Cutting at Harlan's - lots o pics

[Steve NW WI]

I didn't get much done yet, took Monday off to get some other things caught up, and got a late start yesterday. I did get some of it split and stacked. Here's the dent I put in the trailer load:

Maybe a 1/5 cord stacked, in probably 30 minutes splitting and another 15 stacking, along with time spent getting the tractor and splitter out there and grabbing some more 4x4s to stack it on, a bit over an hour. It's stringy, but actually not as bad as the cottonwood I was dealing with before this.

I'm trying to figure out what flavor of elm this is, look for another thread on that.

After I get some sleep, I'm gonna fire up the buzz saw on the front of the M and make some of those little logs into firewood. More pics coming after that. I hope to have the trailer empty by Thursday, then maybe Friday morning I can pick up the rest of that tree. The weather guessers are calling for rain Saturday, and I'm headed north for a charity cut on Sunday. If worst comes to worst, I'll work in the rain, but I don't like to.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Got most of the load split and cut up today. I started using the buzz saw on the front of the M, but it soon became clear that my blade needs some serious attention. It took 15 minutes to zip up this little pile, it was gonna be a long day at that rate. Note to self: find a circle saw blade sharpener somewhere close by.

I headed for the house and grabbed the 420, about 20 minutes later I had a more respectable pile. It was more like work though:

A couple of piles of splits. I moved the splitter rather than wrestle rounds over the pile of sticks that was in the trailer (I split after giving up on the buzz saw and before cutting with the chainsaw):

Tomorrow I gotta finish the last bit of bucking, stack it all, and fix the flat tire on the trailer (notice the lean in the 2nd pic?). Looks like I'll be finishing this tree in the rain Saturday, hope it doesn't wash out totally. I'm also hoping the wood hauler is out of the shop tomorrow, but I haven't heard from my mechanic yet, which probably isn't good news.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I went with my buddy this morning to help him put his camper in storage. We were going to swing by the repair shop and grab my unfinished woodhauler, instead he offered to help me out today. We hooked his Ford diesel to the wood wagon, and he got his toy out, New Holland TC23D with a loader. I bucked up the rest of the base, and we loaded the last of the brush and put the blocks on top. After it was loaded, he and his wife volunteered to help split. I don't say no to free help, so back to my place we went. I'll say that little tractor works slick for hauling rounds to the splitter from the trailer, no heavy lifting involved. We got it all split, some of those big crotches tried to fight Bubba, but they all lost. They always do. I might have a bunch of ugly stuff in my stacks, but it's all split. I'll get some pics of some of the nastiness when I stack it.

Sorry for you guy's luck, I didn't have the camera with, and wasn't gonna go get it while I had help. All I can offer are some after shots. My buddy even pushed up some of the small stuff closer to the stacks, and his wife finished off the row I had started while we unloaded brush. First pic shows the two stacks we split this morning, along with the smalls in the background.

Second is the two piles of splits I did earlier this week that still need stacking:

The 3 of us (Me and my buddy splitting, his wife on the lever) split probably 3/4 cord of stringy stuff in an hour and a half, and getting it out of the trailer slowed us down (remember the brush under it? I do now, not the best idea I ever had!). A cord an hour with a good crew is possible with good wood, compared to the 1/4 cord an hour I can manage by myself, not working real hard admittedly. Like I've said in a few of the speed threads, 1+1 equals more than 2 when it comes to splitting with a machine. Keeping it full is the key.

I'm happy to have Harlan's yard cleared up, and I'm sure he is too. Hopefully later this week I'll get over there and open up a path to some of that standing dead, and get some of that home next weekend.

 

[flyboy553]

(Me and my buddy splitting, his wife on the lever)

Pics of the wife on the lever or it didn't happen Steve, you know the rules, gol dangit!

Ted

 

[Steve NW WI]

Wasn't a good day for that anyhow, she had about 8 layers of flannel on...drizzle on and off all morning, finally got some raindrops an hour or so ago. I hope we get some more.

Charity cut in Grantsburg tomorrow. You interested?

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/210227.htm

Haven't ate breakfast at Tdawgs before, but their lunch/dinner is good. Just east of the 70/87 intersection in Grantsburg, south side of the road. 7 AM breakfast. Good times!

 

[flyboy553]

Wasn't a good day for that anyhow, she had about 8 layers of flannel on...drizzle on and off all morning, finally got some raindrops an hour or so ago. I hope we get some more.

Charity cut in Grantsburg tomorrow. You interested?

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/210227.htm

Haven't ate breakfast at Tdawgs before, but their lunch/dinner is good. Just east of the 70/87 intersection in Grantsburg, south side of the road. 7 AM breakfast. Good times!

Had planned on being there finally this time, but am working in Brookings SD this week and we leave on Sunday so no can do, dang it.

Ted

 

[Steve NW WI]

All done with that tree, stacked out to 1 1/4 cord. I'm over 3 cords on my 13-14 woodpile already. Gonna clean up some little stuff around the farm if it's not too wet the rest of the week, and head back to Harlan's for some of that standing dead over the weekend.

Stack pic:

There wasn't all that much "unstackable" wood, but lots of odd sized stuff that made stacking a little of a challenge. Here's a pic of the worst offenders:

It's been a while since I did a single tree that went over a cord, but I have a couple more big ones to look forward to at another place this year, and who knows what's out back dead till I take a scouting walk in the next couple weeks.

 

[tnichols]

Nice job droppin' that in a tight spot. I would have taken out the corner of the shed AND the hydrant. Nice, neat stacks too.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

those kind usually help hold my stacks down. fit very nicely on top. good on ya for helping the man.
btw, i use sidewalk chalk and a tape measure to mark my logs right before i cut them. chalk is CHEAP, like me.

 

[zogger]

Looking good! Those bigger trees are fun, aren't they?

 

[Steve NW WI]

Nice job droppin' that in a tight spot. I would have taken out the corner of the shed AND the hydrant. Nice, neat stacks too.

Thanks, I'm no pro, but I get a little better with each tree, and that's all ya can really ask for. I've done a lot of learning since finding this site, and it shows, sometimes

those kind usually help hold my stacks down. fit very nicely on top. good on ya for helping the man.
btw, i use sidewalk chalk and a tape measure to mark my logs right before i cut them. chalk is CHEAP, like me.

Jerry, I'll have to get a pic looking down the top of my stacks, lots of them hanging out up there! The chalk would be a great tip if the wood around here would grow straighter...

Looking good! Those bigger trees are fun, aren't they?

I like em once in a while, but honestly, you can be a lot more productive cutting 16" or so stuff. I'd cut big stuff every day if it was what I had though. If it's dying, it's burning.

Time for bed, if it ain't raining when I get up, I've got a couple smaller dead elms that should finish out that 1/2 cord. Out back I've got a bigger one all bucked up, if I have time I'll get out there with the splitter and get it split too, that one might go straight in the house, it was bark off standing dead when I dropped it back in April, before my woods access got blocked by a cornfield for the summer.