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 Post subject: leason learned
PostPosted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:33 pm 
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Location: Big Prairie Ohio USA
I had a real learning experience yesterday. Since I did not get my woodshed filled this spring as I usually do I bought two loads of culled logs from the pallet company and cut, split, and stacked them in the woodshed. They totaled 4 and 1/2 ton of wood. ( They weigh the load and sell it by the ton.) Since I usually just cut a few small trailer loads when I get a chance until the woodshed is filled, I never realized how much wood I burn in a year. The 4 and 1/2 tons only was about 1/3 of the woodshed filled. Another thing I learned was that 4 and 1/2 tons is a lot of wood for a 67 year old man with back problems to cut ,split, and stack in one day! :shock:


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 Post subject: Re: leason learned
PostPosted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:13 pm 
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Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Hey Don,

You can count me as impressed. Kris has been helping my shift our chord of wood to the shed from the outdoor stack because of my knee injury. I can't imagine moving the amount that you have. By the way, how many chords is 4 1/2 tons?

For evenings and weekends at the shop I've been burning between 1/3 to 1/2 of a chord each winter. I expect that to about double when I retire, and can spend more time at the shop.

Winters are mild here, compared to yours.

Cheers,
Tom

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 Post subject: Re: leason learned
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 4:23 am 
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I have a furnace which will burn 48" logs, and for 20 + years I did the Abe Lincoln on anything over 8" diameter, because I couldn't handle it. Finally sunk in that 24" stuff was always lighter than 48, and I was no spring chicken. Also got a splitter seven years ago, and don't regret it. Of course I use around seven full cords per winter - nearly nine last year - so I spread the pain a bit. They rent splitters here for one-day or one-weekend jobs. Your back will thank you.

Up here, the "cull" logs are the ones that go to pallets. Hard to figure what culls from a pallet mill would look like.


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 Post subject: Re: leason learned
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 6:09 pm 
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Location: Big Prairie Ohio USA
When you burn pallet company culled logs you don't feel guilty about burning good wood. They only throw out the worst. Or anything under 36 inches long. Most of the pieces just need cut in half length wise. But one was a real bear. It was an oak "crotch" six feet long, and about two feet by three feet across. As to comparison to cord measurements 2 ton will make two rows twelve foot long, five feet high , and approximately 15 inches long. (We have a small stove in the house).I heat the house and shop both with wood.


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 Post subject: Re: leason learned
PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 5:37 am 
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Our fire wood is only "good wood" for a couple feet or so here and there. With forest grown wood the first 24 feet is generally pretty useful, subsequent sticks are evaluated for best use. Hardwood pulp is the fate of our wood otherwise. Fourth or fifth stick most common, couple-three branch roots in 100" on 10"+ wood. After that, they tend to chip the foliage end. Pulp never makes it to a mill to be culled. Of course, we love the thinning stuff they take to encourage growth best, because 24" of that is cut, stack, burn!

Your 2 ton is about a standard cord, with 120sqft face and nominal 16" length. Stovewood size. Rental of a splitter for a day would be questionable in terms of dollars/cord, but great for your back.


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 Post subject: Re: leason learned
PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 10:12 pm 
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Location: Big Prairie Ohio USA
I used to only split my wood small enough to fit in the stove door. But two years ago I bought a spliter so now I split it down to 6 to 8 inches across to make it easier to handle. The stove door seems to get lower each passing year and the pieces get heavier. Plus now that I am retired I don't worry about having to keep a fire going hot for twelve hours at a time. When I was working it was an hour each way and ten hour shifts so I had to have large chunks, now 8 hours is as long as I need the fire going between refills . It takes a lot longer to split down but it is easier to handle.


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