When I was a kid we didn't have anywhere to cut of our own. Dad didn't have a truck so he ended up making a trailer. I limbed with a hatchet and he cut. When he deemed me old enough to run a saw I used a little Homelite Super 2, I think I was around 8 or 9 years old. An older lady who was a friend said we could cut in her woods but she wanted NO live trees cut and no driveways made. we ended up using a lawn tractor and little trailer which I loaded and loaded in the other trailer while dad was sawing. We respected her wishes, kept our word and treated her land with respect. She told her friends and we got in with farmers and fencerows and had WAY more wood than we could ever use. WALK in on the wet days and cut and haul when it was fit or frozen. Too hot? Work in the morning and evenings. What I'm getting at is you don't have to have the biggest, fastest stuff to do this. My ONLY saw for years was a 009 stihl. I'd run 2 1/2 gallons of fuel through it a DAY sometimes. For a kid that's pretty good. Only time we would stay in was when it was raining or there was ice on everything. Even on those days we would split at home, repair stuff but do something. It's all about time management and working smart. Tree trimmers, excavating guys, farmers and property managers are all great sources. I had a buddy tell me his Dad worked at a golf course and they had a pile of wood they wanted to get moved from all their cleanups. Cut in various lengths and the "pile" was about 60 cord in my estimation. I was full so I passed but told friends about it. It's out there, find it.
Yep, always be ready to adjust your plans. I've been going out and splitting/stacking for less than an hour/day for the last few days. I've gotten about 1/3 cord done doing that. Slow? You betcha, but it's gettin' done. Yesterday was 45 minutes, and that included gassing up the tractor, and the splitter. I'll probably spend the next couple days finishing up the rest. We all do. It's called tough love. We love our fellow hoarders, and want the best for every one of them.
At my SisIL's place, I used a garden tractor and a small trailer to get in the woods as far as I could, then walked the rest of the way for whatever down stuff I could find. Cut it up, then walk a round at a time back to the trailer. Sometimes, a couple hundred feet. I've cut log loads in my driveway when it was WELL below freezing. It can be done. I know you've had/have some issues, Kimberly, so do whatever you can.
I can honestly say that when I've been sick, back issues and such, I've always noticed I feel better once I start working. Seems your mind forgets about your ailments and it always made me feel better mentally that I'm getting something done as opposed to sitting in the house. I've always taken the attitude that anything is better than nothing.
Well, the dead white oak was a dead red oak; the bark was too far gone to tell; it is now at the house and split. Moisture meter does show it is too wet but if I am cutting and splitting for next year that is OK too. Going back out now.
At this point, I think I would buy the driest stuff I can find. Resplit smaller and stack if not fully dry. Winter is just around the corner, so I would forget about next year's wood. I would put NO effort on anything that I will not burn this year, until this year is covered. Cordwood, mill ends, whatever it takes; it is time to scrounge! Or maybe the fake logs (I forget the product name) that bobdog2o02 has been talking about.
Yup, couple of those bricks thrown on some hot coals makes a secondary burn type stove really "walk n talk", probably would a cat stove too
Its actually to much for my bk..... The cat cant burn the smoke as fast as the bricks want to burn and i run into a smoky chimney. Definitely ideal for a tube stove.
