Small wood firewood

TennBound · #1 02/01/15, 06:47 PM

My neighbor is having some logging done and has offered all of the tops and branches I want for firewood.

I think I want to get some but wondering if there are any good ideas/techniques to be efficient. It's next door but will be 1/4 mile to the woods, mostly down his driveway. I've got chain saws, a 4X4 tractor, a 6X10 road trailer and time. I'm planning on getting/building a carry-all for the tractor, at some point - maybe now.

Trying to decide if best to saw to stove length in the woods and haul the pieces, or haul longer lengths and cut up at home, or?

Thinking maybe get a "woods" trailer............

Or should I just forget about it-option would probably be buying logs.

OH Boy · #2 02/01/15, 06:53 PM

I have always been a fan of cutting the logs/branches into truck/trailer lengths, hauling them home and putting them in a big stack to season. You can haul a LOT home that way while the wood is available and accessible. Then, you can cut to stove length and split in a leisurely manner as you find time.

GeneMO · #3 02/01/15, 07:32 PM

Dont wait too long. Limb wood goes bad in a couple of years. But good Oak, hickory or ash limb wood is good firewood.

My dad and I had three Longwood furnaces between our houses and farm shop. They would take 5' lenghts of wood. But 4' worked better.

Gene

Fourthistles · #4 02/01/15, 07:38 PM

I know it's just opinion, but I prefer to cut to length at the site, then load and haul home. I leave all the trimming and sawdust in the woods, not on my place that way.

Sawmill Jim · #5 02/02/15, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourthistles

I know it's just opinion, but I prefer to cut to length at the site, then load and haul home. I leave all the trimming and sawdust in the woods, not on my place that way.

Me too ,then it is done

Don't know about there ,but here there are some mighty big tree tops .

TennBound · #6 02/02/15, 08:15 AM

Thanks for replies.

I guess more specifically, I'm looking for ideas on how to handle a bunch of 3" to 4" diameter branches 10 to 15 foot long. Thinking about building a sawhorse to hold a few at a time or a rig to hold one at a time by the end, or?

Bob

joseph97297 · #7 02/02/15, 08:36 AM

Are you cutting by yourself or would you have any assistance?

When I cut small items like that I have a small 'strap vise' on the side of my trailer. I load one long limb into it and then cut the length I am doing that day (14-16 inches usually). Make the cut, move the limb, secure, repeat. Then when I get a large pile under where I am cutting I will switch to the other side of the trailer and cut there. Once that side fills up (if I am by myself, I shut down the saw and load up the trailer). Repeat until all wood is done.

If I have my sons helping we usually do our on jobs. Oldest hauls, younger stacks, I cut.

I agree that cutting them in place works best for me. Bark knocks off, leave the mess there. Clean stacks at home.

TennBound · #8 02/02/15, 08:40 AM

I'll be by myself - maybe occasional help by my lovely wife.

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #9 02/02/15, 08:40 AM

I have little other option , but than to cut to length on site as I have no tractor

however when I cut at one friend's farm he will drag the wood out to the clearing I can drive in I pull my 14 foot utility trailer up along side and cut and toss

with tops your going to get a lot of wood that may not even need splitting stove ready with a seasoning I cut down to where my thumb and index finger will almost touch around the piece of wood

I also cut everything to 16" lenghts

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #10 02/02/15, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TennBound

Thanks for replies.

I guess more specifically, I'm looking for ideas on how to handle a bunch of 3" to 4" diameter branches 10 to 15 foot long. Thinking about building a sawhorse to hold a few at a time or a rig to hold one at a time by the end, or?

Bob

just a cheap simple to make sawbuck http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawbuck

be warned if you toss 3-4 lengths of wood on one at a time the chain binds as you are in different pieces so your best to do one at a time

if you have help the way to go is to have 2 sawbucks and have the other person pick up an lay another length on while you cut the other

often the tree will hold 75% or more of the wood in the air for me to cut only the stuff on the bottom is needing to be tossed over the stump or set in a sawbuck

but for 3-4 inch stuff putting it on the trailer in 8-10 foot lengths what ever you can carry is good and cut it right next to where you want to stack it

there will likely be logging trails cut already where they drove the heavy equipment in if you can get in there with your tractor pulling the trailer that is great if not get as close as you can

a lotof the time my trees are blow downs and I am cutting the tops and the rest much of it gets bigger than 3-4 inches in a hurry

Jolly · #11 02/02/15, 09:13 AM

I prefer to cut my stuff up in the woods, but if you are going to hauling a lot of limbs, this will work:

Small wood firewood - Homesteading Questions

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #12 02/02/15, 10:07 AM

I know a guy whos son worked for a saw mill he could have all the scabs for free , he took an old hay wagon with a bad deck and set it up so that he could bring it to work it had 4x4 across every 16-24 inches bolted to the 2 main timbers that sat on the running gear they could use the the fork truck to set 2 bundles of scabs one on each side then he had pins that dropped in the ends on a few of the 4x4 to make stakes to keep them on the trailer , then go home and cut between each of the 4x4 and all the wood was ready to stack

Nimrod · #13 02/02/15, 10:43 AM

I have a bad back so I cut the tops into stove length where they lie. Then throw them onto the trailer and haul it home.

Split wood dries best so I position the trailer, splitter, and the pallets in a row. Split the wood and stack on the pallet as I go.

It's probably more efficient to throw the logs on the trailer and bring them home for processing but I can't lift many of them.

eruehr · #14 02/02/15, 11:09 AM

I too prefer to cut itup in the woods. If you're cutting tops, you don't need a sawbuck - just cut lengths off the limbs working your way back to the trunk/main branch. That way you're cutting lengths as you buck the main log - done. Throw it in the bucket/trailer/wagon/sled, haul it home and stack it.
Unless you're in a big hurry to get it out of the woods - then cutting longer lengths is faster in the woods, more work later, at home.

brownegg · #15 02/02/15, 11:38 AM

It's easiest to cut to the length pieces in the woods.....come home and stack to season.....cutting long pieces causes you to handle the wood to many times...load, unload, cut , handle again to stack...and the bigger limbs are heavy and are easier to cut where they lay in the woods.....I only heat with wood and cut prolly 30 face cords per year....I can't imagine doing it any other way than to limb in the woods.

COWS · #16 02/02/15, 01:46 PM

I don't think you will find many long straight limbs that can easily be cut into trailer length pieces or be put on a sawbuck, so I would cut them up where they are. If you are cutting up a tree top be careful because some of the limbs will be under pressure and may fly back and hit you or bind up the saw as part of the pressure is released. It is better to cut as much as you can while the limbs are on top of the tree top and in the air, then cut the supporting limbs and get the body of the top on the ground, where you can attack it. Cutting up limbs for firewood is much easier than splitting up blocks.

COWS