How many get stressed over splitting wood?

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Vikestand

Vikestand

Feeling the Heat
Oct 29, 2014
292
Missurah
I've read a few posts around here lately of guys being stressed with the lack of time to split wood. I live in a climate that doesn't get to extreme lows very often but it can stay in the 30's for about 4 months on a cold year. It saves our electric bill about 300$ during a cold spell as we live in an old farm house.

I was looking at the huge pile of unsplit wood and found myself a bit stressed. We've had some bad storms roll through this year so I am way ahead on the wood pile. I have this years split and stacked for about a year now but just can't find the time to get the rest done to finally get ahead. New teaching job starting up, grass cutting is never ending until it's time to start burning. So yeah I can relate to those who stress over this stuff. :mad:
 
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Yeah. This place seems to be full of two extremes.
Either playing catch up just not sure if the wood will be good this year. Or guys that are 5 years ahead.
I am working on my 17-18 winter stacks. I still don't have all the trees in I want. Probably won't get to splitting it until this fall
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Lcback said:
Yeah. This place seems to be full of two extremes.
Either playing catch up just not sure if the wood will be good this year. Or guys that are 5 years ahead.
I am working on my 17-18 winter stacks. I still don't have all the trees in I want. Probably won't get to splitting it until this fall
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+1. Half way into 17-18'. The good news is, most wood will dry to sufficient level inside of one year. Very dense stuff, no. My chimney sweep said I must be burning very dry wood due to his sweeping of chimney. Most of the wood burned was in the ballpark of a year css. I would recommend being creative in making time to do it. Some here have talked about using night work lights so that you can work after dark if you wanted to. I do this and I try to be aware that I am still working after dark so use more caution
 
I split when I can, half an hour here or there adds up pretty quick. I just use a maul, so I rarely split longer than 2 hours at a stretch anyway. In summer it may be 30 minutes and then take a break. If I had to do it all in a week or a weekend I would get stressed but stretching it out over a year makes it easier to handle.
 
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I was stressed....then I bought about 5 cord to get ahead. Now I can relax a bit.

One way to help me plan..during the summer I walk my property with a can of spray paint and mark the trees I'm going to drop in the fall. This helps me see and plan the work to be done instead of just knowing I have a bunch of work ahead. Much like lean manufacturing methodology teaches...this is visual management.

Wood saves me about $2000 per year...it's cold here on a normal winter and oil is the other option for me.
 
This past winter was my first burning wood. It didn't go well but I got through it. I just told myself I need to do better each year.
Last year this time I was still splitting cherry to be burned that winter.
This year I had it all split and stacked by February.
If I can get it all split and stacked by October this time I consider I'm at least improving.

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If you have three to four years worth sitting split cut stacked ready to go the stress is problem less than having nothing for the coming year. If you stay on it, the projects get done. A half hour here and there working at it will surprise you how much does get accomplished. Plus as said above swinging a maul smashing through some wood is a great stress reliever. Just don't consume yourself with the little things of everyday life. Everyone has stress or projects that need done. Enjoy working at the wood pile when it becomes work is when it's not fun, most of us burn wood here because we enjoy the life style it add to our current life.
 
Picked up that DR 28ton fly weel log splitter. Let me tell you guys, it's awesome! Took the stress right out of it.

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I don't stress over the splitting, but the stacking stresses me the F out. Have about 5 more cord to go, of course I have to move all the splits to the other side of the yard this side is full.
 
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Mitchhorne8 said:
Picked up that DR 28ton fly weel log splitter. Let me tell you guys, it's awesome! Took the stress right out of it.

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Is there a benefit to the fly wheel style vs. the hydraulic splitter?

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Wawa Coffee said:
Is there a benefit to the fly wheel style vs. the hydraulic splitter?

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Speed, speed,speed. Definitely 2x times faster maybe 3x times faster. I haven't tried yet but I don't think me and my brother would keep up with it. And no lack for power

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Mitchhorne8 said:
Speed, speed,speed. Definitely 2x times faster maybe 3x times faster. I haven't tried yet but I don't think me and my brother would keep up with it. And no lack for power

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I just always assumed that nothing could compete with hydraulic splitters for sheer power. I imagine splitting large twisted pieces might get tough with the fly wheel.

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Wawa Coffee said:
I just always assumed that nothing could compete with hydraulic splitters for sheer power. I imagine splitting large twisted pieces might get tough with the fly wheel.

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Haven't run into any yet. I've been mostly splitting maple.

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I don't stress about cutting wood. On the other hand, the wifey stresses about the wood when it is not cut up.
Then she stresses about it not being stacked.
I cannot win... :) :) :)
 
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I used to stress before I got ahead. Now the energy spent stressing is spent being greedy to see how many years ahead I can get!
 
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I'm 10 years ahead. Stacking still stresses me out. The splits are in the way and I HATE stacking.
 
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7acres said:
I used to stress before I got ahead. Now the energy spent stressing is spent being greedy to see how many years ahead I can get!
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I'm at 4-5 years including this winters wood. Thats guesstimating at 3 cord per year. New stove (IS) and new house currently being built (will be close to 3100 sq ft finished). I hope to do 90% of my heating w/ wood. I'll find out soon enough!
 
Lcback said:
Yeah. This place seems to be full of two extremes.
Either playing catch up just not sure if the wood will be good this year. Or guys that are 5 years ahead.
Click to expand...

I'm an odd ball I guess. Each year I cut, split, and stack the wood for the winter after next. So I stay two years ahead. Same amount as if I was cutting for this coming winter but it allows me to break a leg or fail and still have heat this coming winter. Plus all wood is two years seasoned as it is burnt.

No stress, but procrastination. I dislike stacking so I stare at a huge pile of splits until I finally start seeing my summer slip away and then make time to stack. As was said, an hour here and there is all it really takes but I prefer marathon days like yesterday where I work on it for 12 hours straight and make a real dent in it.

It helps that our grass growing really slows down in August.
 
Maybe we can convince our wives to get one of these... ;)



Wonder if they make machines to stack wood? :)
 
it stresses me out a little bit. I have about 2 cord CSS, and about 5 more that are piled up in various stages... I did just get a DHT 22 on friday, so that might help out! we have so many other projects that I have been trying to take care of around the house that I haven't been able to justify spending that time splitting wood. i have been trying, and everyone in the house is aware that we want the wood for winter, but it has been tough to get to. I keep saying that I am going to set up some work lights out back, but then end up not wanting to split in the dark. One of these years I will get it down. I did go through the other day and mark the trees that are coming down in the yard, but need to make sure the stacks are out of the way before I drop them!
 
No not stressed over splitting ive got enough split wood for 4 to 5 years possibly even more my problem is stacking it.

I have several large 5 foot tall round piles of split wood built up and can't seem to find the energy or time to stack it. I figure it needs 2 years to dry so it can stay in a pile another year

Someone needs to invent a machine that stacks wood for you
 
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