OT: For the love of firewood
- Thread starter BROTHERSKINNY
- Start date
My property is about 1.25 acre. Roughly a third is woods behind the backyard. I have never bought wood, and vowed I never would. And I have an indoor wood burning fireplace, outdoor wood burning fireplace, and a firepit. I get all the wood I need from trees around the property. I bought an electric 12 ton log splitter a few years to help make the work easier. While I live in the suburbs, making my own firewood makes me feel a little more 'worthy'. Kind of my own version of living off the land I guess.
One of my RU roommates had a small firewood business to earn extra cash during summer and winter breaks down in Vineland. He had access to a lot of wooded areas. He would section logs and transport them home to his backyard to cut them to splitting size before using a hydraulic splitter.
Anyone that uses a chainsaw knows there are times when the blade is binding so you use a bottoms up cut to finish a cut. You should rethink that approach. The problem here was he just put on a brand new sharp blade AND his setup was pretty much right up against a chain link fence for a dog run.
The very sharp brand new blade sliced right through the log so quickly that the blade caught the chain link fence and ran upwards kicking back at him. The blade caught him on a diagonal from his cheekbone to the bridge of his nose to his eyebrow. It happened in a split second. While he was a bloody mess he was fortunate that the blade only just touched his face and because it was new and sharp it made a clean cut. The micro surgeon did a good job and over time the scar was actually hard to see. Damn lucky it wasn’t much worse.
Anyone that uses a chainsaw knows there are times when the blade is binding so you use a bottoms up cut to finish a cut. You should rethink that approach. The problem here was he just put on a brand new sharp blade AND his setup was pretty much right up against a chain link fence for a dog run.
The very sharp brand new blade sliced right through the log so quickly that the blade caught the chain link fence and ran upwards kicking back at him. The blade caught him on a diagonal from his cheekbone to the bridge of his nose to his eyebrow. It happened in a split second. While he was a bloody mess he was fortunate that the blade only just touched his face and because it was new and sharp it made a clean cut. The micro surgeon did a good job and over time the scar was actually hard to see. Damn lucky it wasn’t much worse.
A neighbor just took down a huge tree. I asked the neighbor if they could ask the tree service to leave some wood on the side of the road for me to pick up for firewood. The neighbor said sure, and when I got home from work last night I began moving probably two cords of wood to my property by hand. The neighbor lives right around the corner, So it is just easier to carry each piece roughly 200 ft. from in front of their property to mine. I already have Three cords cut and split and usually burn about 1-2 cords a year.
Anyhow, as I was carrying these roughly 40-60Lbs. half rounds of wood I thought what I love about firewood the most. Obviously having a fire in the deep dark days of winter and slowly....very slowly getting drunk on a fine scotch is the payoff, but the exercise of lifting, carrying, sawing, chopping(by axe) and stacking of the wood feels so good. Being out in nature, even though I am standing on my own property is just awesome. Anyhow I found this article on zerohedge about many European families going back to wood to heat their homes because of the high fuel prices in Europe.
Anyway, for all you wood burning Rutgers Fans, I salute you and encourage YOU and our team to keep chopping!
The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline system underneath the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany sparked even more energy uncertainty among Germans as many brace for what could be the coldest and possibly even the darkest winter in a generation due to rising risks of power blackouts.
On Friday, European Union leaders failed to agree on a price cap for NatGas as the energy crisis might worsen this winter as freezing weather could quickly draw down supplies from storage facilities and catapult prices even higher.
About 70% of Europeans use NatGas to heat their homes, and according to Bloomberg, some 40 million people are now burning wood to heat their homes. New demand for a heat source that's been around for ages has doubled the price of wood pellets per ton to 600 euros in France.
Bloomberg pointed out Europeans are "panic buying the world's most basic fuel." Demand is so high that Hungary banned exports of wood pellets, and Romania capped firewood prices through spring.
Firewood has become a scarce commodity this heating season, forcing some households to burn anything they can find:
The UK has finally come around to informing its citizens about power blackout risks. The country's grid operator warned about the "significant risk" of NatGas shortage that could trigger three-hour power cuts this winter.
Well before the heating season, we detailed in length about soaring demand for firewood. We noted in August that "Google Searches For "Firewood" In Germany Have Exploded" and even in July cited Deutsche Bank senior economist Eric Heymann who indicated a "substitution for gas" would be firewood.
Europeans have to ask if soaring electricity bills and a cost-of-living crisis are worth supporting NATO's proxy war in Ukraine via sanctions against Russia. People in Prague are already tired of Western sanctions that have devastated their economy and financial well-being.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/back-old-days-europeans-panic-buy-firewood-and-stoves
Anyhow, as I was carrying these roughly 40-60Lbs. half rounds of wood I thought what I love about firewood the most. Obviously having a fire in the deep dark days of winter and slowly....very slowly getting drunk on a fine scotch is the payoff, but the exercise of lifting, carrying, sawing, chopping(by axe) and stacking of the wood feels so good. Being out in nature, even though I am standing on my own property is just awesome. Anyhow I found this article on zerohedge about many European families going back to wood to heat their homes because of the high fuel prices in Europe.
Anyway, for all you wood burning Rutgers Fans, I salute you and encourage YOU and our team to keep chopping!
"Back To The Old Days": Europeans Panic Buy Firewood And Stoves
As natural gas and electricity prices soar, many European households turn to firewood, a move to offset higher energy costs as the heating season begins. Rising demand for firewood is sending much of Europe back to the 'medieval' days of using stoves and fireplaces to heat homes.The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline system underneath the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany sparked even more energy uncertainty among Germans as many brace for what could be the coldest and possibly even the darkest winter in a generation due to rising risks of power blackouts.
On Friday, European Union leaders failed to agree on a price cap for NatGas as the energy crisis might worsen this winter as freezing weather could quickly draw down supplies from storage facilities and catapult prices even higher.
About 70% of Europeans use NatGas to heat their homes, and according to Bloomberg, some 40 million people are now burning wood to heat their homes. New demand for a heat source that's been around for ages has doubled the price of wood pellets per ton to 600 euros in France.
Bloomberg pointed out Europeans are "panic buying the world's most basic fuel." Demand is so high that Hungary banned exports of wood pellets, and Romania capped firewood prices through spring.
The boom for firewood has also meant stove demand is high. Gabriel Kakelugnar AB, a manufacturer of high-end tiled stoves, said orders had surged more than fourfold, and customers have to wait until March for delivery.
Firewood has become a scarce commodity this heating season, forcing some households to burn anything they can find:
In fact, this is true, Polish households have started to burn trash and coal as firewood supplies dwindle.
The UK has finally come around to informing its citizens about power blackout risks. The country's grid operator warned about the "significant risk" of NatGas shortage that could trigger three-hour power cuts this winter.
Well before the heating season, we detailed in length about soaring demand for firewood. We noted in August that "Google Searches For "Firewood" In Germany Have Exploded" and even in July cited Deutsche Bank senior economist Eric Heymann who indicated a "substitution for gas" would be firewood.
Europeans have to ask if soaring electricity bills and a cost-of-living crisis are worth supporting NATO's proxy war in Ukraine via sanctions against Russia. People in Prague are already tired of Western sanctions that have devastated their economy and financial well-being.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/back-old-days-europeans-panic-buy-firewood-and-stoves
I bought it and have used it. It is a good forestry axe but sub par splitting axe. For splitting I highly recommend the fiskars x27 splitting axe. The Oschenkopf universal forestry axe is a combo felling/splitting axe but is more for the former than the latter.
I use a Fiskars X27. Very good splitting tool.
Come on over I've got all the exercise you'll ever need, so much it'll put a grin on your face ear to ear. 😁 It' s our main source of heat with being on propane, no gas down my area. We've upgraded to chainsaws, log splitters and front loader to move. What once seemed fun has now become a part of a long list of winter preparation chores.
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LOL. That "old" saying... "Firewood warms you twice. Once when splitting. Once when burning." How's about a dozen times: 1) felling the tree; 2) sawing into rounds; 3) hauling the rounds; 4) stacking the rounds to age; 5) retrieving the rounds; 6) splitting the rounds; 7) hauling the split wood to storage shed; 8) retrieving a supply of split wood and stacking it in a working supply shed; 9) splitting kindling; 10) retrieving kindling and split wood and moving it to a porch wood caddy; 11) moving a supply of kindling and split wood indoors to a fireside caddy; 12) making a fire. So much for "twice," ay?
I hate to admit it but I love all of that. I just being outdoors getting my exercise in the fresh air and getting a workout doing all those “chores” surrounding wood and fire. I really am a cave man at heart. Some on the board have compared me to a Neanderthal and they might be right! LOL!
Other than chestnuts and marshmallows, no. Although maybe I should get a big old cast iron pan and cook bacon and eggs just to see what it’s like.
I get mine delivered and then I ask my nephews and son if they want to grill steaks and watch football. Then they show up to a driveway full of wood. I cook the steaks and I do it over wood
Steak is the best, imo. I also do the Thanksgiving turkey and Xmas rib roast on a spit - something particularly festive about cooking over fire in the cold of winter (or near-winter).
Planning to get a loggerhead this season and make some hot drinks with a lil fire flavor.
Is that a picture of you in the bikini In the woods standing in the snow? Seems about right
I have always greatly enjoyed the process of getting wood. ‘Cept a couple times in HS when it happened inconveniently.
Cooking on cast iron over embers is a must. Just know that you can’t grab a new stock cast iron and expect things to not stock to it like glue.
Words to live by:
I'm a lumberjack baby
I'm gonna cut you down to size
I'm a lumberjack baby
And you're the one that gets my prize
And when you hear my motor running
You know I surely be coppin' a rise
So I'm gonna crank it up and cut it down
I'm a lumberjack baby
I'm a lumberjack now baby
I'm a lumberjack baby
I'm a lumberjack baby
But I ain't jacked my lumber baby
Since my chain saw you
Prime Day deal today for $45
https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Supe...&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583657835275319&th=1
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Cut three trees this weekend. This will be split next summer.
fiskers x27 is my goto splitting axe! BTW in February and March over 6 or 7 weekends I split two full cords of red oak, Maple, Ash, and other hard woods. On Top of the Four cords I cut and split last year I am stocked with Four years of split wood. Some neighbors had some big trees taken down and the tree companies were only too happy to drop off Cut 16-20 inch logs at my house which are now stacked and drying. My guesstimate is that the unsplit logs total are another 3-6 cords when split. I just had another neighbor approach me that they were having a large tree taken down and whether I would like the wood. Sadly i had to turn them down. I think my wife would divorce me if I take anymore wood right now.
I love the labor involved in processing all this wood. it keeps me young and vital, making sure all my joints and bones stay healthy! Can't tell how much I love it especially on a freezing cold winter night as I am savoring a nice single malt in front of the fire!
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