Wow...if that is really 18+ cords, then he almost had to be overloaded! (legally) Must be pretty dry there that he didn't track the yard up more... Welcome to FHC thebierguy ! You're doing it right BTW
Thanks for the welcome brenndatomu. I ended up measuring the stack and came to estimate 17-17.5 cords. I asked him how much it weighed and he figured 31.5 tons or so. When I used the conversion in the resources portion FHC, I converted the 18.65 to lbs and it came right out to 65000 lbs. He did say they do not flirt with being over weight anymore Too many problems from that. My estimation is that they don't measure it on the truck - more grab a weight and do a conversion to cords. I'm not worried about the conversion. I have a big pile of wood now. The benefit with this stuff is that it is Ash with a low water content and that it has been sitting for a year prior to delivery to my house. (He bought the wood from a mill that closed recently). That's probably why the volume was so high. If it was fresh cut red oak - that'd be a different story. Luckily we are in Sand country so it dries pretty quick and where he drove, I drive my F350 all the time as well, so that area is pretty well packed down. He did drive off the beaten path a touch in one spot and sunk in an inch or two.
Yes, as long as it isn't yard tree ash. I've been processing a lot of yard tree ash, and for the most part, it's not fun to split.
Hey buZZsaw BRAD I took a few pictures of the bundles I made tonight to get ready for the weekend. Pretty simple at the moment. I probably will work to come up with another system this winter, but this is working for now. Fastening with twine does a number to my fingers after 8 or 10, but at this point, that's all I need to do in a sitting.
Nicely done. I use stretch wrap plastic in a simple jig similar to yours. Couldnt find pics of it which i have somewhere. EDIT: found a pic
I'm going to update my packaging I think. I ordered few things from Grainger for using Stretch Wrap by hand and have an idea of a jig about 36" off the ground. It's amazing how much better the stretch wrap leaves the bundles tight. I just wanted to avoid using stretch wrap due to it kind of a pain to get rid of.
Started really processing the Ash. Plan is to get a big pile of rounds built up and then start splitting. I'd like to get a cord of the ash split and stacked in the next week so it has a little chance to dry before next spring.
I order my stretch wrap from Uline. PITA as i will unroll on an ironing board and reroll with an empty tube so i end up with 9' pieces of wrap per bundle. Looking good with the ash. Nice set up!
The scrap wood from my deck removal last year pays off again. Used a few of the 2x6's and 2x4's (cedar) to build a new bundle jig that is 3' off the ground. A nice height for me. Now this jig can be used for both stretch wrap and twine. Ran a few test bundles last night as well.
I love it. I think i will make one so i can mount the roll of wrap and have a crank handle similar to commercial units. Nicely done and great repurpose! What is your finished bundle size? Mine are 9x9x16 approx.
buZZsaw BRAD I've been thinking of ways to do create a unit like you describe as well. I think the best way would be to #1 get a welder, and then build it out of steel. There may be to do it out of wood, but not sure. The biggest thing I'm trying to figure out is the rotation assembly that holds the arm but is also the main support for the bundle as well. The jig is 9x916 as well. I typically fill the bundles a little taller than the 9" though, to make them slightly oversized and better value than your gas station bundle. Even though, my wood may be of better value the way it is (Gas stations here are selling for $6 @ 0.75 cubic feet). Side Story: We went camping last weekend. Rules for state campgrounds is no firewood from outside a 10 mile radius, or it has to be certified. So I purchased a couple bundles of wood from a gas station and I also brought a few of my own bundles (I'm right around the 10 mile range to the campground we were at). I had just received the Moisture Meter I ordered from Home Depot and was curious in the quality of the "certified" wood. Once we got to fire making, I did a couple split readings on the wood I purchased and my own wood. Part of my bundles contained a few pieces of oak that had been cut into rounds for a year and has been split/stacked/covered for about 11 months - they tested at around 20-22%. The other wood (birch, maple, elm) ranged in seasoning from 1-3 years. They all tested in the 16-18% range. The "certified" wood I purchased. The fresh splits on some pieces ranged in 30-39% moisture and sizzled like a snake.
Now that you have your moisture meter, what is the moisture content of that ash you are bucking? I think you said it was dead for a while before they delivered it, right? I have a feeling, that any of that ash that you get split now, will be 100% ready by next fall. What I've seen around here, is that dead ash that I had just cut, then split and stacked, is under 20% mc after a summer of drying.
Thats funny. Maybe it was certified to be wood!!! I love scrounging my own wood when going camping. Ive brought my own bundles/storage tote fulls of wood from home. One of my pallet suppliers has these nice 1x4 rough sawn hardwood (oak & maple) boards which ill cut and bundles to take with us. We cook right over the coals too and the fire burns for several hours at night so lots needed. How did you wrap the bundles with plastic...precut lengths of full roll?
There's something about camping. We had a fire pretty much going the entire waking hours we were there. Wake up > start a fire to make some coffee over. For the wrapping, I am able to get the roll underneath the bundle while still in the jig. I picked up some end cap things for the rolls that allow the roll to spin while you hang on to it. They didn't work the greatest but got the job done. I will be purchasing one of the dispensers to use as I can use one hand to transfer underneath the bundle in the jig. Maybe I will figure out a way to incorporate this thing into a automatic wrapping jig.
I had to make some more bundles yesterday and what better to display the process than put a vid up on the Tube.
