Cutting/Splitting for a Children's Camp

[svk]

Going to be back at it this week providing we can make it through "winter storm Noah". Pretty silly that every snowfall these days warrants a winter storm named after it but whatever.

The pile we put up two years ago is slowly dwindling and I'll get after it again. At least going off memory, the only stuff left was big ash and sugar maple rounds. Although a tree service does drop stuff off periodically so you never know what oddly cut garbage wood might be on top of the pile lol.

 

[svk]

40 and sunny today. Supposed to be 69 by Wednesday

 

[svk]

No falling but a decent amount of bucking of previously cut wood and a little splitting today. It's about 70 today with a nice breeze so I'm out here in a tshirt and light pants.

Sugar maple


Black birch and American elm.


Aspen and elm


Working away at the log pile

 

[svk]

Re-noodling some white ash that was originally cut by @MustangMike. I sure could have used one of his saws today as the MS211 here isn't at its best when noodling!

 

[MustangMike]

So busy in Tax Season I almost don't have time to read this!

 

[James Miller]

Re-noodling some white ash that was originally cut by @MustangMike. I sure could have used one of his saws today as the MS211 here isn't at its best when noodling!

View attachment 634727

Could they use a bigger saw? My 3400 was ment to go to a coworker who no longer has a wood burner. I'd have to get with farmer Steve and get the oiler figured out but I'll send it on my dime if they need a bigger camp saw. Saw, 20" bar and pair of chains.

 

[svk]

They sure could! That would be awesome.

 

[svk]

Had big plans to burn off all of the garbage wood from the to-be-split pile but a couple inches of wet sloppy snow fell this afternoon. Looks beautiful now but was white out conditions an hour ago.

 

[svk]

A wet, sloppy, rainy mess here today so no work completed. Guess we will get back at it in the summer.

 

[VW Splitter]

Almost 70 degrees on Wednesday and Snow on Thursday! Sounds like some of the weather we get here in Tennessee.
How much wood does the camp go through each year?

 

[svk]

Probably a couple of cords. We put a lot of trees on the ground in 2014-2016 and are still working through those rounds. Every woodshed is full of mostly full and there's probably five or so cords of rounds waiting to be split. And a local tree service drops a pickup load or so of rounds every so often as well.

Before I started cutting there were standing dead everywhere. We've got them mostly down although a few more ash trees are in decline from EAB and a couple big sugar maples from root compaction.

 

[VW Splitter]

Do you get much help cutting for the camp?
i have cut & mostly split for a Christian camp near Johnson City TN a couple of times. They will have 20 + people cutting & splitting when I've been there. It is amazing how much firewood can be produced in a weekend with a crew like that. 2 large splitters, Bobcat with a grapple bucket, and a mini ex with a thumb bucket.They have a tree service that unloads on them. They heat several buildings with 4 outdoor wood burners so they go thru a lot of wood.

 

[svk]

I've had a couple guys come out over the years but it's mostly just me myself and I. @MustangMike showed up with his big saws a couple years ago and was a HUGE help getting the bigger trees on the ground. My kids helped load the smaller rounds and haul brush when needed.

A few of the male counselors will split wood off and on.

 

[svk]

Had a heck of a drive out here but made it. I drove through the night until 7 am then let the wife drive.

The wood pile is still here as it’s mostly uglies/unsplittable pieces that the camp counselors don’t want to/know how to split. Slow going with the Fiskars, maul, sledge, and noodling with MS211. But someone has to do it.



45 minutes worth of work

 

[svk]

Oh and did I mention a lot of it is elm

 

[svk]

Had to put a halt to splitting to clean things up. There’s so much punky **** mixed in with the good wood that I built a fire to burn all of the crap. Some of the rounds that are so crazy shaped or too short are going in too as it’s not worth even doing the noodle/split rotation with them.

Once I get all of the newly split wood stacked I’ll reload the bonfire. It’s getting pretty big now and I don’t need to get too crazy lol.

Before


Current


Fire

 

[svk]

It’s over 90 now and I’ve been working for 5.5 hours. Time for a swim soon

 

[svk]

Still making progress but the human is running out of gas.

 

[svk]

Here’s where the day ended.

I cannot take credit for the creative stacking on the left. I pulled all of the rotten stuff away from the front and that held so I left it there lol.

 

[svk]

Too darn hot/humid to work today. Only about 5 degrees warmer than yesterday but humidity is through the roof.