# 1 man operation how much wood in a day



## dbowling (Nov 21, 2008)

you guys that cut by yourself how much wood do you average cutting for a day...if I cut only for 5-7 hrs. I usually cut 7-10 6x10 ft. trailer loads..I cut for 4 hrs the last 2 days and probably have 6 trailer loads on the ground to be loaded.. just curious, I usually cut for a week straight then load and haul for a week then split it all at once.. or over a few days.


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## bobfeather (Nov 21, 2008)

some days cut all day, some days couple hours & give it up
kinda lucky here though house is in the bush i cut so........
out the back door, get on tractor & grab saw & head back one of the trails
some times cut within sight of the house so if i get thirsty i can just walk back to kitchen for coffee ( beer ) comes in handy when something breaks or i screw something up & gotta walk back to garage for tools etc
lots of days i just walk into bush with saw & gas & cut & pile up chunks
then i just pick a day & spend all day back & forth with tractor picking it all up & dragging it home don't have to rush as i'm usually working on wood for a couple years down the road
bob


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## TreePointer (Nov 21, 2008)

*Weather permitting*

I cut about a half cord to two cords per day (2-5 hours) when I go out, and it's usually toward the lesser amount. I'm sure I could cut more under different circumstances, but these are treetops (20" max) left from a timber harvest that are sometimes in moderate brush, and half of them are on hillsides (western PA).

I only cut on days it isn't raining or snowing, and I usually wait at least 48 hours after the last rain to haul it out. This is mainly because I don't want to make too many ruts out of respect for the property owner.


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## Dave M (Nov 21, 2008)

Newbie here.. 

My personal best has been 2 full cords in a day...


Not to ever be duplicated again.


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## mattmc2003 (Nov 21, 2008)

I have been cutting, splitting by hand, and stacking on a trailer a little over 3/4 of a cord by myself in 3-4 hours. Thats about average if i don't carry the wood far to load.


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## wdchuck (Nov 21, 2008)

dbowling said:


> you guys that cut by yourself how much wood do you average cutting for a day...if I cut only for 5-7 hrs. I usually cut 7-10 6x10 ft. trailer loads..I cut for 4 hrs the last 2 days and probably have 6 trailer loads on the ground to be loaded.. just curious, I usually cut for a week straight then load and haul for a week then split it all at once.. or over a few days.



Just how full is your 6x10 trailer? And what is the size of the wood in it?

Myself, I've cut 6" locust, measured/cut to length at 80" and 60" to fill my short box F250 32" tall, and a 6x12 dump trailer to 32" tall. That includes the felling, measuring, bucking, carrying logs to truck/trailer, loading so they fill in tightly, lunch/saw breaks, and was home 7hrs from when I left, feeling beat. It was 70* and most of the work was in full sun, too hot, but sometimes that's just the way it goes.

My most fun, and productive day, was using a landowners little compact 4x4 tractor to transport my bucked rounds to the truck. After 3hrs my 80"x60"x42" truck bed was full with oak/cherry avg 12"dia. Again, lunch/saw breaks included.
On this occasion, being less weary than usual, I did split off the tailgate and stack right away, comes out to one cord+ in the end.


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## dnf0929 (Nov 21, 2008)

I usually get to dedicate about 3-4 hours on my days off and end up with about 2/3rd's of a cord - 2 truck loads with my Toyota. Every once in a while if things go perfectly I'll get almost a cord and then there's the days when I return home with just one. No matter what I keep going back.


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## Beaver State (Nov 21, 2008)

3 loads of madrone full 8' Dodge bed w/sides , as much as it will carry between breakfast and lunch...didnt split it though, thats another 1 1/2 hours.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 21, 2008)

So much depends on how young or how your feeling your oats.
If I am feeling my oats I can cut split and load a cord in between 3 to 4
hours then haul and stack depending on how far, hour and a half to two
and I am back home. That is a day unless; I am really feeling my oats or
have a bill due that can't wait, then 2 cords are manageable but I am spent
after that and will probably not feel my oats next mourning.


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## GRAYSTONE (Nov 21, 2008)

*Wood Cut Per Day*

I can cut and split 1 cord in 5 hours. 2 hours to cut 2 hours to split and 1 hour to sharpen saws and move machines and rounds around etc. I can pile the cord in about 1 hour.
Here is a picture of my 6 x 10 trailer with a cord of wood in it.


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## Laird (Nov 21, 2008)

I usually spend my weekends skidding logs out of the woods. Between 8-16 hours for a weekend if I am lucky and don't have other plans made for me. I'll then spend the 1-1.5 hours of daylight I have after work bucking, hauling, and splitting during the week. Too haphazard to know how much actual time I have in a cord. Sometimes I'll set up a worklight and split after dark if I am feeling my "oats".


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## dbowling (Nov 21, 2008)

*trailer height*



wdchuck said:


> Just how full is your 6x10 trailer? And what is the size of the wood in it?
> 
> Myself, I've cut 6" locust, measured/cut to length at 80" and 60" to fill my short box F250 32" tall, and a 6x12 dump trailer to 32" tall. That includes the felling, measuring, bucking, carrying logs to truck/trailer, loading so they fill in tightly, lunch/saw breaks, and was home 7hrs from when I left, feeling beat. It was 70* and most of the work was in full sun, too hot, but sometimes that's just the way it goes.
> 
> ...


My trailer is stacked 4 deep 24 in. long usually 8-20 in logs, its got the 3500 axle so I load it pretty heavy since Ive only got to travel less then a mile. My trailer holds about 2 pick up loads if stacked right.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 21, 2008)

Oh I forgot to mention, I cheat with my grapple truck is how I
get it done quicker! I use the grapple to hold the huge 40 inch rounds 
up to the splitter and split them in manageable sections. I park my truck
right beside the splitter and toss the splits as I am going into a pile until
they start mounding up, then stack them tight and resume. I hate wasted 
effort. I will pile them if they are not sold, I used to take the time to stack
them but really was wasted time, so; I learned to pile them and only handle 
them to sell or burn. I do admit if I had way more time, I would stack them 
neat as some of you fine gentlemen do but I do not have that option.


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## TallElf (Nov 21, 2008)

I hate to say it, but I never kept track of how "Much" cord wise. Pop and I measure by tankfulls. I have run through about 3 tanks fulls in the MS290 then split till the sun went down. (I split for therapy, not by hydraulics)


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## farmermike (Nov 23, 2008)

I don't cut from sun up till sun down, but about one cord a day. That includes cuting, hauling, splitting and stacking. Probably takes me about 5 to 6 hours maybe longer depending on where the trees are. Not every tree is right along the edge of the field. Some are easier that others. Have been cutting for over twenty years and it seems the older I get the longer it takes!


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## Stihl051master (Nov 23, 2008)

I always figure about an average of 2 hours per facecord. I know some people hate that term, but that's the terms of measurement everyone uses here in the thumb. They are 1/3 cord (16" length), so about 6 hours per cord. This includes loading up, fueling and oiling saws, driving back, cutting, loading in the Mule, running the wood out, unloading the Mule,trailer, or tractor, splitting, and stacking, with built in breaks to gas and oil the saws and for snacks. Sometimes I just split back in the woods so it can go from the Mule to stacked on the pile. 

It all depends on what kind of wood and how easy it splits. If it's smaller rounds that aren't twisted or knotty, I can whack it out much quicker. I know my buddy and I filled my trailer with just a shade under 2 full cords cut and split in about 4 hours, but the wood was easy to get to and easy to split and we didn't have to unload or stack it. 

I think ultimately it depends on the wood and how froggy you're feeling.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 23, 2008)

Stihl051master said:


> I always figure about an average of 2 hours per facecord. I know some people hate that term, but that's the terms of measurement everyone uses here in the thumb. They are 1/3 cord (16" length), so about 6 hours per cord. This includes loading up, fueling and oiling saws, driving back, cutting, loading in the Mule, running the wood out, unloading the Mule,trailer, or tractor, splitting, and stacking, with built in breaks to gas and oil the saws and for snacks. Sometimes I just split back in the woods so it can go from the Mule to stacked on the pile.
> 
> It all depends on what kind of wood and how easy it splits. If it's smaller rounds that aren't twisted or knotty, I can whack it out much quicker. I know my buddy and I filled my trailer with just a shade under 2 full cords cut and split in about 4 hours, but the wood was easy to get to and easy to split and we didn't have to unload or stack it.
> 
> I think ultimately it depends on the wood and how froggy you're feeling.



Ribit ribit  Why am I always feeling froggy after the day
is over?


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## haoleboy99 (Nov 23, 2008)

*Just depends*

Now that I have my own splitter I pace myself. I used to cut/cut and then use my buddies splitter to get it split and wife would stack it. Hating to keep the splitter longer than a day I would work from morning till dark just to get it all split. Best might have been 4 cords for the day, splitting and stacking. Those were killer days! Now I usually bring home a load in the bed of my truck or if the trailer is hooked up I load it up, bring it home, split and stack it. No big rush. I just try to have everything split and stacked by May and then let it bake in the Kansas heat throughout the summer.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 23, 2008)

I need to figure out a way to do ten cords per day.
I was wondering if a mill would not do it faster 4+4s
and then cut them to length btw those would be true 
cords no air space tightly stacked!


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## Zodiac45 (Nov 24, 2008)

dnf0929 said:


> I usually get to dedicate about 3-4 hours on my days off and end up with about 2/3rd's of a cord - 2 truck loads with my Toyota. Every once in a while if things go perfectly I'll get almost a cord and then there's the days when I return home with just one. No matter what I keep going back.



+1 That's me also. Usually it's a sat morning on a nice day. Load up the night before, take off at dawn, have a hot breakfast and head up country. I'm usually home at lunch time with 1/3 too 1/2 cord. I'm not busting but I work up a good sweat. I've found that if I go all day and make several trips, it starts too feel like work instead of a workout. Plus, if I'm alone, there is the fatigue factor where injurys can happen after a while. This way, I enjoy it and I get a workout. Let me say that if i stumble onto a really nice score, I'll get it all or as much as I can because around here there allot of early birds and not allot of worms.


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## Mike Van (Nov 24, 2008)

ropensaddle said:


> I need to figure out a way to do ten cords per day.
> I was wondering if a mill would not do it faster 4+4s
> and then cut them to length btw those would be true
> cords no air space tightly stacked!



I don't think I'd do it, at least with the bandmill setup I have. When I want all 4x4's etc., I saw 4" thick slabs or flitch's off the log, these I have to slide off, then slide back on to resaw. They can be hundreds of lbs. each. The bandmill has higher operating costs than a splitter. You still need to cut all the 4x4's to length. Fresh sawn lumber thats 'dead stacked' will mold really fast where the faces are together, unlike split wood that always lets air back through. Mold doesn't go over big these days if people are bringing it into their house. Probably something else I've missed too, but you get the idea? I'll stick with the 'old way' :bang:


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## ropensaddle (Nov 24, 2008)

Mike Van said:


> I don't think I'd do it, at least with the bandmill setup I have. When I want all 4x4's etc., I saw 4" thick slabs or flitch's off the log, these I have to slide off, then slide back on to resaw. They can be hundreds of lbs. each. The bandmill has higher operating costs than a splitter. You still need to cut all the 4x4's to length. Fresh sawn lumber thats 'dead stacked' will mold really fast where the faces are together, unlike split wood that always lets air back through. Mold doesn't go over big these days if people are bringing it into their house. Probably something else I've missed too, but you get the idea? I'll stick with the 'old way' :bang:


Hmmmmm interesting so mold won't make btu's eh:monkey:
I have a grapple to move the heavy's but I can see what your saying
I guess if ya want production a processor is the name of the game
unfortunately I will have to make mine if I want one! I also wondered
about a whole log splitter lay a twenty footer in a jig split the whole
log into staves then cut to size = less handling of individual pieces!


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## MS460WOODCHUCK (Nov 24, 2008)

As much as I can. Usually I cut alot for a couple of weeks then split it when I get the chance.:chainsawguy:


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## Stihl051master (Nov 24, 2008)

One tip I can offer that will up your production by 15% when splitting by hand is to yell "Judo chop!" every time you scwhack a log. It works even better when there are other people around watching you.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 24, 2008)

Stihl051master said:


> One tip I can offer that will up your production by 15% when splitting by hand is to yell "Judo chop!" every time you scwhack a log. It works even better when there are other people around watching you.



Look I am one step away from the looney bin now so I don't
want to push the issue


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## MATTYB11 (Nov 24, 2008)

Stihl051master said:


> One tip I can offer that will up your production by 15% when splitting by hand is to yell "Judo chop!" every time you scwhack a log. It works even better when there are other people around watching you.



Thank you for the laugh. Austin Powers would be proud


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## TreePointer (Nov 25, 2008)

Stihl051master said:


> One tip I can offer that will up your production by 15% when splitting by hand is to yell "Judo chop!" every time you scwhack a log. It works even better when there are other people around watching you.



Thx--I tried it and it works! The only problem is that I woke up the next day with 3X chest hair and nasty teeth.


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## Stihl051master (Nov 25, 2008)

Those are a couple of unfortunate side effects I forgot to mention... :greenchainsaw:


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## mechanickeven (Nov 29, 2008)

best i can do is fill my short box twice stacked and split and get it put in the basement. if i didn't have to transport the wood i might get 3 loads in a day.lol


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## Laird (Nov 29, 2008)

For the month of November I did 11 cords. Weekends and after work. Throw in Veterens Day, Election day, and 4 days for Thanksgiving, minus the honey do list and family stuff thats not bad for me. Got this years wood and now starting on next years.


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## Brushwacker (Nov 30, 2008)

For a rough average I figure about 1 hour for each 4x8'x16" rank. That is 1 hour to cut it up(sometimes goes slower or much faster), 1 hour to split and I usually split it small(time can vary a lot),1 hour to load and unload, but then add some time for path clearing, mabe field maintnence on equipment,a look around the woods for cull trees and a little this and that. Sometimes to go knock out fair size trees felling into an open field it can go twice as fast or the underbrush and weather conditions etc. slows things up.


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## Bowtie (Nov 30, 2008)

In 2 hours I split and loaded this small truckload from what SawinRedneck and I took down, limbed, and bucked up yesterday. there is another truckload left that was also split in that time still on location.





Here is part of the tree that load came from, there is probably 2 more loads like that in that tree still to be split upafter the two loads I split today


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## ms310 (Nov 30, 2008)

*Maybe i am crazy*

But i never cut unless someone is with me, To many things that can go wrong, and the wifey dont like me out there by my self.


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## haoleboy99 (Nov 30, 2008)

*Hedge*

Bowtie, how long do you allow that Hedge to season? Is that for 10-11 ? I usually find some scraps of hedge around, keeping about a cord around for when it gets really cold. All my hedge stocks were burnt during the power outage last year. We went 7 days without power! It was tough this year to build up the supply again.


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## Laird (Nov 30, 2008)

ms310 said:


> But i never cut unless someone is with me, To many things that can go wrong, and the wifey dont like me out there by my self.



I hear ya and I agree, BUT, if I only cut when someone else was around I would only be able to cut about a cord/yr. I try to compensate by wearing all my safety gear - chaps, hardhat/faceshield, steeltoed boots etc. Out of all my family and friends I'm the only one who feeds a woodburner and enjoys spending a day doing it.


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