when it's all mongo stuff that needs to be vertically split to manageable chunks, then split to size...

 

[djlew]

Cold snap here in NJ. Most of my seasoned stuff needs to be further split and cut to length to fit in my tiny Jotul. Got about a fifth of a face cord done that should last a couple days. Hoping to get the rest done soon and if it lasts me until March I will be a happy camper. My guess is I will run out of the good stuff beforehand but I will still have my getting ahead pile to get ready for the future. If I were smart, I would've done this months ago... 😂

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

Filled up the porch rack last night. This rack usually lasts up to 2 weeks but with our cold snap I got 11 days.

 

[NickW]

Last of the logs are cut. Saving one of the big hollow ones for my sister for a campfire chimney log. I won't get it all split today but should make more progress there. Wife will roll her eyes when I tell her I'm probably going to make another run or two to the tree service pasture for more "good" wood yet.

 

[NickW]

Splitter needs oil so didn't get much done splitting wise. Wife's picking some up on her way home.

Don't think I ever mentioned that I have the new to me splitter running way better. Broken governor spring and some crap in the fuel line elbow; replaced springs and cleaned and she's been purring. $250 barely used splitter, $6.50 spring kit, carb cleaner = Heck of a deal.

 

[thewoodlands]

With a possible 6 inches of snow forecast, today I plowed off the 4 or 5 inches off the driveway with the tractor. We have some rains coming in at the beginning of next week so I'll keep it plowed down until I see pine needles.

It's early but it looks like the 3 point sander will get put on the tractor this week or weekend.

 

[Dieselhead]

I usually forget about my return vent covers until it’s really cold. They make a nice difference.

I don’t have covers for the vents, so I just close them to keep the cool air in the attic ductwork from wafting down through them.

 

[NickW]

Got a bunch split again today. One more day should do it for what I currently have. Not sure when I will do it though, going to be copd and windy for a couple of days.