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cutting small logs for firewood

Started by opticsguy, October 21, 2014, 08:33:53 AM

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opticsguy

I see here many photos of people cutting large diameter logs into firewood and wonder why such big wood? I see overhead cranes for lifting and move wood, hydraulic splitters and one heck of a lot of work.

I used to cut large trees and move those heavy beasts for splitting and stacking for many years.  Now, any tree large enough for lumber goes into my sawmill.

I cut mostly alders, 6", 8", 10" diameters, split one time and done. Nothing heavy to move, nothing difficult to split and I am not exhausted by the end of the day. The small trees are not split at all, rounds are very efficient for burning and much more efficient than wedge shaped wood.

So, why cut big logs into firewood with all of what looks like a lot more heavy difficult work?

Thank you.
TK 1220 band mill,  1952 Ford F-2, 1925 Dodge touring, too many telescopes.

John Mc

For firewood, I cut what needs to be cut to improve my stand (either for timber value or for wildlife considerations), whether it is a 4" tree or a 24" tree.

I'm not sure what is more "efficient" about the actual burning of round wood vs split.  From the point of view of combustion efficiency, splitting smaller tends to be more efficient. A 10" log split once will generally not burn as "efficiently" as that same piece split into 3" pieces. However, combustion efficiency isn't necessarily the only goal people have when burning wood: half a 10" diameter log will tend to burn longer, and as you have noted, it takes less labor to split it once than to make kindling out of it.

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

LittleJohn

Hey sometimes a 30" tree fall and you have to move it off the road, why not Cut Split & Stack. :D

I personally do not pile anything bigger than maybe 6" round.  Reason being, if I can can pick it up green with one hand, the wife can pick it up and fire when its dry  ;D
**I do keep a few big'un around for those cold nights when I do not want to go out 40x to fire.

I have also seen guys loading with small jib booms, to load MONSTER blocks into OWB -> not for ME.  Also, IMO large chunk hold coals better, but splits burn faster; again I think its all related to the volume of wood vs surface issue arguement.

John Mc

LittleJohn's comment about coals got me thinking: If I were burning alder, as OpticsGuy mentions, I'd probably be burning larger chunks than I am now, burning Beech, Black Birch, Oak, and Maple. What I'm burning coals well, so I don't need to go to bigger pieces to get a longer burn time.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

32vld

I will split the smaller pieces so the will dry faster.

As to splitting large pieces. I get what ever wood I can get for free. So when a tree company cuts down a tree and piles the 16" logs up at the curb. My only concern is it a hard wood. Then it goes into my trailer. If it is too large for me to pick up then I will just roll the large rounds into the trailer.

I like that the large rounds yields a lot of splits that are bark free.

Oliver1655

While it is great if you have a saw mill or log buyer close by to be able to sell the "big" logs, not everybody does or has no way to get the logs there but are able to chunk it up & move it.  There are many of the larger logs which are of no interest to the mills:  Yard/fence line trees (too large a chance for imbedded metal), hollow, pithy/decaying, splits in the trunk, not freshly cut (internal tension on older cut logs will frequently cause it to bind the blade) while cutting as well as make it hard to keep the boards from cupping/twisting.), As mentioned tree services as a rule will just chunk the pieces (yard trees).

Some areas have mostly tree tops while others have a large variety.  Most folks work with what is available.
John

Stihl S-08s (x2), Stihl S10 (x2), Jonsered CS2139T, Husqvarna 338XPT California, Poulan Microvibe XXV, Poulan WoodShark, Poulan Pro 42cc, McCulloch Mini-Mac 6 (x2), Van Ruder Hydraulic Tractor Chainsaw

dave_dj1

I know for me, I have to take what I find. Lots of times that's large diameter wood, plus I'm old and like having the log lift. :)

repmma

I recall the "perfect" size for firewood being what we didnt have to split by hand.  Of course once I went to college dad got serious about building a woodsplitter.
Thomas 8020, Timberjack 225C, Ford 5030 with Norse 450 winch, stihl saws and 142 acres to manage.

LittleJohn

Quote from: LittleJohn on October 21, 2014, 10:08:45 AM
...I personally do not pile anything bigger than maybe 6" round.  Reason being, if I can can pick it up green with one hand, the wife can pick it up and fire when its dry  ;D
***I do keep a few big'un around for those cold nights when I do not want to go out 40x to fire...
JUST RESTATING THE OBVIOUS

36 coupe

Over the years Ive seen many sawlogs in fire wood piles.People are stupid about fire wood.Like the cow who gets into the corn patch and eats all the 6 inch high corn.If the cow would wait a bit she could eat 6 foot high corn....I split wood for the cookstove but I know splitting dosent help wood dry.I have been cutting birch but will do some tests on Ash that will prove that splitting wood dosent speed drying much.Split wood burns faster.......

Dave Shepard

Not all big logs are sawlogs. For that matter, a lot of small logs aren't sawlogs, either. :D Splitting will help dry, but only to a small extent. It's the cutting to length that helps it dry the most. Something like 90% of the water in a log leaves through the end grain.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

jwilly3879

I'm with Little John, I have to be able to pick up a piece with one hand. Any bigger they don't pack in the stove very well and my wife has a hard time with the bigger pieces. The smaller splits seem to dry faster for me, the meter confirms this. I also noodle anything over 12" just to make it easier to handle when putting it on the splitter.

John Mc

Quote from: Dave Shepard on October 22, 2014, 06:38:48 PM
... Splitting will help dry, but only to a small extent. It's the cutting to length that helps it dry the most. Something like 90% of the water in a log leaves through the end grain.

I've heard that as well, never actually measured it myself, but I can say that cutting to length does seem to make the biggest difference. Anything over about 4 feet long doesn't dry much at all (depending on the species).
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Jhenderson

T.S.I. I cut large diameter firewood because I refuse to leave merchantable wood in the woods. I often bring home wood that's too big and ugly to sell to a customer. Just because it's big doesn't mean it's saw timber.

Randy88

The reason most of us split anything is because its what wood we have to work with, I'm not leaving logs not good enough for saw logs, but good enough for firewood lay in the timber just because it involves work to get it to size for tossing into the furnace.     We cut cull tree's, damaged, broken off, dead and down tree's for firewood, helping to make room for better stuff to grow and thrive in the timber once the firewood material is removed.   

enigmaT120

Most trees I cut for firewood are small, 6" diameter or less, but that's not because I prefer them.  I can get a lot more wood a lot faster, even including splitting time, from a bigger tree.  I use small ones because they are the suppressed trees, and all my firewood for the past several years has come from pre-commercial thinning my property. 

I like this cradle for holding a bunch of little logs, so I don't have to waste so much chainsaw time cutting the logs individually:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200448974_200448974

There are about 10 big fir trees outside my fence that my wife wants down because they shade our garden.  It irritates me because they are good sized merchantable trees (24"+) but there aren't enough of them to make it worthwhile to log them, so I'll probably just make firewood from them.   If it were just up to me I would leave them until I have more trees I'm ready to sell and get it all done -- maybe 4 or 5 years, but the nagging is getting annoying.  Like a leaking roof, says the book of Proverbs.

Ed Miller
Falls City, Or

M_S_S

I cut juniper and pine up to about 36'' on the butt. The big wood makes lots of firewood but not with out a heck of a lot of sweat lol. I found the fastest is around 10 to 14 on the but. Heck of a lot easier on the old man too lol. ED
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Glenn

My logs tend to be on the large size since my property hasn't been cut in over fifty years.  However i would rather cut all my sawlogs into firewood than give one log to a mill for the prices they pay around here and the way they treat their workers !

LittleJohn

Its easier to just block up all the slabs from the mill, they have a higher bark to wood ratio, but hey I paided nothing for the wood

Ed

I cut whatever comes my way. If there is a good millable log, it'll get milled.

I took out a dead Cottonwood 2 years ago, pretty good stick at 36" dbh & 110' feet tall. Would've made some nice lumber. The thing was to DanG big for the mill and to heavy to handle, sadly it went for firewood.

Ed

CRThomas

Quote from: opticsguy on October 21, 2014, 08:33:53 AM
I see here many photos of people cutting large diameter logs into firewood and wonder why such big wood? I see overhead cranes for lifting and move wood, hydraulic splitters and one heck of a lot of work.

I used to cut large trees and move those heavy beasts for splitting and stacking for many years.  Now, any tree large enough for lumber goes into my sawmill.

I cut mostly alders, 6", 8", 10" diameters, split one time and done. Nothing heavy to move, nothing difficult to split and I am not exhausted by the end of the day. The small trees are not split at all, rounds are very efficient for burning and much more efficient than wedge shaped wood.

So, why cut big logs into firewood with all of what looks like a lot more heavy difficult work?

Thank you.
I sell bundled firewood a white Oak log is worth about $25.00 to $30.00 dollars in bundled firewood it will bring $300.00 to $350.00 We have to big mills in my area closed down. I just bought two semi loads of prime logs for $500.00 delivered and asemiloadof rock cherry for $240.00 delivered. I can,t buy clear cut now the price is so low no one will sell. Thank god I got a few hundred acres to cut on the family farm so that's the reason every think goes to firewood. A shot gun house gas and electric bill is $750.00 a month (Later)

CRThomas

Quote from: dave_dj1 on October 21, 2014, 09:42:43 PM
I know for me, I have to take what I find. Lots of times that's large diameter wood, plus I'm old and like having the log lift. :)
I know what you mean David cause I,m old to but I am set up for what ever size log that is free at the curb I got some gum they come to my shoulders I put them on my 30 ton single cut and go to town firewood is different for different folks. Where I live they burn tires battery's rail road ties  light poles pallets we have house fire quit a bit.

coxy

they burn batterys :o ???  as in for cars and trucks

Randy88

What's in any larger battery that will burn besides the outside case which is plastic

36 coupe

The old D batteries had a zinc case.Zinc is thought to help clean the chimney when its burned in a hot fire.

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