Small branches

[nmaho]

What do you do with small branches,do you split or toss with all the brush?

 

[Chimney Smoke]

Define small. I keep everything down to around 1.5 inch diameter.

 

[nmaho]

Anything to mall to split do you put in stove in the round?

 

[mark cline]

Anything less than 3" diameter stays round

 

[Sinngetreu]

I think it depends on what the wood is. My basic size rule is, if I can stand it on the block and hit it with the axe, then it gets split.

 

[bsruther]

3" I leave round, 4", some I leave round, but most of the 4 to 5 inch I try to shave just enough off with the splitter to expose the wood. They make great little burners.

 

[paul bunion]

My tree guy's basic rule; if it fits in the chipper, that is where it goes. About the smallest that shows up here is over 12".

 

[Wood Duck]

I leave some of the small stuff round. If it won't stand up or looks like it won't split well I don't split. I try to split the stuff I can split because it makes better kindling when split, but there is a limit to the effort I'll put into splitting small wood.

 

[tfdchief]

Depends. If brush is not a problem, I don't take much small stuff. If I have to deal with the brush, I cut up and keep everything I can to limit the amount of brush. It all burns, just don't get much for your work from the small stuff.

 

[blazincajun]

I keep all branches and trim to single sections down to one inch. Throw them on top of the load and cut to length at home with mitre saw. Great kindling. I try to use as much of the tree as reasonably possible.

 

[jatoxico]

I try to shave just enough off with the splitter to expose the wood

I think that's a good policy. A little bark removal goes along way with rounds.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

below 3 inches it goes in the bonfire. everyhting else gets split, to speed seasoning.

 

[woodsman416]

I split everything starting at about 4" and up. Everything from 4" down to about 1.5" I keep separate and use for kindling.

 

[peakbagger]

I saw down to about 1.5" if its on some else's property. I try to break up the crown into reasonable to handle sections.

I don't split under about 4"

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We keep some rounds every year. Lately we have not been saving a lot of the really small stuff because we have so much of it and all our ash is dead. So rather than taking the extra time to cut up the small stuff, it gets to the brush pile. Here are some pictures and you'll see some rounds in them. In the first picture, look at the bottom of the stack. In the other 2, you see rounds set off by themselves. Those will not get split.

 

[firefighterjake]

I keep anything 1-2 inches in diameter and larger. If I can palm the round it stays a round . . . anything larger gets to meet my "leetle friend" -- a MTD splitter.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I try to keep as much as possible 2 inch and above. Oak definitely.

 

[Sinngetreu]

My tree guy's basic rule; if it fits in the chipper, that is where it goes. About the smallest that shows up here is over 12".

Yeah, but will it blend?

 

[blazincajun]

Yeah, but will it blend?

Cheap northern white pine handle

 

[Buzz Saw]

This is how we cut small stuff. http://www.google.com/url?url=http:...uzzsaw&usg=AFQjCNEUl6PTgqd_MTt1zr7h2-TAS0JtWA

Our setup is different but you get the idea

 

[NH_Wood]

I keep as much as possible - I like the small rounds for shoulder season, shop stove, and fire pit. I also keep quite a few larger rounds - up to 5-6" round, for overnight fires. Tuck two on each bottom side and fill splits around them. Cheers!

 

[Fred Wright]

We use brush for kindling - very easy to break up a tote full of twigs and they get a fire going quickly. The larger sections of brush, ones I can't break by hand get cut into lengths and are used for starter wood. We have a little electric limbing saw for just this purpose. I drive the tractor out in the woods, chain a pile of last year's brush and tow it to the yard, next to the firewood stacks.

A round has to be 3" diameter or larger for me to split.

 

[billb3]

Cheap northern white pine handle

Oh, so white pine isn't even worthy of a blender ?

 

[billb3]

I used to cut to length right down to 1", 1-1/2" for oak
Tossing those tiny things into a 3.5 cu ft firebox seems like a lot of work for small return.
Wish I had a big chipper to make wood chips.

 

[CenterTree]

I find it hard to throw any part of the tree to waste.

Heck if I could spit and stack the leaves I probably would.