In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Getting closer....

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by MikeInMa, Feb 28, 2017.

  1. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    ....to the 3yr inventory.

    As some may recall I've been re-configuring my storage area.

    Most
    To the right of the flag, is 2 rows, of 3 8foot racks. About 2 cord worth of storage.

    That middle clump, is 3 rows, of 2 8foot racks. most of what's there, was a recent delivery of logs, which I CSS.

    Well, Seeing as how I now have the racks(looks so sad when they are empty), I called my wood guy and he just dropped off another load of logs.
    IMG_20170228_151717470.jpg IMG_20170228_151733594.jpg

    He said it was mostly beech. I've not had beech before, so I'm looking forward to see how it bucks and splits. I hear good things about it, though.

    Good thing I spent time sharpening up all my chains. about 5 of them.

    :woodsign::axe::axe:
     

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  2. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    Mike I predict you will love the beech. About the only problem with it is that it can be quite knotty which you know what that can mean when it comes to splitting. Yet, it doesn't split badly. Burns great. Best to give it a couple years to dry nicely. Get more if you can! Those are a nice size for handling.
     
  3. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    Good to know. My "guy" knows I'm tackling it with a 16" Husky, and hand splitting. So he keeps the sizes manageable, and tries to avoid caking the logs with mud.
     
  4. Ralphie Boy

    Ralphie Boy

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    Go man go! You're on your way to a warm future. :dex:
     
  5. Blazing

    Blazing

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    I agree nice easy size wood :thumbs:. The reason I bought my 661 was a big beech tree I could do nothing with except say ain't this a beech.
     
  6. EnglishBob

    EnglishBob

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    Ain't that a son of a beech. Soon as you cut the stuff up .......more turns up :hair:
     
  7. Jon_E

    Jon_E

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    Red oak and beech. Nice.


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  8. Boog

    Boog

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    Nice, I burn a lot of beech and red oak here too. Surprisingly, the red oak can punk up on you about 1/4 of the way into it in no time if not protected. That's been my experience with the stuff around here. White and Pin oak are never a problem but the red goes quick.
     
  9. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    His last delivery of logs, was mostly red oak. Some black birch and some white oak. He clears house lots, so that's why such the variety.

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  10. yooperdave

    yooperdave

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  11. Woodsnwoods

    Woodsnwoods

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    Beech is great stuff. Heavy but great BTU's. Time to upgrade the saw and to s hydraulic splitter!!
     
  12. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Exactly what I was going to say. Great stuff.

    That's great nice sized wood to process with a "smaller" saw. Trust me, I know what it's like to cut big tree service freebies with a 16" saw.
     
  13. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    Ive heard GREAT things about black birch and how it heats well. The fact of the matter is that I read it doesn't handle changes to its steady environment so it will only grow in its zone and its very susceptible to disease and bugs. Black and yellow are the best of the 3. Never personally burned it myself just have the white out back but the more I read about the woods I have the more often I want to try the other varieties. Having the black locust myself makes me want to compare to the honey locust and its distant cousin Hedge apple or Osage Orange. That's a wood I would LOVE to work with since the work seems worth the reward.
     
  14. Horkn

    Horkn

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    I haven't burned honey or black locust in years, and that said, I've burned neither in my EPA stove yet. I'll have to wait a couple of years, but I'm processing honey locust right now. I really want to see how exactly it stacks up to beech, ironwood and shag.
     
  15. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    They do say to season for 2 years. Haha Im ok with that but Im back and forth about it cus I hope I retain enough wood to keep my fires going. I know if I keep going its gonna stack up but honestly there's always that fear that makes you think it could go really fast because of how well my other stuff will burn. Luckily I count on large hodgepodge pieces that fill and keep the fire rolling. I found i was splitting a lot of my birch small because it has that 'match light' effect. Its good for kindling but I made a log cabin fire not long ago and it was tip top. Best fire since the rains came and motivated me to move my wood past 11 at night. Don't ask me why but it was damm fun.

    Off point question: anyone in here burn Horse chestnut?
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2017
  16. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    Started bucking the logs today. Saw was running good. I was running good. Decided to stop after a couple of hours as it was beginning to mist out.
    IMG_20170301_095220809.jpg IMG_20170301_095243852.jpg IMG_20170301_095302933.jpg

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  17. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    Well, I've been out of work for a year,(thank you corporate America) so until the lottery comes in, I'll be using my husky 435 and hand splitting for the foreseeable future.

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  18. FatBoy85

    FatBoy85

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    You know once everything gets going, You can feel the zen just flow after a bit huh? Wonderful feeling when it's just automatic no thinking involved. Just cut and split and stack,
     
  19. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    Winter is supposed to return this weekend. Hoping to have enough rounds to split Saturday and Sunday mornings. I usually don't like running the saw at those times. But, I'm happy to pound away splitting frozen rounds and moving them to their bed to sleep for the next few years.

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  20. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    Boog, even white oak will do that but it is not a problem. Just the way things are with oak.