Got my exercise for the winter lined up...

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So I had a small window this afternoon -- it rained overnight, so I didn't want to climb on the pile till it dried. And there was another line of showers approaching this afternoon.

Goal though was the top two logs -- the topmost you see one block still up there I cut last week. It's cantilevered so I can buck up a good part of it and still have it pinning the log below. That log is arched so it's supported on either end but raised in the middle...yuck. But more I thought of it, more I was confident I could safely handle it without chains/straps to make sure it wouldn't move unexpectedly while I was on top of the pile working it:

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So I started by blocking the top log out of the way as much as I could, then from "below" the problem log I made the top cut about 2/3rds down its length and wedged it.

I then stepped above it, where I had already cut a little log up and out of the way so I'd have solid place to stand, and finished the under cut -- it rolled down perfectly where I wanted it:

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I was able to get enough leverage on the part that rolled down to then flip it forward and down to the ground for bucking. I wish I had a cigar, because I love it when a plan comes together.

And not my normal view of my garden...

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It was raining as I finished on the ground bucking up some pieces of logs I had rolled off the pile, but mission accomplished that I have enough wood cut to fill the time I have to split this week.
 
Today's work...last week I spent a lot of time and didn't get much done since I was dealing with some of the logs near the top that were a bit "squirrely" how they sat and I needed to exercise extra caution.

This week I was still on the pile, but within my comfort zone and experience...and was as happy as a five-year old playing with his Tonka toys :D

This is about 1-1/2 tanks of gas worth with a hand sharpening thrown in:

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Getting there!

Rained all day here, so I didn't go cut or nuthin'..ya..wussy...I did go stare at the stacks though..sorta like scrooge mc duck with his money vaults...
 
Looks like you did some serious bucking…. Always fun to take a step back and look back at your work… Nice Job!!
 
I like it, but I've always had the habit of lifting logs up off the ground whenever I can to cut them instead of cutting one side then rolling the whole log and completing the cuts.

Can't say enough about how much I like the Logrite product.
Since you posted the pic and replied to me about the peavey with the log lift I picked one up and just love it. I have been using it all weekend and wow it really is a work saver. Thanks
 
Since you posted the pic and replied to me about the peavey with the log lift I picked one up and just love it. I have been using it all weekend and wow it really is a work saver. Thanks


In the right size logs they are nice. I have the tractor supply el cheapo, and when appropriate, use it.
 
I bought the Logrite brand peavey with log stand when I bought my first saw last year. The Husky dealer had the peaveys in the store. I agree it is an incredibly useful tool and it has definitely made my life easier and saved a few saw chains.
 
Nice pile of logs. I do it the hard way. The 30 acre woods right across the street from me was logged out last spring and i am the only one with permission to cut all the tops up. Mostly red oak and hickory with a little hard maple thrown in. Problem is its a tight wet woods and with all the ruts the skidder left its nearly impossible to navigate. I love to cut just hate having to carry and load the rounds. I should have paid the logging co some extra money to pull the tops to the edge of the woods.
 
Nice pile of logs. I do it the hard way. The 30 acre woods right across the street from me was logged out last spring and i am the only one with permission to cut all the tops up. Mostly red oak and hickory with a little hard maple thrown in. Problem is its a tight wet woods and with all the ruts the skidder left its nearly impossible to navigate. I love to cut just hate having to carry and load the rounds. I should have paid the logging co some extra money to pull the tops to the edge of the woods.



30 acres of tops, across the street! Treat yourself and save your back...

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/wood-hauler-pics.62563/page-95#post-4558259
 
Trolley looks neat. My problem is still trying to pull it out of a rutted up swampy woods with my 4 wheeler.
 
Today's work -- cut up some wood dirtier than Larry Flynt then changed the chain, finished up that tank, refueled, went another 30 minutes at which point the chain needed sharpening enough it wasn't worth continuing. 90 minutes total so you wouldn't want to be paying me...but a few years ago my fat ass would take two hours to run through a tank.

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First day in two months I was able to go to town on the pile -- it's been snowed under, and just for grins and gigles I went for a walk on one of my ponds today -- March 23rd. The ponds usually aren't safe by mid-February, if they freeze up safe at all. With a low tonight of 11. WTF.

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If I put some sawdust under my pillow and say a prayer to St. Urho, the Fiskars Fairy will show up overnight and split it for me, right?
 
And it's all done but the splitting and cleanup:
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I have a grove of red maples by my lawn I'm going to start clearing out next weekend (with the idea it will eventually become a small orchard)...but I'm thinking next spring or summer I'll scrounge up another tri-axle.
 
And a year and a half later ... we're down to just small pile of uglies most of which need noodling, but today I had to get the log deck cleaned up because hopefully I'll have another load this week:

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That stone wall is actually an old loading dock -- there used to be a trucking garage here. Maybe before next year's load I can get some gravel down with rock on top to keep the bottom logs cleaner. Of course that would mean I'd have start selling some firewood since with the new stove a tri-axle load wil last me 3-4 years.
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And yes, I suck. Finances have improved dramatically in the last year and I bit the bullet and bought Miss Angela -- a 28HP Mahindra 3016. Trying to get a LOT of stuff cleaned up here, including tearing down some old outbuildings before going for a home improvement / home equity loan next year. Forks on the front, backhoe with thumb on the back? It's going to be downright cheating going through this next load.
 
And as I pulled in from work today. Not the prettiest load, but it'll do just fine as firewood for me. Probably lucked out a bit in our tight log market as I went to town school with the trucker and lived nearby so it was an easy end-of-day delivery for him.

He did a nice job stacking, especially since he was done by the time I got there - put down a couple runners to keep the load out of the dirt (unlike the last load I had delivered), and since he saw smoke coming from my chimney yesterday, he put a couple logs that had been dead standing aside at the front of the pile figuring I could burn those right awayif I wanted to.

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NICE!!! Got pics of the backhoe/thumb setup? They sell those Mahindra's just down the road, may have to check them out.

Posed a bit when I got home:

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Yeah...that's going to make things easier. And a lot safer then climbing on the pile and working down from the top with a saw and peavy.
 
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