Finally broke down and ordered a load of logs

[Kingsley]

ppe= personsal protection equipment

 

[tm84p]

ahh, got it, didn't know what you were saying at first. Already tried looking around for rental's. The only thing I could find was a Stihl (didn't give model number) for 60 a day. I figure it will be about a 3 day minimum job so 180-200$ doesn't seem like a good investment to me. Will keep you updated with the progress though, can't wait to get this cut up. Every time I walk out the door I see that pile and wish I could be attacking, might even try with an axe for an hour or so this afternoon.

 

[A. Stanton]

Welcome to the site, TM. Lot of good info here. By us burning wood, we bring the price of oil for the guys who can't and we're beating the Arabs!

 

[Kingsley]

If it is just you cutting, splitting, and stacking, count on a full 3 days of hell to get that stack done. Just take your time and pick away at it. The work won't seem as grueling this way. Also, if you can convince your friends or family that cutting, splitting, and stacking is good healthy exercise and a lot of fun (you may not know everyone doesn't think this is "fun") sure makes the work get done quick with numbers (and plenty of cold beer afterwards).

 

[Husky137]

Nice load of logs. Easily 10 full cords there.

No such thing as a "safe" way for kids to play on a log pile. Do yourself a favor and act like a responsible parent and lay down the law. I don't want you back here making a tragedy post. "Rambunctious" is a cop-out.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

I forgot to add earlier. Great looking loads of logs !

I got started on it but 2 logs into it and the Poulan wants to quit. It might be the chain, not sure, I bought it used with 3 chains. Even a little 8 inch thiggy log is giving it fits, engine sounds fine, I feel when it starts getting too heavy and I back it out a little bit, trying to go easy, but it just seems to be cutting through friction, not really sawing. Anyhow I am trying to get out today and get a new chain for it and hopefully I'll be able to get that pile cut up real soon. I appreciate your tips on how to keep the fire running, haven't fired it up yet but I'll definitely be using some of those tips to keep it running this winter.

Check that your chain is sharp. Not just the top edge that you think is doing the cutting but the side edge that is freeing the chips from inside the cut. Cutting in dirty wood will sure knock the edges off quick. When the point of the cutters gets dull it can't get a bite and just makes dust. Dirt sand and rocks will eat any chain up in no time. Check to be sure the chain isnt on backwards too. I bought one CHEAP that wouldnt cut, it wouldnt cut for them anyway. I put the chain on right and it started working. They seem to slow down too when the chain starts hanging very far of the bottom of the bar.

If the wood is dirty from being skidded you are going to be getting your chains sharpened quite a bit. Pick up a 5/32 file and guide then take some time practicing your sharpening skills. That or figure on spending a lot of time going back and forth to pay someone else to do it.

Welcome to Arboristsite. Hope you enjoy wood heat like some of the rest of us do.

 

[wdchuck]

Just rent the saw for one day.
If the chain is sharp you will get a lot of work done, until the chain starts making sawdust instead of chips.

It sounds like your saw has a dull chain, take it in, or get another chain and file, learn to sharpen, maybe ask the farmer neighbor to show you how he does his.
The other thing, make sure your saw is oiling, take off the bar cover, clean everything of debris, clean the bar and little oiling holes, after its back together, and you have bar oil in the resevoir, run the saw over some cardboard or something to see that its flinging oil off. If you see smoke in the cut, then check for enough oil, or chain is sharp.

The consequence to running with a dull chain is your saw is running but there is no load on the engine, so it is like revving your car in neutral at high rpms, engine damage is imminent. In a chainsaw the crankshaft and bearings will suffer, therefore shortening the life of the saw.
So, learn to identify the characteristics of your saw, the sounds, the feel, and stop often if need be to see why its doing something, or get someone that can come to you and see what you are cutting and help you diagnose your methods and how to improve or what to watch for.

Questions and humility will save you from potential repairs and injury.
It's why this site is so popular, and its members so willing to help those seeking help, we've all been there at one time or another.



Here's a great thread to see and learn about hand filing a chain:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=20869&highlight=hand+filing



.

 

[Samcronkite]

I work for a tree service, and I would recommend a Stihl 250. It may be on the smaller side of the available saws but for cutting firewood it is light weight and powerful.

We also have the stihl 310, but it never comes off the truck, it seems to have less power than the 250.

Also they run $300 or less.

 

[jeeptj19992001]

Nice load of logs. Easily 10 full cords there.

No such thing as a "safe" way for kids to play on a log pile. Do yourself a favor and act like a responsible parent and lay down the law. I don't want you back here making a tragedy post. "Rambunctious" is a cop-out.

you must be a democrat
save us from ourselves
why don't we make it a law, so we can throw people in jail for climbing wood piles.

i'm lucky i make it to 40 something, kid gets hurt and falls down, they get back up and will not do it again.

 

[blackdiesel]

This is more than a 3 day job. If I had to stack it, it would take me longer than that, and I have a prossesor. 10 cords =10 hours just to stack it. 2 hours a cord to split it. with a little, dull saw, theres no tell how long it will take you to cut it up. Take your time and cut it as long as your stove will take, if it will fit in the stove don't spilt it. and this is JMO.

 

[clearance]

you must be a democrat
save us from ourselves
why don't we make it a law, so we can throw people in jail for climbing wood piles.

i'm lucky i make it to 40 something, kid gets hurt and falls down, they get back up and will not do it again.

I guess that goes for me too, rolling logs could easily kill a child. People working on log piles have been killed, that is why its not allowed. Real pretty, like guts squeezed out, mangled bodies. I guess kids can play on train tracks as well, they get hit by a train they will not do it again.

 

[Zodiac45]

I got started on it but 2 logs into it and the Poulan wants to quit. It might be the chain, not sure, I bought it used with 3 chains. Even a little 8 inch thiggy log is giving it fits, engine sounds fine, I feel when it starts getting too heavy and I back it out a little bit, trying to go easy, but it just seems to be cutting through friction, not really sawing. Anyhow I am trying to get out today and get a new chain for it and hopefully I'll be able to get that pile cut up real soon. I appreciate your tips on how to keep the fire running, haven't fired it up yet but I'll definitely be using some of those tips to keep it running this winter.

"hair tie", "ppe"? Sorry don't speak Arborist yet, what's that mean? It is pretty green but don't have much of a choice, buying seasoned will run you about 175-200$ a cord here. I'll probably be running about 30/70 dry/green this year and like I said, hopefully I'll get the wood in early next year to be able to have all I need and not have to order it. Got a neighbor who is using about 3 acres of mine for alfalfa, might be able to convince him to let me get firewood from his land in exchange! He keeps about 500acres, mostly corn and alfalfa but has a good 140 acres of wooded hills. He uses an OWB as well and says he just gets his wood from brush clearing. People are generally pretty nice out in the hic's and stic's and like to help each other out.

1. You need too learn too file/sharpen your chains. There's nothing wrong with the saw when your "burning" your way through a log, it's always a dull chain. Make sure the saw is oiling too.
2. No matter what anyone told you, burning green wood is never, ever as efficient as burning seasoned wood. Oh yeah it will last longer (smoldering , steaming,) but your not getting any heat out of it! Most of the energy is consumed getting the moisture out. One can sometimes get away with mixing some green in with seasoned but the ratio is more like 70% seasoned too 30% green (at most) if you want too keep your fire hot and flues clean.

 

[tm84p]

Yup, just put a new chain on it and voila, cutting right through it like nothing. It is oiling fine as well, just a junky chain, on further inspection a few of the teeth had even been broken off. I just put one of the other ones on and sharpened it up nicely and it working great.

Thank also for the heads up on the green over seasoned comment. right now I have about 2 cords seasoned, the rest is green so that is what I am going to have to go with for this year unfortunately, but hopefully next year I'll be able to get it all in by spring to give it enuf time to season.

As for the continued comments on the kids, I understand the point you are trying to make. I know how much these logs weigh, I have been lifting or rolling them the last 2 weeks. I personally checked that stack and walked over it to see how it was b4 ever letting the kids near it. I was standing next to them each step of the way, and they aren't going to go near it with out me there. But I would still rather show them a safe way to approach it than to tell them never go near it and see them get killed because they did something stupid.

Look at it this way, if your teenager said I want to learn how to drive, would you say no I never want to see you in a car? No you would take him out driving and teach him how to be a safe, cautious, defensive driver. You would show how to behave on the road and give him a proper respect for it.

Again there are different approaches to parenting, some people tell their kids never to climb a tree and then have to take their kid to the hospital cause he feel out of it. I fail to see how it is a copout to properly educate your children on safety issues. To me it is negligent not to. I know a guy who is in jail because at a party he showed a friend his dads gun and one went off and killed another teen. I don't mean to sound calloused to it but that boy was never told anything about gun safety, his father never gave him a proper respect for it, and in the end lives were ruined because of it.

Sorry to start getting preachy on this, I would like that one aspect of this to get dropped and I can go back to learning more about how to run a wood furnace. Thank you everyone who filled up 3 pages with knowledge that would ahve taken months or years to find out on my own. You have been great.

 

[woodbooga]

1. Make sure the saw is oiling too.

Good point. I was cutting with my Jred 2036 (basically a Poulan) with a freshly sharpened chain that was throwing off some serious chips. Noticed a steep drop in performance after a very short amount of time. Not oiling was the culprit. Fortunately, I had my Mac 10-10 and an 017 handy so the operation didn't need to come to a halt. Moral of the story is you need to have a backup or 2 or 3. If you're experiencing frustration in the saw department, what should be a rewarding experience turns onto a real drag.

2. No matter what anyone told you, burning green wood is never, ever as efficient as burning seasoned wood. Oh yeah it will last longer (smoldering , steaming,) but your not getting any heat out of it! Most of the energy is consumed getting the moisture out. One can sometimes get away with mixing some green in with seasoned but the ratio is more like 70% seasoned too 30% green (at most) if you want too keep your fire hot and flues clean.

A lot of my old timer friends keep advising me to toss in a green log periodically to slow the burn and make my wood go further. Even know one guy who dips the ends of small rounds in a bucket of water before before loading into the firebox. I resist the advice. If pushed on the point, I politely point out that my stove has a damper.

 

[MATTYB11]

You did good. That is alot of wood delivered to your door for $800. There is ton of great advice on here. The only thing I could add is no matter what don't get frustrated with how much work is ahead of you. A pile that size can be a daunting task, even for an experienced wood burner let alone someone who is just starting out. In my experience when it comes to processing firewood slow and steady wins the race, so take your time and be safe.

keep us updated with new pics and have fun.

 

[woodbooga]

A pile that size can be a daunting task, even for an experienced wood burner let alone someone who is just starting out. In my experience when it comes to processing firewood slow and steady wins the race, so take your time and be safe.

keep us updated with new pics and have fun.

Print out the pic of the unprocessed pile and tack it up in your woodshed. When you make a trip out to the stacked and split wood, you'll smile with satisfaction every time.

 

[TJ-Bill]

I'd feel a lot better about not seeing your children up on those logs/

Common.. I'm pretty sure he didn't just throw his kids up there so he could get a cool picture..

Maybe he should keep his kids in the basement with helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and ear and eye protection to when he decides to cut the wood.



Nice logs.. did you mention how many cords it was ?

go 361.. take your time using a saw on a pile like that will get tirering, thats when mistakes happen. Get yours self some chaps.

 

[beerman6]

I'd feel a lot better about not seeing your children up on those logs/

FOR SURE!...unless they have a saw running.
:greenchainsaw:

 

[tm84p]

Got a start on it today, only able to get 3 hours or so in as my wife is away on a trip but it was good to finally get in there and start putting this stuff away. For sure it is more tiring that I thought, a back killer too. I am about 6'4" and bending over these logs for 3 hours and then lifting and hauling them to the shed is wearing me out.

I am not sure yet how many cord I have. Whatever it is it prolly won't be enuf but it buys me time to keep looking for more stuff to cut. I have a wood shed on the back of the barn that measures about 12'x18'. If I stack it 8 foot high and leave room for a 2 foot walk space in the middle, by my calculations I should be able to fit about 10 cords in there. I will also be using a box I have on a broken 5'x8' trailer (broke the axle hauling a load of fir) to make a woodshed near the furnace so I should be able to store another cord of wood in there.

In other news I fired up the furnace and man was it nice to feel the house warmed by that thing. For sure there is a learning curve with it, I still don't know how often I will need to stock it, I am hoping that the stack I put in at 10 will be enough to carry me through the night.

 

[MATTYB11]

Print out the pic of the unprocessed pile and tack it up in your woodshed. When you make a trip out to the stacked and split wood, you'll smile with satisfaction every time.

That's not a bad idea. Watching that pile get smaller and smaller is definitely a good motivator. Of course my problem is that when the wood gets dropped off I get all excited like a kid on Christmas morning and start cutting before the grapple truck is out of the driveway. I never remember to take pictures until after I spend a couple of hours bucking up logs.