Spring in the woods

[Ashful]

Cut a 28" poplar, 34" oak, and 10" maple this morning. Oak and maple for me, poplar to a friend who actually likes that wood. Bucking 16", instead of my usual 20", for these little Ashford 30's.







All trees were downed in Sandy, but oak was still full of water. Rocked two 28" chains making the last cut on the oak. [emoji30]

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Other than the chains, sounds like it was a good day! Nice woods there too....

 

[Ashful]

LOL... just looking at that first photo for the first time now, on something larger than a phone screen. That's an 85cc saw with a 28" bar, sitting atop a 60" high stump. Looks tiny, in the photo!

 

[BrotherBart]

Rocked two 28" chains making the last cut on the oak.

Time for my post grad course in picking up the ends of logs with the 3 pt hitch to make the cut.

 

[Ashful]

Tried that, but the 3-point on the Ford 3000 could not budge this. It was a pin-straight trunk, root ball still attached, about 40 feet long x 33 - 36" diameter, laid down on a bed of rocks by Sandy. I was cutting off 10' segments, and the Ford couldn't move most of them. Ended up hauling most of it out in 64" long segments, using a choker hung tight on the drawbar of the 3-point (to get the leading end off the ground). This was one of the heaviest trees I've ever put a chain into... just sopping wet.

I normally cut 90% thru, then roll to finish the cut, but that wasn't happening with this one.

 

[BrotherBart]

I normally cut 90% thru, then roll to finish the cut, but that wasn't happening with this one.

I hear ya on that.

 

[Knots]

On the positive side - that straight oak trunk should split like a dream...

 

[Ashful]

With the BK only taking 16" splits (seriously?), I'm thinking about how I can make up for the work differential of making 10 cords per year with 20% more bucking and splitting. The Jotuls took 20" - 22" splits, which fit the 24" stroke of my splitter very well. Lots more waiting or games trying to catch it before full retraction, if cycling on such short rounds!

The rounds I cut look lore like discs than rounds, at 34" dia x 16" long. [emoji12]

 

[CenterTree]

LOL... just looking at that first photo for the first time now, on something larger than a phone screen. That's an 85cc saw with a 28" bar, sitting atop a 60" high stump. Looks tiny, in the photo!

Was that stump from a tree that was downed in the storm? I mean it looks like it was uprooted and then maybe stood back up after being cut off??? The roots look "disconnected" to me.

 

[Knots]

The rounds I cut look lore like discs than rounds, at 34" dia x 16" long. [emoji12]

"Cheese Wheels"

I can usually split straight grained oak faster with a maul than with the splitter.

 

[drz1050]

16" is "recommended" in the Ashford.. it can fit 18" splits pretty easily

 

[Ashful]

Was that stump from a tree that was downed in the storm? I mean it looks like it was uprooted and then maybe stood back up after being cut off??? The roots look "disconnected" to me.

Good eye. Yes, this tree was laid down on a bed of rocks by Sandy. Thinking I'd avoid the rocks, I was making a cut right at the buttress roots, and got 90% thru when I hit a rock down in the hole I couldn't see. Then I moved up five feet, to the next spot where I had SOME hope of not hitting a rock, but still managed to hit one finishing the cut. Eventually got thru it, and then the stump stood back up as I was walking back to our staging area.

16" is "recommended" in the Ashford.. it can fit 18" splits pretty easily

Yep... if they're recommending 16", then I'm cutting 16". BKVP said that while longer splits can fit, the air doesn't flow desirably within the stove with anything longer than 16". Since I won't have my stoves until this Wednesday, I really don't know what he's talking about, but I had to go on something for making these cuts. Figured his advice is good.

 

[BrotherBart]

Loading E/W ya need an inch or two on each side of the splits to allow good combustion of the gasses coming out of the ends of the splits.

 

[Jags]

Look on the bright side...16" lengths of rounds that size will be a hunert pounds lighter than a 20 or 22" length.

I too have been working on a "branch" of a white oak. The "branch" is 28-30" thick.

 

[Ashful]

More oak and hickory today. Oak is 52" at widest point, but "only" 36 inch at breast height. Must be white or chestnut oak, downed by Irene, but still wet inside.

 

[Ashful]

Widow makers, left by the storm.

 

[Woody Stover]

Shagbark, and what else?

 

[maple1]

Love working at windfalls. The felling is already done, and I can usually cut to length with the tree resting on branches up of the ground just a little (see some daylight under it in the last pic). Course all situations are different, and the situation can change as you cut it up - so have to be careful about that.

I use the ATV, splitter & trailer right at the tree when doing these. Park the splitter right beside the rounds, toss in the trailer right off the splitter, then stack in final resting place on pallets right off the trailer. Plus no dirt from dragging. Last big one I did last year, I still have to go back & finish it. Worked from top down, I got it all except the bottom 15' of trunk, which stood back up when the root ball settled back down into place. I'll go back in & fell it when I find the time later this summer - ran out of time last year, and had all my pallets full by then.

Lotsa wood in those pics - nice.

 

[billb3]

More oak and hickory today. Oak is 52" at widest point, but "only" 36 inch at breast height. Must be white or chestnut oak, downed by Irene, but still wet inside.



View attachment 158043

Are those rocks or a sedimentary layer of clay in that stump roots ?

 

[Ashful]

Rocks!

Pulled out another 2.5 cords today, in about 3 hours. All oak.

The standing trees with big branches hung in them were two shag hickories and one maple. There was another shag hickory on the ground, maybe 12" x a nice straight 40', that I cut to logs for the landowner.

Splitting by the tree would be nice, but it's on a friend's land, and it's tough taking too much time away from home with two young kids. My goal is just get it bucked and home, as fast as I can.

The stump:

 

[Ashful]

Brought it all home yesterday. About 5 cords of oak and hickory = very, very heavy. I'm sore, but happy.

 

[laxin213]

Looks heavy. Nice work

 

[xman23]

Without machines your not moving those rounds. I would have split them in the woods. Excellent job

 

[Ashful]

Yeah, splitting on-site would be nice, if time were not an issue. I don't own a tandem-axle trailer, nor do I want to for the once or twice per year I actually require one, when I can rent for $35/day. So, I don't have the luxury to let the trailer sit there for weeks, as I split my way thru a half dozen cords of rounds. Also, spending the time required to split 6 - 10 cords per year, off-site at a friend's property, would be a little difficult with kids, work schedule, etc. So, I settle for doing this big move of rounds once or twice each year, and then I can split it at my leisure in my own back yard.

Splitting actually in the woods would be impossible, BTW. All of this stuff comes from about a half mile back in the woods, accessed via an old dry creek bed. Skidding it out as logs via tractor is the only way to go. No way would my little 22-ton splitter survive the trip back into those woods.

 

[Jags]

I have a few loads of rounds just like that to get home. As the weather gets warmer I keep thinking..."not today".