Who is cutting wood?

[Grange]

Give it a good freeze, then split

The vast majority of the wood I cut for the winter is dry and ready to burn. I try to have all the wood I cut for the winter split by Thanksgiving so the wood that still has some moisture will have the winter to dry and if I am still burning wood in May it would be close to ready.

Personally I like splitting wood by hand. It can be a pretty good workout especially if the wood is hard to split. I do see myself getting a gas powered wood splitter at some point, but right now I'm not ready.

[bodywhomper]

My general rule is hardwoods green and softwoods seasoned.

Yeah. I have such a backlog due to thinning, defensible space creation, and the utility felling big old trees nearish to the relatively new lines, I haven’t yet been able to get into that groove. It’s just a lot of wood and I have other priorities, too.

[DougW]

Just finished splitting and stacking 2026. Now on to 2025, the front wood in the right bay of the wood shed. About 90% doug fir so good heating value , best around here other than birch which is very hard to find. Two years of not cutting wood ahead.

[DougW]

My general rule is hardwoods green and softwoods seasoned.

Though doesn't it help to wait at least a week after bucking with the hardwoods? Just so its drier at the end.

[jmedslc]

Any reason not to consider the $329 harbor freight electric splitter for breaking down beetle kill pine?

I use a small electric splitter for aspen and pine and it works great. Better with two people as it’s slow and requires 2 points of contact (lever and button) to run. With 2 people one person can operate the controls and only retract the hydraulic as much as needed for the length of the logs. Saves a ton of time w this type of splitter. Thing has been going strong for 8 years now.

[XXX-er]

I use a small electric splitter for aspen and pine and it works great. Better with two people as it’s slow and requires 2 points of contact (lever and button) to run. With 2 people one person can operate the controls and only retract the hydraulic as much as needed for the length of the logs. Saves a ton of time w this type of splitter. Thing has been going strong for 8 years now.

What I did is cut a stick and wedge it in between the splitter frame and the button so the hydraulic pump runs all the time and then you just have to work the handle, to turn it off pull the plug

the splitter i used was up off the ground so the splitter bed is waist level screwed to a main support in a shed, much easier on the back

those work great if you got a 115V handy, if the rounds arent too big a 6 ton electric works fine, they are cheap no maintenance, don't take up much room and fit in the trunk of a car or a chopper basket

[bodywhomper]

Though doesn't it help to wait at least a week after bucking with the hardwoods? Just so its drier at the end.

Curious about this, too.

I had a friend in my area with a small hydraulic splitter (horizontal and used standing up) that he purchased before realizing the size of wood that he’d be handling. It took him a long time to sell it because most people near me need something that splits vertically without lifting the rounds. I’ll share a photo later of the biggest round I have at the moment.

[AdironRider]

Local newsrag had an article that kiln dried hardwood is going for almost 500 a cord here on the NH/VT border, which is fucking bananas.

[DougW]

Local newsrag had an article that kiln dried hardwood is going for almost 500 a cord here on the NH/VT border, which is fucking bananas.

this is not even kiln dried but is in Can$ ( fir is Doug fir not balsam )
ALL DELIVERIES ARE SOLD BY THE CORD
GST not included*
FIR:
Full Cord $350
Truckload( 2cord) $680
PINE:
Full Cord $325
truckload( 2 cord) $620
PINE/FIR MIX:
Full Cord $335
Truckload(2 cord) $650
BIRCH:
limited supply
$575 acord
truckload (2 cord) $1050

[Hood26]

Yeah. I have such a backlog due to thinning, defensible space creation, and the utility felling big old trees nearish to the relatively new lines, I haven’t yet been able to get into that groove. It’s just a lot of wood and I have other priorities, too.

Sorry for a late reply. You might deck up the hardwood in log lengths until you are ready to split it. A long length of alder and oak will stay green enough to split easy for a long time.

[Hood26]

Though doesn't it help to wait at least a week after bucking with the hardwoods? Just so its drier at the end.

Probably with oak, but often I am cutting oak too big to load, so I just get after it.

Maple and Alder split like butter.

I like a 6oz splitting maul that has a bit of tapper.

[DougW]

Curious about this, too.

I had a friend in my area with a small hydraulic splitter (horizontal and used standing up) that he purchased before realizing the size of wood that he’d be handling. It took him a long time to sell it because most people near me need something that splits vertically without lifting the rounds. I’ll share a photo later of the biggest round I have at the moment.

I was over thinking it as picked up the big birch I had bucked a couple of days ago from standing and compared to doug fir it splits like ... well easy . A 16" round of DF I would use a sled and wedge and hit at least 10 times and would only split when the wedge was flush with to top . With the birch only the first swing of the maul didn't split , every swing after that got separation.

edit to add - rained over night and was significantly harder to split this morning . A lot more water spurt when the maul hit, not in the eye but a lot more than yesterday.

[Grange]

I really dislike splitting seasoned paper birch as it tends to break up. Splitting it when its green is much easier.

[bodywhomper]

Bucking and splitting today. seasoned stringy black oak and a free rounds of incense cedar. I have several other piles of oak and Doug fir. Back is sore.

[Meadow Skipper]

Bucking and splitting today. seasoned stringy black oak and a free rounds of incense cedar. I have several other piles of oak and Doug fir. Back is sore.

Nice blend of woods.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Probably with oak, but often I am cutting oak too big to load, so I just get after it.

Maple and Alder split like butter.

I like a 6oz splitting maul that has a bit of tapper.

I’ve found that nothing comes close to a Fiskars splitting maul for rounds. A clean split on first strike almost every time, even on drier wood.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[bodywhomper]

Nice blend of woods.

Madrone of my favorite for burning. pge felled one this summer on our property. Maybe it’ll be ready next winter.

[DougW]

Last trailer load that will pretty fill up bay so 2025 and 2026 are done. Should be close to 1.5 cords of pine to finish. No more cutting wood for 2 years

[XXX-er]

a lota people I see on FB buy their wood so they start looking for wood to burn now-ish or september if they they were really on the ball but the time to look for wood is in spring after the burning season when the wood guy isnt busy and then its got the summer to dry out some more

all they worry about is price but more important is the guy actulay shows up when he said he wood with good wood

[krp8128]

a lota people I see on FB buy their wood so they start looking for wood to burn now-ish or september if they they were really on the ball but the time to look for wood is in spring after the burning season when the wood guy isnt busy and then its got the summer to dry out some more

all they worry about is price but more important is the guy actulay shows up when he said he wood with good wood

Maybe you can trade them some wood for a little punctuation?

[XXX-er]

Maybe you can trade them some wood for a little punctuation?

does asshole have a hyphen or not ?

[krp8128]

does asshole have a hyphen or not ?

Look at that, you found the question mark!

[cat in january]

Local newsrag had an article that kiln dried hardwood is going for almost 500 a cord here on the NH/VT border, which is fucking bananas.

Yeah but if you are heating your house with wood, not using it for atmosphere you have a plan and aren’t buying kiln dried. Price this past spring was up to $265/cord from my guy. Wood is always even size and clean and he tries to save out yellow birch for me which is my favorite

[Meadow Skipper]

Last trailer load that will pretty fill up bay so 2025 and 2026 are done. Should be close to 1.5 cords of pine to finish. No more cutting wood for 2 years

Gotta be a great feeling.

does asshole have a hyphen or not ?

I laughed. No offense to krp.

[Mr. Multiglisse]

Yeah but if you are heating your house with wood, not using it for atmosphere you have a plan and aren’t buying kiln dried. Price this past spring was up to $265/cord from my guy. Wood is always even size and clean and he tries to save out yellow birch for me which is my favorite

Whoah, bush cord or face cord? I'm paying about $110 for a face cord here in the Hinterlands, good quality, mostly maple, some beech, consistent size. Spring delivery is key.