I'm addicted to cutting firewood

[MMfrompa]

 

[melmark]

Nice video, with all the dead Ash trees from the Emerald Ash borer there sure is lots of wood to cut.

 

[Oldoak]

Been there, done that, for years, enough! Although I love the smell of a wood fire in the Fall, it's that time in my life for the ease of propane heat for me. Selling all my dead Ash trees to a professional logger who sells it for firewood. Tons and tons of it. (Mehoopany - Forston, PA area) Even if I was still burning wood for our Winter's heating, the trees would fall down and rot away before I could use them all.

First it was the Hemlock woolly adelgid that destroyed most all my Hemlocks and then the Emerald Ash Borer killed all our Ash trees. Now I see the Gypsy Moth caterpillars have hatched and will most likely do a number on the Oaks.

 

[oosik]

I've been there also - for 20+ years we burned pine. Now I'm just too old and creaky for all that stuff. I sell our large pine to the lumber mills and use electric heat. I guess everybody has their own tree nemesis - here its Pine Bark beetle.

BTW - nice video. I don't think I was ever that fast with the chainsaw, though, ha,ha.

 

[Oldoak]

Yep, we spend several weeks out in the Black Hills of SD every year. It's amazing the devastation those little buggers (Pine Bark beetles) can do to the pine forests. It's truly disheartening to see entire mountainsides destroyed!

 

[kenr74]

Nice video. I love cutting up firewood too. Been eyeing some timber my new neighbors just cut down just so I can help cut it up.

Just my 2 cents....I'm a member of the "I know what I'm doing crowd" but look into a pair of chaps and chain resistant boots. I've seen some pretty horrible chainsaw wounds that could have been avoided.

 

[aeblank]

I see firewood everywhere I go. I don't even say it out loud anymore, as everyone but my dad is tired of hearing it.
I love the sound of your chainsaw in high-speed.
Thank you for not dragging that entire tree all the way out of the woods through the dirt.

 

[crazyal]

With lots of trees and cold winters cutting my own firewood just makes sense. I don't bother with a tape measure though, I just made a mark on each side of my bar that's 16" from the tip.

 

[square1]

Tis a noble addiction

 

[Thomas]

Naaaa.good therapy helps w/the waste line.

 

[arrow]

Ya know Mike; as a former logger, your methods make me crazy (at least get a loggers tape!). The kicker is, I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video. The part that comes through in spades is your utter enjoyment of every part of the process. For you, it is not about the destination. The wind in your sails is manifest in the journey and my biggest regret is that I cannot enjoy and lavish cutting as you do. I was brought up in the "production" part and unfortunately, cannot relish the process to this day as I cannot lose the "production mindset". It takes me 14-16 hrs to go from woods to wood pile for 5-6 cords of wood and I'm not saying that to brag but perhaps as much to lament. I would trade mindsets with you in a heart beat. More power to ya bud. Perhaps this old wood chuck can learn something from you by simply witnessing the joy in your face..

 

[MMfrompa]

Ya know Mike; as a former logger, your methods make me crazy (at least get a loggers tape!). The kicker is, I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video. The part that comes through in spades is your utter enjoyment of every part of the process. For you, it is not about the destination. The wind in your sails is manifest in the journey and my biggest regret is that I cannot enjoy and lavish cutting as you do. I was brought up in the "production" part and unfortunately, cannot relish the process to this day as I cannot lose the "production mindset". It takes me 14-16 hrs to go from woods to wood pile for 5-6 cords of wood and I'm not saying that to brag but perhaps as much to lament. I would trade mindsets with you in a heart beat. More power to ya bud. Perhaps this old wood chuck can learn something from you by simply witnessing the joy in your face..

You nailed it, You have me figured out lol. A few people (not many but a few) Have commented on my you tube channel "GET A SKIDDING WINCH!" or whatever lol. I need about 10 other attachments before I need a winch to drag a log 100' to a trail lol. I don't cut firewood as a "JOB" I already have one of those. I do it because I enjoy it. Sometimes I start out cutting wood then find myself looking for mushrooms or scouting deer sign. Just a good reason to be in the woods I guess

 

[nickmags]

You nailed it, You have me figured out lol. A few people (not many but a few) Have commented on my you tube channel "GET A SKIDDING WINCH!" or whatever lol. I need about 10 other attachments before I need a winch to drag a log 100' to a trail lol. I don't cut firewood as a "JOB" I already have one of those. I do it because I enjoy it. Sometimes I start out cutting wood then find myself looking for mushrooms or scouting deer sign. Just a good reason to be in the woods I guess

Hey Mike, If you happen to need a vacation, like a busman's holiday kind of thing, come visit for a week. Will provide room and board and all the saw gas you can use. Cut eight to ten cords a year to heat home and shop, but at an arthritic 67, takes me longer each year to get it in and done. Help would not be discouraged! LOL!!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

First of all, that didn't look like a cherry, but I couldn't see it well enough to know for sure.

Secondly, a log of that quality would NEVER be cut into firewood here on my place, it should have went for lumber. There's plenty of firewood left in a tree even if the higher grade log goes for lumber.

Lastly, I always leave a few "dead" in my woods, just so I can go out there and see things like this,

I took that pict. a couple weeks ago, when my wife and me were out back, digging ramps.

SR

 

[MMfrompa]

First of all, that didn't look like a cherry, but I couldn't see it well enough to know for sure.

Secondly, a log of that quality would NEVER be cut into firewood here on my place, it should have went for lumber. There's plenty of firewood left in a tree even if the higher grade log goes for lumber.

Lastly, I always leave a few "dead" in my woods, just so I can go out there and see things like this,

I took that pict. a couple weeks ago, when my wife and me were out back, digging ramps.

SR

Sawyer Rob, I know for sure and yes its cherry lol. I'm from Western Pa. And have been cutting wood for 30 years. That's like telling someone from Idaho they don't know what a potato looks like lol. We have very good cherry in our area but the best on planet earth can be found about 1.5 hours North of me. Combination of climate, soil, elevation and maybe even a sandrock seam right under the subsoil has something to do with it. We are spoiled with cherry around here. That tree could have been sawed into lumber but I have lots that are much better. The biggest reason though it went for firewood is that it was growing on a steep bank and leaning badly for years. Lots of growth stress. As the boards come off the mill the would look like bananas

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Well, like I said, I couldn't see it well enough in the picts to know for sure if it was a cherry or not... Being a cherry that makes it twice as bad it didn't get milled, instead of turning it into firewood! lol

I also have cherry in my wood lots, some of it is fantastic, best you will find anywhere, like this 20' 6" log,

that turned out LOT'S of wide clear lumber,

BUT, that doesn't stop me from milling logs that aren't top grade, they turn out some valuable lumber too,

You never know what's in a log, until you open it up! Some of those "low grade" logs above, turned out some REALLY nice lumber!

I guess I just don't see turning some of the more valuable hardwoods into firewood when they can be used for a better purpose.

SR

 

[aeblank]

Hey now, heat is great come January.....

 

[MMfrompa]

Hey Mike, If you happen to need a vacation, like a busman's holiday kind of thing, come visit for a week. Will provide room and board and all the saw gas you can use. Cut eight to ten cords a year to heat home and shop, but at an arthritic 67, takes me longer each year to get it in and done. Help would not be discouraged! LOL!!

I may take you up on that offer lol

 

[MMfrompa]

Sawyer Rob, What State are you in? Just curious. Your cherry has almost identical bark as the Pa. stuff but much lighter color and way more sapwood than what we are used to.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I think the above pictures are deceiving you, perhaps a bit over exposed...

Actually, the cherry around here is fairly dark and does NOT have thick sap wood, as long as the tree was mature or close to mature. Then the tree will have dark heart wood and not a huge amount of sap wood...

Here's a clock I built out of local cherry, the face is olive burl and I did mix a bit of sap wood in, to go with the face. There's no stain on any of the wood...

Even this pict. is a bit over exposed, being in direct sun light...

I've seen picts. posted on line of cherry with a lot of sap though...

SR