In my early years (late 50’s ) We cut big dead Dutch Elm trees down with a 6’ two man cross cut saw, wedges, a sledge hammer, axe and a 1946 Minneapolis Moline model R with a hundred foot big hay rope putting tension on the tree. Anything less than a saw log 12’-16’ was kept for firewood and always called ‘bolts’. I never heard the term ‘rounds’ until recently. We hauled the limbs with my grandfather’s Moline and manure spreader to his 12” buzz saw on an old wood table powered by a flat belt hooked to the Moline ‘R’. I bought an antique Clinton B3 chainsaw for $5 and rebuilt it as my 10th grade high school power mechanics class term paper ( you actually had to acquire some usable skills to graduate in those days ) ! My dad loved that old junk saw so much, wanted to always be the feller. I talked my grandfather, with the McCulloch dealer’s help into buying his first chain saw ( a 1960 Mac 15 ). The dealer told him “Gerald, just take the saw home and use it...come back next week with the money or the saw”...he went back with the money !
Nice video! I have to offer a piece of advice: use a pickaroon to help get the big logs under the splitter. I spend less time on my knees trying to keep the logs under the wedge.
Nice video! As a kid of about 10 my grandfather and I would cut down tree's with a hand saw. We'd drag them up to the house with his pickup truck where he had an electric chain saw. That's all he had. We'd use an ax to split them and throw the wood down a coal chute to the basement and stack it. That furnace was about 4 feet wide. You opened the bottom door and shook the grater. Then opened the top door and it took wood or coal. God I loved that guy. Now that I'm in my 50's, I cheat and pay for the wood to be cut and delivered. This video showed the modern ways people can do this easily. My grandfather would be amazed at all the options you have around a farm to make work easier on your back, legs and arms. My grandmother used to rake up the sawdust when we cut cedar. She's sew little bags and stuff them and put them in closets. All that sawdust made me think of that too.
All I'd like to say is I love the way you organize, though process, making it look so easy. The reason I was looking for some type of video like this is because I had a very large branch break off one of my very old pecan trees. I needed some ideas of how to approach this. I love cutting wood and splitting it also. I don't necessarily need it to keep me warm in the winter but I do love barbecuing with it. Thank you for your awesome video, it really gave me a lot of great ideas. I live in Texas by the way so there ain't a whole lot of winters down here. Thanks again. I look forward to some more videos.
You're doing awesome. People may have their own ideas of " doing it the right way", but honestly, the right way is the way that works best for you. Great content. Keep up the good work.
There is no "right way". Only the best way that works for you. If you have wood in the shed, and are warm through the winter, you are doing it "right". Haha.
Pretty good tips. It is nice to have a tractor to move those logs around, but some of us don't have that. Everybody does things differently. I like to burn those short pieces too. I call them little chunkies. Everytime I load up my indoor woodbin, about every 3 weeks, I bring in 3 totes of little chunkies. Also good tip on the rectangle pieces. I split like that too, I call them slabs, they stack outside easier too. Some guys would say it won't dry good like that, but I haven't had a issue.
Never had a wood stove, some camp fires but that I collect in the woods or buy a bundle on the way to the park. I do enjoy watching you cut and stack wood as it gives me an idea on what I'm missing.
Best tip from this video is marking the chainsaw bar. You could take that a bit further and put several marks on the bar, so you have quick measures for all of your cutting needs. Thanks for your tips. I have a super efficient house, and only need to burn my stove during the day. I have a very efficient, very small stove, so I've found that pieces smaller than 3 inches square work best for me. They burn well, season quickly and best of all are easy for my wife to handle and carry. We don't keep a fire overnight, as our house doesn't lose heat quickly. Then again we are in Kentucky, where it doesn't stay constantly in the negatives temp wise. I also burn round branch wood more often, since I find it is much less effort to harvest, process and have no need of a large splitter, tractor, or chainsaw. My entire tree harvesting operation is based around coppice and pollard woods. So most logs are small (3 to 4 inches across) The 4 inch logs get split in two. One quick whack with the splitting ax and I'm done. Stacked and ready for the fire in 6 months.
My brother told me about the marking of the chainsaw or since Im female, a measure stick. That way I can take a break from handling the chainsaw. I use a lumber crayon and the measuring stick to mark the wood for where I should saw. Works really well for me.
I made a wheel that has a small wedge fixed to it.. Attached the wheel to a 1x2 piece of wood. pvc pipe attached to it to hold a marking paint. Just walk it down the tree and it paints every 16 inches The wedge hits the spray tip causing it to spray.
I always just used a ziptie. Fasten it to the handle, measure from the bar and trim it to length. Then all you have to do is put the end of the ziptie at the end of the log and cut. No markers, no paint, no sticks, no additional steps just cutting.
I like to leave the logs on the forks and cut on both sides of the forks. Keep forks fairly close and you should have one piece ready for splitter when done cutting
When I was in very early teens we walked to the woods (1/2 mile) mid-Winter, dad carrying crosscut saw and 10 lb maul and me a sack full of wedges and an axe. Cut down the tree, sawed it into 8-10' lengths then split it with wedges. We did NOT call it bucking(?) . The split lengths were loaded on a wagon and hauled with horses and eventually a small tractor to behind the garage and off loaded on to the Buzz pile. In the Fall, Mr. Ross came with his Model A powered Buzz saw which had about a 30" diameter blade and a moving table. Split logs were carried to the table and the table pushed forward to cut the logs. My endless job was to pile wood and carry the Chunks (Never called Rounds?) to basement. 14 per day to feed our octopus wood stove. No Fan on it. People nowdays treat cutting down trees and making fire wood as if it was something for the space shuttle. If you can't estimate 16" or 18" after a few cuts, get out of the bush! We never called it a Woodlot or Wood Processing. Best of all one year we cut down a hollow beech Bee Tree and got a half washtub full of Honey. The ONLY day I enjoyed the work. We never owned a chain saw.
That’s a great story ! Model A powered saw and a honey tree ! That’s what great stories are made of . As you say , now it’s a different world , but the basics don’t change when that young son goes with his dad to do work like that !
Good story Charlie. I'm 50. We had chain saws when I was a kid. I still go to the woods and bring home logs to bust up as firewood. I'm headed out now to do some bustin up. It's cold out. I get a fire going to hang around and cook on just like we used to do. I know what length I want. Never had to measure. Lol. The guy on the video Probably doesn't mess with that either.
Hi great video. I like to use a 1x2 measured out to equal a 5 piece section. I lay it on the trunk as I move down the tree. This seems to get the most out of the larger sections of the trunk without the small leftover pieces.
If that’s the method that works good for you the only improvement I can think of is making a 2x4 to support your logs off the ground and have the supports spaced so you know exactly where to cut without having to measure. That my be a little more stable and user friendly than the loose 4x4’s. Great video and love seeing what works for your situation
I make 2 piles. One with perfict peices. The other with irregular pieces. Burn all the irregular first. Next season what's left of the perfict takes less room.
Interesting video. I picked up a couple of tips, so thanks very much. We are in New Zealand so it is always amazing to me to hear your guys talking about burning cherry or oak.
I see you have a compact excavator on-site. Didn’t notice if there was a thumb installed. If not install a good unit. You will never fire tractor up again for handling logs. An excavator is not only safer but way faster with far less back bending labor.
@@genemurray5693 Having used both tractor and excavator, the excavator is great in a small area, but the tractor gets from stump to the woodyard much more quickly. If I had to rely on the excavator I'd be an hour from the stump to the woodyard.
@@danielmoulton4117 I see Dan. If no truck to haul logs to yard then that makes sense. I use an f450 flatbed dump as I go sometimes quite a ways for logs.
When you’re splitting in the vertical position I sit on a round, for me it’s easier on your knees. I’ve got a round saved that’s the right size and height for me to be comfortable, it’s the last pice I split up at the end of the year. Thumbs up
I also like the idea to mark the bar. The 35 ton will defiantly butter through most anything but I've found the 22 to be more than enough for most jazz. Hey, when vertical if you use a piece of 2x4 near the front of the splitter about a 1/2 foot or so on the ground it helps balance the log on the back plate.
I quarter the rounds in vertical mode then final split horizontal, easier on the back. Also throw down a tarp to split over, makes cleanup and kindling recovery much easier.
5 gallon buckets-I use one with a foam pad to sit on when I use my vertical splitter. I also use them to bring wood into the house. It keeps the loads manageable and reduces mess. It’s also handy for my girlfriend so they’re not too heavy and she can help out. I like your bin idea for the little pieces/bark that always occurs when splitting. I use my buckets currently. Couldn’t tell for sure but it looks like you weren’t using hearing protection. Yikes. Get some Bluetooth ear muffs and listen to your favorite music or a podcast while you’re working.
I always try to guess which Bible verse you are going to include. Thought for sure you would use Ecclesiastes 10:10 - “If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.”
I use a mingo firewood marker. It's money but it's well spent IMO. Start with 12' sticks, walk down the log popping a bunch of paint dots on a bunch of logs at once and go to town.
Todd, How come you don't use the pin that Locks that splitter in the upright position ? I drag the logs to an area I use for my wood. I then cut them into 16-18'' pieces like you, except I'll cut 1/2 way through, turn the log, then finish the cuts. That's where I go way off the rails compared to anyone else. I use the tractor and push the cuts to the splitter while sitting on a milk crate with a piece of carpet. I have an ice hook(?) to help pull the pieces closer, split them, then throw them into a giant pile. That's where it stays, uncovered for 2 yrs. I pull the pieces from the oldest end of the pile. I'm always 2yrs ahead. The only stacking I do, is in the garage, about a 1/2 cord at a time. JMO. Sorry so long, thumbs up always.
I've started cutting mine while still on the forks to keep the saw out of the dirt. Usually only leaves one cut on the ground on the section between forks and its typically small enough to roll and finish the cut.
I have two issues with doing that, for one I hit my bucket and forks with the saw and wreck my chain and my tractor doesn't hold hydraulic pressure so I would have to keep it running while I cut. But, if you don't have those issues it is a great way to go:)
@@SSLFamilyDad That's valid. I have the full quick attach setup with the back plate. I can see where the bucket could obstruct access. Either way pallett forks are a game changer for wood processing.
Suggestion. Split the large rounds in the vertical position to a manageable size. Then in the horizontal position split your wood to your desired size. Way easier on your back and legs.
Bottom line, less handling is most efficient. I get full length trees to the roadside log landing, buck to 20 feet, fork those sections and take the tractor road directly to the woodyard to buck and split. I only have to handle each piece once off the splitter into a crate, move the crate to the stove on the forks, and directly into the stove.
My stove uses 11 to 12 inches, so I cut my splitting chunks 22 to 24 inches, then split with log splitter, then cut the split wood with 12 electric compound miter. Keeps the pieces as big as possible until stacking. Less bending over and easier on my body.
I don't like my wood flat like that for my wood stove. It might be good for an outdoor furnace for you, but I have found when they are flat like that, they have problem with air flow around the wood while burning and causing an ineffecient burn. But, that said, every person has their own way of doing things and that is the way you like doing it.
I use to think that to...lay them in there with some space between them and layer them like jinga blocks...one layer one way then the next the other with gaps between them..
I winced when I saw that the logs were cherry, since a woodworker or sawmill may pay a good amount for cherry logs. I suppose it's because I own a small sawmill, and I see the boardfoot potential in every large tree.
I usually cut my firewood about an hour drive from my house and I find one of my biggest expenses is gas for my vehicle hauling the trailer full of wood back and forth. Also, getting your chimney set up is expensive ours cost around $1500 for the stove pipe alone. Wood stoves can be expensive if you want a fancy one. I just upgraded from a $600 stove to a $3000 stove. My new stove burns for 8 to 18 hours before needing reloaded, and has a thermostat to keep our house at a constant temperature.
I am in the uk my mother lives in France the farmers there have stacks of wood miles long all 24 inches long four foot high it’s a macho thing how long is your stack
Do you sharpen your own chainsaw or get it done somewhere else,, it seems to go through that wood pretty quick, maybe if you do sharpen it yourself you could make a video on how you do it..Great video..
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Those chips.. friends and family save their old candles for me. When I have about a gallon or so I melt them and pour over the pile of about 4 gal of those chips. Same with the sawdust. Talk about fire starter! If you have an old plastic tote thats cracked and you are gonna throw it out , get one more use out of it.
SSL Family, Wanted to Send you & Family Out Something for the Holidays But See no P O Box #.. Headed up that way to ya to Lansing Part of the COLD !! lol have a good bit of Family up there... So with that We Get it Understand why you do it the way you do BUT you know you WILL Have someone who Will have a BETTER WAY !! Almost Sitting by our Box now have our's on This time of the year 24/7 !! But put it out the Night the Jolly Old Man Stops By & Slides down our Stainless Steal Pipe so he don't Burn his Tail !! What we do is Cut and Split ALL Year always ADDING to the Pile.. We have been heating our Homestead with wood for 40+ Years... All Hard Mixed but mainly White % Red Oak.. But we stack up about 2 Cord inside House Waiting to be burnt ! And have about 10 to 15 Face Cord on hand Stacked on our Wood Pole Barn... I Had Built a Pole barn just for Fire Wood.. O And We also will use the same Post that you do to help stack and keep up in pile line.. We also CLEAN our own Pipe ourselves... And you know what we save $ $ by doing that You already know !! That's the Biz to get into!! That's Right... lol Quick Cash !! lol What it's about 200. $ and there only there at your house for 10/15 MIN. Straight up.. But Wanted to just say THANK YOU & Happy Holidays Sir to You & Family Sir for your Videos and Your Daily Time to make Videos and Read my L O N G Comments Each Day !! Nice to See a Nice American Family Enjoying what they Believe in Living the Good FREE Life that each of you are Blessed With each and Everyday !! And again Thanks & Happy Holidays to You Sir & Family !!
I like to buck up the wood to length in the woods, doesnt matter how many times i move it, because i dont have a tractor to haul it. leave the splitter where u stack.
I also like to buck it in the woods. I have a tractor with a FEL and a carry-all on the back. I load both with the bucked pieces and then bring it to my splitter set up near where I'm stacking it to season. Works well for me. I cut my lengths to 20" for my in-door wood furnace and measure using my 20" bar. Works great because the marker doesn't wear off but, the marker trick for a different length is great. Much quicker to twist saw and cut than to measure and mark and then cut.
I put my split on the edge of a trailer and dump the peaches on their to roll them in it dont have to bend over just stand there and throw it in the tractor bucket
That's as good a way as any for the big stuff as long as you are leaving it to finish seasoning for at least a couple months in the stacks. If they're manageable size logs, I buck them where they are and then once loaded on the trailer, they don't hit the ground (pallet) again until they are being stacked. I have just the right size (width and height) wagon to reach the rounds out and throw the split firewood back in before moving on to the stacking area. Works great except for this time of year if we get a lot of snow, which we did so it's difficult getting to the trees/logs.
Splitting Vertical Is Hateful Work ,Standing On Your Head Or Kneeling Is Not Nice , I Vertical Split Into Manageable Size ,Not To Heavy ,Then I Split Horizontal ,And Stand Up Like You Should Work ,I Have A Splitter Similar To Yours ,Make A 1 1/2 Shoe To Fit On The Bottom Of The Splitter,To Raise Up Logs ,When Splitting Vertical,Way Easier ,Thank You For Your Videos !!!
I thought so too... He could have used those cherry logs for making a table, chairs, fine furniture.... Burn the branches and such, but save those huge logs for planks, boards and woodworking.
I have lots of cherry in the woods and could chip up branches for something like that. I have no sawmill or a way to chip up a 36" log unfortunately. Maybe I'll look into selling chips though!
You split and cut in the woods you leave all your mess in the woods. You dont end up with a big pile of bark and small pieces of wood piled up all over the ground you have to clean up
Well, to be fair I didnt put a meter to them but them have been sitting on pallets for 18 months so for me that is as seasoned as I have time for! I have been burning what I split this week and it seems to be burning perfectly
I like this kid's videos for the most part, but sometimes he scares the crap out of me from a safety perspective. I worked in the health & safety field one of my jobs was watching video of people preforming various jobs and looking for ways to improve safety and reduce risk. watching that splitter come down when he has his hands and or knees in the red zone drives me nuts. I like to think he has safety in mind, but sometimes I wonder if he gets caught up in making these videos and loses sight of his safety. I counted 3 times where it appeared a last second move was the only thing that stopped a potential accident, I only hope that one day he won't be a second to late. as I said I like him and what he is trying to do and I don't enjoy pointing out negatives if others feel I'm wrong give me a thumb down.
Those "red zone" last second moves may have been a perspective of the camera angle used. I noticed too. When using equipment, my first three thoughts are safety, safety, and then safety. I wanna keep all my fingers, toes, and bits, ya know?
Some decent, logical thinking but this sort of assumes you have a tractor...I'm a much bigger fan (sans tractor) of felling, bucking and splitting each round in half in the woods. Then I stack the big half rounds into rows with the bark up to shed rain/snow and let all that water weight evaporate out before I move it...let mother nature do the heavy lifting.
Thats great when u have your own property to do such on or one that u can trust to do such on dome people dont have property they go cut on othere property...but I agree water weight is half the battle .
Only one problem mister smarty pants. Most people don't have big tractors and fork lifts for moving entire trees at once. Most people only have a pickup truck, a chainsaw and a couple of axes. So you do the best you can with what you got. All I have are the axes. So I have to pay someone to get wood for me and drop it off in my yard.
Too much messing around trying to put on skids. Get a logging cant hook and just roll the log to cut the last little bit if you can't control your saw good enough to not get into the dirt. You need a 2 in 1 file your saw was dull sharpen every tank full of fuel. 1 to 2 strokes is all it takes. You need to learn how to use your saw you let it do the work. Sawing back and forth and being jerky is hard on the saw and can be dangerous as it can cause a kickback. You need to be smooth. That is why you have no paint on your bar.
@@SSLFamilyDad have to keep the RPM up on the engine and don't force it into the wood and bog it down. When you force it into the wood you lose chain speed.
That's all I burn in Eastern WA. On the West side I burn Fir mostly as those woods are most common and abundant in those locations. Just got to burn hot and clean the chimney a couple times a year.
Frosty Gamer, People have been saying that to me for years. If pine is seasoned properly, it's perfectly fine and I actually had to burn it for 2 yrs straight because I was having trouble finding any hardwood. I thought the flue would be caked with creosote at years end, but it was about the same as any other years. It just burns fast.
You can burn it, but I just do not like to. I want the hard wood. Pine burns up quicker than the hard wood. Just have to keep an eye on your chimney for creosote buildup with the pine. Out in the northwest, the pines are the most common trees out there with very few hard woods and the pines are the only thing they burn. Here where I live in south central PA, my area doesn't have many pines, it is mostly hard wood and that is what I want. I really like the Locust tree wood. It really lasts a long time in the woodstove, but I also burn oak, cherry, maple, apple, elm, etc. I get all types of hard wood here.
You need a bigger stove, burns fine. I have a stove with a secondary air supply that burns the gases, no creosote problem. Rather have hardwood but not available, even burn cedar, cedar oil burns good.
In my early years (late 50’s ) We cut big dead Dutch Elm trees down with a 6’ two man cross cut saw, wedges, a sledge hammer, axe and a 1946 Minneapolis Moline model R with a hundred foot big hay rope putting tension on the tree. Anything less than a saw log 12’-16’ was kept for firewood and always called ‘bolts’. I never heard the term ‘rounds’ until recently. We hauled the limbs with my grandfather’s Moline and manure spreader to his 12” buzz saw on an old wood table powered by a flat belt hooked to the Moline ‘R’. I bought an antique Clinton B3 chainsaw for $5 and rebuilt it as my 10th grade high school power mechanics class term paper ( you actually had to acquire some usable skills to graduate in those days ) ! My dad loved that old junk saw so much, wanted to always be the feller. I talked my grandfather, with the McCulloch dealer’s help into buying his first chain saw ( a 1960 Mac 15 ). The dealer told him “Gerald, just take the saw home and use it...come back next week with the money or the saw”...he went back with the money !
Nice video! I have to offer a piece of advice: use a pickaroon to help get the big logs under the splitter. I spend less time on my knees trying to keep the logs under the wedge.
Nice video! As a kid of about 10 my grandfather and I would cut down tree's with a hand saw. We'd drag them up to the house with his pickup truck where he had an electric chain saw. That's all he had. We'd use an ax to split them and throw the wood down a coal chute to the basement and stack it. That furnace was about 4 feet wide. You opened the bottom door and shook the grater. Then opened the top door and it took wood or coal. God I loved that guy. Now that I'm in my 50's, I cheat and pay for the wood to be cut and delivered. This video showed the modern ways people can do this easily. My grandfather would be amazed at all the options you have around a farm to make work easier on your back, legs and arms. My grandmother used to rake up the sawdust when we cut cedar. She's sew little bags and stuff them and put them in closets. All that sawdust made me think of that too.
All I'd like to say is I love the way you organize, though process, making it look so easy. The reason I was looking for some type of video like this is because I had a very large branch break off one of my very old pecan trees. I needed some ideas of how to approach this. I love cutting wood and splitting it also. I don't necessarily need it to keep me warm in the winter but I do love barbecuing with it. Thank you for your awesome video, it really gave me a lot of great ideas. I live in Texas by the way so there ain't a whole lot of winters down here. Thanks again. I look forward to some more videos.
Great job with the firewood! Love seeing all those stacks...makes me feel warm and cozy. Shalom and Blessings from NE Missouri!
You're doing awesome. People may have their own ideas of " doing it the right way", but honestly, the right way is the way that works best for you. Great content. Keep up the good work.
There is no "right way". Only the best way that works for you. If you have wood in the shed, and are warm through the winter, you are doing it "right". Haha.
Pretty good tips. It is nice to have a tractor to move those logs around, but some of us don't have that. Everybody does things differently. I like to burn those short pieces too. I call them little chunkies. Everytime I load up my indoor woodbin, about every 3 weeks, I bring in 3 totes of little chunkies. Also good tip on the rectangle pieces. I split like that too, I call them slabs, they stack outside easier too. Some guys would say it won't dry good like that, but I haven't had a issue.
Never had a wood stove, some camp fires but that I collect in the woods or buy a bundle on the way to the park. I do enjoy watching you cut and stack wood as it gives me an idea on what I'm missing.
Best tip from this video is marking the chainsaw bar.
You could take that a bit further and put several marks on the bar, so you have quick measures for all of your cutting needs. Thanks for your tips.
I have a super efficient house, and only need to burn my stove during the day. I have a very efficient, very small stove, so I've found that pieces smaller than 3 inches square work best for me. They burn well, season quickly and best of all are easy for my wife to handle and carry. We don't keep a fire overnight, as our house doesn't lose heat quickly. Then again we are in Kentucky, where it doesn't stay constantly in the negatives temp wise.
I also burn round branch wood more often, since I find it is much less effort to harvest, process and have no need of a large splitter, tractor, or chainsaw. My entire tree harvesting operation is based around coppice and pollard woods. So most logs are small (3 to 4 inches across) The 4 inch logs get split in two. One quick whack with the splitting ax and I'm done. Stacked and ready for the fire in 6 months.
good work. I like the square wood too. burns much better that triangle. thanks for sharing.
My brother told me about the marking of the chainsaw or since Im female, a measure stick. That way I can take a break from handling the chainsaw.
I use a lumber crayon and the measuring stick to mark the wood for where I should saw.
Works really well for me.
I made a wheel that has a small wedge fixed to it.. Attached the wheel to a 1x2 piece of wood. pvc pipe attached to it to hold a marking paint. Just walk it down the tree and it paints every 16 inches
The wedge hits the spray tip causing it to spray.
I always just used a ziptie. Fasten it to the handle, measure from the bar and trim it to length. Then all you have to do is put the end of the ziptie at the end of the log and cut. No markers, no paint, no sticks, no additional steps just cutting.
I have a couple of heavy hardwood pallets I set big stuff like that on to cut works pretty well, You are right the less handling the better.
I like to leave the logs on the forks and cut on both sides of the forks. Keep forks fairly close and you should have one piece ready for splitter when done cutting
When I was in very early teens we walked to the woods (1/2 mile) mid-Winter, dad carrying crosscut saw and 10 lb maul and me a sack full of wedges and an axe. Cut down the tree, sawed it into 8-10' lengths then split it with wedges. We did NOT call it bucking(?) . The split lengths were loaded on a wagon and hauled with horses and eventually a small tractor to behind the garage and off loaded on to the Buzz pile. In the Fall, Mr. Ross came with his Model A powered Buzz saw which had about a 30" diameter blade and a moving table. Split logs were carried to the table and the table pushed forward to cut the logs. My endless job was to pile wood and carry the Chunks (Never called Rounds?) to basement. 14 per day to feed our octopus wood stove. No Fan on it. People nowdays treat cutting down trees and making fire wood as if it was something for the space shuttle. If you can't estimate 16" or 18" after a few cuts, get out of the bush! We never called it a Woodlot or Wood Processing. Best of all one year we cut down a hollow beech Bee Tree and got a half washtub full of Honey. The ONLY day I enjoyed the work.
We never owned a chain saw.
That’s a great story ! Model A powered saw and a honey tree ! That’s what great stories are made of .
As you say , now it’s a different world , but the basics don’t change when that young son goes with his dad to do work like that !
@@charleyfolkes Thanks Charley
Good story Charlie. I'm 50. We had chain saws when I was a kid. I still go to the woods and bring home logs to bust up as firewood. I'm headed out now to do some bustin up. It's cold out. I get a fire going to hang around and cook on just like we used to do.
I know what length I want. Never had to measure. Lol. The guy on the video Probably doesn't mess with that either.
Nice setup mate, looks like it works well for you which is the most important part it has to suit your needs and how you do things - well done.
Hi great video. I like to use a 1x2 measured out to equal a 5 piece section. I lay it on the trunk as I move down the tree. This seems to get the most out of the larger sections of the trunk without the small leftover pieces.
Marking the bar is genius!! I wish I knew this a long time ago. Thanks.
If that’s the method that works good for you the only improvement I can think of is making a 2x4 to support your logs off the ground and have the supports spaced so you know exactly where to cut without having to measure. That my be a little more stable and user friendly than the loose 4x4’s. Great video and love seeing what works for your situation
You have a great system in place for cutting logs
I make 2 piles. One with perfict peices. The other with irregular pieces. Burn all the irregular first. Next season what's left of the perfict takes less room.
Interesting video. I picked up a couple of tips, so thanks very much. We are in New Zealand so it is always amazing to me to hear your guys talking about burning cherry or oak.
I see you have a compact excavator on-site. Didn’t notice if there was a thumb installed. If not install a good unit. You will never fire tractor up again for handling logs. An excavator is not only safer but way faster with far less back bending labor.
@@genemurray5693 Having used both tractor and excavator, the excavator is great in a small area, but the tractor gets from stump to the woodyard much more quickly. If I had to rely on the excavator I'd be an hour from the stump to the woodyard.
@@danielmoulton4117 I see Dan. If no truck to haul logs to yard then that makes sense. I use an f450 flatbed dump as I go sometimes quite a ways for logs.
When you’re splitting in the vertical position I sit on a round, for me it’s easier on your knees. I’ve got a round saved that’s the right size and height for me to be comfortable, it’s the last pice I split up at the end of the year. Thumbs up
im guna remember that 1
5 gallon bucket upside down works too.
Knee pads for sure.
Great video Todd! Can't wait for the next one! Have a great Christmas!
I also like the idea to mark the bar. The 35 ton will defiantly butter through most anything but I've found the 22 to be more than enough for most jazz. Hey, when vertical if you use a piece of 2x4 near the front of the splitter about a 1/2 foot or so on the ground it helps balance the log on the back plate.
That is a great tip, I actually normally throw a scrap piece under there but forgot to mention it in the video!
Hello from Piqua Ohio
Here in west Texas we have seasoned mesquite or green mesquite. Mix green in with the dry makes a hot long lasting fire.
I love your channel man! We are both cut out of the same cloth lol 👍🔥🚜
Good work.
I quarter the rounds in vertical mode then final split horizontal, easier on the back.
Also throw down a tarp to split over, makes cleanup and kindling recovery much easier.
Isn’t it slippery walking on the tarp?
5 gallon buckets-I use one with a foam pad to sit on when I use my vertical splitter. I also use them to bring wood into the house. It keeps the loads manageable and reduces mess. It’s also handy for my girlfriend so they’re not too heavy and she can help out. I like your bin idea for the little pieces/bark that always occurs when splitting. I use my buckets currently. Couldn’t tell for sure but it looks like you weren’t using hearing protection. Yikes. Get some Bluetooth ear muffs and listen to your favorite music or a podcast while you’re working.
I always try to guess which Bible verse you are going to include. Thought for sure you would use Ecclesiastes 10:10 - “If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.”
That would have been a good one!
I use a mingo firewood marker. It's money but it's well spent IMO. Start with 12' sticks, walk down the log popping a bunch of paint dots on a bunch of logs at once and go to town.
Todd, How come you don't use the pin that Locks that splitter in the upright position ?
I drag the logs to an area I use for my wood. I then cut them into 16-18'' pieces like you, except I'll cut 1/2 way through, turn the log, then finish the cuts. That's where I go way off the rails compared to anyone else. I use the tractor and push the cuts to the splitter while sitting on a milk crate with a piece of carpet. I have an ice hook(?) to help pull the pieces closer, split them, then throw them into a giant pile. That's where it stays, uncovered for 2 yrs. I pull the pieces from the oldest end of the pile. I'm always 2yrs ahead. The only stacking I do, is in the garage, about a 1/2 cord at a time. JMO. Sorry so long, thumbs up always.
Man, very observant on the pin! I lost the pin and just didnt bother to ho grab a new one. I think I have one on the barn shelf somewhere...
Get a hand truck with tall pneumatic tires for moving the larger rounds to the splitter.
I've started cutting mine while still on the forks to keep the saw out of the dirt. Usually only leaves one cut on the ground on the section between forks and its typically small enough to roll and finish the cut.
I have two issues with doing that, for one I hit my bucket and forks with the saw and wreck my chain and my tractor doesn't hold hydraulic pressure so I would have to keep it running while I cut. But, if you don't have those issues it is a great way to go:)
@@SSLFamilyDad That's valid. I have the full quick attach setup with the back plate. I can see where the bucket could obstruct access. Either way pallett forks are a game changer for wood processing.
I do all mine like that.To old to stay bent over! That is what machinery is for,make it easier.
Suggestion. Split the large rounds in the vertical position to a manageable size. Then in the horizontal position split your wood to your desired size. Way easier on your back and legs.
I buddy we love you in Alabama merry Christmas
Hi I have a 25 year old splitter just like that one. What Stihl chainsaw are you using.
362cq
Just subscribed. Great video
Nice splitter, I still do it the old way, it's good to get a little exercise.
Bottom line, less handling is most efficient. I get full length trees to the roadside log landing, buck to 20 feet, fork those sections and take the tractor road directly to the woodyard to buck and split. I only have to handle each piece once off the splitter into a crate, move the crate to the stove on the forks, and directly into the stove.
You should do more videos a week
Just watch this one twice:)
@@SSLFamilyDad, Hahaha, that's pretty funny !
Do you burn the bark? Does it muck up your chimney?
My stove uses 11 to 12 inches, so I cut my splitting chunks 22 to 24 inches, then split with log splitter, then cut the split wood with 12 electric compound miter. Keeps the pieces as big as possible until stacking. Less bending over and easier on my body.
I don't like my wood flat like that for my wood stove. It might be good for an outdoor furnace for you, but I have found when they are flat like that, they have problem with air flow around the wood while burning and causing an ineffecient burn. But, that said, every person has their own way of doing things and that is the way you like doing it.
I use to think that to...lay them in there with some space between them and layer them like jinga blocks...one layer one way then the next the other with gaps between them..
we need2 get you a bigger saw you can run a 25in bar on that 362 I got 1 on mine. but I am on west coast n we got different trees
I winced when I saw that the logs were cherry, since a woodworker or sawmill may pay a good amount for cherry logs. I suppose it's because I own a small sawmill, and I see the boardfoot potential in every large tree.
I usually cut my firewood about an hour drive from my house and I find one of my biggest expenses is gas for my vehicle hauling the trailer full of wood back and forth.
Also, getting your chimney set up is expensive ours cost around $1500 for the stove pipe alone.
Wood stoves can be expensive if you want a fancy one. I just upgraded from a $600 stove to a $3000 stove. My new stove burns for 8 to 18 hours before needing reloaded, and has a thermostat to keep our house at a constant temperature.
What size styhl saw is that in the video?
362cq
Can you show us how to deal with wood that is wet
And what is the time limit on wood storage
I am in the uk my mother lives in France the farmers there have stacks of wood miles long all 24 inches long four foot high it’s a macho thing how long is your stack
Do you get much rainfall there?
Yes michigan is very wet
Do you sharpen your own chainsaw or get it done somewhere else,, it seems to go through that wood pretty quick, maybe if you do sharpen it yourself you could make a video on how you do it..Great video..
I sharpen my chains, that was a brand new chain also:)
Hey Todd do you guys have a patreon?
We do not at this time, you can support us by shopping on amazon from our amazon page in description or just being an awesome subscriber and watching videos:) merry Christmas!
that big guy would have been good for a band saw mill.
Those chips.. friends and family save their old candles for me. When I have about a gallon or so I melt them and pour over the pile of about 4 gal of those chips.
Same with the sawdust. Talk about fire starter!
If you have an old plastic tote thats cracked and you are gonna throw it out , get one more use out of it.
The railroad gives me all the cross ties I want. I stack all my firewood on them and I never need to worry about termites or rot.
13BRAVO REDLEG ya you just have to get them at night lol
Did you say Cherry? You ought to be making a set of cabinets with that.
Time for barbecue.🤗
I find the bark scraps dont start fires very well. I think the bark is the natural barrier for the tree against fires and such
SSL Family, Wanted to Send you & Family Out Something for the Holidays But See no P O Box #.. Headed up that way to ya to Lansing Part of the COLD !! lol have a good bit of Family up there... So with that We Get it Understand why you do it the way you do BUT you know you WILL Have someone who Will have a BETTER WAY !! Almost Sitting by our Box now have our's on This time of the year 24/7 !! But put it out the Night the Jolly Old Man Stops By & Slides down our Stainless Steal Pipe so he don't Burn his Tail !! What we do is Cut and Split ALL Year always ADDING to the Pile.. We have been heating our Homestead with wood for 40+ Years... All Hard Mixed but mainly White % Red Oak.. But we stack up about 2 Cord inside House Waiting to be burnt ! And have about 10 to 15 Face Cord on hand Stacked on our Wood Pole Barn... I Had Built a Pole barn just for Fire Wood.. O And We also will use the same Post that you do to help stack and keep up in pile line.. We also CLEAN our own Pipe ourselves... And you know what we save $ $ by doing that You already know !! That's the Biz to get into!! That's Right... lol Quick Cash !! lol What it's about 200. $ and there only there at your house for 10/15 MIN. Straight up.. But Wanted to just say THANK YOU & Happy Holidays Sir to You & Family Sir for your Videos and Your Daily Time to make Videos and Read my L O N G Comments Each Day !! Nice to See a Nice American Family Enjoying what they Believe in Living the Good FREE Life that each of you are Blessed With each and Everyday !! And again Thanks & Happy Holidays to You Sir & Family !!
Merry christmas! Email me and I can send you an address. Sslfamily5@gmail.com
I like to buck up the wood to length in the woods, doesnt matter how many times i move it, because i dont have a tractor to haul it. leave the splitter where u stack.
Great point, if you don't have a way to move big logs then you are going to have to log it up then move it to your stacking location
I also like to buck it in the woods. I have a tractor with a FEL and a carry-all on the back. I load both with the bucked pieces and then bring it to my splitter set up near where I'm stacking it to season. Works well for me. I cut my lengths to 20" for my in-door wood furnace and measure using my 20" bar. Works great because the marker doesn't wear off but, the marker trick for a different length is great. Much quicker to twist saw and cut than to measure and mark and then cut.
Working smarter not harder.
I put my split on the edge of a trailer and dump the peaches on their to roll them in it dont have to bend over just stand there and throw it in the tractor bucket
That's as good a way as any for the big stuff as long as you are leaving it to finish seasoning for at least a couple months in the stacks. If they're manageable size logs, I buck them where they are and then once loaded on the trailer, they don't hit the ground (pallet) again until they are being stacked. I have just the right size (width and height) wagon to reach the rounds out and throw the split firewood back in before moving on to the stacking area. Works great except for this time of year if we get a lot of snow, which we did so it's difficult getting to the trees/logs.
Cherry, looks like it would have made some nice Lumber.
Looks like oak
@@jimdavidson4586 He said it was cherry.
@@tomcondon6169 i think hes high lol but i didnt catch that sure looked like oak but maybey not
Splitting Vertical Is Hateful Work ,Standing On Your Head Or Kneeling Is Not Nice , I Vertical Split Into Manageable Size ,Not To Heavy ,Then I Split Horizontal ,And Stand Up Like You Should Work ,I Have A Splitter Similar To Yours ,Make A 1 1/2 Shoe To Fit On The Bottom Of The Splitter,To Raise Up Logs ,When Splitting Vertical,Way Easier ,Thank You For Your Videos !!!
Those two big logs are worth a 1000 bucks. You could chip them up and sell them for BBQ. I get a small bag for $8.
Or cut into planks for flooring, if a sawmill is available ?
I thought so too... He could have used those cherry logs for making a table, chairs, fine furniture....
Burn the branches and such, but save those huge logs for planks, boards and woodworking.
I have lots of cherry in the woods and could chip up branches for something like that. I have no sawmill or a way to chip up a 36" log unfortunately. Maybe I'll look into selling chips though!
A Mingo Marker is easier than turning the chainsaw sideways each time.
You split and cut in the woods you leave all your mess in the woods. You dont end up with a big pile of bark and small pieces of wood piled up all over the ground you have to clean up
I normally wood chip this area in front of the barn so it works here well for me
a lot of thinkin' going on here : )
12:32 cuts knots like buttah
@1:52, no way in hell those logs are seasoned (
Blue Ox , with my ambient humidity I’d be lucky to get it that dry. I have had to learn how to burn wet wood.
@@johno6861
That's tough, here in New England, with the proper amount of time, assuming its stacked correctly, anyone can obtain a 10 - 15% reading.
Blue Ox , I get 165” rain year.
Well, to be fair I didnt put a meter to them but them have been sitting on pallets for 18 months so for me that is as seasoned as I have time for! I have been burning what I split this week and it seems to be burning perfectly
@@johno6861
Ouch, that would explain it!
😍😍😍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I like this kid's videos for the most part, but sometimes he scares the crap out of me from a safety perspective. I worked in the health & safety field one of my jobs was watching video of people preforming various jobs and looking for ways to improve safety and reduce risk. watching that splitter come down when he has his hands and or knees in the red zone drives me nuts. I like to think he has safety in mind, but sometimes I wonder if he gets caught up in making these videos and loses sight of his safety. I counted 3 times where it appeared a last second move was the only thing that stopped a potential accident, I only hope that one day he won't be a second to late. as I said I like him and what he is trying to do and I don't enjoy pointing out negatives if others feel I'm wrong give me a thumb down.
Those "red zone" last second moves may have been a perspective of the camera angle used. I noticed too.
When using equipment, my first three thoughts are safety, safety, and then safety. I wanna keep all my fingers, toes, and bits, ya know?
I have used the same splitter for 25 years and still have my fingers and toe's.
Seams like a waste of some great lumbar to build projects, I think I would use smaller trees for firewood
Some decent, logical thinking but this sort of assumes you have a tractor...I'm a much bigger fan (sans tractor) of felling, bucking and splitting each round in half in the woods. Then I stack the big half rounds into rows with the bark up to shed rain/snow and let all that water weight evaporate out before I move it...let mother nature do the heavy lifting.
Thats great when u have your own property to do such on or one that u can trust to do such on dome people dont have property they go cut on othere property...but I agree water weight is half the battle .
first
Villa Nova Farms lol
Hahaha !!!! What a nub
I remember my first time cutting
Only one problem mister smarty pants. Most people don't have big tractors and fork lifts for moving entire trees at once. Most people only have a pickup truck, a chainsaw and a couple of axes. So you do the best you can with what you got. All I have are the axes. So I have to pay someone to get wood for me and drop it off in my yard.
Have them drop off some big logs and you're good to go:)
Tony,get with some of your local tree guys...if u talk to them right they will dump all the free wood u could ever handle off in your yard...
Too much messing around trying to put on skids. Get a logging cant hook and just roll the log to cut the last little bit if you can't control your saw good enough to not get into the dirt. You need a 2 in 1 file your saw was dull sharpen every tank full of fuel. 1 to 2 strokes is all it takes. You need to learn how to use your saw you let it do the work. Sawing back and forth and being jerky is hard on the saw and can be dangerous as it can cause a kickback. You need to be smooth. That is why you have no paint on your bar.
This was a brand new high end chain........ it cut right through that cherry with little effort.....
@@SSLFamilyDad have to keep the RPM up on the engine and don't force it into the wood and bog it down. When you force it into the wood you lose chain speed.
You cant use pine indoors
sure you can, I do it all the time
That's all I burn in Eastern WA. On the West side I burn Fir mostly as those woods are most common and abundant in those locations. Just got to burn hot and clean the chimney a couple times a year.
Frosty Gamer, People have been saying that to me for years. If pine is seasoned properly, it's perfectly fine and I actually had to burn it for 2 yrs straight because I was having trouble finding any hardwood. I thought the flue would be caked with creosote at years end, but it was about the same as any other years. It just burns fast.
You can burn it, but I just do not like to. I want the hard wood. Pine burns up quicker than the hard wood. Just have to keep an eye on your chimney for creosote buildup with the pine. Out in the northwest, the pines are the most common trees out there with very few hard woods and the pines are the only thing they burn. Here where I live in south central PA, my area doesn't have many pines, it is mostly hard wood and that is what I want. I really like the Locust tree wood. It really lasts a long time in the woodstove, but I also burn oak, cherry, maple, apple, elm, etc. I get all types of hard wood here.
You need a bigger stove, burns fine. I have a stove with a secondary air supply that burns the gases, no creosote problem. Rather have hardwood but not available, even burn cedar, cedar oil burns good.
Bruh… I’m dealing with a nightmare tree guy work is shit an legit ya just showed me how to tackle the 80ft tree fell in my yard