officially firewood season has started for me

cabinguy

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Ok I enjoy skidding logs, using my chain saw, and splitting rounds with my maul.
Its kind of like a gym membership that you don't have to pay for and it benefits you with a pile of fire wood. " People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results." - Albert Einstein- What kind of an axe or maul do you use ? I prefer the Truper 4 1/2 lb maul with a fiberglass handle.
 

cabinguy

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We have an old orange steel maul, the name no longer is evident on the tool, so not sure what kind it is. Nowadays we use a splitter, as none of us have the shoulder joints enough to use a maul.

We use an old Swisher log splitter that we keep in good condition....looks brand new right now after Mom cleaned it up before the firewood season. We've been splitting on some giant trees that have fallen down this year, two of them are green pine we are putting in a dry out shelter for later use when it's dry and cured out.
Bee I understand about using the splitter I'm trying to resist because I hate the noise of the engine and smell of the gas and Hydraulic oil however I think in a few years age is going to win:old that battle and ill break down and use a splitter but until that time I'm skidding the logs with horses or my 1941 9n Ford , cutting rounds with my chain saw and splitting with my favorite maul. The past 8 years wood has provide 75-80% of my heat. I guess I use 3 - 4 cords a year all harvested from my woods mostly dead fall and never live trees. I guess I'm strange but I really do enjoy the whole process .
llue.jpg Llue skidding logs a few years ago
 

Beekissed

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So, finally got around to putting in firewood, as we've been so very busy with other things this season....left it kind of late, I know, but we are having unseasonably warm weather in which to gather it, so I'm thanking the Lord for that!

The logging we had done left a giant pick up sticks kind of pile of stump wood on the landing site~about 16 ft tall and 25-30 ft diameter~ and we are slowly working our way through that. Some of those stumps are 3-4 ft. across, so it's a little hard going to get them down to firewood size. Our 20 yr old splitter is running well, just put-putting away, for which I'm also thankful.

After we get the shed and the porch full, we'll take a break from wood and start building more fence, then come back to getting wood stored under the new pole shed addition we added to the wood shed. All the while this will help us clear tree tops from off the land, left behind by the logging.

Got 5 wagon loads into the shed these past few days and hope to get 6 more into the shed by the end of the week...that's with one day off to go to town to scavenge for leaves. Need to build a hoop shelter to store those for the winter, as my spare coop is full of cockerels growing out for butchering.

It's a busy season and we've had the best weather this week!
 

cabinguy

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I have a splitting maul like that as well.

I prefer the gas splitter with all my health issues.

I have a little 3 lb hand kindling maul that works well for dividing chunks of cedar and fir smaller for the stove. Swinging something hammer size is easier on me than a full size maul.
Hinotori I love my Truper Ive given my Step Son and a couple Amish Friends one as a gift because it works so well. Ive thought about purchasing a kindling cracker for splitting kindling I understand it works well and is very safe it was designed and marketed by a 13 year old girl what a story.
upload_2018-8-28_19-7-48.jpeg
https://www.kindlingcracker.com/
 

Beekissed

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Bee I understand about using the splitter I'm trying to resist because I hate the noise of the engine and smell of the gas and Hydraulic oil however I think in a few years age is going to win:old that battle and ill break down and use a splitter but until that time I'm skidding the logs with horses or my 1941 9n Ford , cutting rounds with my chain saw and splitting with my favorite maul. The past 8 years wood has provide 75-80% of my heat. I guess I use 3 - 4 cords a year all harvested from my woods mostly dead fall and never live trees. I guess I'm strange but I really do enjoy the whole process .
View attachment 8294 Llue skidding logs a few years ago

I LOVE it that you are skidding with your horse! Such a quiet way to get logs out of the woods and so little impact on the land. I've always wanted to do that and once had the perfect horse for the job, but we never implemented him.

I don't care for the noise of the splitter either, though this one is kind of quiet for a splitter, I must say. I still wear ear muffs, though, while operating it...gotta protect the hearing.

I think it's wonderful that you are using your maul...if everyone had continued to do so, I don't think we would have aged quite so quickly around here. I used to LOVE to chop wood, especially for the wood cook stove...to me that was very relaxing and it felt good to watch that pile grow.
 

Mini Horses

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I'm considering buying a chainsaw for it.

My daughter has a battery one. I am amazed at the power it has! Won't cut huge logs as the blade isn't long enough but, we have cut some from both sides and really works well. She paid about 150 for it...2 batteries. I'm impressed with it. Great for the limbs and smaller trees. She also has a splitter. Working doesn't leave a lot of time for all that work and she can split a whole tree in an afternoon, stacked and all.

I'm skidding the logs with horses

I LOVE that! No trees for skidding here but have some minis who were trained to pull. Mostly carts but, would pull anything. You just have a size issue :D But, I've loaded a cart with hay and other stuff, they did well to get it to where I needed. They are old now, we don't do that anymore as I use the tractor.:love
 

Beekissed

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Bee What makes me feel good is when I leave for work in the AM after stocking the cabin with wood and stoking the wood stove for DW looking in my rear view mirror seeing the white plume of smoke coming from the chimney.
View attachment 8302


I've always loved coming home in the winter time, seeing that little cabin with the smoke coming from the pipe and lights in the window....I can already FEEL the warmth inside before I even get in the house!

Wood heat always makes me feel that way and I think coming home after a hard day's work, moving in and out of the cold and wet, seeing the warmth of the lights and seeing the smoke is one of life's hidden pleasures. People who don't heat with wood really miss out on that kind of heat...there's none like it.

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baymule

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I sooooooo miss a fire place or wood heater. There just isn't room where the heat wouldn't be too close to something. But! we could put it in the stupidly too big master bathroom! WHY make it so BIG? I could have used some of that space for a bigger kitchen/dining area and had space for a wood heater! We even have a big lightening killed oak tree that needs to come down, would make a HUGE pile of firewood. :hit

Self pity party is over, y'all enjoy your wood gathering!
 

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