From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Eugene,OR

The other day I was splitting some wood and remembered a picture Al Eaton showed during a presentation of his "other hobby", cutting and splitting firewood. I was at Jack LaRue's a couple of years ago and saw his woodshed. Is this what pumpkin growers do in the winter time? Who else cuts wood??? If you do, how many cords...and do you split it by hand like Al does? Personally I use a gas-powered hydrolic splitter.

12/4/2006 11:15:00 AM

Simi valley, ca

Hey vineman, My mom is in the firewood bis,But uses gas hydrolic spliter also ! which iv barrowed & i can say it sure beats doing by hand,which iv done !, But with maull & sludge hammer was kindo fun for a while i split 2 cords, (thats a work out), had a old oak tree fall during winds !!

12/4/2006 12:00:25 PM

Ohio

Vineman, I cut wood all the time, I have atleast 4 cords of wood cut and thats not counting what I need to split. But get this, I dont have a wood burner!,lol. I just like to cut it, Its all cherry with just a little bit of white oak that I use for fence post. I also have alot of locust cut, but not in firewood pieces, I have it cut for fence post awswell.
I been wanting to get a small wood burner and keep it simple just for my basment part of my house or even for my barn. I do like the smell of a house that burns wood.

12/4/2006 12:19:28 PM

Knopp, Germany

i do it by hand. i do not even know what a cord is, but i have since last spring chopped about 8 yards long, one yard deep and 2 yards tall, not much i guess but keeps our wood burner going.

12/4/2006 12:21:43 PM

Ohio

Let me refrase this,I dont use the cherry for fence post I have it cut up into firewood, but for fence post I have the white oak and locust.

12/4/2006 12:23:21 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

I have about 22+ pick-up loads of wood sitting around here that will be burned to heat my greenhouse this winter.
Wood cut for firewood is much too expensive for me. I pick most of the wood I use up at an Amish friends saw mill for $15 a pick-up FULL.
They grade wood for furniture so it's all Oak, Cherry, with an occasional Walnut and Beach with the pieces being 1 to 3 inches thick and 8 to 36 inches long. It's been sitting in a huge pile all summer so it's nice and dry.
Burns kind of fast though.

I also have some Box Elder sitting around here from trees that were dropped here during last years ice storm. Most of that needs to be split as it's burned.
My back is aching just thinking about it. LOL.

Pallet shops and saw mills are a great source of cheap firewood. If your lucky, you will be able to find a place that sells there "cant" ends, which are usually 4 X 6 or 6 X 6 chunks, random length and mostly hardwood.

12/4/2006 1:14:01 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I cut several pickup loads a year from our woods. I usually am cutting down cull trees, trees I planted specifically for firewood, and tops from saw log trees we sold. It is walnut, elm, ash, box elder, cottonwood, hybrid poplar, soft and hard maple, cherry and maybe some ironwood. I used to do all of the splitting by hand, until my shoulders went bad. Now my 15 year old son, the high school wrestler, does the splitting for a workout. We heat mainly with propane, with a fireplace in the walkout basement to take the chill off and supplement heat in real cold weather or power failures.

12/4/2006 1:22:18 PM

Mocksville, NC

I cut, and split firewood for winter, and always split with a Maul, by hand, i just like being outdoors, and when your finished for the day, a good feeling comes over me, got a couple of hardwoods that will fall in 3 days when im off, good way to unwind, It clears my thoughts, and i guess you call it my reset button.

12/4/2006 1:23:57 PM

dont even know where to begin on this thread. i cut trees for a living. never had a real job when i was teenager would split all by hand. 3-4 cord per day-lol that was then-now use big splitter with 28 gallon per minute 2 stage pump-i have split 7-8hunderd cords of firewood before year after year-funny thing is it brings same price now as i got 25 -30 years ago-so now just heat my house and few freinds with wood-and concentrate more on trimming and removing trees for people.i do some walnut veneer logging now and then as far as my choices for my own burning wood i like a mix of white oak. honey locust. and red elm . shag bark hickory is good but must be not over 1 year old or bugs eat it. havent turned on furnace yet so far -might not i can open windows in house 15 below

12/4/2006 1:53:10 PM

Antigonish,Nova Scotia,Canada

Gee, I think I was fourteen years old before I discovered that my real name wasn't "get wood"....LOL....old joke , I know...just couldn't resist....used to spend a lot of time cutting, hauling and splitting wood....last few years however we have been using a pellet stove....which is a whole lot easier on an old fella's bad back!!! BUT recent huge increases in cost of pellets has me thinking about getting back to the hardwood lots!!!...(but NOT for too long!!!!....hahahahaha)...enjoyed reading these threads!

12/4/2006 1:58:22 PM

Cottage Grove, MN

There's a great forum at www.hearth.com, between that site and this one I'm pretty much set for the whole year. I burn really tiny little logs (pellets) in 40lb bags and kernaled gold (corn) as my primary heat source.

12/4/2006 2:07:24 PM

Lexington, Ky

I used to cut wood but then I discovered how cheap a truck load of someone elses hard labor costs...

12/4/2006 2:11:48 PM

Western Pa.

I have recently purchased and installed an outdoor wood "boiler". It heats my big old house, all my hot water, and in the near future a greenhouse and hot tub! Beware of cheaper models, (you only get what you pay for). I order hardwood scraps delivered from the sawmill, which can be some pretty hefty chunks, and cut logs from my acreage. The scraps don't even need to be stacked, just cover them with a tarp. This woodburner will burn almost anything, I know one guy who uses bales of hay. I load twice daily and the natural gas meter has stopped spinning!

12/4/2006 3:57:04 PM

Picton,ON ([email protected])

We heat primarily with wood. I just finished cutting my 5 bush cords for this winter (i'm running a little behind) Need to split and put in yet...lots of time...lol. I use a hydrolic splitter.

12/4/2006 4:17:33 PM

Greene R.I.

2 cords by hand,great work out

12/4/2006 4:49:39 PM

Trumbull, CT 06611, USA

I chop wood by hand, probable a cord a winter, sometimes more. It is such a great American pastime.....Ray

12/4/2006 5:53:40 PM

Ohio

Don, your just the person I need to talk to,lol.

I can usually tell the diffrence in diffrent types of trees when they are mature or by the leaves,somewhat. But was wondering about what locust bark would look like when its young, approx 4 to 8 inches round. Im trying to find this size for post, and with out any leaves this time of the year I have a hard time being able to locate them. It just seems like I get alot straighter post from one that isnt that old. I been looking for a good web site but cant find nothing on what a younger tree (bark) would look like, you know of any good sites or any handy tricks to tell me on how you identify your trees?

Brooks

12/4/2006 5:58:44 PM

smaller locust. honey locust think thorn tree not all have thorns . branches just have a certain look long spinly limbs-heck hard to describe its second nature to me like a camaro to a corvette-easy to spot a mile away black locust rougher bark. brooks not sure good website

12/4/2006 6:51:22 PM

Mastic Beach, New York

Brooks the ones that grow here ,have very sharp thorns! i found out the hard way! i have them growing all over the place.The bark looks smooth and brown.if you cut down a mature tree the roots send up sprouts all around the root zone.hope this helps

12/4/2006 9:01:32 PM

porterville, calif.

When my kids were young we lived in a house where we had propane. To heat with it in the winter WAS VERY EXPENSIVE.
That spring I installed a wood stove. It heated the whole house during the winter. We didn,t use the furnace for almost 12 years. Where we are at in Calif I only needed about 2 to 3 cords for the winter.I used a axe also a chain saw. I split everything by hand I sure got tired of cutting wood. Now the only wood I cut is for the campfire when i go camping

12/4/2006 9:33:54 PM

Ohio

2-4 cords by hand a year, oak to locust helps to cut the heat bill to half a tank of oil a year.

12/5/2006 12:01:49 AM

Santa Rosa, CA.

Russ, why do you care about firewood. We live in sunny California :-) .............two cords a year and we don't turn on the gas heater.

12/5/2006 12:22:43 AM

Hobbiton New Zealand

how much is a cord

12/5/2006 12:59:05 AM

Cairo, Georgia

Well Jeff was my wood splitter,,,but now that I know there are so many of you that can do it,,,why buy it! :-) hint ,hint,,,need to split this fat lighter stump and I can't do it...now that's aggrivating. I have tried the axe and I'm not strong enough,,no splitter here, so I'll be waiting on one of you guys to help me out!

12/5/2006 1:09:03 AM

Rhode Island

I cut a cord once. To much work. Now i just fill the oil tank or go over and steal Freddies while hes at work.
All this time you thought last year you used all that wood yourself Fred? lol

12/5/2006 1:37:02 AM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

Anyone in Ontario need wood? I have 86 Acres of bush that seen a couple huge wind storms this fall. There's lots of Maple, Birch & oak that got blown over. My back injury keeps me from cutting it up & the hunt camp has more in it than we can use in the next 5 years.

Phil

12/5/2006 7:17:18 AM

Team Munson

I use a wood burner with 190,000 BTU blower on it, I go thru about 10-12 cords a winter (a cord is 2'wide x 4'high x 12' long I believe Steve). I agree what else is there to do in the winter to keep you out doors and keep you in shape? The best part is it keeps you warmer and puts the screws to the utility companys.

12/5/2006 9:06:56 AM

Ohio

I sure do miss the email Icons at a time like this to email certain questions to peeps.

Sorry for kinda hijacking the thread Russ.

12/5/2006 11:39:10 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

I cut a cord a winter by hand still have all my fingers too......

Signed Stubby

12/5/2006 1:21:44 PM

Hamburg, NY

Been selling outdoor furnaces for 15 years. Cut a lot of wood along the way. I recall buying my first chainsaw in 1966. One of my brothers does small loads in his kiln. He has a gas well. Another brother has a tree removal service. Worked with him for a month this fall after a freak snow storm here in WNY Oct 12th. Leaves were still on the trees and we lost a bunch here in Buffalo area. Halloween was non-existant after that! State of emergency - no power to many. My daughter was out for over a week with a newborn at home. If you need a furnace let me know. www.mahoningoutdoorfurnaces.com

Ray

12/5/2006 4:49:38 PM

Parker, Co

It is interesting how many responses we got for firewood! When I lived in Colorado I was in the wood business for about 20 years. I went through about 5 splitters, finally wound up with a hydraulic 2 stage splitter with foot pedals instead of hand levers. It was super fast and your hands were free to handle wood! My soft wood came from the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico. Pinon Pine was one of my customers favorites. All my wood came from truckers, as I did not have time to cut it myself. Most of it came in blocks which I then split. Customers could pick up the wood at my lot or I would deliver. I delivered and I had a guy who had his own truck and helped with deliveries. Most of my wood came in semi loads. Oak and hickory came from Oklahoma and Missouri, mesquite from Texas. I will tell you one thing, it keeps you in shape, what with unloading semi loads of wood, splitting it and delivering and stacking. But I enjoyed it, it was outside work and I was my own boss. I had one guy from Missoiri who brought most of my oak and hickory, He was always overweight and had to circumvent the weigh stations, and his truck usually had a flat tire when he arrived!! One time I was unloading his semi and got to the last pieces and out jumped a huge rat, and I have seen some huge insects in some loads.. A cord of firewood is 128 cubic feet, usually 4x4x8. but it is always 128cu. ft. I sold all my wood by weight. I now live in Napa California and heat my house with a natural gas free standing stove. Pete

12/5/2006 7:24:32 PM

Rapid City, SD

what's a cord.......e flat is.........oh ya....i like cheese

12/5/2006 8:08:43 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

I learned about splittin wood in terms of a rick...4'x8'x 18"....3 ricks made a cord. Pretty close to 128 cu ft. I cut(with a chain saw) and split by hand approx 3 cords to burn each winter. Peace, Wayne

12/5/2006 11:36:34 PM

Eugene,OR

I think that the characteristics/work habits of a pumpkin grower are quite similar to those of an amateur lumber jack. Both require a lot of physical work outdoors, there are a number of steps in the process of cutting/splitting/hauling/stacking etc. firewood...not unlike the steps of growing a pumpkin, and it can be done during our "off-season". I thought this might be something that lots of us do!

12/6/2006 12:00:18 AM

Team Munson

The size of a cord question was bugging me and being I wasn't that sure my ansewer was correct. I took the quiry to ask.com and came up with www.woodburning.org/wood.htm.
It seems that Wayne and myself are right on in our assesment of size for a cord 4'x4'x8', great thread vineman.

12/6/2006 8:36:20 AM

Mocksville, NC

Dave your answer is correct 4x4x8 tight not a whats called a face cord were you can see the light through the stack, thats what alot of rip offs will say if they bring you a load of wood , and try to say its a cord, there not the same, but they want the same amount $ of what a real cord goes for.

12/6/2006 7:26:31 PM

Litchfield N. H. 03052

On the retail side of things, other than the north East have you heard the term 'face cord". A stack 4'x8' buy what ever dimension the cut, 12", 16" or 24".

12/6/2006 7:27:36 PM

Pinedale, WY

I love to cut firewood. There is just something special about it. Either you love to do it or hate to do it. Personally I use a "Splitting-maul" instead of using a maul and then a sledge hammer it is an all in one unit. Anyone who uses a log splitter is a cheater and it is not the same as cutting and splitting wood by hand. However I am 28 and an athelete and I can go all day. So someone older and/or not in as good of shape then a log splitter is permitted without the name calling.

12/8/2006 12:24:09 AM