Work Done in 2021

[thewoodlands]

Last weekend I started cleaning up a couple formerly dead-standing oak trees that fell over the summer. The gypsy moths took quite a toll a couple years back here, and there are many more oaks that will fall in the coming years.

Today I split and stacked that first batch (front row, not quite full) since it's raining all day. A bit more punky than I'd hope, but the solid parts are around 20% already. I think outside even covered this stack would just be a sponge, so this will have to live in the barn for now.

The shed I put up last winter and filled with mostly green oak is drying well (shrunk a lot), but the older covered stacks outside do not seem to have dried at all this summer. I think a second shed is in order so that I can get rid of all the outdoor stacks and free up space in the barn.

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View attachment 284380

Nice looking dead oak.

 

[thewoodlands]

We just brought this burl (not a great picture) up to our neighbor, we had a nice talk and found out he can use some of the pine we have for outside burning at camp and home. I'll also be looking for some other wood that he can turn, ash, cherry and maple.

 

[kennyp2339]

Worked regular shift Friday, got re-called back in for the Nor' Easter Friday night - 9pm to 1pm the next day, got home and slept a few hours, now going back in for another 16hr run

 

[MMH]

Worked regular shift Friday, got re-called back in for the Nor' Easter Friday night - 9pm to 1pm the next day, got home and slept a few hours, now going back in for another 16hr run

What do you do

 

[EbS-P]

Took down five decent sized balsam fir trees today. @MissMac I tried the bore cut on the three larger trees and really liked it. The only problem I had was the saw getting pinched due to the tension from the skidding winch. Both times I just used the MS150 to finish cutting the "holding wood". The third tree went down with the 460 trapped and landed right on the bar. I'm torn between a 16 and 18" bar to replace the bent 20" bar. Just going to break one or two of my 20" loops into whatever size I end up with.

Did my first bore cut today on a 10-11” leaner. felled into the lean. G660 28” full skip. I had it running So why not. I get why it’s safe. Made a tiny notch. i don’t recommend boring with full skip. But it works. Bored to Set the hinge. Then I decided that the notch wasnt quite right. Opened it up cleaned it out. Then cut out the back. That idea that if I messed up the hinge cut I had time to come up with a new plan is invaluable. It went right over. Nice and slow like I knew what I was doing. Left enough hinge than it hung on the stump. All the brush around helped. now I’m all cleared out for a couple big milling days. 3 or 4 crotch slabs and 8 or more off the butt log. Weather is nice enough again to get after it.

 

[SpaceBus]

Did my first bore cut today on a 10-11” leaner. felled into the lean. G660 28” full skip. I had it running So why not. I get why it’s safe. Made a tiny notch. i don’t recommend boring with full skip. But it works. Bored to Set the hinge. Then I decided that the notch wasnt quite right. Opened it up cleaned it out. Then cut out the back. That idea that if I messed up the hinge cut I had time to come up with a new plan is invaluable. It went right over. Nice and slow like I knew what I was doing. Left enough hinge than it hung on the stump. All the brush around helped. now I’m all cleared out for a couple big milling days. 3 or 4 crotch slabs and 8 or more off the butt log. Weather is nice enough again to get after it.

I'll be felling trees when the weather settles back down a bit. There are several 12"+ tall straight spruce trees that have me drooling. This cold season I'm going to try and build some more temporary fences to make a larger pasture for my alpacas and add some sheep next year. I should be able to mill more than enough lumber for the temp fencing and a shelter this winter.

 

[kennyp2339]

@MMH best job in the world Power Co

 

[thewoodlands]

It was a crazy weather day, sleet, rain and some snow turning back to rain. We had this tree taken down in 2018, it was a big ole pine leaning toward our garage with base being in bad shape.

This should be ready for next fall.

 

[thewoodlands]

Before I started on the pine today, we put in another two loads of hardwood, we have one 4 x 4 rack full of hardwood and the stuff we put in today should fill another 4 x 4 rack.

Some weather sites have us dipping down to about 26 starting tomorrow night for two nights. We'll burn pine during the day and hardwood at night if the forecast holds.

 

[thewoodlands]

I grabbed more rounds off this maple that I felled a few days ago.

Pictures 2403 & 04 is an old tree that a Pileated Woodpecker ( I think) has been after. Pictures 2405 & 06 are after I brought the load home and then went up top to grab another load of firewood. I could see a dark cloud coming in, once the winds picked up and the snow/ice pellets started coming down it was time I head home.

 

[thewoodlands]

This was a damaged maple so I c/s it today, hopefully I get this stacked tomorrow. Mother Nature gave us more sleet and snow today but nothing bad.

In picture 2407 you can see the leader on the right that was rotten and in picture 2409 you can see it after it hit the ground.

Hopefully with what I split today and some maple rounds I have here at the house, we'll have a face cord if not more.

 

[thewoodlands]

I have all the maple I split yesterday stacked, I had more rounds that I brought out days ago so I s/s that too for just over one plus face cord. Once I finish the last stack, I'll have room for two more face cord in this area for a total of 12.

We have four areas that hold 12 face each (48) one area that holds 10 (58) and the last area holds 8 for a total of 66. There is room for 2 more face in another area but I'm not sure if it will get filled this year.

 

[MMH]

@ thewoodlands, I think this has been asked before but how much land do you have?

 

[thewoodlands]

@ thewoodlands, I think this has been asked before but how much land do you have?

Between the two lots, 142 acres.

 

[MMH]

Between the two lots, 142 acres.

Wow that’s awesome. Im sure it’s a lot of work but I’m also sure I’m not the first to say Im envious.

 

[thewoodlands]

Wow that’s awesome. Im sure it’s a lot of work but I’m also sure I’m not the first to say Im envious.

Thanks, we were very surprised when the former owner offered it to us in 2006, we said yes that night.

When I first started cutting downed wood it was fun, it's still fun but gets harder the older I get but it's still nice working in the woods.

 

[thewoodlands]

This wasn't the tree I had planned on getting but since this is just off the trail and the rot had started at the bottom of this maple, I c/s/s it which finished the back face cord off.

 

[thewoodlands]

I zipped off what was left of a maple I took a week or so ago. I've had this ash that was uprooted by the wind resting on an ironwood. The ironwood had a ton of tension on it but after I took care of that, the top of the ash fell in a hemlock so I took care of the ash before I left the woods.

Picture 2442 is the maple zipped off, 2443 is the base of the ironwood, 2444 is the ash where I made my first cut, 2445 is the ash after I cut 64 inches off it, 2447 is when the ash finally came out of the hemlock, 2448 is the ash stump and the last picture is the ironwood the ash was on.

 

[clancey]

Well you had a nice day dancing in the pretty forest working...I am curious --that last picture the one with the four log cuts--how much wood would that whole log give you--maybe a 1/4 of a face or would it be less...? Nice pictures and glad someone is hard at work cleaning up the area...I feel guilty for I fell asleep and slept all day...clancey

 

[thewoodlands]

Well you had a nice day dancing in the pretty forest working...I am curious --that last picture the one with the four log cuts--how much wood would that whole log give you--maybe a 1/4 of a face or would it be less...? Nice pictures and glad someone is hard at work cleaning up the area...I feel guilty for I fell asleep and slept all day...clancey

It was a very nice day here, great for doing a bunch of things. Its not a huge ash so I'm not sure but I'll put up the pictures after I stack it. This is just a guess but the whole tree should give us almost half a face cord.

Nothing wrong with getting some rest, did you have a fire going?

 

[clancey]

Not today woodland and temperature was 70-75 degrees and full sun--kind of hot but nice and now I want snow..lol never happy..thanks clancey

 

[thewoodlands]

Not today woodland and temperature was 70-75 degrees and full sun--kind of hot but nice and now I want snow..lol never happy..thanks clancey

We have a small warmup but nothing like yours. We'll be from a high of 52 or 56 with the temps ranging from 34 to 43 in the mornings starting on Monday.

 

[Medic21]

Thankful I have access to equipment whenever I need it. Working on the woods lime behind my house again this weekend. Looking like I’ll have a good 5 cords of dead, dry ash before I move into the woods itself. Even got lucky enough to miss a nail with the saw.

 

[thewoodlands]

The back was barking after the splitting and stacking I've been doing so it has been getting a break this week, feels much better today so I'll give it Tuesday and Wednesday off and see how it feels before thinking about starting back up again..

I have been back in the woods and today the wife wanted a ride around the property so we did that. In the sun we hit 61 today.

 

[Medic21]

Another load tonight. Storage is full of seasoned wood again and I’m running out of places to stack seasoned wood. Never had this problem. Oh, yeah, screw whoever thought Daylight Savings Time was a good idea. Loose an hour after work, it was pitch black when I got out of the woods.