Braving the elements

[memory]

What type of weather makes you stay in instead of cutting wood? I normally will not go cutting if it is raining, snowing like a blizzard or it is just extremely cold or really windy. We are pretty fortunate in the winter time, we can kind of pick and choose when we go cutting. When does the weather get bad enough for you to call it quits?

We have another cold snap coming for this week but not nearly as bad as the last cold snap. We are supposed to get a couple inches of snow overnight and it is supposed to be pretty windy tomorrow, 20 to 30mph. Here we had a high of 50 today and tomorrow the temp is supposed to drop to the teens by the end of the day.

We are currently working at a place just up the road that is about to be sold and logged. It has already been partially logged but they still left many trees standing. Eventually it will be in houses, only a matter of time. They could start working by the spring time. So we need to get as much wood out of there as possible while we can. I am not sure if we will still be able to get wood once they start working. Has anybody on here have logging companies let you cut wood while they are working?

Whenever I get the chance I need to go up there and cut, weather permitting of course. They just piled up everything they cut down and didn't take, kind of a tangled mess and a little time consuming. It takes time getting all the limbs out of the way to be able to get to the real wood.

It just makes me sick, supposed to be over 300 houses going in. We live on a major highway and the traffic is already bad enough and is just going to get worse. There is already one subdivision going in right now less than half a mile from us that already has several houses built.

 

[redfin]

When my wood is frozen to the ground.

 

[mainewoods]

When it hits 90. Cold and snow is not an issue for me. Raining hard - no cutting.

 

[stihly dan]

It's generally not the weather, I just use it as an excuse when I don't feel like doing it. Been lying to myself a lot lately.

 

[HD2010]

Rain or below 0*F. I excuse myself from the woods.

 

[Johnny Yooper]

no type of weather keeps me from being out in the woods, whether it's huntin' or makin' wood; guess it's in my DNA, ain't much of a couch potato; always hunt the late bow season and this year was a little below zero couple times, just dress for the occasion. I will say that I normally don't run a saw when it's very wet or really raining cats and dogs, it's not worth the added risk just for firewood, accidents can and do happen under optimal conditions, and the wetness increases the likelihood of something going very wrong. But any other weather is fair game....90 above, below zero, snow, all doesn't matter. Took the tractor in the woods last Saturday, knee deep and tough goin', even in 4WD.......problem is finding the trees after they drop ; b-a-r-e-l-y made it out with a load of wood on the trailer (hmm, maybe I should have had bias ply tires.....sorry, couldn't resist); I think last Saturday will be the last time goin' in there until summer, which by the looks of things around here will probably fall on a Wednesday this year.

 

[dingeryote]

If it's over 60, or raining, I'm not playing with wood. I refuse.

Anything else and I'm happy to be playing at the wood pile. Cold is relative.
When it gets below zero, everything is more work and a guy gets heated up faster thanks to wearing several layers.
It's fun to play in the cold for a bit, and when it starts to be like work, call it a day and go do something in the shop or push snow.

What I wont do, is go felling trees when the wind gets too bad. The gusty "Breezes" we get off the lake are impossible to predict, and only a fool will try.

 

[mainewoods]

Don't much care for the flying widow makers in windy conditions either.

 

[chuckwood]

What type of weather makes you stay in instead of cutting wood? I normally will not go cutting if it is raining, snowing like a blizzard or it is just extremely cold or really windy. We are pretty fortunate in the winter time, we can kind of pick and choose when we go cutting. When does the weather get bad enough for you to call it quits?

It just makes me sick, supposed to be over 300 houses going in. We live on a major highway and the traffic is already bad enough and is just going to get worse. There is already one subdivision going in right now less than half a mile from us that already has several houses built.

I love to go in the woods when it's cold and cut firewood. Snow makes me extra careful about my footing, but in TN that's a rare situation. We had the second light snow of the season today, maybe an inch or so. When it gets below 10, I generally call it quits because my fingers don't work too well and thick gloves make it hard to use tools and saws. When my rounds are good and frozen, they seem to split much better. When my ground is frozen hard with no snow, the tractor can go anywhere. People around here think I'm crazy because I love cold weather.

As for the subdivision going up, don't get too sick about it, you may still have a chance - if the stock market bubble pops bad this year, inflation starts up big time, Obamacare takes away more middle class income, and interest rates go up. That will encourage the next real estate crash and burn.

 

[zogger]

I love to go in the woods when it's cold and cut firewood. Snow makes me extra careful about my footing, but in TN that's a rare situation. We had the second light snow of the season today, maybe an inch or so. When it gets below 10, I generally call it quits because my fingers don't work too well and thick gloves make it hard to use tools and saws. When my rounds are good and frozen, they seem to split much better. When my ground is frozen hard with no snow, the tractor can go anywhere. People around here think I'm crazy because I love cold weather.

As for the subdivision going up, don't get too sick about it, you may still have a chance - if the stock market bubble pops bad this year, inflation starts up big time, Obamacare takes away more middle class income, and interest rates go up. That will encourage the next real estate crash and burn.

Get you one of those heated handle saws, or maybe something you already have can be modified.

I agree on when the fingers stop working and start hurting, I tend to want to go back inside for more winter hibernation time...power napping!

 

[srb08]

I'm good to go as long as it's dry and 10-70 degrees.
I don't cut in the rain or if it's snowing hard. The rain is just miserable and in heavy snow, it's too easy to lose stuff and everything ends up wet.
Like others, I don't cut when it's windy.
I'll haul in anything other than heavy rain, I might melt.

 

[lapeer20m]

I've been processing firewood lately at around zero degree f.

I did two full cords of standing dead in the past week. I'm finally getting ahead when it comes to my firewood pile.

I only spend 1-2 hours at a time outside in these temps.

For reference, we average only a few days per year below zero. We have already had probably 7 days below zero so far with more on the way.

It's brutal! Newspaper says people should expect to use at least 30% more energy heating your home this year than last.

At -10 degrees I estimate that I use 3 times the firewood that I would burn at 30 degrees.

 

[flyboy553]

Was cutting and splitting today, -24 when I headed in to the woods, -6 when I finally had enough around 4 this afternoon. It doesn't really get cold until I start splitting, then my hands will need to visit the exhaust on the splitter engine once in a while. 20inch snow base in the woods isn't much fun, so I try to fall everything in to areas I have plowed off with the skid steer, or cut them to about 12 feet and drag them with the truck in to the plowed off landing area.

Any one can cut when it's 50 degrees and no snow or wind or rain! Where's the fun in that!

Ted

 

[3000 FPS]

I do not cut if the wind is blowing past 40 mph or if it is raining hard.

 

[Poindexter]

I buck at the felling site to keep sawdust off my lawn. Tow truck from the public designated area where I cut is $500. I stop as soon as the snow starts flying and don't start until the mud dries up.

 

[CTYank]

I love to go in the woods when it's cold and cut firewood. Snow makes me extra careful about my footing, but in TN that's a rare situation. We had the second light snow of the season today, maybe an inch or so. When it gets below 10, I generally call it quits because my fingers don't work too well and thick gloves make it hard to use tools and saws. When my rounds are good and frozen, they seem to split much better. When my ground is frozen hard with no snow, the tractor can go anywhere. People around here think I'm crazy because I love cold weather.

As for the subdivision going up, don't get too sick about it, you may still have a chance - if the stock market bubble pops bad this year, inflation starts up big time, Obamacare takes away more middle class income, and interest rates go up. That will encourage the next real estate crash and burn.

For gloves, try "Memphis Ninja Ice" (can't make that up) gloves. Latex palm- warm, grippy, and minimum bulk. Amazon sells them.

 

[Dalmatian90]

What I wont do, is go felling trees when the wind gets too bad. The gusty "Breezes" we get off the lake are impossible to predict, and only a fool will try.

I'm not a morning person.

But when wind was predicted for later in the day and I knew I needed to drop trees...I've rolled out of bed at 7am, go up to the woodlot, drop the trees before the wind picked up...

Then go home, have breakfast, surf the net, and around 10am or some decent hour go back to buck it up and haul the wood home

Wish I was a morning person, through college I was (even had all 8am classes at college, with a 25 minute commute and sometimes another half hour walk across campus). Dunno what happened after, but my brain changed to a night owl.

 

[Coldfront]

I'm going out right now to cut some wood, it is minus -4f out but the wind is only 5 - 10 mph now. I just keep telling myself how much money I am saving on propane.

 

[slowp]

57 in the shade here! The grass was starting to look raggedy so I mowed it, and I washed all the chemical stuff off the Tomato.
Unbelievable for January!

 

[3000 FPS]

57 in the shade here! The grass was starting to look raggedy so I mowed it, and I washed all the chemical stuff off the Tomato.
Unbelievable for January!

Sounds like it will not be long and you will rationing water out there. Sure hope the jet stream changes course or else it going to be a long hot summer.