So I'm looking for experienced opinions. I have a jackstrawed pile of random hardwoods, maybe eight to ten different species, that has been sitting since late spring. I can only guess at quantity but I'm gonna say it's between 11 and 14 cords. I'd estimate 20% of the wood is under 5" diameter and will not need to be split. Anything over 14" diameter (which is maybe ten logs) will be separated out for milling. My brother and father have agreed to come up next weekend and my brother thinks we can buck, split and transport to a pile (but not stack) all of it in a day.We have five saws between us, one Timberwolf log splitter, and a 35-hp tractor with loader, forks and carryall. The split firewood needs to be transported and dumped approximately 600 feet from the log pile, down a gravel driveway. I'm thinking my brother is wicked optimistic, but I'm wondering if, say, 12 cords bucked split and transported is even possible for three guys to do in a full day. I'm probably going to be cutting, dad will operate the splitter, and my brother will load the bucket and drive the tractor. Bro and I will switch off occasionally if he can figure out how to cut everything at 20".
I don't know if it is relevant but when going through Ancestry.com my friend has an ancestor in WV that way back before power tools had set some record for processing like 5 cords a day himself. I don't remember the details but Jacob Cale was like a logging He-man from the old articles I read.
Not sure how you are going to process all of that smaller stuff. It sounds like a day of a lot bending over depending on how you have it stacked. Cutting up the logs is my least favorite part of the job especially the small ones. The 3 of you probably could do it in 1 day, but you'll be sore. Good Luck and take a lot of pics.
It's possible but I would say 9 is more realistic how fit is your dad (his and your ages) and how you guy work as a team would matter. on other hand my grandfather and 2 brothers could fell, block, split and pile 20 cords in weekend according to his diaries they were farmers.. but also before chainsaws and tractors they used horses and routinely did 55 cord year for farm.. 25 for house 5 for kitchen Cook stove, 15 for sugar arch and 10 for extra or those in need. back when all farmers did widow rows...
Might be more efficient to move the logs whole to where you are going to stack and cut and split there. I would think it's going to be easier to move a few logs at a time, even if you chain them to the loader and drag them in reverse. And with the splits going direct to the stack, even though you weren't planning that, there is no rehandling.
First off, I hate word problems That's a tall order.... I agree with Paul bunion on moving logs 1st, and with built in ends, no crib stacking could speed things up a bunch- except that you said stacking wasn't in the cards.... My next item would be the "mixed" species situation. You are far enough ahead to not worry with stacking say, cherry with white oak, or you will separate them to quicker vs. slower seasoning? And finally, I've seen 5" diameter ANYTHING get punky if not split, here- particularly maple and other semi soft hardwoods too. I have some white oak branches (2-5" diam"), dropped in October last year, I got em in Feb/March, and by mid July they were punkin up a bit! Don't know why...... With a busy wkend ahead, stay safe, pics during WATER breaks? Can't wait to see how y'all fare. 8-10 cords is my guess. Unless someone gets picky. Then 6-9 instead.
With good teamwork, 3 experienced guys, it might be doable in a day. Starting time needs to be really early + Do you have some light stands ? Might go into the late evening. Take ibuprofen before starting,
every time i look at a pile of logs and guess the number of cords, by the time it gets stacked my guess is high. 11 cords of logs is a BIG pile! i too would do the splitting next to where the splits will get piled/stacked. its a lot easier to move logs with your tractor than small bundles of splits or even rounds. one guy on that machine can bring a log or a few down to the other buys to buck and split while the first guy is getting the next load. handling time and re-moving wood is what kills production typically. the guy on the splitter will have the strenuous job. the two guys sawing and splitting have the third task of clearing/tossing splits as the pile up at the log splitter. gotta see how fast the tractor can do a 1200' round trip and adjust accordingly to be efficient. i like to split down to about 3" rounds, and i leave the smaller stuff in the woods. good luck!
Ha. I always say, "round is a shape...". Dad's fit, but me and my brother are fat boys. Still - we can work hard so it won't be too bad.
I got a headstart Monday and yesterday, tuned up the MS362 and bucked about a cord and a half in two hours, including moving a lot of the bucked pieces out of my way. I may have a couple more people on Saturday too so I think this will work. If I had a place to stack the final split product, I would stage the splitter at the stack and simply bring the rounds to the splitter. However, in this case it will be easier to stage the splitter at the log pile and just dump the splits in a big pile. My woodshed is full of insulation boards at the moment and it will be a couple of weeks before I can remove them. They need to stay bone dry and I have no other place to put them yet. Worst case is that I have a giant pile of split wood and it sits through the winter and gets put in the woodshed in the spring. I'm about two years ahead on quantity so none of this is for 2015-2016 winter burning.
Jon_E somehow totally missed you were Green Mountain boys! Changes equation.... Of course you can get it done. And still have time to chat with your dad and give brother hard time with a drink during clean up! Pics will of course be needed to prove this..
Where's the pics?? All depends on how small you split. I've heard a guy tell me he can do 2 cord an hour, and I watched his vids, and sure, when you leave the splits big, you can chew through a lot of wood quickly. Slowest part of the operation will be the splitter (well the tractor might be as well, but the bottleneck is the splitter) and you will need to keep that going. Maybe get some video and post it up here!!
This is gooder news to hear. I was going to suggest you work on it before the weekend GTG. I had a 20 cord load that took me 1.5 years to get done by myself......I was ahead at the time. By myself, it takes about 3-4 hours/cord to cs. If you add a person, it goes more than double fast, and if you add a 3rd person........well, I'd say it's doable. 5 saws and 3 people means 3 saws with a couple backups, and the machinery will help a whole bunch. Depends on the saws too. I've got a Rancher, but someone with a faster saw could outcut me (someone with another Rancher could prolly do that), so that matters too. As long as the beer stays in the cooler until you're done, this should go well. Get at it and take pics. We're all waiting .........patiently
How about 50 cord in a day? I was told he quit counting at 35, but there were estimates of 50 at the end of the day. A different point of view, speed is on 2x as it's a little boring to watch, big fun to do though.
I'd like to have a mini excavator with a thumb for firewood processing. Just hold the log and cut off the ends at a comfortable height.
Even a bucking table, as in those videos, helps a ton! The mini excavator was one of the tools that someone brought with them for that Charity cut. There was a tool cat running around as well, and other equipment.
