Do you mark your firewood logs as you buck them?

[nathon918]

Maybe at the next GTG someone can try the eyeball saw twisting method vs the mark and cut and see what the results are. I'd bet the latter would come out better overall. I use the mark and cut because I want to pack my stove with more btus during high demand times.

+1
i dont like getting up in the middle of the night to reload the stove, and during the day when im gone the stove will have just enough coals to get it going again.
if i have shorter splits it doesnt burn as long, i cut everything 1" or so shorter than the length of the firebox, i just use the bar, tip to a mark @ 19" on my 24" bar...
most small stuff (under 3-4") i just put in a pile even on the butt end and throw a strap around it and cut it all at the same time.

 

[kodiak]

When I get down to about 4-5 foot left of the log I will just cut marks with the saw sometimes to see how many pieces I have left working around the knots etc.
If it don't look right I adjust one way or another to get it more even.
Generally I get them within 2" or so and don't worry about it much.
I only will do that on the larger pieces.
Chad

What he said.

I target 18" +/- 2". It's just not that important to me considering they are all going up in smoke in a year or two.

 

[Poindexter]

I like my splits as long as possible so I handle as few pieces of wood as possible, but better two inches too short than 1/16" too long. This from the guy who is probably going to burn ten cords this coming winter; but if I have a ten inch split in the pile it is only 66% efficient.

I am a firm believer in sidewalk chalk having bucked about a cord off a random log pile since i read about it here a few days ago. Thanks for the idea.

 

[jrider]

I like my splits as long as possible so I handle as few pieces of wood as possible, but better two inches too short than 1/16" too long. This from the guy who is probably going to burn ten cords this coming winter; but if I have a ten inch split in the pile it is only 66% efficient.

I am a firm believer in sidewalk chalk having bucked about a cord off a random log pile since i read about it here a few days ago. Thanks for the idea.

And somehow it didn't take an enormous amount of time?? It just can't be true!

 

[artbaldoni]

Before I had a splitter I didn't mark and did fine. Now that I have a splitter that takes 24", I mark at 23.5" with a piece of broom handle and paint. The marking takes a lot less time than re-cutting a piece thats a half inch too long for the splitter!

 

[esshup]

Mingo

 

[brenndatomu]

Yup, 22" stick and a can of marking paint. 22" fits real nice in the Yukon, or 11" fits perfectly into the VZ stove in the fireplace, if I'm loading N/S, which it seems to like the best, so that's how I usually load. A split that is a just bit to long right before bedtime or when I'm trying to get to work....

Recently I had the idea of using one of those magnetic trailer-hitch-alignment-ball-on-a-telescoping-rod-thingys to mark length. Take the ball off, set to length, stick onto the bar (either side) aaand away we go! Basically, the same idea as the Firewood Buddy that someone had mentioned earlier, only cheaper, multi-use, and adjustable length, which the "Buddy" is 16" only.

 

[Vibes]

My take on this subject is if it fits in the door, it gets burned!! I'll mark bigger rounds with my ax and a stick cut to size. I don't get to involved in that though. I have an electric chainsaw hanging next to the stove that buzzes anything that won't fit.

I have a bud who has a nice piece of property that I cut on. He has a stove, but he'll only take straight wood. He gets real anal with stuff. He'll stop me half way through a cut and say, You're going crooked. I tell him we're not trimming out the palace here. He won't burn locust because he says its " too pitchy". He won't burn ash because it spits and sparks too much. I have a pretty good source for pitchy locust, spittin ash, and crooked cherry. In the door it goes!!!

 

[Deleted member 83629]

i mark them with my chainsaw 18-20 inches my stove can take up to a 24''

 

[CTYank]

I like my splits as long as possible so I handle as few pieces of wood as possible, but better two inches too short than 1/16" too long. This from the guy who is probably going to burn ten cords this coming winter; but if I have a ten inch split in the pile it is only 66% efficient.

I am a firm believer in sidewalk chalk having bucked about a cord off a random log pile since i read about it here a few days ago. Thanks for the idea.

Besides a box of chalk, the sort you'd use on a blackboard, in my p/u I keep a couple of holders for the chalk, the sort of thing a teacher might use. With maybe 1/8" exposed, the chalk is out of harm's way, and not all over my gloves/pocket etc. Both are almost free @ Staples.

 

[CRThomas]

Do you mark your firewood logs before you buck them for length?
I usually do not, but splitting this last load I think I might need to start..

One block is 19" and the next is 14?

I also cut for my mom, and her wood has to be shorter.
So there is the reason I think.

Used to cutting for her.

I mark mine because my wrapper is 16 inch in side

 

[Zeus103363]

don't know why, my dad started me on the 21" rule back when I was a kid.


Thanks

 

[Weesa20]

Yes, I just use a T made out of 3/4 plywood and move and mark. Sell some of my wood and it makes it easier to get correct volume and helps with advertising and more efficient in terms of not wasting wood.

 

[Smulax]

I just put a little cut using the length of the bar at 16"

 

[blkcloud]

I did once back in 1984 when I had a customer who could only burn 14 inch wood or there abouts.. I guess after 30 plus years of sawing I can eyeball them close e nuff

 

[Bob95065]

No. I'm pretty good at estimating 16" when I'm bucking firewood. Besides, it all looks the same when I take it out of the stove.

 

[Jutt]

I used to measure when I first started burning but now I just cut by sight with my aim to be around 17". Hit around 16-19" 95% of the time. Stove can handle 20s in a pinch. Sometimes I'll use my bar to roughly measure.

 

[Erik B]

I try to mark my wood that I cut mainly to give me a break from running the chainsaw constantly. When you're 67 any excuse for a mini break while working in the woods is a good thing.

 

[NHMike]

I tried to eyeball it the first year. I supply my MIL with wood along with myself. Got real tired of having to lug alll the long pieces that didn't fit her stove ( 18" ) and I also seemed to have a boat load of the shorts that I would have to bring to her. Now I use the mingo and cut everything at 18". It gives me a break when cutting. I mark 4-5 logs and buck them up and then mark another 4-5 logs.

 

[tla100]

It depends, splitter takes 24" and stove will fit 24" angled in and 22" from back brick to door glass. I mark @ 20", will try the sidewalk chalk idea. With wyes and knots, it will vary then I eyeball. Especially on large stuff.

I assume the longer they are the longer they will take to dry but it is less hauling with larger logs and burn longer.