My woodpile from the '05 hauling season

[yukiginger]

Here's my pile from wood hauled over the late summer through the fall. My friend Sam, the guy on the left, has the rig consisting of a Ford Expedition and a utility trailer with a ramp (a must have for the 30"-40" rounds we handled). This wood is 80% soft maple and white ash, with some white oak making up most of the remaining, hauled from my parents' property 30 miles away. This was all leftover from a logging operation. We just had to buck and haul.

I have approximately 50 hours into splitting and stacking it. I roughly estimate the stack to be 15 cords. I have another 5+ cords already on the property for this season and probably into next. I have burned approximately 2 cords already this season in a Quadrafire 4100i insert. The 7 cords for this season are almost entirely from 3 large maples I had cut down from around my house when we first moved in last October.

Equipment in the picture includes Stihls - an 026 and an MS290, a Husqvarna 353, and a Central Hydraulics 22 ton log splitter that I bought from Harbor Freight tools when they had reconditioned ones available a couple months back ($640 delivered to the door). The splitter certainly slowed down many times but it split everything I had (and I had some large, crotchety stuff).

As you can see I am very proud of this pile. Like you, I have a lot of time and work invested.

Mark

 

[Mo Heat]

Wow, you guys almost look like Jedi Knights in that photo.

Are those end posts just metal fence posts? Looks like they are straining. Ever had one give out? I may try those for my pile instead of using trees. That way, I can have my wood pile where ever I want it. I don't know why I never thought of it.

 

[yukiginger]

Yes, MO Heat, those are just steel t-posts. I haven't used them for long but I can't imagine one breaking on me. You're right, the nearest one is definitely leaning a bit, but it isn't straining much. I carefully stack the ends so that most pressure is downward, not outward. I believe that these are a good solution. I stack very slowly and tightly so you can push inward from the outside on any one row and get very little movement. I have these posts only on the ends of each ~25' row.

I also take your Jedi reference as a supreme compliment since I am a big Star Wars fan. Thank you.

Mark

 

[Willhound]

Very cool shot. I'd practically kill (OK, maybe maim) someone to have that all stacked up, and so nice and neatly in my backyard. Beautiful setting too. Where (generally speaking) are you located?

Willhound

 

[yukiginger]

Willhound,

I am in upstate NY, just outside Rochester in the town of Webster. I am about 3 miles from the shore of Lake Ontario. (In the fall I drove up to a park on the shore and made it back with a 5 lb. steelhead in tow in a total of 25 minutes.) I have a 1/2 acre lot - the gazebo you can partially see houses my hot tub. My trees are almost exclusively white pines and other conifers averaging 65' in height. My house is to the right in the picture. The house you can see in the background is a neighbor who incidentally just put in a Fireplace Extraordinaire unit and is now enjoying the benefits of woodburning.

For perspective on the pile I am 6' 4" tall.

Thanks for the nice comments.

Mark

 

[yukiginger]

Well, Frank, I think your first line is right on (excluding the missing letters). My current guestimate is that it is about 25x6x13 (all in feet). You do the calculation and see what you come up with. It is much closer to 15 than to 5 (what picture are you viewing?).

Once I measure it I will post to satisfy your curiousity. This is stacked tightly with the rows touching each other. Feel free to set up an inspection appointment with me so that you can measure it yourself, D_ _ _ HEAD!

Mark

 

[yukiginger]

Frankieboy, the picture is taken from three rungs up on a ladder. The pile does slope down a grade from far to near. I really do think that it is on average 6' high (I had to reach up above my head to stack much of it). I also forgot to mention that my time estimate includes my transfer from the splitting areas to the stacking area by wheelbarrow all of the wood. This averaged 50' or perhaps 60'. I did all this myself. Moving many rounds weighing about 100 lbs. or more is no easy task, making a split and repositioning them for another takes some effort and time. Running a lever alone and positioning rounds for a split takes time.

Have a nice day. How you are in the fire "honor society" is beyond me.

Mark

 

[roac]

Willhound,

I am in upstate NY, just outside Rochester in the town of Webster. I am about 3 miles from the shore of Lake Ontario. (In the fall I drove up to a park on the shore and made it back with a 5 lb. steelhead in tow in a total of 25 minutes.) I have a 1/2 acre lot - the gazebo you can partially see houses my hot tub. My trees are almost exclusively white pines and other conifers averaging 65' in height. My house is to the right in the picture. The house you can see in the background is a neighbor who incidentally just put in a Fireplace Extraordinaire unit and is now enjoying the benefits of woodburning.

For perspective on the pile I am 6' 4" tall.

Thanks for the nice comments.

Mark

Mark,

After some of the other comments I don't want you to take offense but... Five pound steelheads out here in Idaho are babies, 20-30 lb steelhead are more the average here. Just had to rib ya on that. Nice pile of wood too!! Darn you industrious types!!

mike

 

[yukiginger]

I appreciate the positive comments. I was not trying to brag. I believe Frank must be a bit jealous. (Now he's questioning MY height?!) The rows are 6 pallets long, if that helps, Frank.

Mark

 

[PaulGuy]

Frank the a__ h____ chiming in.

1. It don't look like no 15 cords to me, unless you got 10 cords out of the picture frame. Looks like maybe a generous 5 in the picture.

2. I think your pose is a bit gay. I mean that in the "you two are going to have sex immediately after posing" type of "gay," not the "that's silly" type of gay.

3. If it took you 50 hours to split and stack those bitty 5 racks using that splitter in the pic, I'd say you need to reconsider your strategy.]

How's that response in the whose got the biggist ____ contest boys?

What is your problem?

 

[Roospike]

Hey frank ! Sup Buddy ....... Why dont you post your home address and we will all come over and have a .......... Christmas party . Everybody can bring you a gift . You like partys dont you ?

 

[webbie]

yea,franks pretty impressive isnt he.he thinks that shows he has " big __ but i guess there is always an ass out there.sorry craig , it had to be said.

There is always the curve that people fit along, from the most gracious and civilized to the most drunken and crass. From those who want to help, to those who enjoy inflaming....from those who state their opinions, to those who must always be right.

I say two things:

1. Pay no attention to those who are not upholding basic standards
2. Pray (or hope) that other come around the inderstanding that this is a "family" board and that continual sarcasm and put-downs are better for Larry David than here. Here, we try to help and celebrate.

 

[Dr Bigwood]

HEY!
I am new to this post and was impressed with that great picture of stacked wood. Inspired! Made want to grab a saw and go a cutt'in! But then I was kind of put off by the rest of the thread. I hope that responses like Frank's are not common. This post is a great resource and I think it should be respected by all who use it.
I would hate to have a guy want to submit a post and then not do it in fear of getting a response from a jerk like Frank.

Alright!

 

[webbie]

Does this mean that you didn't enjoy Seinfeld?? From my perspective, Larry David's objective was to poke fun AT the sort of people that his characters represented, and I continue to laugh my ass off when I see re-runs.

Dylan

Well, actually I was never a seinfeld fan....his comedy is a little weak. But Larry David seems to have it down a little better.....

But you'll find that 2/3 of people HATE the larry david stuff. My point is that sarcasm is sometimes difficult to communicate over the net. I try to add (grin) or something light so that folks from the midwest at least can tell I am joking.

The key is this: If multiple people take offense, then a post is probably over the edge. There are LOT of boards on the net and newsgroups where people can rant until they are blue in the face. This is not one of them, and we intend to keep it that way.

 

[yukiginger]

Dylan,

I actually forgot to mention that probably 2 cords in the pile is yellow locust from just one street over from my house, so we didn't haul that far at all. When the logger logged my parents' property he was able to access (with permission) much of the woodlot from fields belonging to two neighbors. He also used these fields for this loading, thus, the leftovers were not on my parents' property and had to be removed. We had little choice but to do it unless we wanted to give it all away. I would have jumped at it regardless.

This season's wood is from Norway and Silver maples in my yard. I don't consider that or the maple and ash I've hauled to be soft wood at all. I began burning on September 30 and I am trying to heat a 2,600 sq.ft. house with a unit rated to only 2,000 sq. ft. In addition I am currently working from home so I am here all day and can keep the fire stoked. I think in future seasons I will burn significantly less.

Mark

 

[DavidV]

Impressive wood pile. Don't beat up on Frank too much. I always get a laugh out of his schtick.

 

[PaulGuy]

Impressive wood pile. Don't beat up on Frank too much. I always get a laugh out of his schtick.

Don't encourage him. This latest rant was pathetic and uncalled for.

 

[Bushfire]

"For some reason, it is a favorite species of tree ‘breeders’ and there exist hundreds of varieties of Norway maple.....I’ve got anAcer platanoides var. Atropurpurea (Crimson King Maple) right outside my window."

I'd guess because they are extraordinarily hardy and their shade is incredibly dense.

If you stand under a mature Norway Maple and look up, you won't see hardly any sun.
They also laugh at winters here - Norway Maples are still leafed out and green when other maples have already lost all chlorophyll.
Love Norway maples.

And they're also non-native and invasive throughout much of the NE - I say cut um and burn um if you have any. Plant native sugar or red maples instead - far better fall foliage and maple syrup if you have the patience and inclination.