Thinking About Log Length Firewood

[HillStreet]

I paid $900 for a truckload of logs 18 feet long. Straight truck is 8' wide, a little better than 8 feet tall. Owner is a good guy, loads 'em right up. Real nice wood, oak and maple. Three sleepers under the stack so it's off the ground. I puttered around and laid 3 logs from the pile as runners so I'm ready to start cutting but got other stuff going on for the next week.

A month ago the same load was $800 but pellet manufacturing companies are getting ramped up, landowners are asking more money, mills are open, etc. and, the demand is real high now because of propane costs and the extended winter. Around my area the price of processed wood increased a lot, and seasoned wood is just not available anywhere.

This load of logs puts me far ahead of the game because I already have next winter's wood in the shed ready to go.

My wife is visiting her sister next week and she does not want me to cut while she's away--- she worries. But I'll have most of it done when she gets back. I don't worry about much.

 

[square1]

The past three years I almost always cut to 16~18", split & load on trailer all where it is felled. Getting too deep in the woods to get the Jeep back there with the trailer now so I'm cutting 8' logs and once it dries up some I'll bring them out chained to the FEL and stack them on a couple 20' long dead elm trunks to keep off the ground. Next fall I'll cut, split, load and haul home. I'm not sure which is more work, but I' am sure it is work

 

[HillStreet]

I have learned to take my time setting up the cutting by rolling logs onto the runners. Then I just start cutting. I can buck about 8 logs this way, then stop the saw to pile the rounds. Pretty orderly, and I'm not climbing the pile off balance and gouging the bar tip into other logs. Easy to maintain a solid footing this way.

I work alone most of the time because there are no distractions. My wife joins later to pile the rounds, and we usually work together to keep things moving when we split. We approach it as exercise, and we don't need to hurry because we're retired.

 

[Rustyiron]

Money in the bank for sure! Good job, and good on you for getting ahead(DRY wood)!

 

[dave1949]

I heard that wood supplies of all types are a bit tight right now around the state.

 

[General Lee]

I saw up about 5-6 loads of logs with my brother every year-he is a contractor and trades hauling a logger's skidder for logs. We use his Bobcat with forks to put 2 logs perpendicular to the pile, and lay 10-12 logs on those. We then saw 3/4 of the way through the logs, roll them over with a peavey, and then finish the cut. When we are done, we push the rounds out of the way and lay out more logs. We can cut up a 22 ton load in a morning this way.

Will

What a genius way to buck up logs. Wish I had read this several weeks back. Nice way to keep the saw out of the dirt. Normally my logs are on the ground, I cut just about through, roll the log and finish. Logs laying on top of 2 others is just a better way to not try so hard to the saw out the dirt.