Colder here. What's your temp? What ya burnin?

37 with a dreary rain/snow mix that’ll last until tomorrow morning. Currently burning red and chestnut oak skinnies that are well into the coaling stage.

 

Saturday morning, great coffee, it's supposed to snow 3-6" today, and put a white blanket on the ground to be pretty for next weeks visit by my daughter and her little brood, SIL, 5-year-old grandson, and their German Shepard mix. After missing Christmas with them last year, this is a big deal at my house.

Burnin' 2 year+ oak. Sooner or later I'll get off this 'puter and get about some minor chores.

 

Finished up burning the last of my shoulder wood for the season yesterday. I will be burning mostly oak for the rest of the winter.

 

Right on schedule with the solstice

 

How long do you have to season the oak? I hear 3 years for many regions. We were -20c/-4f under clear skies at midnight but I woke to -13c/8f and snowing moderately. Larch in the box this morning.

 

My oak is good after 2 years C/S/S and covered. But less than 18 months and it'll sizzle as it burns. 2 plus years, it's a joy.

 

Was 19 out mid morning, loaded the OWB up with a few splits of basswood then the rest maple and some red oak limb wood

 

I think the oak I am burning now was put into the shed back in 2017 and it may have been stacked outside for a while before that. I am working on a 5-6 year plan now.

 

40, damp, and dreary. Cherry in the boiler.

Shoveled some cherry charcoal out if the boiler this morning for smoked salmon... Smelled amazing.

 

35F and lightly snowing. The last of the shoulder wood for fall should be in the stove tomorrow morning, then I will switch to oak / locust for the remainder. Load of white birch limbs are coming to life now.

 

Been in the mid teens at sun rise and a blanket of snow from last weeks storms. Have a break in the weather until Monday with more rain and snow through Christmas. Burning mainly almond and walnut with a little lodge pole here and there.... Get the downstairs up to 80 and 75 upstairs quick if I (or the wife) wants.... 40 and sunny right now.

 

That's one of the biggest learning things.
Before getting dressed, already have it figured out how that will be accomplished.
Worse thing a person can do is let themselves get dehydrated. In the cold that happens Real fast.

 

Hey Cold Trigger Finger , I owe ya one. I ended up having to go back to the place I cut that big Poplar tree & bust that stuff down. His firewood guys couldn't handle it. I put the .404 set up on the 660 & man did that work better! Was 28F & snowing this morning, that was good working weather, 33 & damp now. I finally gave up & dug through the wood shed to the spring shoulder wood to burn now till winter actually shows up if it does.

 

That's GREAT !!
I'm really glad it helped. And a 660 with a 36 is a pretty easy handling saw. With Lots of power !
I HATE a sticky bar in the cut ! Makes me feel like I'm stupid and don't know what I'm doing. Plus it's a lot more work !! Harder on the mounts and my scale goes down .
Because of the age of most of the old growth we cut in s.e.Ak. Some of them get Hard !
When there are 20 to 40 or more growth rings per inch. On the north side of a mountain or something, the timber grows slower.
Granted, it's not as hard as Rock Maple or something . But harder than a lot of the modern young deciduous trees that make such good firewood.
I've fell millions of feet of that stuff with chisel ground or filed 404 chain and never had a problem with speed of cutting. And when I was in wetter wood or red cedar the cutting speed with 404 was better.
I've watched several you Tube vids of guys doing speed bucks with different powerheads where it was the bar and chain getting plugged with chips that slowed the whole cut down.

 

Heading down to 0 tonight, We'll see.

Hey hovlandhomestead I could hear ice augers running out on the lake today while on our morning walk.

 

I found 5” on the lake a couple blocks from home this morning.



Pike started running about 10 AM. Saw a bowfin, a bass, and a few perch early.

I was using my Michigan made spear. It is light and travels well in my sled prior to being able to drive out.

It is 10f here, heading for 3 or 4. Should make another inch or so tonight.

 

What is this ice you men speak of? Been a long time since we've had good ice here.

 

22 out right now with no wind, it feels nice out, moon is full and very bright, can see a long ways.
Filled the OWB with maple and a few 24" splits of red oak.



Phone don't take the best night photos, but was kinda just standing by the OWB after I filled it enjoying the nice winter night and it looked kinda cool with the moon shining bright through the clouds and the yard light so tried taking a photo of it.

 

20* now heading to 12*, a load of Shagbark going in tonight.

 

31 headed to 23. Finally got some red oak burning.


Mike in Okla