Last night of six week road trip. Can't wait to get to work.

[Kenster]

I've been on the road for all but a handful of days over the past six weeks. Headed home tomorrow. I can't wait to get my hands on my MS390 and get to work on a huge water oak at my widow lady neighbors down the road a bit. The tree has been down since the spring. I didn't feel like messing with it in our 100+ degree temps we had all summer. We're still in the mid to high 80s for the forseeable future with an occasional day or two in the upper 70s. (an hour and a half west of Houston.) Not much chance of rain, unfortunately.

I've got a few cords worth of rounds that have been stacked for several months. Plus a handful of downed trees in addition to my neighbors giant oak. So I have a lot of work I can be doing. And I'll finally be able to put my Huskee 35 ton to work. Some of you may recall that I bought it several months ago. It was seven years old and had never, ever been fired up. Gasoline never put in the tank. The motor and hydro oil were as if they had just come out of the can. The paint job was without blemish. Paid $1000 for it! The lady said her husband bought it new and was going to take it to their property in Arkansas. He ran off with another woman and the seller got tired of paying his storage unit fee... so she sold all his stuff. SCORE!

Anyway, as I said... I'm ready to get to work!

 

[Gasifier]

Enjoy the work Kenster. I bet you are glad to be home after being away that long. There is nothing like working outside and enjoying the type of work you are doing. I love felling a tree, blocking it up, hauling it back home and splitting and stacking it. How many cord do you burn a year? Do you usually split and then allow your wood to season for a full year before you burn?

Right now I am doing a little at a time of bringing my wood in under my covered porch. In the spring I stack it outside in long rows that run North to South. I cover the top of it with clear plastic and tack it down with some 1x3 straping and a few roofing nails. Then I move it in under my covered porch. I can fit 20 face cord under it. There was so much room under it that I poured a thin, 3" concrete floor under it about seven years ago. Works great for a wood shed. The door opening to it is five feet from my cellar window, so the wife and kids and I pass it through the window to each other.

Hey, that moisture meter you told me about is working good. Thanks. It is amazing the different readings you can get from the outside of the wood to the inside. And from on piece of wood at the top of the pile and another at the bottom. I suspect the rain gets to the bottom pieces more than the top, sun and wind get to parts of the piles longer period of time than other parts, etc.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Bucking up wood after a long road trip is a great way to unwind. Have fun Ken.