Just about go time

[jrider]

Cut and split for about 3 hours yesterday and about 4 hours today. Yesterday was hot and humid. Today was mid 80's but low humidity with a nice breeze. Was working on some big oak logs today. I move the logs with the tractor, cut while they are on the forks, partially noodle the rounds before busting them up with a wedge and sledge, then tag team lift onto the splitter and put them in easy to manage pieces. This method works well for me.

 

[CaseyForrest]

What about a pair of tongs?

 

[jrider]

What about a pair of tongs?

i
I can push the forks close enough together to be able to pick up most large rounds but it just isn't as time effective.

 

[DSW]

Jrider, I'm conflicted, loving the saw but hate to see that log go to firewood.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Good luck with the heat...
I have had good luck with this approach. Once halved they pop into quarters quite easily. I've also used two handed ice tongues in the past to lift large pieces and now pulp hooks.

 

[rarefish383]

Jrider, I'm conflicted, loving the saw but hate to see that log go to firewood.

It's funny which forum you hang out on. The milling forum would moan to see a pretty Oak log go to firewood, here, we drool over the pretty stacks we could make with the splits, and the pro tree service guys just want to get rid of it. I have 8, 30" X 8' Red Oak logs in my back yard to make benches out of, and I've been thinking about splitting it, I have so many slabs stacked all over the yard. I took my tractor up to the farm for the summer so I can't move the logs, have to mill them in place, Joe

 

[DSW]

I guess I'd be in the milling category. I'm not in the firewood biz though, all of my firewood is from small trees or dead stuff that wouldn't have turned out. If i was producing his amount I'd be cutting differently I guess.

 

[rarefish383]

I had a bunch of Black Walnut that kept winding up on the bottom of the pile and not getting used. It was from stuff that was too small to mill. This was the third year I was putting it back in the empty wood shed. By chance, several pieces were kind of flat, so I ran them through my planer. Came out beautiful. Gave several pieces to a wood working buddy of mine and he was making custom bullet blocks for the guys in our shooting club, Joe.

 

[jrider]

Haven't put a true full day in yet but I've been working some all but 1 day so far. Last two days have only been around 80 so I spent quite a bit of time cutting and busting up large rounds into manageable pieces. Pile of splits in 25' long so far.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I was going to see if I could keep up with you jrider, this summer.
May was a good start. In June I did 2 1/2 cord.
COPD has me all but stalled out. Back to pulmonologist today trying to get it sorted out. I was doing a little bit everyday for a week, then went camping for four days, and back to zip. Lungs are fairly good, it's the airway to them that gets irritated.

Tomorrows another day.
My pallet supply dried up, so I can work on that. I'm down to four. I need a hundred to start with. As wood sells I reuse them of course. Delivered a half cord yesterday. I was getting used/reconditioned for $4.00 ea. New is three times that, and four pallets per cord. 48" x 48" is not a popular size for trucking because they don't fit side by side in a closed trailer. There are other options but that requires adding boards crosswise to get 48" at the mid section of the pallet for the fill drum to sit on. I bought board before for pallets with too wide of board spacing and they were a buck a piece. Just need to find some recycled ones or put an add on craigslist.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Going through the photos you've posted above.
I truly believe a log lift would save you a lot of work with the bigger stuff.
Cut it, roll it on, split, eliminating the piling of large splits.
Wish you were closer, I'd let you run mine for an hour. I think you would be sold on a log lift in half that time.
Maybe find a rental with a log lift and try it for half a day.
Then again, everyone seems to know better than the person doing it.
More than a few think what I'm doing is a bit... off.

 

[jrider]

I was going to see if I could keep up with you jrider, this summer.
May was a good start. In June I did 2 1/2 cord.
COPD has me all but stalled out. Back to pulmonologist today trying to get it sorted out. I was doing a little bit everyday for a week, then went camping for four days, and back to zip. Lungs are fairly good, it's the airway to them that gets irritated.

Tomorrows another day.
My pallet supply dried up, so I can work on that. I'm down to four. I need a hundred to start with. As wood sells I reuse them of course. Delivered a half cord yesterday. I was getting used/reconditioned for $4.00 ea. New is three times that, and four pallets per cord. 48" x 48" is not a popular size for trucking because they don't fit side by side in a closed trailer. There are other options but that requires adding boards crosswise to get 48" at the mid section of the pallet for the fill drum to sit on. I bought board before for pallets with too wide of board spacing and they were a buck a piece. Just need to find some recycled ones or put an add on craigslist.

Take it easy and wait for some cooler weather.

 

[jrider]

Had a splitter malfunction but thankfully wasn't shut down long. I just cut while I waited to get to welded. The humidity built back in a bit today and it got up to 88 degrees. A good breeze and the shade from my umbrella and I got about 6 hours of splitting in today. Pile is up to 35' long

 

[Sandhill Crane]

My old SpeeCo splitter would sheer the cylinder/push plate bolt once a year. The push plate guides did wears some over thirty years, but the collar was a bit loose fitting and allowed for some slop, unlike what your photo shows. I thought the bolt stress was because the cylinder rod end did not contact the push plate. Which meant the bolt probably took all the pressure.
Interesting place to break.
Did you catch something behind it on retract?

 

[jrider]

My old SpeeCo splitter would sheer the cylinder/push plate bolt once a year. The push plate guides did wears some over thirty years, but the collar was a bit loose fitting and allowed for some slop, unlike what your photo shows. I thought the bolt stress was because the cylinder rod end did not contact the push plate. Which meant the bolt probably took all the pressure.
Interesting place to break.
Did you catch something behind it on retract?

No, it just broke over time. You can see that it's not all a fresh break. This splitter has seen somewhere around 1200-1400 cords or so

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Just getting the newness wore off and ready for the long haul...

 

[CaseyForrest]

You guys are my inspiration. If I could just get inspired enough to let the inspiration take hold.


Sent from a field

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Guess I been doing even less than I thought...
Casey, your going to have to change your comment to the singular form, "jrider your my inspiration."
Boy I hated to move that nest. The inside was absolutely beautiful. It was spun grass and mud. Now I know why birds sing...
I moved it about fifteen feet away. Doubt it it will get used though.
I put a new roll of netting on the machine and wrapped three pallets, two of which were junk wood from three rowpacks. There is a black one in front of the log pile. The pallets on the far left, in the background, are all junk wood. Ones on the right are good, just need to be covered and moved.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

You guys are my inspiration. If I could just get inspired enough to let the inspiration take hold.

I guess we're not so inspirational after all.
Oh well...

 

[husqvarna257]

I always hope to get a year ahead on wood but that never works out. So I am off to another July of splitting and cutting. Log splitter is the bomb now that I have a OWB to feed.