The journey !

[aokpops]

After 35 years of heating with firewood . I learned a few things, an never would believe it would get to this point , from I started from . The only thing I had to make it in the woods was a 72 ford van short wheel base and a o28 . heated the house , But went out some days that were close to a blizzard an hand split everything . Now I got saws that cut twice as fast , a stove that burns half the wood . Timed it once unloaded a truck in 17 seconds . The mission from day one was make this easy . Think make it easy ,do the work to make it easy . Get your saws ready at the shop sharpen chains fill gas an oil kept truck in shape too . What is ideal when out in the woods , if one saw gets dull runs out of gas or breaks with this that , grab another one an cut . To really make a nice day take some time an cook some hotdogs . Relax an enjoy .

 

[muddstopper]

Having worked in and around wood for around 50years, I have found the more I know, the more I need to learn. As age keeps creeping up, I find myself looking for easier ways to get things done. Those days of grabbing a big round and throwing it on the truck are over with. I now use electric winches and booms to load log lengths on a dump trailer. I lay runners on the ground before I dump to keep the logs off the ground for sawing. I use FEl to move the wood from little piles of splits to big piles of splits, and big rounds from where ever right up next to the splitter to be split. I use the fel to lift one end of a log off the ground for easier bucking. I keep a big saw for falling and a small one for limbing and a couple of sharp chains for each every time I go to the woods. Cutting wood is work, I dont care if you have feller bunchers and skidders, delimbers, and buck saws, its still hard work. Getting the job done without hurting ones self and getting it done in a timely manner are good goals to have and gives you time to cook some hotdogs on the grill.

 

[unclemoustache]

Yep. My dad heated with wood for a while, but quit when he finally decided it was too much work and too messy. He kept telling me not to do it and that it's too much work and mess and hassle, but it also saves a lot of money, especially if you live in a big old drafty barn like what I have. Plus it's great exercise and gets you outdoors. My kids run the splitter in the mornings twice a week (or more when it's time to split the selling wood), and I still lift the big rounds into the truck when my trailers are unavailable and I can't roll them up there. Getting older though, and easier is better.

 

[TreeswingerPerth]

There is nothing finer than getting peace to spend from dawn till dusk in the woods , I love it , fire going , nice fry up in the pan and some nice fresh coffee .
Head home as the light fades with a good load in the truck and a few more loads ready to pick up , bliss for me .

 

[muddstopper]

I was getting some oak logs for firewood a couple weeks ago. Easy job, take dump trailer to site, guy uses his loader to load the logs, drive home and dump, go get another load. Not real physical work except maybe trim a few tops here and there. Called up my grandson, he's 16. What you doing, want to help me get a little firewood. Sure come pick me up. now this is a good kid, but mom and dad divorced and he stays with his mom. Dad, takes him fishing and hunting, camping and such, but like me, his dad works out of town during the week. Boy needs a man around to show him how to do things that most women just cant/wont do. We get to the log landing and I have him moving brush, wasnt much, but I wasnt doing much either. Loader guy would grp the logs with the grapple and thro on trailer, got grandson to handle the saw to trim off what few little limbs had been missed. Might grab a log by hand and shift around so it laid on the trailer better and such, nothing heavy. Got him to pull the truck up when we needed it, just anything to keep him busy. Paid him $60 for about 5hrs work and we spend a lot of that time just taking about how to do things fooling with wood. Fueling the saws, driving the truck with a loaded trailer, explaining why you dont just take off wide open or tailgate another vehicle, things everyone needs to learn, but better learned by example than in a class room. Of course a little cash keeps em coming back, but thats ok too. Man shouldnt have to work for free and kids shouldnt be made to work for free just because they are kids. Did I need him with me to get the wood, not really, but I did enjoy having him there.

 

[Erik B]

Good job teaching your grandson life skills.

 

[unclemoustache]

Yup. My kids have regular chores which includes splitting/stacking firewood for our own use. But when it comes to splitting/stacking for sale, they get paid. My kids have a lot of things they want and if they're willing to work, they'll get paid, and I have plenty to keep them busy.

I even tried to encourage them to do my bundling for me on their own. I offered to pay them $1/bundle. All they have to do is split the firewood into smaller sticks with the SS, and put them in a mesh bag. The process takes a couple minutes, so they could conceivably make $20/hour doing that, and it could be on their own time when they were done with school. None of them went over there to do it, so when I NEEDED to have bundles ready I added it to their morning chores. They still got paid, but I wish they would have had the self-initiative to do it themselves.

 

[Iska3]

It all takes time.. I had the same problem with with my two kids until they got the taste of money and the ability to purchase something they really wanted. It wasn't long and the bank accounts were started. Give them time and you'll be looking for a second job to help pay the kids. ;-)

Yup. My kids have regular chores which includes splitting/stacking firewood for our own use. But when it comes to splitting/stacking for sale, they get paid. My kids have a lot of things they want and if they're willing to work, they'll get paid, and I have plenty to keep them busy.

I even tried to encourage them to do my bundling for me on their own. I offered to pay them $1/bundle. All they have to do is split the firewood into smaller sticks with the SS, and put them in a mesh bag. The process takes a couple minutes, so they could conceivably make $20/hour doing that, and it could be on their own time when they were done with school. None of them went over there to do it, so when I NEEDED to have bundles ready I added it to their morning chores. They still got paid, but I wish they would have had the self-initiative to do it themselves.

 

[muddstopper]

 

[Johnny Yooper]

I was getting some oak logs for firewood a couple weeks ago. Easy job, take dump trailer to site, guy uses his loader to load the logs, drive home and dump, go get another load. Not real physical work except maybe trim a few tops here and there. Called up my grandson, he's 16. What you doing, want to help me get a little firewood. Sure come pick me up. now this is a good kid, but mom and dad divorced and he stays with his mom. Dad, takes him fishing and hunting, camping and such, but like me, his dad works out of town during the week. Boy needs a man around to show him how to do things that most women just cant/wont do. We get to the log landing and I have him moving brush, wasnt much, but I wasnt doing much either. Loader guy would grp the logs with the grapple and thro on trailer, got grandson to handle the saw to trim off what few little limbs had been missed. Might grab a log by hand and shift around so it laid on the trailer better and such, nothing heavy. Got him to pull the truck up when we needed it, just anything to keep him busy. Paid him $60 for about 5hrs work and we spend a lot of that time just taking about how to do things fooling with wood. Fueling the saws, driving the truck with a loaded trailer, explaining why you dont just take off wide open or tailgate another vehicle, things everyone needs to learn, but better learned by example than in a class room. Of course a little cash keeps em coming back, but thats ok too. Man shouldnt have to work for free and kids shouldnt be made to work for free just because they are kids. Did I need him with me to get the wood, not really, but I did enjoy having him there.

this country would be a better place if more people thought this way. Years from now your grandson will probably not remember that $60, but he will remember what you taught him and the time you spent together, and it's impossible to put a price on that.