Post pictures of your woodpile/splitting area

[chipper1]

Moved nearly 2 cords today to dry storage under our deck, which is in close proximity to the woodstove. I thought I was three years ahead, might be even farther than that! I never thought I'd ever say it - but we might have too much firewood.

This is what we removed:

This is what is in place to burn this season:

Most is a mix of Ash and Cherry, the rest, perhaps 25% is Northern Red Oak two years seasoned. There is still plenty to pull from, just didn't have enough room. This ought to last us until late January, then we will need to pull more a little at a time.

Got lots of kindling prepared too:

And everything is within a few steps away:

Some might ask why so much kindling. Well, our old Dutchwest stove doesn't have long burn time like more modern ones, but despite that it does burn very efficiently and unless it is bitter cold outside, there is no need to run the stove 24/7. On the weekends we burn constantly, because we are home. During the work week, we are away for an average of 12 hours at a time, so we light a cold stove every afternoon during the winter weeks.

Looks nice.
Maybe you could use large knots and "Y's" for an extended burn during the day.
I have a lot of kindling too. I like to use the cookies I do my test cuts with for the shoulder, they get very dry and leave little to no coals so the stove doesn't get real hot and as soon as I want to slow the heat I just stop putting more on.
This weekend I've been putting on large split in the middle with all the coals to the side, then 2 or 3 small rounds on the coals, one nice sized cookie(about 12-14"x3/8 thick) then a 1x8x10 red oak cutoff on the top. This gives off decent heat, clean burning, and it leaves a nice little pile to light the next batch about every 6 hrs.

 

[chipper1]

He is going to saw them, has plenty of oak right now so he really doesn't need it. I think he only took it because he is my cousin. LOL

That's nice to have a connection like that .

 

[Multifaceted]

Looks nice.
Maybe you could use large knots and "Y's" for an extended burn during the day.
I have a lot of kindling too. I like to use the cookies I do my test cuts with for the shoulder, they get very dry and leave little to no coals so the stove doesn't get real hot and as soon as I want to slow the heat I just stop putting more on.
This weekend I've been putting on large split in the middle with all the coals to the side, then 2 or 3 small rounds on the coals, one nice sized cookie(about 12-14"x3/8 thick) then a 1x8x10 red oak cutoff on the top. This gives off decent heat, clean burning, and it leaves a nice little pile to light the next batch about every 6 hrs.

I've tried various methods and I just cannot get 12 hours of burn time with this stove, no matter what wood I use be it Shagbark Hickory, Black Locust, or curled Oak stumps that I've noodled into dense blocks -if I load it at 0445 in the morning over the night's coals, by the time I get home there is little to nothing left, so I just start it again. Doesn't take long, maybe 2 minutes to stoke a fire, then another 15-20 minutes before the firebox is hot enough to activate the catalytic combuster, close the bypass gate and re-burn the gasses - then it gets toasty quick.

The kindling I have is just from some Tulip Poplar I helped my neighbor cut down. I took a bunch of the straightest-grained pieces and casually sat at a block, peeled the bark and split into kindling while sipping beers after work during the spring. When it is dry like it is now, it catches real quick and burns hot and fast - just long enough to throw my more dense wood atop and then it's off to the races.

 

[chipper1]

I've tried various methods and I just get 12 hours of burn time with this stove, no matter what wood I use be it Shagbark Hickory, Black Locust, or curled Oak stumps that I've noodled into dense blocks -if I load it at 0445 in the morning over the night's coals, by the time I get home there little to nothing left, so I just start it again. Doesn't take long, maybe 2 minutes to stoke a fire, then another 15-20 minutes before the firebox is hot enough to activate the catalytic combuster, close the bypass gate and re-burn the gasses - then it gets toasty quick.

The kindling I have is just from some Tulip Poplar I helped my neighbor cut down. I took a bunch of the straightest-grained pieces and casually sat at a block, peeled the bark and split into kindling while sipping beers after work during the spring. When it is dry like it is now, it catches real quick and burns hot and fast - just long enough to throw my more dense wood atop and then it's off to the races.

I hear that, you've certainly tried what I would have.
I like to use locust bark on top of medium splits criss crossed getting smaller towards the top with wadded paper in the middle.
Got a couple buckets from the neighbors this morning, so much for not having a green wood pile, this wasn't even here a month ago.
The piles make my tractor look like a B series Kubota lol.
If you look off to the left in this picture you can see some leaners on the neighbors property, they are nice sized trees, probably about as large as the one I dropped last week(the larger rounds on the bottom right of the picture are from that tree)

 

[Cowboy254]

I hear that, you've certainly tried what I would have.
I like to use locust bark on top of medium splits criss crossed getting smaller towards the top with wadded paper in the middle.
Got a couple buckets from the neighbors this morning, so much for not having a green wood pile, this wasn't even here a month ago.
The piles make my tractor look like a B series Kubota lol.
View attachment 765607 If you look off to the left in this picture you can see some leaners on the neighbors property, they are nice sized trees, probably about as large as the one I dropped last week(the larger rounds on the bottom right of the picture are from that tree)
View attachment 765608

The boy looks thrilled .

What's the smooth barked wood you have there?

 

[chipper1]

The boy looks thrilled .

What's the smooth barked wood you have there?

He was, he dumped that load and he asked to go with me to pick the wood up, he rarely smiles for a picture.
It's red oak. There's a good amount of cherry in the back as well as some Chinese elm.
Today I'll be adding at least another mixed bucket of smaller red oak and locust. If time allows I'll get a few more loads of locust and cherry too.
Here I found one of him smiling hauling wood at a buddies last fall, yes it took looking back that far .

 

[al-k]

I took a good sized oak down in the front yard yesterday. Was leaning hard into a bunch of maples I didn't want damage. Put the ladder up to put a rope on it. Trying to throw the rope over a limb about 6' over the top of the ladder it gets hung up and I can't get it out so I tie it as high as I could reach. Hooked the tractor up put some tension on the rope and started cutting. Put the first wedge in the back cut after about have way, then the second and the third. Still would not lift. Now I'm thinking I f-cked up. Try pulling hard with tractor no go, just spinning. Ax is bouncing off the wedges so I get the sledge and steel wedges. After destroying my plastic wedges and about 10 minutes of pounding wedges it lifted a bit, got back on the tractor and still no go. Decided to snatch it after a couple of tries it finally came over. I didn't get any pics to worried about what was happening.

 

[Philbert]

I didn't get any pics to worried about what was happening.

'Let's be careful out there!'

Philbert

 

[chipper1]

I took a good sized oak down in the front yard yesterday. Was leaning hard into a bunch of maples I didn't want damage. Put the ladder up to put a rope on it. Trying to throw the rope over a limb about 6' over the top of the ladder it gets hung up and I can't get it out so I tie it as high as I could reach. Hooked the tractor up put some tension on the rope and started cutting. Put the first wedge in the back cut after about have way, then the second and the third. Still would not lift. Now I'm thinking I f-cked up. Try pulling hard with tractor no go, just spinning. Ax is bouncing off the wedges so I get the sledge and steel wedges. After destroying my plastic wedges and about 10 minutes of pounding wedges it lifted a bit, got back on the tractor and still no go. Decided to snatch it after a couple of tries it finally came over. I didn't get any pics to worried about what was happening.

Glad you got it down and all went "well".
That's a sticky situation to be in for sure .
I like to give a good tug before I start cutting to assess whether I have the power/equipment to overcome the lean. I rarely use wedges on a hard leaner, the equipment does the work or I skip it. Now a moderate leaner I'll wedge over if it's a solid tree, if not I may not be the guy for the job, I don't want to get hit by a limb. All that said I do many that others won't touch, a few situations like you were in and you figure out real quick what you can and can't do or you figure out tricks or tools to get it done.
Can you share with us what you learned .

 

[al-k]

Glad you got it down and all went "well".
That's a sticky situation to be in for sure .
I like to give a good tug before I start cutting to assess whether I have the power/equipment to overcome the lean. I rarely use wedges on a hard leaner, the equipment does the work or I skip it. Now a moderate leaner I'll wedge over if it's a solid tree, if not I may not be the guy for the job, I don't want to get hit by a limb. All that said I do many that others won't touch, a few situations like you were in and you figure out real quick what you can and can't do or you figure out tricks or tools to get it done.
Can you share with us what you learned .

Knowing what I know now about that tree I would have used my truck to pull with, more weight. The canopy is what gave me the hard time, it was all on the side of the lean. when I did my initial pull on the tree before the first cut I should have gotten more movement to take the compression of the back cut I believe. The rope should have been up more to, only around 25' tree was about 80' tall
If there had been any chance of doing damage to anything other than those maples I would not have tried it. Here is a pic of the stump. You can see the blue spots from the steel wedges.

 

[al-k]

Here is a bad vid of one we took on the side of my driveway.

 

[thewoodlands]

Today I worked on getting some of this area cleaned up, I split some of the dead pine for kindling for the outside fireplace. I took a total of seven bucket loads of dead pine branches and pine to the fireplace and covered it so after it rains I can burn some.


Attached are some pics, 9706 is the area I split in today, 9707 is a before pic and 09 after the cleanup and 9710 is the small damaged elm.

 

[Matt Schmitt]

I fired my wood boiler up this evening.

 

[crowbuster]

soon. very soon.

 

[Matt Schmitt]

soon. very soon.

I feel a little early but here in Indiana we’re getting some pretty cool nights but next few days will have some low 70’s during the day. I like to burn some soft stuff this time of year. I always get a few free soft maples which are perfect for this time of year. Don’t have to waste the hardwoods until it gets real cold.

 

[Circle B MN]

Were I not burdened with a real job.....I'd be out there this morning.

 

[chipper1]

Knowing what I know now about that tree I would have used my truck to pull with, more weight. The canopy is what gave me the hard time, it was all on the side of the lean. when I did my initial pull on the tree before the first cut I should have gotten more movement to take the compression of the back cut I believe. The rope should have been up more to, only around 25' tree was about 80' tall
If there had been any chance of doing damage to anything other than those maples I would not have tried it. Here is a pic of the stump. View attachment 766003You can see the blue spots from the steel wedges.

It sounds like you learned from it, that's the important thing.
I like how you used two wedges spread apart vs a couple close together, it supports the weight and helps to avoid the hinge breaking.
If you tug on it and you don't have the power the rope/cable needs to be higher or you need more power/weight to control the top.
I've done enough of them to push the envelope on them now a bit more, I had one that gave me a hard time this spring, it was a crown heavy white oak over power lines .
I use a step cut with a bore cut. Look into it.
This one I did a while ago, hard to tell how much backlean it had on it. Power lines on one side and cable on the other.

 

[cantoo]

Son and grandkids running the processor.

 

[al-k]

I have had no power or internet for 2 days now, this sucks

 

[moresnow]

I have had no power or internet for 2 days now, this sucks

O M G Magnum 2 days without guidance from the Mothership...…. May we all be so lucky one day Mother natures gene pool cleaner. No power. No internet......

Kidding of coarse