The Wood Processing Area

[Berner]

I am looking to set up a "wood processing area." I want to take an area of my yard and turn it into a place for chainsawing, splitting, storing on top of pallets and then storing in a woodshed. What do you guys use for a base? I've seen a few pics of crushed stone and some pics of wood chips. I'm hoping to limit pests, snakes etc. Are there benefits to one vs. the other? Any other ideas that I'm missing? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Standingdead]

I used stone dust, it drains well. Compacts to like concrete in dry seasons. It's cheap and easy to work with.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Pick a good spot you never want anything to grow there again.

 

[BrotherBart]

Pick a good spot you never want anything to grow there again.

Well, except mushrooms.

 

[Beer Belly]

I had a corner full of brush, so to keep it affordable, chipped it and created my work area

 

[bassJAM]

My area is covered in the wood chips that are left over after splitting. Has been working fine so far, but I've only been doing this at my house for 2 years. It works fine for me, and my dog loves finding the larger pieces and chewing on them as he watches me work.

 

[DTrain]

Yeah, my "base" formed itself. Wood chips, bark and such. I just split a cord yesterday, and instead of stacking the rounds when I unloaded them I left them standing in rows. When it was time to split. I just swung about 3-4 each and stepped to the right. Kept repeating all the way down the row. Having them next to each other tight in rows kept them from blowing apart and me having to bend over and put the half piece back on the stump. I think I'm going to continue that practice.

 

[mass_burner]

preferably a place your wife can't see. snakes are good, they eat the mice. one tip, put up a compost bin next to it and every once in a while, rake up the area an throw it in. add some soil/leaves every now an then. i made one of those that disassemble as you take the compost out. they are panels where 1 level slides onto the next level with notches.

 

[Osage]

Here's what I did.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am looking to set up a "wood processing area." I want to take an area of my yard and turn it into a place for chainsawing, splitting, storing on top of pallets and then storing in a woodshed. What do you guys use for a base? I've seen a few pics of crushed stone and some pics of wood chips. I'm hoping to limit pests, snakes etc. Are there benefits to one vs. the other? Any other ideas that I'm missing? Thanks in advance for your help.

We use Mother Earth for a base. We do not stack in any one spot necessarily but just pick an area and start splitting and stacking. One spot we used to stack in a lot no longer gets used because there is now a barn there. But we have lots of places to stack wood here. We also do not like pallets for stacking but would much rather use limbs or saplings or landscape timbers to stack on.

 

[Berner]

All great ideas. Thanks guys. I have an area where I want to do a shed so I will probably start there and just expand around the sides and back of that.

My dog enjoys chewing wood chips and everything else for that matter as well. He's going on 5 so something tells me that this isn't just a puppy phase.

 

[Cascade Failure]

Pick a good spot you never want anything to grow there again.

I'm taking the opposite approach.

I set up a processing spot where I want to expand the garden. The soil there is poor and requires some improvement. The bucking and splitting will leave a bunch or sawdust, bark, chips etc...all good carbon. It will help to kill off the grasses in the thicker spots. When I'm ready I'll rake that debris up and mix with greens and let it compost. Next spring I'll till this and some other amendments all in and have more growing area.

 

[tsquini]

Saw dust is the ground cover of choice. What I find is the my area is always shift further left or right depending on how much wood I have.

 

[smokedragon]

Yeah, my "base" formed itself. Wood chips, bark and such.

+1 to that.

Here's what I did.

Love those plastic pallets osage!!

I use a combination of old railroad ties, plastic pallets, composite pallets (steel and wood) and the like to elevate my hauls. I used to use old pallets that I found, but they don't hold up.

 

[Soundchasm]

I am looking to set up a "wood processing area." I want to take an area of my yard and turn it into a place for chainsawing, splitting, storing on top of pallets and then storing in a woodshed. What do you guys use for a base? I've seen a few pics of crushed stone and some pics of wood chips. I'm hoping to limit pests, snakes etc. Are there benefits to one vs. the other? Any other ideas that I'm missing? Thanks in advance for your help.

My organizational plan lasts until my second scrounge. I'm getting better at making sense out of them before it's too late, but it usually runs feast/famine. The new principle I'll try this year is backing a truckload up to the splitter right next to the storage location. Off the bed, onto the splitter, and into the stack. Then top cover. I have three locations. One is concrete, so that's not the favorite for even up things with the saw, and one has a narrow gate, so there's wheelbarrowing, and the third needs 100' of extension cord for the splitter. As long as the base supports a chair w/o tipping over, I'm good! If the base is under some shade, even better!

 

[KB007]

I just used a spot where the weeds were growing and now a few years later there no weeds. I was thinking about some kind of base, but gravel would suck for the saw and the wood chips just seem to make a nice soft base.

As for stacks, I just started them where I had a sunny area and cut a few trees each time I wanted to expand. Main thing is to get the tree stumps out or cut as low as possible to get the lawn tractor in and out without smacking the stumps.

 

[xman23]

My country cabin yard is mulch about 30' around the house, not grass or weeds. I started this with chipped wood from the lot clearing, 13 years ago. Years ago bought 5 truck loads of bark mulch from a lumber mill. I may redo it this year. The weed control got better over the years with more mulch. It's a no maintenance yard, I love it.

The wood processing area is one side of the house. The ground is covered with all the bark that comes off the rounds an splitter dribbling's.

If you have a area that is dry and drains well, I would keep it natural with biodegradable wood mulch.

 

[Jon1270]

I lucked out in that my house came with a large, old concrete patio that was made superfluous by the addition of a deck at some point. So, I cut (a little) and split (a lot) on the patio, which is right next to the stacks. It's bulletproof and easy to sweep clean, but really hard on chains and axes if you happen to slip.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I'm taking the opposite approach.

I set up a processing spot where I want to expand the garden. The soil there is poor and requires some improvement. The bucking and splitting will leave a bunch or sawdust, bark, chips etc...all good carbon. It will help to kill off the grasses in the thicker spots. When I'm ready I'll rake that debris up and mix with greens and let it compost. Next spring I'll till this and some other amendments all in and have more growing area.

Good idea Cascade. Just remember that for a few years it will pay you to add extra nitrogen to that ground.

 

[DTrain]

Here's the splitting I did this morning. Round set on end, four deep row. Right where I need to stack. I worked down the rows and hardly had to bend down to set pieces upright again to take another swing. Goes pretty fast like that. Process where you need to stack, as someone said earlier in the thread.

 

[smokedragon]

I've done this before, all the rounds keep everything from falling over.......it only sucks when you have a lot of really stringy stuff, cause then you have to go back in with the hatchet.

That's a nice days work.

 

[Berner]

Here's the splitting I did this morning. Round set on end, four deep row. Right where I need to stack. I worked down the rows and hardly had to bend down to set pieces upright again to take another swing. Goes pretty fast like that. Process where you need to stack, as someone said earlier in the thread.

View attachment 130371

So you set up rounds 4 rows deep and then go at it with the splitting axe? I would think that one swing would take out a bunch of rounds like a domino effect?

I'm into doing as much as possible without bending over.

 

[mark cline]

I pull out my logs to a spot along the driveway to cut , split and stack on pallets . The base is about 6" of bark , saw dust, etc. , its out of the way and lots of room . Its down around the corner , past the plywood target.

 

[DTrain]

So you set up rounds 4 rows deep and then go at it with the splitting axe? I would think that one swing would take out a bunch of rounds like a domino effect?

I'm into doing as much as possible without bending over.

Depends on the size of your rounds I guess. On average I was splitting 12-18" diameter rounds. A bunch of 8" rounds would fall over for sure. In my case it worked great. I've got a decent reach so four deep worked. Try three if you got shorter arms. I have an 8lb maul.

 

[DTrain]

I've done this before, all the rounds keep everything from falling over.......it only sucks when you have a lot of really stringy stuff, cause then you have to go back in with the hatchet.

That's a nice days work.

Yes sir, I had my fill of swinging, that's for sure. There were stringy ones, but if I pick up the round a chuck it, that it'll break up.

Two piles done like that 3 more to go. I Should be in some kinda shape by the time the snow melts!