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  1. remkel Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 21, 2010
    1,433 posts
    Southwest NH
    So I was out stacking wood tonight and began thinking about how many times I handle a piece of wood before I burn it. I have counted six times (not including the multiple times I place a log onto a splitting block). Anyone else more efficient than that?
    #1

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  2. fox9988 Feeling the Heat

    joined: Jan 15, 2012
    456 posts
    NW Arkansas
    Depending on how you count, 4 by hand.
    I fork saw the logs to stack with my tractor (I don't count this step).
    1) Place rounds on splitter.
    2) Stack splits.
    3) Restack seasoned splits on porch.
    4) Splits go directly in the stove.
    Ash removal not counted.
  3. swagler85 Minister of Fire

    joined: Mar 4, 2012
    977 posts
    NE Ohio
    For those of us that scrounge there isn't a whole lot less we can handle it. 1 buck 2 load in truck 3 unload 4 split 5 stack 6 move to covered storage (after dry for winter use) 7 carry into house 8 load stove
    Dang thats a lot after you think about it
  4. dorkweed Feeling the Heat

    joined: Jan 8, 2012
    321 posts
    The 57th State


    I'll bet you're retired..........to be able to think about such thing!!!!
    remkel likes this.
  5. bioman Burning Hunk

    joined: Dec 25, 2010
    195 posts
    mo
    I am very work alone taught, less is more. when possible! :)
  6. lowroadacres Feeling the Heat

    joined: Aug 18, 2009
    472 posts
    MB
    I try to not think about the number of hours actually involved as compared to the dollar value saved on our heat bill as I prefer to know that I am doing something I love.... That being said most of our firewood comes from within a mile of our home and from a tree service. That means I am able to minimize the number of times we move it. We also use our tractor as much as possible to simplify the process.
  7. bioman Burning Hunk

    joined: Dec 25, 2010
    195 posts
    mo
    I will never load a bucked round without splitting first, HELLO !
  8. BrotherBart He Who Moderates

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    21,922 posts
    Northern Virginia
    1. Putting the round in the trailer in the woods.
    2. Off loading it in the splitting area.
    3. Moving it to the splitter.
    4. Putting the splits in the trailer to move to the stacks.
    5. Stacking it.
    6. Moving it into the shed.
    7. Moving it into the breezeway a weeks worth at a time.
    8. Finally throwing that damned split into the stove.

    At around four thousand pounds (averaging wet/dry) a cord for oak that is a lot of weight humped for the three cords burned per season.

    I left out picking that fool doctor up by his chicken neck when he asks me if I get any exercise since I retired. >>
  9. remkel Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 21, 2010
    1,433 posts
    Southwest NH
    Hardly! I have many, many more years of work ahead of me. The thought just popped into my head while I was out there tonight....the things i occupy my mind with while doing physical labor. Who knows what will come to mind tomorrow night as I move yet another cord.
  10. swagler85 Minister of Fire

    joined: Mar 4, 2012
    977 posts
    NE Ohio
    I do all my splitting at home, splitting where I cut just doesn't work for me. I get wood from scrounges mostly and have time to work a few hours here and there. If I split where I cut much of what I cut would be gone by the next time I go back from other scroungers.
    Also I can haul a lot more per load in rounds so less trips on the trucks makes up for handling the rounds again.
  11. red oak Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 7, 2011
    602 posts
    northwest Virginia
    That's pretty much exactly what I do. And you're right - 8 times for every piece I burn - where do I find all that time?
  12. swagler85 Minister of Fire

    joined: Mar 4, 2012
    977 posts
    NE Ohio
    Good thing I enjoy the work, heck if I didnt love it I think that would just convince me to turn on the gas
  13. bogydave Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 4, 2009
    7,746 posts
    So Cent ALASKA
    6 is awesome, 4 is unheard of.
    I copied BB list & amended it for my system:
    No felling & limbing & log skidding on the list
    1. Bucking & Rolling the rounds near the wood hauler trailer.
    2. Loading it in the trailer .
    3. Off loading it in the splitting area.
    4. Moving it to the splitter.
    5. splitting & tossing into a pile
    6. Stacking it in seasoning rows.
    (6a)(some get 1 or 2 more handlings if a row falls over)
    7. Loading it in the ATV trailer headed to the shed
    8. Stacking it in the shed.
    9. Loading it in the ATV trailer headed to the house
    10. Off loading it & throwing it in the wood box.
    11. stacking it in the wood box
    12. The best part, throwing those "lovely" splits into the stove. :)

    And: +1 for the doctor LOL :)
  14. woodsmaster Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 25, 2010
    2,225 posts
    N.W. Ohio
    1 cut
    2 load
    3 unload
    4 split
    5 stack
    6 move stack to boiler shed. ( usually less than 50' )
    7 burn
  15. woodchip Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 6, 2010
    1,390 posts
    Broadstone England
    Depends on where the wood has come from.
    Worst case scenario.........
    1 Buck to 5ft.
    2 Load onto bike and push the bike through the wood home.
    3 Unload and move onto saw bench.
    4 cut to 1ft lengths.
    5 Split wood and load wheelbarrow.
    6 Unload wheelbarrow onto drying stack
    7 Move from drying stack into greenhouse due to bad weather.
    8 Move from greenhouse into wood shed once dry.
    9 Move from woodshed indoors to log basket
    10 Burn.

    Just once in my life have I been out walking along the road, found a small dry bit of wood, bought it home and put it on the fire..........[IMG]
  16. TimJ Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 10, 2012
    1,028 posts
    Southeast Indiana
    can we get a 13 out of this
  17. velvetfoot Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    4,839 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    Don't forget emptying and disposing of the ashes!
  18. Wood Duck Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 26, 2009
    3,761 posts
    Central PA
    I think my list is about like swagler85's or Brother Bart's lists, so I'll guess 8 times if you count splitting as only one. In practice I may split a round into many pieces so I will handle some of the splits many times while splitting.
  19. muncybob Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 8, 2008
    1,787 posts
    Near Williamsport, PA
    Mine is the same, but since I unload off the truck directly onto the splitter 90% of the time, I count #3 and #4 as 1 step.
  20. quads Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 19, 2005
    2,747 posts
    Central Sands, Wisconsin
    1. When I cut the tree down, I cut it up and split it where it lays, while tossing it on the trailer as I split.

    2. I haul the splits to the yard and stack as I unload, where it will season patiently for a few years.

    3. Years later, I carry the splits to within reach of the stove.
  21. PapaDave Minister of Fire

    "In practice I may split a round into many pieces so I will handle some of the splits many times while splitting."

    Good point, Wood Duck.
    Anywhere from 2-6 splits is normal. Anything larger and I quit counting.

    Log load:
    Pull log from pile
    After bucking, move to splitter
    Split (may require handling 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 splits) and throw into trailer
    Stack from trailer and wait at least 2 years (mostly oak in those loads)
    Reload trailer for move to woodshed
    Unload trailer into woodshed
    Move wood from shed onto porch in late fall (all winter long)
    Bring wood from porch into holding bin next to stove
    Put wood in stove

    I'd like to eliminate the porch portion by getting a wood dolly that I can load and just take into the house.
    Seems like I'm missing a step....or 2.
    I also went to the trouble a fews days ago to approximate how many splits I've moved in the last few years.
    The numbers were astounding.
    On the low side of about 750 splits/cord x 5 cord/year x 9 times (see above) = 33,750 splits/yr.
    If I bump the per cord number to 900, the total is 40,500. That's 243,000 splits (higher #) I've moved since we got here.
    That's not factoring in the next 2 years wood I have in the back.
    No wonder I'm tired.:cool:
    Is anybody still awake after all that?;)
  22. RORY12553 Feeling the Heat

    joined: Dec 12, 2011
    447 posts
    Southern NY
    If i had natural gas i would most likely not burn wood...although oil prices aren't bad right now and i'm going to fill the tank
    Cross Cut Saw likes this.
  23. fossil Super Moderator

    joined: Sep 30, 2007
    9,147 posts
    Bend, Oregon
    I don't pay any attention. If I really cared, I'd bring in an outside consultant:

  24. Cross Cut Saw Feeling the Heat

    I got a really good deal on 2 cords of well seasoned wood but I had to rent a uhaul to go get it.
    My wife thought I would just come home and dump it off of the truck onto our driveway to stack later. There was no way I was going to go to the trouble of loading this stuff into a wheelbarrow just to dump it on my driveway and pick it up again later to stack it! I got the truck at about 4pm, loaded it by 6pm and had it all unloaded and stacked by 10pm.

    So I guess my answer would be as few times as humanly possible.

    Did I mention that I was up at 5 am that day and worked for 9 hours before picking up the truck? What was I thinking?
  25. jeepmedic Member

    joined: Mar 7, 2012
    106 posts
    Cashton, WI
    That is exactly what I do as well. Plus cut and fell first.....

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