Spent most of the day over at a buddies house splitting wood. He had two oak and one hickory tree cut down and cut into 2 foot logs. We rented a log spliter and went to town, 26ton rated, made in America too. That thing was a hoss, we could barely keep up. Some photos of the end results:










I am worn slap out!

beautiful pile!

I wish we could get some good hard wood out here in Idaho for our fireplaces and stoves. Mostly Western Red Cedar and the western pines, Lodgepole, spruce. etc. which are softer than the back East/South woods.

Enjoy your fire this winter.

L.W.

That's a lot of work. I bet you'll sleep well tonight.

Nice pile of wood. I doubt I'm physical condition to do anything but split with a power-splitter these days, but sure earned my merit badges doing it with mauls, and axes as a young buck.

In some ways I miss the time, and effort spent cutting, splitting, and ranking wood. I'd be a liar however if I said I have anything but contempt -- total, and complete -- for tending the firebox. In cold weather, stoking every couple hours made for a pretty predictable lifestyle (and it never included much sleep).

Yowzer, that be a bunch of far wood!

Yeah, but he CHEATED a bit and took the easy way out. He used a damn log splitting machine instead of doing things right and he thinks he's tar'd out Lee. Wusseys (hee! hee!)

Flower Child

Might have lasted two weeks "back in the day".

The farm house was a huge, multi-storied rambling ol' barn of house with poor insulation. Dad saw no reason to spend any money insulating, and why would he? - he recognized free heat when he saw it - me!

Ya, we cheated but no way would I want to split that much by hand. BTDT I have a little more to split Sunday afternoon.

That's okay,
Have at it some more. Winter is coming fast upon us and times a wasting. That's why my wood gets done in the spring before planting season starts and gets ta finish cure'n up during tha heat of summer for the year after the coming winter. My coming winter's wood has already done cured one summer already and at the end of this summer is ready to go. Really well cured wood burns hotter so ya need less of it ta keep warm. That in turn allows ya ta get ahead of the curve for the following winter's wood and so on. But you'll find out fer yerselves. ALL of my wood has seen at least 2 summers worth of cure on 'em and most of tha stuff I'm a currently burning has 6-10 summers worth of cure on 'em. Lots of reserve wood that way fer if thar's a time when somethin keeps me from making more wood one year. Ya got ta plan ahead a wee bit unless ya like ta carry lotsa wood in from outside and clean tha stove pipe just fer fun.

Flower Child

Seems smart to me. No way I'd be able to hand-split that much hardwood now, and didn't particularly care for it when I could. Oak, and especially elm, split best when outside temperatures were somewhere around minus-tolerable to human limits, so I'd freeze 'n' sweat - all in the same session(s).

It also decreases -- dramatically -- the chance of burning the house down from a chimney fire. The cresote in green-wood made many homeless families.

Yeah, I know, but hand splitting tha wood keeps me from get'n too old 'n fat plus tha price of a split'n machine just ain't justifiable when ya kin do it youself fer nutin. 'Sides when the young beef cakes 'n town see an old man throwing fertilizer 'n seed bags like they is made outta styrofoam, it kinda reminds 'em ta keep a civil tongue in their head 'round my grand daughters. Ya know what I mean?

Flower Child

I taught my grand daughters basic self defense, and how to shoot.

Now, I can also relay that sisters (applies to grand daughters as well) can get far more wood split, hauled, and ranked than any man.
They get their boyfriends to do it!

I'm versed, trust me (five sisters).

The old saying around here is that heating with wood warms you twice, once when you cut it, second when you burn it

So true. In my case, a third, and fourth possibilty existed as well; If Mom's warming the ears didn't motivate me, Dad's hands would.
"Get some wood put-up".