November's mission

[ditchrider]

I have hoarded for way too many years. It's time to get it all down to size - for the future and for sale.
I'm shooting for 15-20 cords, split and stacked in 15 afternoons. Here's the story.

I hit a home run on Craigslist with a splitter rental at lunch time.

Speeco 35 ton preparing for work ------------The newest hoard


years of hoard --------------------------------The crew gathering at the original hoard


The gear

So far nothing has stopped the Speeco. The first cord took a little over an hour. At the end of the first 2-1/2 hours we had two cords. I'm with BackwoodsSavage, I just can't do it horizontal. My knees had enough after the first hour. I grabbed a block to sit on.. "whew! what a relief." Strictly vertical, man. Strictly vertical.

 

[bogydave]

Set yourself a pretty big goal
Nice set up , loader, saws, splitter & a good crew. With good weather; "doable" IMO
Going vertical, that'll speed it up with rounds that size
Nice pictures

 

[ditchrider]

I've been cutting away as time permits over the summer. I'm running out of room and I need space for more hoarding from the ditch. The boys and I have a deal, we just haven't ironed it all out yet - it'll happen. My last splitter pooped the bed this spring and I refuse to rebuild it again. The big ones are just too much for it. It was mighty convenient, being mounted on the tractor three point. There's just a lot of issues dealing with the wood I have available. I've been in turmoil ever since. I couldn't pass up the ad for the rental.
It is a mighty big goal, but the forecast is optimal. And I do have a good crew. I really enjoy those boys.

 

[ScotO]

Sounds like great.times ahead, DR. Stay with it, you'll get it done. I set a lofty goal to have my living room "livable" by Thanksgiving.........its a long shot but I ain't quittin', she's got the rolling pin cocked back and ready to swing if it don't get done

 

[barn burner]

Yeah man, just keep at it. Give it some nice long days and other times a little here, and a little there. Before you know it, you'll be swimming in BTU's

 

[TimJ]

Always set easy attainable goals........those rounds been setting awhile. If you didn't set the goal, those rounds would be there next year as well.

 

[swagler85]

Always set easy attainable goals........those rounds been setting awhile. If you didn't set the goal, those rounds would be there next year as well.

I don't know about the always setting easy attainable goals, I like the mindset of shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll land among the stars.

 

[David Tackett]

Git r done....

 

[TimJ]

I don't know about the always setting easy attainable goals, I like the mindset of shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll land among the stars.

In other words.........get r done

 

[ditchrider]

Always set easy attainable goals........those rounds been setting awhile. If you didn't set the goal, those rounds would be there next year as well.

Some of those rounds have already been setting for years. That's the problem. I'm a doit yourselfer. That's a focus problem. I want to save the wood. I want to heat my own home. I want to install my own stove. I want to build my own splitter. I want to c/s/s my own heat. And those are just the fun things in life. I still have to (well, I want to and enjoy) go to work and run the ditch. I want to remodel my own home, I want to tinker in the shop. I want to....

... and if conception wasn't so fun, I probably wouldn't have a crew. Um. I'll leave it that. Kinda going down the wrong road.

Kinda thinking my smiling bride would have left years ago as well. I better get to it before that thought crosses her mind. After all these years, I'm certain I'm still her testament to Sainthood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

ditchrider, that indeed is a big goal but it also looks like you have a top notch crew to work with. Good for you. Some of my fondest memories are when our two sons worked with us. We made it a point to always have a good time when working if at all possible. Ah, the memories.

I also like that you have learned to split correctly! Vertical is the only way to go!

 

[ditchrider]

ditchrider, that indeed is a big goal but it also looks like you have a top notch crew to work with. Good for you. Some of my fondest memories are when our two sons worked with us. We made it a point to always have a good time when working if at all possible. Ah, the memories.

I also like that you have learned to split correctly! Vertical is the only way to go!

Knocked out another cord this afternoon/evening after school! That makes 3.
From experience in my posts in this thread https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/moisture-content-after-6-7-months.92934/ I knew vertical was the only way to go... rolling those (many at least 4ft diameter) fat bastards onto that horizontal beam taught me quickly. And I'm sure nothing struck fear into my (then) four and two year old tots as much as dad, standing on top of those big rounds, laying on top of a six inch beam and swinging a heavy mallet just to get the first split through. I bought it for $25 at a farm sale and it was a good edumacation. Bound and determined to heat for free.
**precious thought** I was glad to see that splitter bite the dust, even after two rebuilds on the vertical. I blew the foot off the first rebuild. That was a night to remember!

As for the 35 ton Speeco (TM), the minute that beast bit through the first 30 plus gnarly round, my (now 12 year old) boy marveled, eyes wide. "Dad, can we miss wrestling practice tonight?! This is going to be A-W-E-S-O-M-E!" The answer was no. There's no lights on that machine. I think my smiling bride is in agreement.

Just an update. 12 cords to go. The boys have a day off from school tomorrow and are as enthusiastic to "Git-r-dun" as I.

 

[ditchrider]

And I read somewhere PPete may be short this winter. I wish you lived here. I'd spare a few cords out of the shed that's seasoned. It's ready. As arid as we are I'll be able to burn some of this hoard I'm working on right shortly. Nonetheless, I wish you well, Pete.

 

[ditchrider]

Today we proudly achieved the rank of..
BTU possessor. c/s/s
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/firewood-hoarders-club-ltd.52839/
and achieved a few merit badges towards the SWA,
No pics. Too pooped.
Side note, we started the season with about five cords. I'm including that, though it's not included in the mission.

 

[nate379]

A cord per hour?!


Edit... we are talking about a CORD (128 cu ft) and not that made up "face cord" malarkey... right?!

 

[ditchrider]

A cord per hour?!


Edit... we are talking about a CORD (128 cu ft) and not that made up "face cord" malarkey... right?!

nonononononononononono. We've been going at this for a few days now. Sometimes at the start, fresh boys, cool hydraulics, fresh dad and when we all hold our tongue in the exact same position, nearly one cord in the first hour. I'm tellin ya baby, vertical is where it's at.

If there isn't 128 cu.ft. in a cord then it's not a cord, period.. WTF is this face cord? Does that make the other half an ass cord? Do you still believe in Santa? If you bring up the face cord fairy tale again we can step outside into the ashcan.

 

[nate379]

You guys are some machines! I don't think I could even stack a cord in an hour unless I was doing some real sloppy stacking had sweat dripping off my nose.

 

[ditchrider]

You guys are some machines! I don't think I could even stack a cord in an hour unless I was doing some real sloppy stacking had sweat dripping off my nose.

Well, there are at least three of us on it at all times. One on the splitter lever, me feeding the machine, one making sure I always have logs within arms reach.

Neat stacks? Prolly not up to snuff with some Hearth members. One issue is curvy wood. But the boys are learning to keep them straight and plumb. Some lengths are 14 inches, many lengths are 19 plus. The boys are getting it off the ground and neat as possible. They'll stand until we need to move them into the shed. The mission is volume. It's time to clean house. If one spends all day critiquing the work of my crew, it's going to become a miserable chore, not memorable moments. And the ambition is likely to just leave me alone, splitting wood and stacking wood.

And in the long term vision of this project, I need to keep up with the splitting chores as the hoards come in. Get all the wood cut to length as soon as I bring it in. Then once in a while let's spend a weekend getting a hoard split and stacked. It's then done until we need it in a few years. That way in a few years we won't have to spend every friggin free moment of our time in November cleaning up the mess that dad brought home.

At the end of a session, when you begin with a mountain of wood and you can see a noticeable void in that mountain afterwards that is visible progress. Something they can see. Keep the need for details in perspective.

 

[ditchrider]

Had a storm ring in last weekend. Stopped us for several days. Does that count against us?
We knocked out a cord yesterday and another couple today.
I have a question about species.... I ran into several pieces that have been cut to length for a considerable time. Heavy as the dickens! I heaved a big one into the splitter. The engine bogged down a little and then BANG! the log blew apart! No strings, no grunt. White wood. Straight grain. Where I had one chunk that was several branches at one time, they just popped right apart. Made me wonder "might this be the precious OAK I keep hearing about? It's nothing i have ever seen before in tree form, nor form of log. But holy firelight, Batman! Did my boys ever bolt out of there!

 

[nate379]

I had one not long ago get me. I've split countless cords over the years and never had one this violent before.

Splitter was fighting a bit and all of a sudden BANG and I swear the splitter came off the ground a bit! For a second I thought the cylinder blew or the wedge ripped off.

The log split open with enough force it spun around, smacked my leg and continued to spin into the man bits. Dropped me to me knees. I didn't expect a cup would be required PPE for splitting wood!

 

[swagler85]

You get some knotty stuff like pin oak and I can't really jump when one of those knots goes. I just finished the big rounds of pin oak I had and those things are tough.

 

[ditchrider]

You get some knotty stuff like pin oak and I can't really jump when one of those knots goes. I just finished the big rounds of pin oak I had and those things are tough.

not thinking it was pin oak. rather red or bur oak. we do have some of that around here. nonetheless, I heaved that log into the cradle and wondered what was going on. After the first split i had a feeling. One of the boys was throwing the splits into the loader bucket. "Hold on!" I told him.. "Make sure you keep this stuff in a different pile." We want to keep track of where this stuff goes! That's for sure.