4' Splits

[kopeck]

I've been on hearth for a while now and I've read plenty of threads on splitter but it seems that the way we work with wood is pretty uncommon, at least these days.

We split out wood and let it season in 4' lengths.



The method behind our madness is when the time comes for it to be fitted and put under cover we use the cordwood saw to knock those 4' sticks down to 16" sticks. It's very fast, with two people you can burn (maybe a little bit of a pun intended) through a cord.

I know the cordwood saw is another piece of equipment and it does require a tractor that not everyone has but IMHO it's really a lot easier and safer then using a chain saw. I know some people will think I'm crazy with that giant blade buzzing away but as long as that blade is sharpened correctly it cuts lit butter and it's always in the same place, unlike the bar of a chain saw.

I know of two other local folks that do things the same way we do. Thought some of you might get a kick out of it.

K

 

[ErikR]

Cool! Do you run the buzz saw off of the Farmall? Is that a B?

I've got an Allis Chalmers B in my garage in need of engine work.... Maybe this winter.

 

[Jags]

That is fairly common over the big pond. Not sure why. The vast majority of stuff I work on would be darned near impossible to work on in 4' sections.

 

[kopeck]

Cool! Do you run the buzz saw off of the Farmall? Is that a B?

I've got an Allis Chalmers B in my garage in need of engine work.... Maybe this winter.

That's a BN, the B's slightly less wide brother.

We used to run a belt driven cord wood saw on our A, I bet it was used on the BN at some point too but I've never seen it. When we got our new Kubota dad ordered a new PTO driven saw with it. It's nice not dealing with the belt. While it worked well the shaft drive and better guards were worth the upgrade.

That is fairly common over the big pond. Not sure why. The vast majority of stuff I work on would be darned near impossible to work on in 4' sections.

I think wood processors have taken the biggest bite out of dealing with wood this way around here. I find that some wood with ugly grain can be a real pain in 4' lengths but generally things work well. One big down side is chunks hitting you in the foot, 16" is much easier to walk of then 4'.

K

 

[gzecc]

I've been on hearth for a while now and I've read plenty of threads on splitter but it seems that the way we work with wood is pretty uncommon, at least these days.

We split out wood and let it season in 4' lengths.

View attachment 118046

The method behind our madness is when the time comes for it to be fitted and put under cover we use the cordwood saw to knock those 4' sticks down to 16" sticks. It's very fast, with two people you can burn (maybe a little bit of a pun intended) through a cord.

I know the cordwood saw is another piece of equipment and it does require a tractor that not everyone has but IMHO it's really a lot easier and safer then using a chain saw. I know some people will think I'm crazy with that giant blade buzzing away but as long as that blade is sharpened correctly it cuts lit butter and it's always in the same place, unlike the bar of a chain saw.

I know of two other local folks that do things the same way we do. Thought some of you might get a kick out of it.

K

Yeah, how do you get so many 4' logs? How do you do the trunks (> 24" diameter)?

 

[kopeck]

Yeah, how do you get so many 4' logs? How do you do the trunks (> 24" diameter)?

I guess I don't understand your question? Fell the tree, cut it in 4' chunks until you run into to many branches. We burn a lot of limb wood too, it gets cut 4' as well, it just doesn't get split (obviously).

As far as the 24" diameter, some trees are better left upright. If you do tackle something like that then it would be cut up 16" and then split.

K

 

[Jags]

As far as the 24" diameter, some trees are better left upright. If you do tackle something like that then it would be cut up 16" and then split.

K

Some of us deal with mostly big trees (like me). Last splitter session (and these are not even close to my biggest).

 

[Snotrocket]

Where do you live in Maine? There is a good sized farm about a mile from me that cuts their wood the same way.

I'm in Warren for reference.

 

[kopeck]

Some of us deal with mostly big trees (like me). Last splitter session (and these are not even close to my biggest).

We only cut that sized stuff if we have to (downed trees etc). It's just not worth it to us, we have access plenty of acres of smaller stuff that requires less work and burns just the same. The biggest stuff I handled was probably around 16" and that's plenty enough to handle in 4' lengths.

Where do you live in Maine? There is a good sized farm about a mile from me that cuts their wood the same way. I'm in Warren for reference.

Liberty, not far away at all.

K

 

[firefighterjake]

We only cut that sized stuff if we have to (downed trees etc). It's just not worth it to us, we have access plenty of acres of smaller stuff that requires less work and burns just the same. The biggest stuff I handled was probably around 16" and that's plenty enough to handle in 4' lengths.



Liberty, not far away at all.

K

Hey, we're practically next door neighbors! I live down the road a piece in Unity.

 

[Grisu]

I always thought wood dries the most through the ends. How long does yours need until its dry? Did you check the smaller 16" pieces for moisture content?

 

[Ashful]

Like Jags, I rarely bring home anything under 24" diameter, and most is closer to 40" diameter. It's all from storm damage, or disease. I've never cut a healthy tree anywhere near that size.

 

[kopeck]

I always thought wood dries the most through the ends. How long does yours need until its dry? Did you check the smaller 16" pieces for moisture content?

Seems to dry at a pretty normal rate. The wood that I split last January, when cut down to 16" this past month was around 25/30%. Since I moved it under cover it's lost about another 5% (and yes I'm using a new cut). Now that's mostly red maple, there's some beach in there that's run a bit higher, I also have some Oak set aside that on the two year program. Most everything that isn't oak gets a little over a year to dry before I burn it.

From my experience it's where your wood is more then how small it's cut. I had some stacked up on a hill once with complete southern exposure. That stuff dried like no ones business!

K

 

[kopeck]

Like Jags, I rarely bring home anything under 24" diameter, and most is closer to 40" diameter. It's all from storm damage, or disease. I've never cut a healthy tree anywhere near that size.

I honestly don't see a ton of hard wood that gets that big (over 24") anyway. Sure, I can find white pine like that all over the place but other then the occasional big old sugar maple or maybe a poplar I just don't see it to cut. I do have an old oak that feel down that I'm working on right now that's probably around 24". It will be cut up 16" and we will go from there.

I've got red maple 8"-12" coming out of my ears. It may not be the best wood BTU wise but it grows quick, is easy to handle and drys well too. There's a good amount of birch around as well, those seem to die before they get to big. Oak is pretty easy to come by, you just need to have a place to put it for a while before you can use it.

K

 

[kopeck]

Hey, we're practically next door neighbors! I live down the road a piece in Unity.

Small world!

K

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Cool stuff! Most of my wood gets cut to ~40" and I burn it at that length.

 

[Snotrocket]

Small world!

K

Small world indeed. I lived in Appleton for 20 years, and if you've been in Liberty for awhile I'm sure we now each other.

 

[kopeck]

Small world indeed. I lived in Appleton for 20 years, and if you've been in Liberty for awhile I'm sure we now each other.

If you know where the old Agway was in So. Liberty you know where I am.

K