Work Done 2024

[Wildflush]

See at caws leaking tarp; that is what I talked about in the other thread.

I use tarps but always folded 2 to 3x times. So far second season working good.

 

[stoveliker]

I have used tarps, but concur with @Caw's expletive
So I built a shed.

 

[Caw]

I use tarps but always folded 2 to 3x times. So far second season working good.

Yeah my tarps are usually folded at least once but this pile I had the right sized one and used it. I should have replaced it after 2 years but it's way off to the side out of sight out of mind. It's ok, I've got plenty of wood and it isn't ruined it'll be great next year.

 

[Wildflush]

Wood shed would be good but it would be in a spot that does not get a lot of light. I keep my stacks mostly in the sun where the prevailing winds will blow through them.

 

[stoveliker]

My shed gets sun - but b/c of the roof, wood only on one side is exposed to sun. 5 stacks deep...
Yet, in 3 years, my 6-8" red oak splits (soaking wet and green when it went in) were <16% (yes, 24 hrs in the house, then resplit, and the 15.3% was the highest number among 3 splits with 4 measurements each).

And I live in an area where often fog rolls in from the Long Island Sound. Summer evening breezes come in from the Sound on our cliff. Summers are said to be humid here (but that's bogus - if one has lived in East TN...).

 

[Wildflush]

My shed gets sun - but b/c of the roof, wood only on one side is exposed to sun. 5 stacks deep...
Yet, in 3 years, my 6-8" red oak splits (soaking wet and green when it went in) were <16% (yes, 24 hrs in the house, then resplit, and the 15.3% was the highest number among 3 splits with 4 measurements each).

And I live in an area where often fog rolls in from the Long Island Sound. Summer evening breezes come in from the Sound on our cliff. Summers are said to be humid here (but that's bogus - if one has lived in East TN...).

My 3 year oak was 12-15% which I was happy about. All large splits.

 

[stoveliker]

My 3 year oak was 12-15% which I was happy about. All large splits.

Yes, same here. Lowest I saw (but that might have been the fact that dry oak can be so d*mn hard that I could not get the pins in deep enough) was 11.8%, and the max, thus 15.3.
I think though that those numbers are nonsense; the things are calibrated for fir (or some softwood I believe), and I did not convert the values to oak. All that matters is that it's "quite a bit below" 20% to be perfect.

 

[Caw]

My shed gets sun - but b/c of the roof, wood only on one side is exposed to sun. 5 stacks deep...
Yet, in 3 years, my 6-8" red oak splits (soaking wet and green when it went in) were <16% (yes, 24 hrs in the house, then resplit, and the 15.3% was the highest number among 3 splits with 4 measurements each).

And I live in an area where often fog rolls in from the Long Island Sound. Summer evening breezes come in from the Sound on our cliff. Summers are said to be humid here (but that's bogus - if one has lived in East TN...).

Yeah I think if your stacks are in a good spot getting prevailing wind, sun, and at least top covered (or a shed) you can season anything in 3 years in the North East. Even multiple rows deep of large splits. It's not humid here usually (last year was an aberration and unusually wet).

My stacks are 3 deep, open on both sides, top covered, in a great spot, with all sizes of oak from toothpicks to girth lord 5-8". In 3 years it should all be perfect!

 

[all night moe]

the things are calibrated for fir (or some softwood I believe),

Slight derail here. I don't think all conifers are soft wood. Douglass fir and hemlock are some seriously strong woods. cream of the crop in construction. In comparison, I would not want to build anything structural with silver maple.

I could be wrong .....

 

[stoveliker]

Correct, afaik. Non-deciduous, then..

Turns out that for Doug fir and red oak, there's no difference...

How to Manually Make Species Corrections for Wood

When using a moisture meter for wood of a type other than what the meter is calibrated for, species corrections are a necessity for getting accurate moisture content measurements.

www.delmhorst.com

 

[Caw]

Slight derail here. I don't think all conifers are soft wood. Douglass fir and hemlock are some seriously strong woods. cream of the crop in construction. In comparison, I would not want to build anything structural with silver maple.

I could be wrong .....

For firewood purposes it's all about density. So while Doug fir has great structural strength it's less dense so a "soft" wood. I need my BTUs!

 

[thewoodlands]

It's still raining but I did plow off all the slush just so I could get down to this. I'll use the tractor bucket when I go back out, it should shave two or three inches off the rink, hopefully.

 

[Dieselhead]

Bringing in some 4 year old oak. You ever bring in wood from years ago and say "wtf was I thinking" when you see some of the splits? Way too many toothpicks for my liking lol.

View attachment 323753

I always tell myself, it’s all BTU’s...

PS Harpster makes good tarps, the brown are the best. Here’s where I get mine;

Tarps Online - Poly, Vinyl, Canvas, Mesh Tarps

 

[Caw]

I always tell myself, it’s all BTU’s...

PS Harpster makes good tarps, the brown are the best. Here’s where I get mine;

Tarps Online - Poly, Vinyl, Canvas, Mesh Tarps

Those are actually really good prices for 16 mil tarps. Only like 20% more than you'd pay for 6 mil at a Tractor Supply or Home Depot.

 

[bigealta]

Went to work today, contract climbing. Removed a huge white pine 3-4ft in dia at the base. I rode the ball of the crane for that one. Two main leaders, one side trunk, and 5 tops. After that I climbed a sugar maple to hang a rope for a pull over. My day was done. Stuck around waiting for some dead limb wood. Half a pickup load. That's my work done today. Brought home some dead sugar maple. It's still in the truck. Drove home in nasty weather and tarped it.

Wish you were around here in NJ. Need a big oak taken down, it's to big and to close to the house for me to di it.

 

[bigealta]

It's 55 degrees here today and that means mud. I needed to bring in wood but didn't want to tear up the area around my main stacks so I decided to uncover about 3/4 a cord of 3 year old oak I had stashed in a nook on the side of the house. Super muddy but I don't care about that area so I threw on some muckers. Pretty disappointing to find the tarp had failed in a bunch of places (Shocker. God damn tarps) so a good half of it was to wet. I brought the dry 1/4 cord inside and restacked the remaining 1/2 cord into a single stack. It's not "green wet" anymore but it's gotten enough rain it'll need the summer to recover. I could probably burn it in a pinch but I've got plenty of wood so I'll top cover it later today and next year it'll be perfect.

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That wet 3 year oak in the single row stack shouldn't take more than 3-4 days of good dry weather, and a day inside next to your stove, to be ready to burn.

 

[Caw]

That wet 3 year oak in the single row stack shouldn't take more than 3-4 days of good dry weather to be ready to burn.

Yeah I'll let you know when I get even 24 hours of dry weather. It like freaking Seattle out here lately with all this rain.

 

[bigealta]

Yeah I'll let you know when I get even 24 hours of dry weather. It like freaking Seattle out here lately with all this rain.

Ha yeah here too but it will dry out at some point.

 

[Wildflush]

Sometimes you just sit on the porch and let the wood come to you for stacking.

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You need some gloves for those girls! Your wife will be coming to you when they get splinters 😂

 

[Caw]

Log delivery hype! He have me two big chonkers this time, the top log is 32". 100% red oak, lots of straight pieces...going to be some great firewood. Not bad for $100!

Weather looks bad until Thursday though so I'll just stare out the window at them longingly until then.

 

[Wildflush]

Nice stuff! Enjoy your eventual workout.

 

[stoveliker]

Nice stuff! Enjoy your eventual workout.

He has a splitter now...

 

[Wildflush]

He has a splitter now...

Ohhh I thought he was still using the old school maul!

 

[Caw]

Ohhh I thought he was still using the old school maul!

Upgraded! Got the county line 25 ton at Tractor Supply for an Xmas present. They had a good sale Xmas eve. She carved through that first load I got in 2 days. Could have been one day but my back has limits.

The main issue with this load is there are two 28-32" logs. My tree guy is really good and doesn't usually give me stuff this big but he was in my neighborhood with a trailer full of oak and gave me a call. He was transparent and said there were a couple big boys this load and asked if I still wanted it which was nice of him. I of course said yes, I'll figure it out. Who am I to refuse a beautiful load of oak? I always want him to call me and keep coming back.

My guy Matt is going to come up with his MS 261 later this week when the weather clears and we'll make short work of this pile. That saw will make short work of the 30 inchers and I'll blow through the smaller stuff with my 440.

 

[Wildflush]

Upgraded! Got the county line 25 ton at Tractor Supply for an Xmas present. They had a good sale Xmas eve. She carved through that first load I got in 2 days. Could have been one day but my back has limits.

The main issue with this load is there are two 28-32" logs. My tree guy is really good and doesn't usually give me stuff this big but he was in my neighborhood with a trailer full of oak and gave me a call. He was transparent and said there were a couple big boys this load and asked if I still wanted it which was nice of him. I of course said yes, I'll figure it out. Who am I to refuse a beautiful load of oak? I always want him to call me and keep coming back.

My guy Matt is going to come up with his MS 261 later this week when the weather clears and we'll make short work of this pile. That saw will make short work of the 30 inchers and I'll blow through the smaller stuff with my 440.

View attachment 323927

Very impressive operation! Sweet Xmas present! Congrats