I posted this on another forum and didn't get much of a response, but I think you guys on here are more serious about your firewood so here you go... I finished up my 4 year plan. I cut, split, and stacked 9 cords of wood. Add that to the 6 cords of oak, cherry, and maple I had left after last winter and it got me up to 15 cords css. I had 2 large white pine trees taken down by a pro. They were too big and and too close to my house for me to drop them myself (you have to know your limits). The crew left 8' logs and hauled and chipped all the branches. So I just had to cut up the logs, split and stack. Then came the oak trees... When it comes to white oak (hard as iron), this is about as big as I can handle with my crappy 42 cc, 18" Poulan "Pro". These smaller ones (~20") are no problem: This pile is less than 1/3 of the oak split: Here is another pile of oak in front of the newly stacked pine (2.5 cords of pine - 16"x12'x5'x4 rows):
I had to get more pallets And then came the cherry...the pro dropped off 2 cords of cherry logs for me. Sweet! Some big suckers, but they cut up way easier than the oak. This is one row of the 4 rows of cherry all css: I don't have pix of the rest of the oak and all the oak stacked up, but you get the idea. So, 2.5 cords of pine, 2 cords of cherry, and 4.5 cords of red and white oak. A lot of work, but the 4 year plan is now done. 15 cords on hand lets me burn 3 - 4 cords a winter and from now on each spring I will only have to replace what I burn over the winter. Feels good to be "ahead". Now just taking the boat out and going fishing all summer! Oh and the 15 cords puts me into the realm of SWA.
Awesome job Free! You're right, this kind of work IS taken more serious and appreciated on this forum. Nice feeling indeed to be ahead; you can definitely take that boat out fishing w/a clear conscience. Thanks for the pics!
Great pics ! Great job ! But whats a 4 year plan ?? Lol. Im lucky to get what we need for the upcoming winter all ready to go . Thank goodness for fast drying Ash... Maple.. And Cherry . Also... Dont worry about "other" sites... Start hanging out here !
Looking good there. Yes the cherry is much more forgiving than the white oak, but in a few years time you are going to be very very happy watching that oak burn.
Its hard to keep up wit everything...scroungin is hard work especially fer 1 guy...with work family..huntin and everything else im tryn to get to 10 cords this year...alas its gonna be tough..lol
Nice work, whereabouts in Mass? Been mixing a cord of pine in every year. Always easy to come by, and eases the burdens of scrounging the hardwoods.
Since you don't have a stove in your signature I am sure some people around here will take all that unneeded wood off your hands!! Seriously though that is great work and Dennis will approve of the milk crate also! Gary
I have to agree with the fellas here, good work. You and I think alike in a few ways, we both have the same splitter and we setup our pallets the same way. It's simple and it works. Before you know it you'll have 20+ cords without batting and eye.
Wow, I guess you guys are more serious! I got more posts in a half hour than I got on the other forum in weeks. Ha. Thanks for all the replies. lukem + splitoak - yah, I burn about 3-4 cords a year - I just insulated the heck out of my house so it stays plenty warm. c_nice37 - I'm in S. Dartmouth. Pine is good for the shoulder seasons and I also don't mind feeding the stove non-stop with it on sundays when I am watch football. Gary - My insert is in my signature - Regency I2400, so sorry, you can't have any of my wood. As for the milk crate, its the way to go! Easy on the back and knees. My Oslo - yup, after several different variations, the pallets with PT end sticks held together with rope is the cheapest/easiest way I have found to single row stack wood. Next big job on the agenda is to build a wood shed this fall. Gonna make one that will hold about 4.5 cords. So after drying in the single stacks for years, what ever I will burn that winter will go in the shed in the fall.
Hope you don't get whiplash from trying to keep up with everyone's replies on this forum BTU... Only thing I'd add is, have a ball on that boat. Ya got the wood work, covered... .............
Welcome to FHC... Free BTU's... Looks like your gettin' er done pretty well. The only thing I might add is the stability of the 5' stacks, while drying. Might have to throw in a cross piece from one stack to the next one back. With the ground shifting, drying of the stack, and wind.
How are those stacks working out for you with the double row on a pallet? Im thinking about trying that out. Do you drive the 2x4 in the ground or just nail it to the pallet?
Welcome aboard Free BTUs. Enjoy the rest of the summer, but don't stop getting wood if you have a chance. It can now be done at a more leisurely pace. I stack 16'x5'x16" single rows and don't have a problem with falling stacks. I put a little northward lean in them so that once they dry, they're standing up straight or have a slight southward lean. I'm on sand, so things might be different where you are. Shifting ground? Quicksand or earthquake?
