Does anybody debark their firewood?

[civilian]

Years ago, the process for cutting firewood. Loggers delivered 20 loggers cord of firewood and stacked on stringers to keep it off the ground. Another stringer was laid at the end f the pile and the logs laid ouit on it. This was the first time the log was touched by human hand. After cutting the logs into pieces, the pieces were stacked by the nearby splitter. #2. After splitting, the pieces were thrown into the trailer for transport to the shed. #3. Pieces were stacked. #4. Loaded on the wheelbarrow and taken to the wood stove. #5. Thrown into the wood stove. #6.

Current year's firewood process. Same truck load delivered. Forks on the tractor took a load upto the firewood processor. (DYNA SC-14 Firewood Processor | Dyna Products) Live deck chains pulled log into trough. Chain pulled log into chain saw area. After cutting, log dropped into lower trough for splitting. Cylinder ram pushed log through splitter knife. Cylinder retracked and process strted again. Next log to be split pushed prior one out onto conveyor that dropped it into a pile, or a trailer for transport to the shed. Finally touched by human hands to stack. #1. Loaded onto wheel barrow. #2. Thrown into the wood stove. For a grand total of the piece being touched only 3 times.

Cost to buy the processor is not cheap. Dad and I should have bought one together 25+ years ago. Now I have a friend that has three units for rent. (one is his own, two are provided by the factory) $300 for 8 hours hourmeter time. 10 loggers cords should be able to be cut in the 8 hours. Well worth the rental rate. Jon

 

[MossRoad]

That is too funny. How do find crazy stuff like that? At least we know Step 1 can be done.

Google and youtube, google and youtube! :laughing:

If someone's done it, its probably on there somewhere.

 

[donaldj]

I've heard of people using a pressure washer to debark wood. This is primarily done when the wood is dirty and you dont want to go through a lot of chainsaw sharpening. Pressure washer cleans the wood a bit, but usually debarks it.

I havent done it, just heard of it being done.

 

[Willie B]

Years ago, the process for cutting firewood. Loggers delivered 20 loggers cord of firewood and stacked on stringers to keep it off the ground. Another stringer was laid at the end f the pile and the logs laid ouit on it. This was the first time the log was touched by human hand. After cutting the logs into pieces, the pieces were stacked by the nearby splitter. #2. After splitting, the pieces were thrown into the trailer for transport to the shed. #3. Pieces were stacked. #4. Loaded on the wheelbarrow and taken to the wood stove. #5. Thrown into the wood stove. #6.

Current year's firewood process. Same truck load delivered. Forks on the tractor took a load upto the firewood processor. (DYNA SC-14 Firewood Processor | Dyna Products) Live deck chains pulled log into trough. Chain pulled log into chain saw area. After cutting, log dropped into lower trough for splitting. Cylinder ram pushed log through splitter knife. Cylinder retracked and process strted again. Next log to be split pushed prior one out onto conveyor that dropped it into a pile, or a trailer for transport to the shed. Finally touched by human hands to stack. #1. Loaded onto wheel barrow. #2. Thrown into the wood stove. For a grand total of the piece being touched only 3 times.

Cost to buy the processor is not cheap. Dad and I should have bought one together 25+ years ago. Now I have a friend that has three units for rent. (one is his own, two are provided by the factory) $300 for 8 hours hourmeter time. 10 loggers cords should be able to be cut in the 8 hours. Well worth the rental rate. Jon

Prior to that, we went into the woods, and cut trees. Ideally, these trees were culls. The process was called TSI, (Timber Stand Improvement), In big budget property, a forester painted either cull trees, or painted saw log trees to be kept, all others were removed. An injured tree will not produce marketable lumber, nor will a crooked tree. In some cases, species are favored. We want to use resources to grow valuable trees, and eliminate waste growing those with little value.

A few of us small lot landowners still practice TSI management. Firewood is from low value trees, opening the forest to supply sunlight to high value trees.

 

[goeduck]

Wow, living in Oregon and not bothering with maple for firewood..
I would have thought any hardwood tree out there would be a premium

I burn maple, it burns good.

 

[Willie B]

Here, firewood is a byproduct. Either the logging is for saw timber, where only straight logs go to the mill, everything else must be disposed of. Conifers usually get ground and processed. they might become industrial fuel, or pelletized for sale to home owners. Bigger pieces of hardwood trees become firewood, or chip fuel. On very large tracts, tops not destined for firewood, are stacked 15' tall, and piled along roadsides, some cases a mile long. A semi trailer chipper comes in to grind the top into chips. These are blown into live bottom semi trailers to haul to power plants.

Some forestry plans remove all trees in an area. Some believe EQUAL AGE MANAGEMENT improves production. Others take marketable saw logs, and culls leaving good immature trees to continue growing.

We prefer oak, beech, hickory, maple, but any hardwood species works. I feel very dry wood is equivalent pound for pound. A cord of Beech weighs twice what a cord of Linden does. I try to avoid buying by the cord.

Willie