At Home In The Woods

[CurlyDave]

Looks like 4 of those should get you a full cord or more. That's cool. You could easily make something like that too, but you can't beat free!

Well, not quite free. Have to count the smashed hand as part off the pallet cost.

 

[dstig1]

Dunno Dave, it sounded like they didn't charge him for the hand...

 

[Obed]

Well, not quite free. Have to count the smashed hand as part off the pallet cost.

The first 3 pallets were free. The 4th pallet was definitely not free.
Obed

 

[Obed]

Looks like 4 of those should get you a full cord or more. That's cool. You could easily make something like that too, but you can't beat free!

Dave,
A week ago, I attempted to build some side supports for a pallet out of some saplings. It took much longer than I anticipated and I only got two of the 4 sapling pieces attached to the pallet before darkness made me stop. I was too embarrassed to post pictures of this sad attempt.

The idea of using pallets is to save time, not cost time. It doesn't take much time to "modify" a pallet before the modification takes more time than stacking and unstacking the wood the old-fashioned way takes.

I have seen pictures of pallets people have made by nailing 4 pallets together. That seems to be pretty easy if you have 4 similarly sized and constructed pallets. So far, the pallets we have been getting are not all the same size.

Obed

 

[Coyote machine]

<SNIP>Don't let some jerk poo head bother you or get under your skin. Dean

Really, Dean? This is the best kindergarten level cut you can muster?!

FWIW, I received a PM from Obed and replied, apologizing for seeming to come off as heavy handed when attempting to make my point about ladder and other safety issues.

And BTW, the not so subtle innuendo, quoted above is not allowed on this site, so you might want to dial it back or face the consequences of the administration's enforcing a rule they have no humor about, and which may get you booted from the site.

Back to Obed;, seems the electricians fixed the problem, thought it seems from what you said fault was hard to ascertain. Better to have spent the $ and have it behind you anyway - now it's a done deal.

 

[Obed]

Those 4 should hold close to enough wood for an entire winter for you. If not you can load the first once its unloaded and that should do you, as you do not live in a super cold region.

Yes, you are correct base on how much wood we have been using so far. I may not use all 4 box pallets for storing firewood though because I can foresee wanting to use one or two of them for transporting firewood with my tractor.

Obed

 

[Obed]

Yesterday was a fine day. I finished a big project at my regular job this past week so I'm anticipating a good December at work. Our house has grass so we don't have to constantly deal with red clay mud. We have plenty of firewood to burn in the fireplace. And yesterday I got to spend most of the day cutting wood on an absolutely gorgeous day. I have to say I'm in pretty good spirits!

I loaded up the tractor with supplies and headed out. It just seems to take too long for me to "get going" on a lot of the work I do around the house. Gathering and loading tools, making sure I have everything I need, etc. just takes me too much time it seems. I haven't figured out how to streamline this part of the process.

Originally I pulled the log splitter to the log pile thinking I would split my firewood by the log pile. However, when I observed the area by the pile, I recognized that I did not have adequate room for skidding the logs off the pile, cutting and splitting the logs, and maneuvering the tractor. We have a big pile of wood chips close to the log pile that limits the space for working close to the pile.

Thus, I changed my plan and moved the log splitter uphill from the garage end of our house. I then went back to the log pile, dragged three 20 foot long logs off the pile, and cut them up into 9ft or shorter lengths. For most if the logs with which I'm dealing, mostly 12" - 15" in diameter, I can handle a 9ft log by myself. I then loaded the logs on my FEL bucket forks and moved them to my wood splitting area uphill from the garage end of the house.

 

[Obed]

That track loader is becoming a permanent addition to your property. I hope he is letting you use it as it's saving him money storing it there.

Yes, it has been here a long time, about 7 months. I think I'm ready for it to leave. No, I don't get to use it. I sure would love to though. I can easily think of several good uses for it around here.
Obed

While I was cutting firewood Saturday, the grading contractor finally came and got his track loader. It hasn't left our property since the grading job started in April. He told me he is going to sell it. He has had the track loader for 4 years. It is a 2004 model. I can certainly think of some things around here I could do with that machine. I have no intention of buying it.

 

[woodlandfarms]

And you didn't charge storage ;-)

We made a deal with a contractor down the hill. He could park his gear over winter for one winter (a track hoe, dump truck and large skip loader) but he had to pull a dozen stumps and push in and fill in an old foundation. Maybe a half day of work on his part in the end but we were happy with the deal and so was he.

 

[dstig1]

Dave,
A week ago, I attempted to build some side supports for a pallet out of some saplings. It took much longer than I anticipated and I only got two of the 4 sapling pieces attached to the pallet before darkness made me stop. I was too embarrassed to post pictures of this sad attempt.

The idea of using pallets is to save time, not cost time. It doesn't take much time to "modify" a pallet before the modification takes more time than stacking and unstacking the wood the old-fashioned way takes.

I have seen pictures of pallets people have made by nailing 4 pallets together. That seems to be pretty easy if you have 4 similarly sized and constructed pallets. So far, the pallets we have been getting are not all the same size.

Obed

Obed, While I understand where you are coming from, I will present another angle on this. The purpose of building pallets with sides is not to save time, but to save time in the long run. Anything you do like this will cost you time up front, but will improve handling and productivity in the long run, which is why you do it. And with that said, it is best to do it right so they last. I doubt the sapling thing you were trying to do would hold up for long, even sight unseen. Now if you can get more of those free box pallets, that is a deal you can't beat. They look pretty good.

I have also seen people use metal mesh pallet cubes that are designed to hold sack of materials or other stuff for this. If you can find them reasonably they are great for drying airflow and very durable.