Just keep the cost down. It appears I'm copying your process and it's starting to get expensive. I don't sell wood to recoup any of my costs.
Sent from a field
Sent from a field
Bucking table mostly done
- Thread starter CaseyForrest
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I had to chuckle, our hobbies are never cheap...lol
T. Mainus
ArboristSite Operative
I think everyones process is going to be different depending on equipment available, how much room they have and how fast they are trying to get the job completed. To me the cutting table seems like an unnecessary/extra step but that all depends what your trying to accomplish. For a homeowner its probably fine if their just splitting for themselves, but I would think for anybody selling, trying to make money it would take more time and energy then its worth. Im probably on the same scale as Sandhill, maybe a little smaller. Here is our process which works for us, may not work for anyone else but it is what it is. When we split, that is all we do is split. When we are bucking rounds, we buck rounds for 8 hours. We bring the logs over to the splitting area, splitter and conveyor are put away, and we cut our rounds. Keep dropping logs on the pile and cut right on the pile. Push the pile up every so often with the tractor so it doesn't get to large. Do that all day. Never handle a round until you put it on the splitter. If I cut for 8 hours that is usually enough rounds for me to split for 2 days straight at least. Usually about 4-5 cords depending on how hard I go at it. Then get the splitter and conveyor out and go to town. We switched over to the bags at the end of the season this year so we only stop to switch out a bag. Can usually split 6-8 bags a day once again depending on how things go. I would think the starting and stopping with the cut table and moving them to the splitter would take some time and un-needed labor. I think anytime you can save yourself a step or a couple of minutes in the process, it adds up because of the repetition of firewood production.
The lift mechanism is the most expensive part.
I think Cantoo has it figured out...
I agree. That's the most expensive part of my operation.
Sent from a field
Sent from a field
T. Mainus:
Very nice simple set up.
I looked up the firewood bags in your photo.
Do they really hold 1/3 cord stacked?
How many times can they be reused?
Do you like them, as far as ease of use?
Very nice simple set up.
I looked up the firewood bags in your photo.
Do they really hold 1/3 cord stacked?
How many times can they be reused?
Do you like them, as far as ease of use?
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Sandhill, I only use my loader and the flatbed for the bigger logs, 32" x 14" or bigger usually. The smaller stuff I push into piles with my loader and just set them on the splitter by hand. Unless I've been a bad boy and my back is bad then I take the extra time and use the loader and flatbed. When I bring my logs home form the bush I sort them into three different piles to make it quicker splitting. One is limbs, another is 6" to 14" stuff and the next pile is anything bigger than 14". I usually have my two log trailers in the bush and load them separately too. Anything to save handling and speed things up later. I do plan on a staging table with hydraulic lift that is 30' long for rounds in the near future. I have everything I need except the time. 3 more auction sales coming up the next 2 weeks, it's the busy season for me.
I also agree with T.Maintus and cut a bunch of rounds (maybe 100 logs worth) then start splitting. I think he also has lots of room to work to though. I have 10 acres so lots of room to work.
I also agree with T.Maintus and cut a bunch of rounds (maybe 100 logs worth) then start splitting. I think he also has lots of room to work to though. I have 10 acres so lots of room to work.
T. Mainus
ArboristSite Operative
Sandhill,
I haven't checked the bags yet. I have a bunch of wood stacked up in face cord racks so I have to fill one of the bags from the rack and see how close it is. The bags are basically 40"x40"x60". So doing the math they should be 1/3 of a cord but I have to test it first. Its amazing how strong the bags are. I am hoping to get 3 years out of them. If I do that would only be $7 extra per cord over the three years. Some of our wood was getting stacked and the rest we were just piling off the conveyor. The bags should save me almost 3 hours on a cord of stacked wood and 45minutes to an hour on a cord of wood we were just hand loading from the piles. Takes me an hour and a half to stack a cord in our racks and 45 minutes to hand load a cord of wood from the pile to the dump trailer. As I get older the value of my time and how bad my back hurts makes the cost of the bags a small part of the equation. The bags are easy to use. We just hang them from the forks to fill them, then set them on a pallet where we store the wood. Always using the top straps to move the bag. Haven't had any tip over yet. They seem to hold there shape pretty good. Well see how it goes this summer once they start drying out. These bags also have bottom straps as well. The plan is to just set them in the dump trailer and then empty them using the bottom straps and tip the bag over.
Cantoo,
I don't have that much room to work with. Basically just the room around the barn. Maybe an acre. The big plan this year is to put gravel down where we work to try to stay out of the mud. This winter was so mild around here we were always dealing with mud. The bags are stacked on our lawn so at least I don't have to mow as much grass this year. We haven't bought any loads of logs yet for next year because of this. Need to get the gravel down before we bring in more wood.
I haven't checked the bags yet. I have a bunch of wood stacked up in face cord racks so I have to fill one of the bags from the rack and see how close it is. The bags are basically 40"x40"x60". So doing the math they should be 1/3 of a cord but I have to test it first. Its amazing how strong the bags are. I am hoping to get 3 years out of them. If I do that would only be $7 extra per cord over the three years. Some of our wood was getting stacked and the rest we were just piling off the conveyor. The bags should save me almost 3 hours on a cord of stacked wood and 45minutes to an hour on a cord of wood we were just hand loading from the piles. Takes me an hour and a half to stack a cord in our racks and 45 minutes to hand load a cord of wood from the pile to the dump trailer. As I get older the value of my time and how bad my back hurts makes the cost of the bags a small part of the equation. The bags are easy to use. We just hang them from the forks to fill them, then set them on a pallet where we store the wood. Always using the top straps to move the bag. Haven't had any tip over yet. They seem to hold there shape pretty good. Well see how it goes this summer once they start drying out. These bags also have bottom straps as well. The plan is to just set them in the dump trailer and then empty them using the bottom straps and tip the bag over.
Cantoo,
I don't have that much room to work with. Basically just the room around the barn. Maybe an acre. The big plan this year is to put gravel down where we work to try to stay out of the mud. This winter was so mild around here we were always dealing with mud. The bags are stacked on our lawn so at least I don't have to mow as much grass this year. We haven't bought any loads of logs yet for next year because of this. Need to get the gravel down before we bring in more wood.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Where did you get the bags? Do they make large ones, like maybe 5ftx5f5x5ft?
T. Mainus
ArboristSite Operative
Of all the places I shopped for the bags, that size seemed to be the most common. Some smaller but I never found any that were bigger. I bought mine from Woodland Mills in Canada. There is a guy on the east coast that delivers in half cord bags. Not sure where he gets them or if he has them made just for him. Heres a you-tube link for him. He has a ton of videos on there.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
I was thinking for doing bundles. I do them in the shop, so could just haul bags inside. I have super sacks, but they don't breathe. And they are used and many rip the handles off just with 500 ish lbs of sawdust.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
As for using it for bulk wood, I don't see it working. Too much labor, plus would need to have a crane hoist on the truck and charge $40-45 a cord just for the bags.
reddogrunner
ArboristSite Operative
Built a bucking table, and refurbished the old one. One hassle with the one I've been using is moving it. I did a temporary fix for that. Surprisingly the old table has held up well for several years (and moves), so I copied what worked, and made some changes to hopefully improve upon it.
The base is narrower on the new one, and I can lift it from the sides with 6' fork extensions. The new one is longer, 12' total length, so no more stacking three logs high (or more). I added 1 1/4" through holes on both ends for the tip of the peavy, to push or pull a log to the end stop, gapped the cutting table to reduce chip (especially at the front edge), and added an extra 4"x6" to its depth. Sometimes rounds at either end would roll back and drop off the table. Previous holes for the peavy were much smaller and filled making them useless. Bigger logs can be difficult to move end-o if there isn't anything for the peavy tip to grab. If there is then it is easy.
The base is narrower on the new one, and I can lift it from the sides with 6' fork extensions. The new one is longer, 12' total length, so no more stacking three logs high (or more). I added 1 1/4" through holes on both ends for the tip of the peavy, to push or pull a log to the end stop, gapped the cutting table to reduce chip (especially at the front edge), and added an extra 4"x6" to its depth. Sometimes rounds at either end would roll back and drop off the table. Previous holes for the peavy were much smaller and filled making them useless. Bigger logs can be difficult to move end-o if there isn't anything for the peavy tip to grab. If there is then it is easy.
Looks expensive!
Nice job.
Nice job.
It is affordable for now, compared to the other options. Cantoo has me thinking I'm going to have to start going to auctions.
Time to get set up and start cutting.
Time to get set up and start cutting.
I still cant walk across the yard without leaving a mark.....
Maybe you can find snowshoes on sale this time of year.
You might need them.
Ten day forecast, seven days of rain... eight, if you count tonight, as it just started a bit ago.
T. Mainus
ArboristSite Operative
I just put all of our stuff away today for the season. Won't get it out again until January next year. The last month has been a mud fest around here as well. This has to be one of our warmest and driest winters in a while.
