How many hours a year do you spend processing your firewood?

[Lumber-Jack]

It's not likely too many of you keep actual log books, but perhaps you could make a rough estimate of how much time you think you actually spend cutting, splitting, transporting, and stacking your firewood to heat your house for a year.
Now I know that some of you are playing catch up, trying to get a few years ahead, and of course will be spending more time then you would to just trying to replace the wood you burned last year, so you'll have to estimate again how much time it takes you just to replace the wood you burn in a year.

It will be interesting to see how much time people actually expend per year just to heat their homes for one year.

 

[cptoneleg]

Thats hard for me to say because I had retired for 2 years, and I c/s/s about 20 cords, then I went back to work and have only time to cut about a cord.
I went back to work to get some rest.

 

[Ashful]

Last year:

3 or 4 days felling, limbing, skidding, bucking approx 22 cords

2 days hauling 8 of those cords home (the rest was on my land or delivered)

4-5 days splitting got me thru 12 cords

Assuming average 8 hour days = 80 hours total

 

[wolfonahill]

I'm also very interested in other's responses. I can't really make an accurate estimate myself as Im a relatively new wood burner whose still trying to get 3 yrs ahead. Im quite sure though that if i was given an hourly rate based on how much Im saving in oil money, i would be making less than minimum wage. Still no regrets though. I love the sustainability aspect, the ambiance, etc. and the work involved isn't so bad- just a hell of a lot of time needs to be invested every year...

 

[tsquini]

Bucking up 8 chords - 30 hrs
Chopping - 15 hrs
Stacking - 10 hrs

That time is usually spread out between a few weeks.

 

[PapaDave]

Ok, I'll play.
When I had log loads, it took approx. 40-50 hours to do a years worth.....5 cord.
Now that I'm going into the woods more to get firewood, I don't know.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

For me it's fairly simple to calculate as I just try to restock my woodshed each fall, plus one extra cord of rounds, and when ever I go out after wood I come back with one cord per trip. Generally it takes 4 cord a year so that is 4 trips, each trips last between 4 to 6 hours, and if I allow extra couple hours for splitting (6+2=8) it just about cover it. So 4 trips times 8 hours each = 32 hours a year. Mind you I don't work alone, so there are more hours spent in total to heat the house, they just aren't my hours. My personal hours spent adds up to about 32 hours a year cutting, splitting and stacking firewood, and that's about it. So, for me it certainly doesn't warrant neglecting other forms of workouts or exercise, and I can't really even call it much of a hobby for the small amount of time spent at it per year. I guess that's why I enjoy getting out and cutting wood so much, I just don't get to do it very much.
I'm sure I spend more time on internet forums reading about it then I do actually doing it.

 

[Jon1270]

I'd say solidly under 40 hours. I hand-split, but I don't drive far to get wood and often it's already been bucked for me by tree services. Most recently I got about 1/3 - 1/2 a cord from a house just a few hundred feet down the block. But like Lumber Jack wrote, I spend considerably more time on woodburning-related internet forums and fixing old chainsaws that I don't really need.

 

[PapaDave]

It takes about 1.5-2 hours for me to buck up a tree in the woods, load it in the Jeep, then drive it home.
It's just about 1/6th cord. Another 1/2 hour or so to split, then another 1/2 to stack.....those might be a little conservative, because I don't rush.
About double to do that than what it takes when doing log loads.
These #s are quite variable, depending on conditions, etc. when in the woods.

 

[muncybob]

For me it comes down to 2 answers...I spend about 30 hours per year on the wood I burn. I spend more time than that if there is wood to be had for future years burning. I'm sure I am well overe 40 hours this year as CL has been kind to me!

 

[Hickorynut]

I chose 40 to 100 hours but getting enough for one year is probably closer to 100. I don't work very fast and handsplit all my wood. This past summer I kept track of the processing of some trunks that my neighbor gave me dumped in my yard. It was over 50 hours and I have to restack it. It is not enough for a whole winter even though I am not quite sure how much it is(maybe 3 to 3.5). I normally burn between 4 and 5 cords by the way. This winter naturally is going to be more by a bunch.

 

[gzecc]

Have no idea. Probably make $5 per hour doing it. But being self employed, I'd rather work for myself, doing something I enjoy than send hard earned post taxed money to the oil company. Also end up being cold in the house.

 

[ChipTam]

I'd say solidly under 40 hours. I hand-split, but I don't drive far to get wood and often it's already been bucked for me by tree services. Most recently I got about 1/3 - 1/2 a cord from a house just a few hundred feet down the block. But like Lumber Jack wrote, I spend considerably more time on woodburning-related internet forums and fixing old chainsaws that I don't really need.

I'm sort of like Jon1270.....that is, under 40 hours. I only burn about 1 cord per year at my summer home in Nfld. all during the shoulder seasons in that part of the world (June, September and October). I don't have to drive too far to get the junks and then hand-split most of it over a couple of weeks.......upper body workout for a 68 year-old. Only the really twisted stuff gets fed into my neighbor's gas splitter. Most of those 30 plus hours of processing are spent moving it around from the cutter's yard to my outside rick to inside my shed.

 

[Paulywalnut]

This is exactly why I tell people my firewood is worth 2000.00 per cord.

 

[Standingdead]

I make on average 10-12 cords a year during wood season. Wood season for me is between third cut of hay in early Oct and deeper snow late December. During those 12 weeks I try to produce at least a cord a week. It generally takes me 2-3 afternoons to go from wherever tree is to stacks. It then takes me a couple hours a cord to move from stacks to basement and restack. Throw in the occasional roadside scrounge and I guess 150 hours or so a year.

 

[Got Wood]

I guessed 40-100 but I really have no clue. This has become more of a hobby for me. I "putz" around a lot in my Woodland. (I was gonna say I like playing with my wood but that didn't come out sounding very good.)

 

[Thistle]

I try to get in the woods 2-3 days per month,year round.Guessing 100 hrs + in a year.Depending on weather & my work schedule.Anywhere from 10 degrees to 90 is OK for me.Only things that keep me away are temps over 90/under 0,high winds/lightning/thunderstorms or deep snow.Light rain or the occasional light breeze don't slow me down too much.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

I spend a ton of time. not sure exact amounts but, certainly more than 200hrs a years. i work slow and steady. i'm never in a hurry to get it done because i love it. It's a great hobby. having it all in the back yard really helps and so does having a wife that will do it with you. i do something involving wood processing 2 days a week in the winter and 3 or 4 days a week the rest of the year. plus i've lost 70lbs since i started processing fall of 2012. wife calls it body by Oak!

 

[Missouri Frontier]

firewood/beer ratio in the summer is split 4 drink 1. makes for a long very enjoyable(although unproductive) day.

 

[paul bunion]

Closer to 40 than 100 hours for somewhere between 3-4 cords. It starts horizontal in my yard, no felling or hauling. I usually get more than a years worth in a load so there have been years when no processing has been done. A good deal of my time is spent staying unburied and cleaning up as all of the cutting is done in my yard. The last load of logs that I did was only half a load, I realized that it was much easier getting it cut up as I didn't get completely buried in rounds or saw dust/chips. I will probably opt for the short loads from now on. Price is the same either way, as half of nothing is still nothing.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I have absolutely no idea. We never seem to cut the same amount year after year either so that would complicate it.

In the end, I cut wood in the winter and enjoy it a lot. Split and stack in spring and that too is enjoyable. I really can not think of one thing I don't like about it with the exception if something quits working or any general break-down. But that is rare, thank God.

 

[UncleJoe]

I guessed 40-100 but I really have no clue. This has become more of a hobby for me. I "putz" around a lot in my Woodland. (I was gonna say I like playing with my wood but that didn't come out sounding very good.)

About the same here; somewhere in that 40-100 range. I spend a few hours here and a few hours there. When the shed is full, I'm done. This is only calculating the actual splitting and stacking time. I cut it to length onsite and I am getting paid to move it from a job site to home so I'm not figuring that time in.

 

[Coal Reaper]

takes me about 6 hours to process a cord from standing to stacking. all one pickup load at a time. instead of making big heaps i employ two main steps to the process:
1hr to limb, buck, and load into truck in the woods.
1.5 hours to unload, split, and stack behind the barn.
another half hour for prep sharpening and cleanup.
i can crank through bigger rounds a bit faster and tricky trees take a bit longer to fall. balances it out i reckon.
over the past year i have out up over 20 cords trying to get ahead. i plan to continue this pace and sell extra off. i try to get half a cord a weekend so im not killing myself.
so im going to say 85 hours per year!