Anyone cut firewood for health/exercise?

[Hay Dude]

With energy costs going through the roof, the thumb is on the wood heat side of the scales. If you have your own wood and cut it yourself you can't heat a house cheaper.

I hear burning wood releases hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Just ask her.

 

[oosik]

I cut/split firewood for a couple years after I quit burning. I have the trees and necessary equipment. I sold it at cost - knowing that the exercise was great. Then came the year when folks wanted me to deliver and stack at that price. That was "a bridge too far". I quit.........

 

[fatjay]

I split wood for exercise. And it's great exercise. Gets the blood moving, full body workout, fresh air, and I get firewood for my stove. I was getting wood bricks for a while, they're easier and cleaner to manage. But when I can get free wood, I'll get free wood and split it myself.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

That's only true if you don't have to put a value on your time.

I've run the numbers a few times. If I add up the time spent traveling, hauling, wear and tear on vehicles/tractor/saws, etc., and the time spent processing each year to get my 6 cords of wood, I could work fewer hours at my day job and pay the natural gas bill for the entire winter.

With that said, I really enjoy the activity, have plenty of free wood, and I like the feel of wood heat over force air heat, so I don't see myself not heating with wood in the foreseeable future.

What is your hourly rate for sitting on your butt watching NFL or NBA games? Then there is TV golf, one of the weirdest things imaginable. It's amazing how many non-productive ways people have to waste time nowadays. Many of those ways will put them in an early grave.

 

[MossRoad]

What is your hourly rate for sitting on your butt watching NFL or NBA games? Then there is TV golf, one of the weirdest things imaginable. It's amazing how many non-productive ways people have to waste time nowadays. Many of those ways will put them in an early grave.

I don't watch pro sports. Maybe a Notre Dame football game in fall. We generally don't watch much TV when the sun is out.

 

[Snobdds]

I enjoy cutting firewood. Since 2006 when the pine beatle went through Wyoming, I have cut down hundreds of Pine trees. I needed an outlet to get rid of this wood. Putting in fireplaces everywhere I could was my answer.

It dosen't make economic sense to burn it. But something about wood heat is so much better than turning on a NG furnace. So because of that, I do it.

 

[WVH1977]

I own a log splitter and still use a maul at times just because I like it and don't feel like fooling with the log splitter. Also, the maul comes in handy on big chunks of wood I cannot get under the log splitter because it its to heavy and big of a diameter. I split into 4 sections then use the splitter. I enjoy cutting wood and stacking to an extent but it is another job just like everything else and does get old at times. I try to get it done during January thru March each year. It is great exercise and gets the blood flowing.

I do the same thing with the tractor. I run it for a couple of hours and then off and use a rake, wheel barrow, saw etc. just for the exercise and to walk around the property. I love my machinery but still enjoy actual exercise involving walking, picking up sticks, raking, pulling weeds, etc.

 

[turnkey4099]

I'm still out there almost every day in good weather doing something with firwood, cutting/splitting/hauling/stacking/ filling woodshed and porch. Heating season keeping the fire going is at leasst a bit of exercise. I'm 87 and just sat in the house for almost two weeks only getting a day in here an there due to wet weather. Very noticeable the loss of conditioning when the bad weather finally quit 3 days ago.

 

[Ravimor]

I enjoy cutting woods. Of course, mu back then hurts, but it's a great exercising.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I process large rounds by splitting shakes off the outside with a maul until it's small enough to cross split.

Had another large diamater tree that I split using this method, worked out better than the way I was doing it. Thanks for the post.