Why we like the Woods Update

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thewoodlands

Minister of Fire
Aug 25, 2009
16,572
In The Woods
It is worth every minute we spend in the woods so we can heat the house and save some money. I'm looking forward to spring and get back in without the snow.


By fall we hope to be 6 years ahead. By the way if you want to blame someone you can lay it on the shoulders of SAV!


Just adding two pictures of the wood with a view from the front. My neighbor wants to buy his wood from me next year so I might sell him the wood in picture number 2059, not sure yet.



Zap
 

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man oh man, zap! you could put a straight edge down the side of these stacks! and clean, too! but the best part of it is that you do not have many air spaces in the stacks. nice tight rows.
i know a old timer that sold some fire wood to another. cut split delivered and stacked. when he was done and waiting for the pay, the customer told him that he thinks he was shorted wood because of the size of the holes that were in the stacks. old timer said, nope, its all there. customer said, jeez, my dog can jump through the holes in that wood stack. old timer said, you need to get a bigger dog! (yes he did get paid)
 
Nope thats not why I like the woods...I Hate stacking! Thats looks Sexy though.
 
yooperdave said:
man oh man, zap! you could put a straight edge down the side of these stacks! and clean, too! but the best part of it is that you do not have many air spaces in the stacks. nice tight rows.
i know a old timer that sold some fire wood to another. cut split delivered and stacked. when he was done and waiting for the pay, the customer told him that he thinks he was shorted wood because of the size of the holes that were in the stacks. old timer said, nope, its all there. customer said, jeez, my dog can jump through the holes in that wood stack. old timer said, you need to get a bigger dog! (yes he did get paid)




(Bigger Dog) I like that. My neighbor always told me I stack it like I sold wood. :vampire:


Zap
 
smokinjay said:
Nope thats not why I like the woods...I Hate stacking! Thats looks Sexy though.


Smokin, do you have the crew coming in and spinning some metal this weekend?


Zap
 
6 years! wow maybe take a year off and relax
 
I like the woods whether I'm cutting or not.Just out for a stroll to think for a while,clear the mind sit down on a stump or a bench & relax.Just being out whether its cold or warm.Morel mushroom hunting in late April-mid May.You wont see me there much from June through August though,unless I'm cleaning up sudden storm damage.Its too damn hot & with my regular construction gig the heat tires me out already.
 
Thistle said:
I like the woods whether I'm cutting or not.Just out for a stroll to think for a while,clear the mind sit down on a stump or a bench & relax.Just being out whether its cold or warm.Morel mushroom hunting in late April-mid May.You wont see me there much from June through August though,unless I'm cleaning up sudden storm damage.Its too damn hot & with my regular construction gig the heat tires me out already.



I'm looking forward to picking more wild leeks this year.




Zap
 

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zapny said:
smokinjay said:
Nope thats not why I like the woods...I Hate stacking! Thats looks Sexy though.


Smokin, do you have the crew coming in and spinning some metal this weekend?


Zap

Yep, Its on hope to hit some good milling stock this week end. Last outing was all craps.....Split limbs very low. Some good turning stock in the stumps left but hopping to get a few 6-8 footers out of there.
 
unknowingLEE said:
Coulda been there this weekend J!
Just shipped a skid of stuff to Carmel,IN today.
If the freight wasn't so cheap and it wooda paid my gas I'da been there.

Quite telling me this..I have a place you can stay! It Would be AWESOME to work with You...Among other tips thanks for the one today.....I think my little slab thing will take off. Thoese two slabs should be a hundo a piece. Got a few more behind that.lol
 
That is classic "Zapstacking". Looks great Zap! I can't wait to get working again.
 
I'm hoping one day a lot of our woods looks as nice as Zap's does. I think that will be a retirement project for me.
Love to scrounge in our woods...just wish the terrain was more level!
 
muncybob said:
I'm hoping one day a lot of our woods looks as nice as Zap's does. I think that will be a retirement project for me.
Love to scrounge in our woods...just wish the terrain was more level!


Muncybob, I hear ya on the terrain. The work never ends in the woods but every little bit helps it look better.



Zap / Waiting for the warmup
 
Those stacks look like they're ready for West Point.

Nice pics.. a good reminder of what the outdoors look like without snow.. was starting to forget.
 
Jags said:
Little known fact:

The last stage of Zaps stacking method includes a hand planner, level and transit.



Jags, one out of three ain't bad. Maybe this year I'll get the planner and transit out.



Zap
 
homebrewz said:
Those stacks look like they're ready for West Point.

Nice pics.. a good reminder of what the outdoors look like without snow.. was starting to forget.


I'm officially sick of the snow, after our last big snow fall it keeps snowing each day 2-3 inches plus more again today. That plow on the Rhino come Monday will be real nice just to get at the wood we're burning this year.

Places left to plow the snow, two and they are small. Looking for a nice week of the Feb. sun and temps about 35. And if things don't change the snowshoes will be strapped on with the 270 Ruger so we can check the Coyote situation! :coolgrin:


Just checked the forecast and they are calling for 2 inches a day for the next three days.


Zap
 
zapny said:
It is worth every minute we spend in the woods so we can heat the house and save some money. I'm looking forward to spring and get back in without the snow. By fall we hope to be 6 years ahead. By the way if you want to blame someone you can lay it on the shoulders of SAV!

Zap

Hey Zap, don't blame me! Well, okay, I'll take the blame as this is a good one. You are just getting started but think what it will be like in a couple more years. I keep telling folks they really can't experience good wood burning until they burn wood that is 3 years old or better.

As for us, we really see it again this year. We got rid of all our old stock and I really wish I had more of it. We are doing fine but certainly can tell a difference in how this wood burns vs. the 6-7 year old wood. Older is better.
 
I love being back in our woods for any reason. I grew up on the southern edge of the Texas Panhandle between Lubbock and Amarillo. I think I have more trees on our 12 acres than in all of Hale County, Texas. My 3.5 or so acre wood lot is so dense that you can barely see into it in the winter when the leaves are gone- and virtually impossible to see more than a few feet when the trees are leafed out.

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I have cut several winding walking trails back there and there is a good path along the property easements on three sides. All the paths are big enough to handle my little Husqvrna lawn tractor with a little wagon attached. Much of it, when you get off the path, is almost inaccessible due to thorny vines everywhere, as well as yaupon and other scrub. There is one area, almost dead center, that has a bunch of super size trees, including a giant cedar that I only discovered a few days ago. (pic and details in another thread.) I'd like to clear out that central area and build a little deck to make a hideaway retreat. It would be a good place to build a tree house for the grandkids, too. That's another thing I love about the woods. My city living granddaughters love it out there and like to explore the trails and be pulled in the wagon by the little tractor.

Our woods has provided us quite a bit of firewood over the past three years since I started cutting for myself. I won't cut a living tree but there have been, and still are, a few standing deads out there. Some are standing but rotted and you can see all the woodpecker holes in them. Rotted down trees remain as they are. I'm all for keeping a habitat for the birds and critters. Other firewood comes from storm damaged trees.

Kinda fun, and spooky, hearing the coyotes howling back there just a couple of minutes walk from the house. I leave them alone unless I see one come out of the tree line, then I fire off a .22 or a 16 gauge to scare them away. Don't want them near the house. Coyote vs Beagles wouldn't be pretty.

It's a wondrous thing to look out the back windows and see half a dozen, or more, deer creeping out of the trees into the back yard to eat acorns under an ancient oak.

Yep, I do love my woods. Hmmm. I think it's time to take a walk.
 
Do you have a machine cutting that wood to lengthfor you> The back of that pile of as clean as the front.

I have NEVER seen EVERY piece of wood in a pile be exactly the same length like this one.
 
Looking good as always Zap - I love having lots of stacks to gaze at - can't beat it! I'm going for 4 years ahead by fall, then, maintenance from there - four is plenty for me! Cheers!
 
Zap, What technique do you use to cut your wood to identical lengths?
 
bboulier said:
Zap, What technique do you use to cut your wood to identical lengths?


I have a stick cut to length and this pruning saw then I mark every tree using that stick and pruning saw so my lengths are close to the same length.


Zap
 

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