Work is pilling up

[sb47]

The best I can hope for is cloudy days with no rain. If it rains the humidity goes through the roof and it's even hotter. It's not so much the temp but the humidity that comes along with it.
I've been in Arizona when it was 125* and it didn't feel hot to me at all compared to down here near the coast.

 

[unclemoustache]

It gets pretty nasty here in southern IL as well. When I have my kids splitting the rounds, I set up a canopy and put a fan on them. It makes all the difference in the world - shade and wind. I recommend the same, if you can at all manage it. You can buy billboard tarps for about $50 (at least, I can around here) and those things are quite huge. I even got some old military camo poles to hold it up if there is no tree to tie the corners to. A good powerful fan from Craigslist and you'll feel 15 years younger again.

 

[muddstopper]

Spent the last 2 days sawing stumps off trees. Ruff work for a old fat fart that usually dont run a saw over 30min at a time. Hydration is a must. Working on the railroad, temps usually hit 130f between the rails. I dont care what anybody says, you dont acclimate to that kind of heat. About 2 to 4 pm seems to be the worst time of day for heat. I will saw until I start sweating pretty bad and then hit the water and take a break. Once you over heat, its to late to take a break. I dont like ice cold water, I want it cold, but I need to be able to chug it down and will drink a 16oz bottle of water in a couple of gulps.

 

[crowbuster]

You guys every make “snake juice”? It’s water with a combination of salts that keep your from getting your electrolytes out of whack. I’m going to give it a try.

You guys every make “snake juice”? It’s water with a combination of salts that keep your from getting your electrolytes out of whack. I’m going to give it a try.

Look up haymakers punch. Old timers drink. Vinegar, lemon, ginger, maple syrup instead of sugar. Im sure there are other variations. I do like the Gatorade zero even better than the g2

 

[ATpro]

Have a friend that is in the Tree Service business that is more than happy to bring folks wood, saves him the trouble of having to dispose of it. It's a big help to them and something more folks should explore. Folks around here haven't had to buy Firewood for years because all they have to do is ask.

 

[sb47]

Spent the last 2 days sawing stumps off trees. Ruff work for a old fat fart that usually dont run a saw over 30min at a time. Hydration is a must. Working on the railroad, temps usually hit 130f between the rails. I dont care what anybody says, you dont acclimate to that kind of heat. About 2 to 4 pm seems to be the worst time of day for heat. I will saw until I start sweating pretty bad and then hit the water and take a break. Once you over heat, its to late to take a break. I dont like ice cold water, I want it cold, but I need to be able to chug it down and will drink a 16oz bottle of water in a couple of gulps.

When I was driving a tree transplanter without AC it would hit 130 to 140 in the cab of the truck. I would have to tarp the tree so the hot wind wouldn't burn it up during transport. I try every year to increase production to keep up with demand. I still sell out ever winter and have to start over every spring. I've got about 50 cords split already but that wont last long once the cold weather comes in. Sales are slow right now but I do sell a fair amount for BBQ wood during the summer.
I've always respected anyone that has to work in the heat because I've been there done that. I hate being stuck inside when I see work that needs to be done. And you are rite, once you over heat it's too late so I try to stop before that happens. I just work for 20 to 30 min then take a break. At least the wood is on the lot and ready to be processed and it was free. Can't beat that.

 

[sb47]

Have a friend that is in the Tree Service business that is more than happy to bring folks wood, saves him the trouble of having to dispose of it. It's a big help to them and something more folks should explore. Folks around here haven't had to buy Firewood for years because all they have to do is ask.

Yep, They have been keeping me in wood for many years. It helps them and me all at the same time. All you have to do is ask. There are times when there work is slow or there cutting pine or junk wood and they don't bring me any wood, but lately they have been pilling in on me pretty good.

 

[CaseyForrest]

When it gets hot and I’m trying to put in a 5+ hour day I will take 1-2 10 minute breaks to go and just sit in the pool. It’s amazing how refreshed you feel once your body temp drops a little.

Unless the pool is 88.... Wife wont let me bypass the solar heater yet...

But it does feel good.

 

[ATpro]

There are some that will even take the pine around here for their outdoor fire pit. They will start it off with pine and then throw in some hardwood. Some even let him dump some on their place and then have a big Bond Fire in the fall after it cools off. We have our own "Burning Man" fire around Christmas, he will take his big piles he has accumulated over the year, torch them and throw a big Christmas Party for the community. Everybody brings a dish and sometimes there are hundreds of people there.

 

[jrider]

A fan doesn't do any good when it's blowing 100 degree hot air on you. And I live 100 miles from the coast so the dew point this time of year never goes down. If I had a pool the water temp in the pool would be above 80* so thats not much relief ether.
You also can't drink enough to replace what you loose so you can get dehydrated very easy. Rounds that sit out in the sun all day stay hot even when I split them at night. When I split one I can feel the heat and humidity radiating from it.
When I was younger I could deal with it, but I'm not doing that at my age anymore. I'll just wait till it cools off before I start back splitting wood. I have 50+ cords split and stacked already so I have enough inventory to hold me till it cools off.
I just get cabin fever when I get stuck in the house.

Even water that’s 90 is still cooler than your body and it will pull heat out of you. Cooler obviously is better but it still feels good. Remember, you can get hypothermia in 80 degree water if you’re in it long enough

 

[DSW]

Did that a week ago. Plenty of water but still got too hot. I’m usually able to pace myself but was “just getting this one thing done” and it more or less wrecked me for the rest of the day.

The heat didn't seem to bother me too much when I was younger. You could say we get lazier, more comfortable as we get older and that's true but I still do physically demanding work, work outside and stay in decent shape. It's been mid 80's to low 90's for the last 6 weeks and we have yet to turn the AC on. But I can't push it like I used to. And I try to force myself to take breaks because if I overdo it, it wastes much more time trying to get back to normal.

 

[sundance]

The heat didn't seem to bother me too much when I was younger. You could say we get lazier, more comfortable as we get older and that's true but I still do physically demanding work, work outside and stay in decent shape. It's been mid 80's to low 90's for the last 6 weeks and we have yet to turn the AC on. But I can't push it like I used to. And I try to force myself to take breaks because if I overdo it, it wastes much more time trying to get back to normal.

I'm curious......you have AC why? Does it get dramatically hotter later in the year? Ate you somewhere with basically no humidity (TheWoods didn't define much for me)?

Our AC has been on for several weeks....runs when it needs to, when it cools off the AC just sits. Helps knock down the humidity a bunch.

 

[svk]

I spend most of the summer at the cabin (no AC but it’s cooler there). But we keep our AC on 65 at home. Love sleeping in the cold.

 

[moresnow]

I dont like ice cold water, I want it cold, but I need to be able to chug it down and will drink a 16oz bottle of water in a couple of gulps.

Also. Unless I am mistaken room temp water/hydrating fluids are absorbed quicker or more efficiently. I don't ice my water when working. Never have. Drives people working with me nuts!

Now my beer on the other hand.... Different story

 

[sb47]

some pics of the free wood.

my splitting area.

 

[sirbuildalot]

I’d run a line between those two trees and sling a large tarp over it. Could make a quick sun shelter to split under

 

[sb47]

I’d run a line between those two trees and sling a large tarp over it. Could make a quick sun shelter to split under

I'm going to put up one of those 24x28 metal car ports in that spot next spring.

 

[kyle1!]

Looking at your setup you need to make it easier on y0urself by making a staging table for your rounds so your not working so hard picking them up to split. A staging table with a ramp to roll the rounds up to working height might allow you to work longer in the heat. I have access to a small bobcat that lifts the rounds to the splitter for me. It makes a world of difference. One person on here was using a motorcycle lift or repair table to stage rounds. I am almost 50 with a decent back but I still see the need to work smarter not harder.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I had to close the windows in the house and grab an extra blanket 2 days ago. Went from 2 weeks of upper 80s-mid 90s to upper 60s. Woke up with the boiler running. The thermostats were still set from this winter at 63* and it wasn't even that in the house.

 

[jrider]