Work Done In 2020

[Woody Stover]

Here’s my Cherry & Hackberry from today, now it just needs split.

Nice get!
Man, that's a big Hack! I guess that's what happens when they get a lotta sun.
My nephew scored some more wood from his work buddy, who's been clearing a couple spots on his property. He didn't even know the pickup flatbed/dump load was coming; He pulled up at home, and there it was.
Red Maple this time, so we hand-split it this afternoon. Looks to be 1/2-2/3 cord. Should be dry by fall, I think. The guy is bringing five more loads. I don't know if it will all be bucked to length like the first load was, but if so it won't take them long to get well ahead on dry wood.

 

[Medic21]

I would like to say I hate you all. I would need a hovercraft to get back to the woods right now.

 

[JimBear]

I would like to say I hate you all. I would need a hovercraft to get back to the woods right now.

I was stunned I could get as close I did, it’s pretty mushy around here, rain every other day. We had 1/2” of wet snow yesterday morning then light rain all afternoon.

 

[JimBear]

Well the weather guessers were wrong, no rain today. I got the Cherry & Hackberry split this morning & all the Ash cut & most of it split. Just the big chunks left.

 

[Woody Stover]

Oooo, that Ash looks nice and clean, too.
Those are some meaty splits; What are you burning 'em in? Can put stove in your signature..

 

[JimBear]

Oooo, that Ash looks nice and clean, too.
Those are some meaty splits; What are you burning 'em in? Can put stove in your signature..

Century FW3000

 

[JimBear]

I even had an empty spot to put the Ash

 

[Woody Stover]

Holy carp, how many rows deep are those stacks??

 

[JimBear]

Some are 1, some 2 & most are 3. L-R
Small pile of Mulberry3 rows deep & 1 row high needs split, Mulberry 3 rows deep, Osage 3 rows deep, American Elm 2 rows deep needs split, Oak 1-1/2 rows, empty spot is now Ash 1 row, Cherry 2 rows, Honey Locust 3 rows, Osage 3 rows, Mulberry 3 rows cut off end off pick, then one row of Siberian/American Elm for another 45’.

 

[NickW]

I just split some 20"-22" long ash rounds I got from a tree service that were chainsawed into quarters... over 2'x2' on the flats. So wet I could barely lift them, didn't register on the moisture meter so I think that means over 50%. 89 years old. I'll post some pics of our recent activity to get ahead on the wood supply after we cut a tree down for a lady from church tomorrow... No personal contact though, she stays in we stay out. Pretty sure my piles don't compete with JimBear though.

 

[Woody Stover]

3 rows deep

Slow going here when I stack three deep, with my stacks in the woods to varying degrees where there's not a lot of breeze in the summer.
Now in IA, where it's already windy to begin with and out in those bean fields, I bet wind rips through the stacks so hard that it peels the bark off and blows it into the next country! Probably none of that "stack it for three years" nonsense for you..

 

[NickW]

Bark here on Windy Acres sometimes ends up 20 feet from the nearest pile...

Tree by the lady from church was way bigger than I remembered and had lines through it I didn't realize were there. Should have done a little more recon before saying I'd do it. 7 hours later the trailer is full, the truck is half full, made 4 runs to the village heap with brush and the trunk with 1 branch is still standing - branch is over the power line and neighbors driveway. Will go back with the chains and aircraft cable and pull it over with the old diesel.

Stacks in photo are beech, maple and ash - about 4 cord or so split and stacked. More ash in the truck and trailer. Not nearly what JimBear has, but a start on getting several years ahead. I expect to go through about 3 cord a season with the new stove. Plenty more to haul and split too.

 

[kennyp2339]

I cleaned the stoves last weekend and gave the chimneys a quick couple of sweeps with the brush. I have not been burning much but, I have a lot of wood to cut just has been to wet to try and get to it yet. Kennyp2339 how has work been are they splitting you guys up int small groups and putting you out of different locations till this blows over?

Im working from home now, they gave me a truck, Toughbook, chargers ect… I wake up, check the truck, turn my phone on, sign in on the computer and wait for my orders, we can pair up if needed but need to keep 6ft away when possible, bigger jobs make it safe, standby and let a three man crew come in.

 

[kennyp2339]

but a start on getting several years ahead.

I also use metal fence posts to hold my ends, they work great, for added strength I took a nylon rope, stacked wood about 3ft high, tied the rope even with the stack, then ran it to the other t-post on the other side of the pile, tied it off stacked more wood on the rope, as the weight increases it forces the rope down into the split groves tightening itself make that t-post super tight to the wood stack.

 

[NickW]

I find it interesting you guys talking about osage, mulberry & hackberry. I don't think I've ever seen a hackberry or osage or would know how to ID them (other than I just googled osage). The only mulberry I've seen in WI was very small, although I recall a big one at a project house for a retreat workcamp in Ill or IA... It sounds like you have significant size and quantity of them... Although, I may not be well traveled enough or have enough connections here in WI? I just got my first beech last year from 2 different spots...

 

[JimBear]

I’m not sure but I don’t think that Osage Orange grows much north of I-80 in Iowa, I could very well be mistaken. Maybe some of the folks from northern Iowa/ Illinois & Southern WI can chime in. Mulberry trees grow everywhere here, I have seen Mulberry trees around here up around 24”@ base but they usually are starting to get hollow/rotten at the base. Mulberries often grow in a clump type formation. Hackberry is a middle of the road firewood as far as btu’s, it seems to dry well. They can get rather large 36”+ @ base around here, I usually only cut them if they are in a fence row or due to be shoved out for land improvements. As far as Beech goes I don’t believe I have ever seen one or that they even grow around here.

 

[NickW]

Beech have a smooth bark. The opinions expressed here are that it is an excellent firewood but can take a little longer to season (like oak). I speed seasoned a couple of splits near the stove and they certainly burned hot and left great coals.

 

[moresnow]

I’m not sure but I don’t think that Osage Orange grows much north of I-80 in Iowa, I could very well be mistaken. Maybe some of the folks from northern Iowa/ Illinois & Southern WI can chime in. Mulberry trees grow everywhere here, I have seen Mulberry trees around here up around 24”@ base but they usually are starting to get hollow/rotten at the base. Mulberries often grow in a clump type formation. Hackberry is a middle of the road firewood as far as btu’s, it seems to dry well. They can get rather large 36”+ @ base around here, I usually only cut them if they are in a fence row or due to be shoved out for land improvements. As far as Beech goes I don’t believe I have ever seen one or that they even grow around here.

Agree with you. I only wish I had some Osage Orange up here. Mulberry and Hack is thick up here. We only take either as a second choice as well. Zero Beech here that I have layed hands on.

 

[NickW]

Well, now you guys have piqued my curiosity about beech! Did a little research and they only grow into the easternmost edges of WI & Il. Farther south they range west a bit more. I've included a couple of photos next to pieces of ash and maple for comparison. You can see how smooth the bark is - almost aspen-like... inside has a nice pink tint almost similar to cherry I'd say, but it seems to lose the color more as it ages.

 

[Gearhead660]

I find it interesting you guys talking about osage, mulberry & hackberry. I don't think I've ever seen a hackberry or osage or would know how to ID them (other than I just googled osage). The only mulberry I've seen in WI was very small, although I recall a big one at a project house for a retreat workcamp in Ill or IA... It sounds like you have significant size and quantity of them... Although, I may not be well traveled enough or have enough connections here in WI? I just got my first beech last year from 2 different spots...

Lots of Mulberry near me in southern WI. Once you have one, the birds eat the berries and spread the seeds like crazy.

 

[thewoodlands]

This was a wind damaged ash up in the bowl, all the rounds are back home and ready for splitting.

Pic 0096 is where I cut it away from the stump, 0097 is the first section I cut that rolled down the hill, 0098 ended up being 0099 after I pulled it down the hill and the rest are the two loads I brought home.

 

[Gearhead660]

This was a wind damaged ash up in the bowl, all the rounds are back home and ready for splitting.

Pic 0096 is where I cut it away from the stump, 0097 is the first section I cut that rolled down the hill, 0098 ended up being 0099 after I pulled it down the hill and the rest are the two loads I brought home.

That bucked up wood in pic 102 looks a little green...

 

[thewoodlands]

That bucked up wood in pic 102 looks a little green...

Yea, that was some soft maple mother nature took down that was very punky many years ago. I'll get that cleaned up before fall.

 

[heavy hammer]

kennyp2339 they have us broken into three or four man crews, and same guys on a crew no switching. No meeting unless in the garage bay six feet etc. between. Putting a big switch station for two of our transmission lines so we are busy just out in the woods away from everyone. Stay safe brother to you and all the guys out there we will get through it one day at a time.

 

[SpaceBus]

My wife and I have been working on a rudimentary livestock fence and building a chicken coop. We've been wanting a few animals, chickens, a few alpaca, maybe some pea fowl for a few years, but it seems more pressing now. Maybe in a year or two we can be more self sufficient.