My aching back!

[ethanhudson]

Dropped, bucked and hauled about half of this pile on Saturday then split it all up Sunday. I think it'll be about 3 cord + or - when it gets stacked up. All Siberian Elm, Oak, and a little Ponderosa Pine. All the wood was standing dead so I hope it'll be ready for this winter (not counting on it but a guy can hope.)

 

[RORY12553]

Dropped, bucked and hauled about half of this pile on Saturday then split it all up Sunday. I think it'll be about 3 cord + or - when it gets stacked up. All Siberian Elm, Oak, and a little Ponderosa Pine. All the wood was standing dead so I hope it'll be ready for this winter (not counting on it but a guy can hope.)

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Split some Siberian elm for 3 days....I HATE THAT STUFF! Will never take it again.

 

[Woody Stover]

Nice pile there! More pics when stacked.
My back is toasted too. Wife stomped on it a few times, so it's back to work for me today.

 

[ethanhudson]

Split some Siberian elm for 3 days....I HATE THAT STUFF! Will never take it again.

I agree, it's nothing nice. That being said the predominant native species where I live is Ponderosa Pine, I'm no pine snob but I prefer hardwood. This particular Siberian elm was dropped limbed and bucked into log lengths by the property owner. All I had to do was buck it to stove length and load it up. The guy even loaded the large rounds into my truck with his front end loader; the only thing not easy about that wood was splitting it. I had a few truck loads of some other Elm species that made this Siberian look like a walk in the park. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/weekends-work-wood-id-please.85264/

 

[tfdchief]

Good weekend. Looks like what you have split is not been to bad.

 

[bogydave]

But it's a "feels good sore back & muscles"
Nice work.
All but the oak should be ready. Maybe even the oak if you get good drying weather.
Nice pile of wood & great pictures

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Ethan that is a good weekend of work. Depending upon where you live in that State, the wood very likely will be ready to burn next winter.

 

[Gark]

Looks like a big buncha wood and a ton of work. I know what you mean about siberian elm - it can be"uncooperative" to split. Good job!

 

[weatherguy]

No wonder your backs aching, thats a good load of wood for one weekend. I woke up this morning sore all over after working on my wood 3 out of the last 4 days. Time for a break and let my older broken down body heal.

 

[timusp40]

Ethan,
At least you have a hyd splitter to save to back a little misery. Don't have that luxury, so I just do what the body can take, rest up and hit it again later on.
Tim

 

[ethanhudson]

Ethan that is a good weekend of work. Depending upon where you live in that State, the wood very likely will be ready to burn next winter.

Rapid City, it's very dry. The oak measures right at 25% on the moisture meter now. I'm assuming it'll be down below 20% by the time I need it; if not, oh well.

 

[ethanhudson]

Ethan,
At least you have a hyd splitter to save to back a little misery. Don't have that luxury, so I just do what the body can take, rest up and hit it again later on.
Tim

That thing's a life saver, it's not mine though. I borrow it from a buddy's dad, only about 3 miles away and he lets me borrow it whenever I need. I compensate him with adult beverages...

 

[mecreature]

That thing's a life saver, it's not mine though. I borrow it from a buddy's dad, only about 3 miles away and he lets me borrow it whenever I need. I compensate him with adult beverages...

Now there is a deal on a splitter..
Good load of wood.
I have some elm I just cannot bust up.

I hammer one of those wood Grenades and when I am almost in the wood spits it out. weirdest thing.

 

[ScotO]

EH, if that wood was all standing dead and had a fairly low MC, it should be ready to go for the most part by this winter. I cut some standing dead white oak this past winter (it had been dead for at least 20 years), split it up and put it right in the basement, burnt like a charm....

 

[brogsie]

Nice work Ethan.
Your a firewood machine.

 

[ethanhudson]

EH, if that wood was all standing dead and had a fairly low MC, it should be ready to go for the most part by this winter. I cut some standing dead white oak this past winter (it had been dead for at least 20 years), split it up and put it right in the basement, burnt like a charm....

This stuff hasn't been dead for that long, a few years maybe. The oak are bullet trees; people go out to the closest road in the National Forest, pin a target on a tree and pump 'em full of lead. There are hundreds of dead standing oak trees about 15 miles from my house for this reason. My firewood permits allow me to drop any dead standing on National Forest Land so I grab the oaks when I can. The elm isn't native to this area but has populated the town, inevitably you run across a homeowner that has one down and wants it gone. The pine... oh the pine, there is literally a hundred thousand acres of the stuff standing dead from the pine beetle infestation.