Cutting at Harlan's - lots o pics

[Steve NW WI]

I started cutting some dead trees for a long time family friend today. It's gonna be a bunch of elm and ash, some dead standing, some already on the ground. The first one is the most work, because it's the biggest one, and in the yard. Lots of brush to haul, and cleaning up behind myself. I offered to haul the brush to my place, I need a big bonfire anyway. Normally I wouldn't do that, but I did because he's a friend and good people.

Here's some pics. First, the elm that came down today. 28" or so at the base, and a ton of limbing to do:

On the ground, there wasn't a lot of room to drop it, a small shed on the right (that it almost rolled into when it landed), and a water hydrant on the left:

Stump pic, I got a little close to the hinge in the middle on the first cut, but it worked out okay. You can see how far the 24" bar reached really well though:

Getting going on limbing this sucker, that's Harlan helping me out with cleanup:

Making a dent in it:

The end of today's progress, I didn't get going till after noon, and hauling and unloading a couple loads of brush had me ready for the couch:

The second load of brush, only a 3 mile haul on back roads, so one strap was good enough to keep it on the trailer:

My next bonfire!

I hope to have the pile of small logs loaded, the rest bucked up and loaded, and the cleanup done on this tree before the Packers play at noon tomorrow, but we'll see if that works as well as I hope it will. I'll have plenty of bucking and splitting to do mornings before work this week.

Back in a bit with a preview of the other stuff I've got over there.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Some ugly stuff out in his little woods behind the house. It's gonna be some work for the Tanaka brushcutter making a trail in there, and some tricky cutting to get everything down without anything landing on me:

And a stack of rounds I can take, he says the little stack of split stuff by the tree will last him a long, long, time and doesn't have any use for the big stuff. Score!

 

[zogger]

Nice job! Laid that boy down good! Real pretty tree to work over, too. I actually like those limby ones. It's tedious but when you get done you have a lot of ready to rock wood, goes right in the stack. All the big stuff then becomes the "fun" wood.

 

[Fred Wright]

Nice work, Steve. Great score.

Don't miss that Green Bay game. The tree will still be there.

Gotta love it when a tree is laying out in the open like that. It's much easier and faster to get it cleaned up and bucked.

 

[stihly dan]

Yes nice work. Did you just cut and fell, or did you use a guide of some sort?

 

[Steve NW WI]

Thanks guys!

Yes nice work. Did you just cut and fell, or did you use a guide of some sort?

I had the rope on it for just in case, but it pretty much went right where I aimed it by itself. It had a little lean that way which helped.

 

[esshup]

Good job dropping it where you wanted.

How do you measure the limbs so the pieces are the same length? What length variance can you live with?

 

[turnkey4099]

Nice pics. As for the brush - the job I hate when wooding. I usually figure 3 hours 'brushing' to one of actually cutting firewood. At least that oen was dead. Brushing out stuff with green leaves is almost masochistic.

Harry K

 

[Steve NW WI]

Good job dropping it where you wanted.

How do you measure the limbs so the pieces are the same length? What length variance can you live with?

The pile of limbs I just cut from crotch to crotch, didn't really measure em, there will be some shorts when I block em up. I just did it that way to get some room to work while trimmimg brush. When I start bucking, I'll be using the Mingo Marker to keep em close to 16". I can fit 24" into my current stove, but it's going to be replaced before this will get burned, so I've started cutting everything to 16".

 

[Bushmans]

That's a good size elm. I cut one like that last winter with less branches up top.
It just about killed my splitter. From now on I leave the white/American elm alone.
Nice work!

 

[flyboy553]

Nice job there, Mr. Steve! I like a tree like that - mostly nice sized limbs for fast splitting and not a lot of large sized trunk base. Those monster bases are a real bear to handle, even with the right equipment. Lots of wood in that one!

Some of those in the woods look nasty to get down though. Best be careful with those, but am sure you know that!

Ted

Thats a rep-able tree there! Dag Nabbit, it won't let me give you any! Somebody give that man some rep!

 

[sdt7618]

Nice job there, Mr. Steve! I like a tree like that - mostly nice sized limbs for fast splitting and not a lot of large sized trunk base. Those monster bases are a real bear to handle, even with the right equipment. Lots of wood in that one!

Some of those in the woods look nasty to get down though. Best be careful with those, but am sure you know that!

Ted

Thats a rep-able tree there! Dag Nabbit, it won't let me give you any! Somebody give that man some rep!

Got him for you!

 

[Steve NW WI]

Truck is warming up outside, got some frost on the windows this morning. Headed back over there shortly.

That's a good size elm. I cut one like that last winter with less branches up top.
It just about killed my splitter. From now on I leave the white/American elm alone.
Nice work!

Bubba likes elm. If you haven't seen my splitter yet, stay tuned.

Nice job there, Mr. Steve! I like a tree like that - mostly nice sized limbs for fast splitting and not a lot of large sized trunk base. Those monster bases are a real bear to handle, even with the right equipment. Lots of wood in that one!

Some of those in the woods look nasty to get down though. Best be careful with those, but am sure you know that!

Ted

Thats a rep-able tree there! Dag Nabbit, it won't let me give you any! Somebody give that man some rep!

I hear ya, most of the wood in this one is gonna be a half or quarter split and go pretty fast, but the bottom 10' is gonna be knot infested fun. Noodle time!

Those dead standings do have a huge pucker factor, I'll be using the rope a lot to keep myself out of the way as much as possible, and of course wearing the hardhat when I'm under em, and keeping one eye upward at all times.

Don't worry about the rep, I got plenty!

Got him for you!

Thanks! I was able to get everyone except Fred in this thread. Enjoy!

 

[zogger]

Good job dropping it where you wanted.

How do you measure the limbs so the pieces are the same length? What length variance can you live with?

I use the bar on my small saws for a fast quick check. After you do a zillion though, and being small wood, you can guess close enough. Most of the small bars are 14 or 16 so it goes fast, flip saw, eyeball spot on the limb, cut it there.. I also mark the cuts on the larger logs the same way, if it isn't handy to run a tape measure. Just walk it right down the log and touch it, then come back with the larger saw and buck. I don't have any sort of mingo marker yet, but they look handy as heck.

I actually like that stihl invention, the laser guide in the handle. Had a similar idea but never built it.

 

[Fred Wright]

The shorts burn.

I cleaned up a red oak last winter like Steve did above. Took off the brush then cut the limbs at the crotches. After bucking the limbs I had a few short pieces left over. Use 'em like regular wood.

 

[MN Ripper]

Good work Steve!

Lots of elms around here with generally good straight branches=great stacking sticks of firewood. Can't say the same for most oak branches, mostly twisted and crooked even in less than 16" lengths.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I use the bar on my small saws for a fast quick check. After you do a zillion though, and being small wood, you can guess close enough. Most of the small bars are 14 or 16 so it goes fast, flip saw, eyeball spot on the limb, cut it there.. I also mark the cuts on the larger logs the same way, if it isn't handy to run a tape measure. Just walk it right down the log and touch it, then come back with the larger saw and buck. I don't have any sort of mingo marker yet, but they look handy as heck.

I actually like that stihl invention, the laser guide in the handle. Had a similar idea but never built it.

Zogg, my Mingo died today - actually the Mingo is fine, the nozzle on the paint can broke off. I spent some time measuring with the 16" bar on the 420, cut 5-6 pieces, then recheck my length. I'll let ya know how close I got when I stack it.

The shorts burn.

I cleaned up a red oak last winter like Steve did above. Took off the brush then cut the limbs at the crotches. After bucking the limbs I had a few short pieces left over. Use 'em like regular wood.

Shorts and uglies are fine in my world, they hold the top of the stacks down. Firewood is firewood whether it's 4" or 24" long. My problem today was underestimating the 14' length of my trailer, I had to take a few chunks off the limb logs so they'd fit.

Good work Steve!

Lots of elms around here with generally good straight branches=great stacking sticks of firewood. Can't say the same for most oak branches, mostly twisted and crooked even in less than 16" lengths.

Yep, Andy, I've been into those oaks you mention. Not a straight log in em, but they still keep ya warm!

Here's the morning pics. I did go out and watch the game, although I ain't sure why...

Limbs and little stuff from yesterday loaded, Harlan striking a pose:

A little later, fully loaded. Probably a little over a cord on there, if it was all rounds it'd be a cord and a half, but the long sticks take up a lot of space compared to what they'll stack out to.

Still got more to pick up. The trusty old Chev is in the shop this week, getting some overdue maintenance done, so as long as I get this load split and stacked by Saturday, I'll be good. One more load next weekend with some brush on top, and I'll be done with the yard tree and off to the dead stuff out back.

Tomorrow starts splitting and stacking. Aughta be fun!

 

[savageactor7]

Perfectly dropped tree!

It's gonna be some work for the Tanaka brushcutter making a trail in there,

Oh I remember those days...those are some tough tree takes. Keep looking up when your dropping those dead elms...I know you do anyway.

thanks for the pics.

 

[ShaneLogs]

Awesome Steve, Would like to see that brush cutter in action. Thanks for the pics!

 

[rheima]

Cutting at Harlan's

Not sure what a Mingo Marker is but I saw at a GTG someone put a length of threaded rod through the end of a bar on a top handle saw with a CD clamped with a couple of nuts at the desired size. All he had to do was make a mark with the chain and move down,drop the CD in the last mark and make another small cut. Simple way to make same length firewood.


Ray