Nunna the stuff I split today was that bad; grain fairly straight and clear, stringy but split largely along the grain. The tree fell over the winter, I cut it free and cut up a week ago. It was located in shady woods, moist area. It was fairly green. Got 3 more trees, all maple, 6"-8" dbh, cut a couple weeks ago, i want to cut those up today if I get iut on time.
I went saturday morning, 5am, to pick up the Red Maple I split friday before and after work. Filled the truck and trailer full and stacked it. I went back to the farm thinking there wasnt much left for me to do at the moment. Then he took me out to the back pasture they are clearing, and he says, pretty much everything here is going..... I took down a rather twisted up red maple, and then grabbed a White oak. I've got a dozen sections of red maple to attempt to split. And the oak....grew up in those woods, is 40 or 50' tall, straight, and not more than maybe 14" around. And very little canopy. THAT will be some fast and easy splitting. Heading over today for a couple hours before church. Yesterday, it was so quiet and peaceful, I just couldn't help but sharpen chains, read a little Scripture, watch the sunrise.... Sca
So I've been remiss in posting pics of the fun. They have 20 acres ish, wild critters abound here. Its good to hear roosters in the distance. I can hear the interstate a couple miles out as the crow flies. In the mornings, a cigar is critical to keeping skeeterz at bay. However, I've decided to grab one of those citronella thingies on a bamboo pole, and light that rather than smoking. This is the best place to do saw repairs, field dress chains, fill gas and bar oil containers from the larger ones (NOT whilst smoking!!) This is the back pasture, all the trees in the foreground, are to be cut. Probably 17 or so trees, many Red Maple, White Oak, the SB Hickory already gone. The ground was swampy, but is drying up, the springs here will eventually feed a pond for livestock. The first W. Oak down and bucked yesterday, to be split today The twisted Red Maple that came down yesterday, bucked, maybe split today. And, watching the sun as it rises, working down from the tops of the trees as I watch. Today's Bible verse from Psalm 92:1-2, "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O most high; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning...."(NASB) It is just glorious out here. And I get to enjoy it. These mornings are a real high, almost in a physical sense. Sirchopsalot.
Yeah, my maul found a few. Trees fell on rocks, and piles of rocks. Thankfully, my chains never found a rock!
All the White Oak from the pic above got split and stacked today. The Oak split nicely, as good as last weekend's Hickory. My friend's (not the one in the picture) stack exceeds 3 cord before this weekend, we're closing on 4, hope to make 5, assuming we stack 4.5 to 5' tall. I knocked down another White Oak today, got it mustly bucked. The top landed on the stump pile, upon which I had to climb to make some of the cuts. That tree should make for about a cord, with all the 4"-5" diameter rounds going to me, and all the rest to my friend (>15" long). Hot sweaty day here, Im a walking salt lick. Sca
Another beautiful morning here before work. Everything's wet from lastnights rain, splitting on squishy ground is a first. But man, what a glorious morning!! White oak splits today.
Rinse and repeat from yesterday..... Rain just before I got to the farm, less of a sunrise today. A wet day in the woods is better than a sunny day at the city. Got the rest of the trunk split, some long branches to cut and maybe split are whats left. It's nice reporting for duty having gotten my groove on already!
Wish i had your ambition Dave. Takes me a while to get going. Not a fan of working on wet logs either. Hats off for getting it done. No rain here again and dry as a bone.
It took a bit to get moving. It feels good to do a brief stretch Though. Probably should take a walk to get the body warmed up.
Saturday, got the 2 piles of White Oak to the storage yard. Turned out to be about a cord, mostly White Oak, some W. Pine, Ironwood, Red Maple, and exactly 2 sticks of Mtn. Laurel. This puts 6.8 cord in our friends stax, and the same in ours at his place, YTD. One more load for him puts him at 7C, a 2 year plan. For me, one more load puts me at 7C there, 27.5 total on hand for us, a 4 year plan depending on how much we go through each season. Of that 14 cord, 11 split by hand (3 more split by a friend before he moved south). So, taking a couple weeks off from hoarding to finish house projects. The ash job hopefully nets 4+ cord, possibly more. Split between friend and I. Still mulling over a place to stash that. Playing with trains in New Haven today. Sca
Sure are getting it done Dave! Good time to take off from wooding as highs in the low 90's this week.
MikeInMa: Way easier than Elm. Some Red Maple is difficult enough I just stopped. Others split rather satraight and easy. buZZsaw BRAD : i'm ok for time off, were in a good spot. My friend is in a good spot. Will chill for a bit. Got some cramps and kinks to work out. Spent the day in New Haven, east side. The smell of salt air was intoxicating (the prevailing southerly had taken over for the day), and I watched 2 very active Osprey nests off and on. Sca
I couldn't upload pics this morning. Here are the piles moved. I took a TON of rounds, Iron Wood down to 1", White Oak and Pine down to 2 or 3", and up to 4 without splitting...it'll sit for 3 years or more before using. It was different stacking loads of rounds exclusively. I like splits better, but I couldn't justify leaving that much wood rotting in the forest.
