WHEW... I'm done for today !!

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Big Donnie Brasco

Feeling the Heat
May 29, 2012
315
East Central Kansas
I got up at 4:00 am yesterday to hunt turkey, then started CSS at about noon.
Here is HALF of the oak that I split...(everything is LOOSELY stacked to help it dry).

Having never used an ax or a saw before last week, I think I'm doing ok for an IT nerd! ...ALL of this is "scrounged" so far!



Some rounds that I didn't get to...




Guarding our little wood-corner...
 
Very nice. that should be ready in a few years. It amazes me how many of us IT nerds are here on this post. Must be a way to let out our frustrations. how did you do on the huntin' ?
 
Yea, I HATE sitting at a desk, and I am a "farm-boy" at heart so I just like physical work!

As for the turkey, I tagged out with a RECORD Tom early in the season, so now I am just guiding.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Backwoods Savage
Good job. I see you picked up on the old tire trick too. Works good on the right size rounds.;)
 
Lookin' good, Donnie! :cool:
When I'm splitting I have to make sure I don't get lazy, stand up too straight, and get the ax arcing in toward my feet. !!! I use a chopping block only about 8" high...have to make sure I keep reaching and "putting the ax head into the ground under the block."
Be careful with the saw, too. If you're new at it, lots of things can happen that you haven't seen yet. Two things to keep an eye on; Make sure the chain has stopped before you move, especially in heavy brush. And be aware of where the tip of the bar is at all times. Twigs, etc. behind what you're cutting can be a hazard...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Big Donnie Brasco
Lookin' good, Donnie! :cool:
When I'm splitting I have to make sure I don't get lazy, stand up too straight, and get the ax arcing in toward my feet. !!! I use a chopping block only about 8" high...have to make sure I keep reaching and "putting the ax head into the ground under the block."
Be careful with the saw, too. If you're new at it, lots of things can happen that you haven't seen yet. Two things to keep an eye on; Make sure the chain has stopped before you move, especially in heavy brush. And be aware of where the tip of the bar is at all times. Twigs, etc. behind what you're cutting can be a hazard...


Thanks Woody! I really appreciate all the advice!

Nice to be able to learn from people with experience.

As for splitting... I split about a cord by putting the rounds on a pretty high stump! Then I had the idea of leaving the rounds right on the ground, and give myself another 24" swing distance and BOOM!!! Even the huge old knotty oak rounds gave way!! :)
 
Yeah the most dangerous things when you are cutting in the woods are behind you. The closest I have come to eating a running saw has been when I was backing away and tripped over backwards on stuff on the ground behind me.
 
Thanks Woody! I really appreciate all the advice!

Nice to be able to learn from people with experience.

As for splitting... I split about a cord by putting the rounds on a pretty high stump! Then I had the idea of leaving the rounds right on the ground, and give myself another 24" swing distance and BOOM!!! Even the huge old knotty oak rounds gave way!! :)

You definitely came upon the easiest way to split when you sat the rounds right on the ground. You're doing good work Donnie and you'll be a pro within a couple years or sooner.
 
Nice looking stacks Donnie!!

Won't be long and that back yard will be Full!!

It's a beautiful thing! Keep up the good work!
 
nicely done...
 
Nice stacks! (Note to self...don't pick on the IT guy on the phone...)!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Big Donnie Brasco
I am SERIOUSLY thinking of going back and re-splitting all of it one or two more times, so I can expedite the drying time!
 
I am SERIOUSLY thinking of going back and re-splitting all of it one or two more times, so I can expedite the drying time!

That will help quite a bit for the finished product since you are under the gun. Don't go TOO small or it may be difficult to control your stove.

From one IT nerd to another - looks great.
 
a LOT of my splits (esp hackberry) that came off LARGE rounds are "side splits. some are 10" wide but only 3-4 inches thick. I may leave those but I'll get back at the oak this weekend.

Thanks!

BDB
 
Its all about surface area. Those "planks" are probably good to go, but you get a 6 x 6 heart section of white oak and plan on that sucker taking quite awhile to get burnable.
 
IMO those splits are a good size and nice work.
He is working on a short window for seasoning. This is stuff he wants to burn this up coming season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Big Donnie Brasco
I know the OAK will not be optimum dryness this season but I think I will be ok if I watch my splits, stagger stack, and focus on the right species, and dead stuff.

I'll NEVER be in this boat again!!
 
Donnie, I think when you stated stagger-stack you are meaning cribbing like we do on the ends of the stacks. You do not have to do that at all. Just make sure when you stack it that it is stacked a bit loose. Do not aim for the really tight and neat wood pile as that should not be your goal. Your goal is to get the wood dry quickly and I think you can get it as dry in regular stacking as you can by cribbing and it is less work too. And for what it is worth, when we stack our wood in the spring at 4 1/2' high, it will lose about 6" in height by October. That is a lot of evaporation of moisture and we don't even stack in single rows. We stack in rows of 3 most times and find that all three stacks seem to shrink at the same rate.
 
He is working on a short window for seasoning. This is stuff he wants to burn this up coming season.


Didn't realize you needed them this season. Nothing else to get around that would season quicker?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.