Cutting firewood and getting older....

[logbutcher]

Do Wood

I'm 53 and for me firewood has become my healthy excersize routine. About 5 or 6 years ago I stopped hand splitting and bought an inexpensive 5hp splitter. You get a routine down and and make it happen. I have this years 6 cords split and seasoning since April on pallets and about 1/2 of next years gathered and cut into rounds. For my own 6 cord use I only need go on the sat mornings it's not raining. I will sometimes split/stack an hour or two after supper once or twice a week too. My firewood partner and neighbor is 72 and only has one leg (prostesis sp?) but he's get's it done albeit slower than me.
Around here some guys use potato crates or wreath crates too fill and move by forklift/tractor etc..

If ageing is really becoming a problem with you then what Charlie G and stihl sawing say is the real answer. No matter what equipment you have it will be alot of work. And with the more hi tech equipment comes more expenses to where it may not be saving you any money. I burn for two reasons to save money and get rid of dead trees off my property. So I have one good saw, split with a maul and have old stove. But at 56 cutting firewood is getting harder and harder. It is frustrating as you see yourself changing but it is all you can do . So keep it simple and take your time and don't hurt yourself. Having a dad, a son, or son-in-law to help can be really enjoyable and create good bonding time. My dad is deceased, no son, and a lazy son-in-law. So I go slower, still enjoy it and save some money.

I call it my "chainsaw therapy". It keeps me away from the people who are on my nerves at the time (now I didnt exactly say my wife, did I ). I leave my self time to get things done and for cleanup afterwards. Keeps me busy, and in a safe work environment.

Fact of life. Heating with wood requires work. You can put some big bucks into equipment and cut the amount of work down some but never to zero.

I have heated with wood for over 30 years now, mostly cuting junk wood (Willow) doing a minimum of 6 cord/year. Even while working a full time job I had plenty of time to gather and process it doing most of the splitting manually. Used splitter only for the crotches and knots or when the 'to be split' pile got too big.

I am now 73 and haven't changed the process at all except that my work sessions are now down to 3-4 hours a session. It is great excercise and works every muscle in your body. Much better than paying for a club membership. Just finishing up the current harvest spot with 12-13 cords in the stacks. Got another day or two on the maul to finish it. Should have finished it a couple days ago but I would have had nothing to do while waiting for harvest so I can get into a couple locusts.

Even if a processor were cheap I wouldn't use one. Of course when my body gives up, who knows.

Harry K

Good advice here Wayne. Look around you on a trip to WalMart: see all that flab ? :monkey: How many of them you think do wood ? Think about those people shelling out $2000. to $3000. every year for gas or oil .

Thank the stars that we here can still go out and sweat for our heat and some cooking. Live with the slowing down and work with it baring any serious handicap. There are guys around here with protheses that do their own wood. My 84 YO neighbor ( new hip ) and his 82 YO wife harvest close to 100% of their heating AND cookstove that is used all year. It's funny smelling woodsmoke now, and sweating in their kitchen.

The butts too heavy ? Quarter them in place or get a peavey to roll them. Slow down like it says, and pace yourself. Try out an electric splitter like Zodiac and I use. Easier, quieter, little maintenance, slower, cheaper.
Use a smaller saw and bar. That 84 YO neighbor complained that he couldn't use the Husky Rancher---too heavy--so he got a smaller, lighter 353.

This country has a dead serious problem with obesity in BOTH adults and kids. Maybe more should get out and do wood. Then again, with some of us it is a disease: the Woodpiles and CAD.

Hey, the old 40 is now 60. What a life !

 

[mantis]

I know of people that still cut wood and they are in their 80's. More power to 'em. I still help my parents out and I am in my 30's.Your son should do the same IMO

 

[urhstry]

That youtube video changed how I am going to do my wood shed stacking. If I make sides on my pallets and just fill them up, I can just fill up a pallet and move it right next to the OWB. That's a great idea. If you split your wood where it lays and then load up a pallet, you don't have to stack it or do much lifting. Nice idea!

 

[A. Stanton]

Wayne,
You got to use more machinery to help you with the firewood. I just bought a tractor. If it saves you the expense, pain, and rehab on one hernia or knee repair, it paid for itself--in my opinion.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Don't I know this feeling!

I'm 54, and a diabetic as well...gotta make sure my sugar level is up before I go out and cut...It's good to have 2 strappin' son-in-law's to help, and a buddy with a tractor/loader. I pace myself, take my time...watch the young bucks go at it.

 

[Ductape]

Where would a person buy firewood bags like that?? I've been trying to figure out a way to handle my wood a little less........ that actually might be affordable?

 

[Jkebxjunke]

Where would a person buy firewood bags like that?? I've been trying to figure out a way to handle my wood a little less........ that actually might be affordable?

I too would like to know where to buy those bags....

 

[wdchuck]

Some important things to consider:

Are the bags recyclable in any manner?

What is the disposal method?

How many birds/fish will be caught in them if just thrown in the landfills?

Will they make good kindling?

Can they be reused?
..Deposit from the customer for pallet and bag?
..It would solve the above issues, if you have repeat customers anyway.

If they are tough enough for firewood, then maybe good garden protection from critters? Resaleable market?

 

[air19]

firewood bags

I bought 40 bags at $7/bag for $280 from Bill Thomas who is a dealer for a couple of the European PTO driven firewood processors. Bill is located in Eaton, NH and his phone is 603-447-3417.

You might find a more local dealer for the European firewood processors. Most of them sell the bags.

The bags I bought are definitely tough and reusable. I'm not worried about where they will end up because I'm using them to contain all my own firewood. I use 15 cords a year to heat two houses and a barn, and to heat all our domestic hot water year round.

I hope to get 1/3 of a cord in each bag, but that is yet to be confirmed. I'm just roughly figuring that a tightly stacked pallet might come close to a 4x4x4 stack of a 1/2 cord of wood. So with a loose stack in the bag it's obviously less. Someday I'll have time to do an exact measurement of what I get in a bag.

One other point about the particular bags I have - they don't have a bottom. So they are more like circular containers of the wood resting on a pallet. When you first put the bag on a pallet, some part of each side does sit on the pallet and you first weight that down with a couple of sticks of wood and then the rest of it fills easily.

 

[Vincent]

firewooding for workout

Transporting by wheelbarow and splitting by hand is good for your helth.
I only got a tennis elbow by splitting. But I do not go to the gym.
cheers Vincent 43 years

 

[Wood Doctor]

Wayne, this is a marvelous thread that you started, and I have read every response from our members. We have a fabulous fraternity!

All of us are dedicated to our hobby and in several instances, it is our job. We all believe in what we are doing and we cheer each other on as we acquire age, a kind way of saying that we are not getting any younger.

We cut, split, move, and stack firewood because it is fabulous exercise. Others spend big bucks going to exercise gyms while we bring in firewood to heat our homes. All of us know that we are healthier because of it, and that is a major reason why we heat with wood. Why should we give our work away to an exercise bike when we could be collecting heat from the woods?

In addition, we have to know what we are doing. It takes practically no brains at all to peddle a stationary bike or walk on a treadmill. It does take brains to operate a chainsaw to fell trees, load and transport logs on a truck or trailer, run a logsplitter, stack the wood correctly, and know when and how to burn dry firewood. It also takes physical strength, and most people will not make the effort. It's too easy to turn up the thermostat.

So, Wayne, as you get older please remind yourself that you and this forum burn firewood to heat our homes and better our lives because we believe in what we are doing. We are becoming a rare breed of citizens, but we are determined to press onward. Please join us in this mission.

 

[spike60]

Wayne, this is a marvelous thread that you started, and I have read every response from our members. We have a fabulous fraternity!

All of us are dedicated to our hobby and in several instances, it is our job. We all believe in what we are doing and we cheer each other on as we acquire age, a kind way of saying that we are not getting any younger.

We cut, split, move, and stack firewood because it is fabulous exercise. Others spend big bucks going to exercise gyms while we bring in firewood to heat our homes. All of us know that we are healthier because of it, and that is a major reason why we heat with wood. Why should we give our work away to an exercise bike when we could be collecting heat from the woods?

In addition, we have to know what we are doing. It takes practically no brains at all to peddle a stationary bike or walk on a treadmill. It does take brains to operate a chainsaw to fell trees, load and transport logs on a truck or trailer, run a logsplitter, stack the wood correctly, and know when and how to burn dry firewood. It also takes physical strength, and most people will not make the effort. It's too easy to turn up the thermostat.

So, Wayne, as you get older please remind yourself that you and this forum burn firewood to heat our homes and better our lives because we believe in what we are doing. We are becoming a rare breed of citizens, but we are determined to press onward. Please join us in this mission.

That's a very well written post Doc. It pretty much sums up how most of us here on the forum get hobby type enjoyment from a necessary task that others may view as tedious work. Heck, we must enjoy the work itself if we spend hour after hour here on AS talking about it.

I also can't stand to go to a gym and get on an exercise machine and stare at the TV. It reminds me of a hamster going nowhere on the wheel in his cage.

One other thing that we have to keep in perspective when discussing this "work" is that there are a lot of old timers out there who might laugh at some of our comments about how hard we are working doing our wood. Many of them have memories of firewood not simply being an option to save money, but the only heat they had. And they likely didn't have chain saws either. Handsaws, axes, a buzz saw on the tractor maybe. And then perhaps starting in the 50's, some people could afford a chain saw for personal use. Most of us have at one time or another picked up one of those things and maybe made a cut or two, followed by a joke or two. Could you imagine cutting 6 cords with one of those things? Now THAT'S work. I might rather use the hand saw.

 

[urhstry]

We need a secret handshake

 

[Jkebxjunke]

then you got those the go to the gym and pedal the stationary bike and think bad abut all of us blue collar types who work for a living... my father in law.. ( my wife dont claim him and neither do i) is one of these over educated types... he thinks down on me because I don't have that 'piece of paper' .. he just retired from his teaching at a tech and comm college and is now thinking of getting a doctorate in philosophy. ( not to mention that while he was married to her mother he was a physically and emotionally abusive to his wife and son and emotionally abusive to his daughter-- he wanted another son) he treated her like dirt.. she was put down at every turn and 'could do nothing right... he seems to eschew people who work hard in the physical labors.. and I think it confounds him that we have a million $ plus operation (worth not income) without that piece of paper... its people like that that will starve and freeze if the system ever grinds to a halt. Ill get off my soap box now.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

We need a secret handshake

we do.. its called pulling splinters out of our hands :censored: or shaking saw chips out our hair.opcorn: and like we need a handshake.. we all can smell the mix gas on each other LOL " whats that cologne you are wearing? " -- "50:1"

 

[danrclem]

One other thing that we have to keep in perspective when discussing this "work" is that there are a lot of old timers out there who might laugh at some of our comments about how hard we are working doing our wood. Many of them have memories of firewood not simply being an option to save money, but the only heat they had. And they likely didn't have chain saws either. Handsaws, axes, a buzz saw on the tractor maybe. And then perhaps starting in the 50's, some people could afford a chain saw for personal use. Most of us have at one time or another picked up one of those things and maybe made a cut or two, followed by a joke or two. Could you imagine cutting 6 cords with one of those things? Now THAT'S work. I might rather use the hand saw.

I was talking to my wife about this exact same thing the other day. I was telling her that it would take a long time to cut this wood with a cross cut saw and to split it all by hand. The tractors and cut off saws were still a big improvement over what the people before them had.

I remember back in the early 60's when my dad and older brothers used a cross cut saw and a tractor with a cut off saw gathering firewood. My dad never owned a chainsaw until after he stopped burning wood. I think my older brother still has that cut off saw.

My chainsaw and splitter are a lot faster than the way that they did it.

Danny

 

[turnkey4099]

That's a very well written post Doc. It pretty much sums up how most of us here on the forum get hobby type enjoyment from a necessary task that others may view as tedious work. Heck, we must enjoy the work itself if we spend hour after hour here on AS talking about it.

I also can't stand to go to a gym and get on an exercise machine and stare at the TV. It reminds me of a hamster going nowhere on the wheel in his cage.

One other thing that we have to keep in perspective when discussing this "work" is that there are a lot of old timers out there who might laugh at some of our comments about how hard we are working doing our wood. Many of them have memories of firewood not simply being an option to save money, but the only heat they had. And they likely didn't have chain saws either. Handsaws, axes, a buzz saw on the tractor maybe. And then perhaps starting in the 50's, some people could afford a chain saw for personal use. Most of us have at one time or another picked up one of those things and maybe made a cut or two, followed by a joke or two. Could you imagine cutting 6 cords with one of those things? Now THAT'S work. I might rather use the hand saw.

Speaking of work. When I read about the pioneers back east who were doing 20-30 cord a year using nothing but an ax and crosscut saw, I cringe. Don't see how they did it and still had time to make their living.

I was the lucky one who got to be on one end of the crosscut a couple times with the old man yelling "quit riding the saw!"

"misery stick" was a very apt name for one of those torture devices.

Harry K

 

[Wood Doctor]

Speaking of work. When I read about the pioneers back east who were doing 20-30 cord a year using nothing but an ax and crosscut saw, I cringe. Don't see how they did it and still had time to make their living.

I was the lucky one who got to be on one end of the crosscut a couple times with the old man yelling "quit riding the saw!"

"misery stick" was a very apt name for one of those torture devices.

Harry K

I think that a few of those pioneers became rather strong and were immortalized. One of them was Paul Bunyon. Perhaps we need more heroes like him than the ones we have today.

Well guys, I'm off to the work site. I found a 10' ash trunk lying on the ground the other day, about 22" across. I'd rather cut it into chunks than let the shredder convert it to mulch or the carpenter ants devour it. And, I need to knock off five pounds.

 

[Hugenpoet]

This has been a very interesting thread to read for a 61 year old guy who plans to keep on harvesting a good portion of his own firewood for at least another 20 years (hopefully), mainly because I like getting my exercise doing something productive. As Spike60 said, just do a little at a time. Two hours a day 3 times a week for six weeks in the fall and six weeks in the spring allows me to cut, buck, haul, split and stack more firewood than I can run through my two Jotul Oslo stoves even in the coldest winter. However, I must confess that the Kubota M7040 saves me a lot of the real bull work of getting the wood from the woodlot up to the house.

 

[johnha]

Air19 said:
"...I hope to get 1/3 of a cord in each bag, but that is yet to be confirmed."

Those bags are supposed to be 1 cubic meter so that is equal to 35.3 cubic feet. Since a cord is 128 cubic feet you'll need 3.63 bags.

As to the original post, I have a lousy back so must avoid lifting. I always find a helper who loads my pickup with the rounds I cut. Then when I get them home I pull the splitter right up to the tailgate and the rounds roll right onto it.

When I'm going to be in my helper's neighborhood, I drop him off a bed full of split wood.

But I think the key, as already mentioned, is to know when you should stop working for the day.

Maybe you and I can't cut/split/stack all day anymore, but that doesn't mean we can't put up enough wood.