Staying "clean" when cutting/splittin’ wood?

When I'm working out at the woodlot, which is about 50 miles from home, I bring a change of clothes and wear some old work cargo pants which stay in a plastic tub, along with my hard hat, boots, chaps, etc. I don't want to drive all the way home in sweaty, dirty work clothes. So, yes, I get nearly nekked (sometimes totally nekked) when changing out in the woods. When I'm working at home, splitting or stacking, I change in the mud room before going to the fridge for a beer after I'm done.

Back in the day I used to cut a lot of pine. If you do that, you can just stand your work pants up in the mud room until the next time you need them.

I have never managed to remain in any semblance of clean when working. I make it clear - I'm the man of this house and I'll do as I please. Then I get the broom and clean up as I was told. In a very manly, commanding way, of course.

On hot summer days, I grab a change of clothes and take a plunge in the creek. sooooooo nice.

Guess you could try and get the wife to do all that dirty work and just sit back and supervise :lol: I mean, you would stay prettry clean then,eh??

Didn't know it was possible to stay clean or for that matter even smell good while getting wood.

Would there be any fun in it if we did stay clean?

Like most others, I bring everything I need for the next few hours when splitting/stacking, whether its 50 miles away or 50 yards from the house. Cordless phone, cold beverages, sweat rags, mozzie repellent, etc. Like Eric, I bring a change of clothes if its far away or working at a buddies place so my truck doesnt become a Seinfeld episode. Also bring a plastic bag to put them stinky clothes in....or in real bad times, a lighter and just burn my shirt. If working by the house, I strip down before coming inside as Im covered w/ grime & sweat, boots full of wood chips, just a total mess.

When I get really hot, I just strip nekkid and jump in the pool to cool off (sorry, neighbors) or a creek if in the woods.

Yeah I'm with caber. Surf instead of creek though. I'll do as I damn well please, I'm head of the household around here. I got my wife's permission to say that

I have old work clothes which I don and doff as needed. I also use the air compressor trick, it's great

I wear a Dickies overall. I picked it up years ago when I found all of my jeans were starting to look like oil from the truck.

Matt

The only way to stay clean is to pay some other dirty guy to deliver and stack a few cords for you.

But it's not as much fun to burn someone elses wood!

:ahhh: I would be embarresed asking that question, working with wood is work and you are going to get dirty. If you are worried about getting dirty, hire someone to do your work !!

How about a Big Condom

Im working on getting my ginnie hens to pick the chips off me as i work.I think my flock must not be pure breeds cuz when i start my saw they run like hell..Guess ill have to teach my pants to walk them selves to the wash machine...ZZim

I typically brush myself off with a shop brush before doing the strip-in-the-garage thing. Saves the washing machine and/or dryer from having to deal with all the wood shrapnel.

I'm convinced that being able to do work and look like Mr. Clean is attributable to either the presence or lack a specific genetic marker. During my college summers my first cousin and I cut right of way for the local electrical co-op. We both started the day fresh and clean, did equal amounts of work and by the end of the day he still looked like The Fonz in his clean and neatly pressed white t-shirt while I looked like I had worked 40 hours hand digging my way out of Alcatraz. Some have more "work finesse" than others.

Johnbull
Central PA

Running the saw and the splitter is dirty work! I love it! You are gong to get dirty, My wife and kids get dirty when they help out too. We work as a family to heat our home, and I just don't have the "get that filth out of the house", because everybody is dirty. Maybe the answer is to ask the wife to help out. The work is half the fun of heating your home with wood, and you will get dirty when working. I would ask the wife to help out, or deal with it, that you have work to do, and will be dirty when you do it.

i don't worry about it. i also don't wear pants while splitting/stacking, just shorts. and boots.

doesn't bother me to climb in the car after working hard, either. it's just a car, and i'm the one who drives it. i'm not saving it for resale value. i admit that i used to carry a change of clothes, but i don't do that anymore.

in the summer, i'll usually take a shower after splitting in the evenings, but in the fall, maybe not. because of the tick populations, and my job, i generally take an evening shower, instead of in the morning, in order to remove the little buggers.

work clothes? all of my clothes are work clothes, and are eligible to be covered with dirt, mud, grease, oil, tree paint or whatever.

I love the smell of bar oil, two cycle exhaust and fresh cut wood in the morning... Smells like.....victory.

[quote author="wally" date="1221187785"]i don't worry about it. i also don't wear pants while splitting/stacking, just shorts. and bo

in the summer, i'll usually take a shower after splitting in the evenings, but in the fall, maybe not. because of the tick populations, and my job, i generally take an evening shower, instead of in the morning, in order to remove the little buggers

Good tip--almost forgot about the ticks.. but really, serious chit!! Actually, I always shower after gathering my wood or going thru my little forest because of the possibility of ticks. and this time of year, when I come in the house and give my head a good shake, there is usually a spider or two that seem to drop out of nowhere!

Of course, my neighbours think that I am crazy for walking thru my wood always swiping up and down with a stick in front of me? but you would be amazed at how many less spiders are brought into the house with that procedure :roll:

with the air compressor just blow the chips off. blow off the saw at the same time. head inside grab a water/ bathroom/ pet the cats and head back out and irratate my neighbors a few more hours.

Only cut and split the CLEAN trees. Leave the DIRTY ones alone.

And another zombie thread resurrected from the past. . . .

On the flip side, CookWood's comment was pretty funny.