What to do with the tops?

[aandabooks]

Hello All,

I was out cutting on Friday morning and dropped a total of 6 trees. Started topping them to get that tedious chore out of the way. Cutting and throwing the little stuff in burn piles. Went back to the point of the branch where they were at least as big as my wrist and then back again to the crotch of the tree.

I now have at least a trailer load of logs in the 2-4" range that are 8-10' long. I'm cutting wood for 3 seasons from now and really don't have the desire to spend the time or the effort cutting these to length. Not when there is 3 cords of wood in the trunks and large limbs. I used to cut everything up if it was bigger than my wrist. Now that I'm so far ahead it doesn't seem worth it.

What do you all do with wood that is too good for the burn pile but not worth the effort to put in the woodpile?

Matt

 

[aandabooks]

My back aches at the thought of cutting all that wood to length on the ground. Maybe it is time to build a decent sawbuck.

Matt

 

[Log Splitter]

At my camp, I do this with my tops....

Because my Cajun friends get cold at night way when they come visit me way up north near Shreveport....

 

[kellog]

I cut them up with a mitre saw on a 30" high table. They are great for the pre- and post-season when you just need a little heat.

 

[Mike Van]

If you cut as you go, it's not so bad. Lots of time when the tree comes down, when it's safe to, start where your "brush pile stuff" size is, cut there, then work back toward the trunk in 2' lengths. That 2 -4 in. wood adds up, too good to waste.

 

[ericjeeper]

I cut the smaller stuff

to 36-44 inch lengths.. They fit in my boiler nicely.. and it is far less trips spent picking up limb size pieces.

 

[zopi]

i took six t-posts and drove them into the ground each a foot or foot and a half apart...made a crib...I stack light stuff in there with one end even, and just run the chain saw down between the posts...cut up a bunch of branches in a hurry that way.

 

[City Slicker]

You could....

cut those lengths in thirds and use for campfire wood. Do you have kids or neighbors have kids that like sitting around a campfire, telling stories in the summer time? With cutting so far ahead, do you keep this wood covered-up or in a wood shed?

 

[JeffHK454]

I heated my house for the first 2 months of burning season with 2"-5" dia. Hedge logs about 2' long. Any wood that fits in my fire box gets burned.

 

[mga]

waste not......want not.

 

[timbrjackrussel]

portable stick cutter

We do about 100 big hardwood tops a year. After the top is brushed out,(cut off 2" and less) limbs are cut part way through on the lower side so when the top is pulled from the butt the limbs fold in to make less damage to good trees. On the front of the tractor is mounted a cradle it is about 30" front to back 40" wide and about48" high. It is made out of angle iron, this is where we put any extra sticks 2" to 10" and the width of the tractor about 6'. We made 2 stick cutters that are larger portable versions of the cradle on the tractor. These stick cutters are 4 vertical 4"x4" hardwood posts about 6' long that have crossbars near the bottom and another set of crossbars about 18" up. The stick cutter is placed into the trailer, load up, can take limbs up to 8' long. Takes a few minutes to load, but a very short time to cut with an 066 Stihl. Cut any length you want, it falls right in the trailer. It is safer and faster then cutting on the ground, chain stays sharper longer too!

 

[aandabooks]

city slicker,

The wood that I'm burning for this winter is split and undercover in a small wood shed. The rest of the wood is unsplit and on pallets outside. I'm making plans to build a 20'x8'x8' woodshed in the spring with completely open sides for maximum drying. Should hold 8.75 cords by my estimates. Everything that comes home will then be split right away and stacked. It will cut out one less handling.

Matt

 

[City Slicker]

Good idea..

about building that wood shed. Are you sure its going to be big enough? Just giving you food for thought...

 

[aandabooks]

City Slicker,

That combined with my 4 cord wood shed would give me 3 seasons worth of split wood on hand. I've thought of going bigger but would like to keep the cost down.

Matt

 

[beerman6]

I heated my house for the first 2 months of burning season with 2"-5" dia. Hedge logs about 2' long. Any wood that fits in my fire box gets burned.

yep

 

[City Slicker]

Sounds like....

you've got a good plan! Way to go!