Maybe we need a thread about wood and wood piles?

[Sugarmaker]

Just a couple shots of cutting pallets and starting the wood piles for next year. No its not real pretty:) Chain saw meets pallet, Chain saw wins every time.
Since then I have added 1 more row. Takes about 4 to five tanks of fuel to make a cord. Each row is a about a cord. So the wood shed is about 1/3 full.
Those of us that cut wood spend a lot of time and energy cutting wood for syrup and it goes quickly!
Had delicious syrup and maple cream on pancakes this morning! The wood cutting was worth it!

Oh yea I must confess I have been seeing another web site. OCC (Only Cub Cadets) Just bought another Cub (147) yesterday and gave it to my son Eric today. Yes I have a Cub problem too!
Regards,
Chris

[Gary R]

Sugarmaker, you must really be in love with that new saw! I think I have wore out my wife:lol: I already have more wood than I burnt last year. I never though I'd burn that much in a year. The only thing that stopped us this weekend was I ran out of two stroke oil. Off to the store today. Plan on stacking a few more cord. Sorry, no pictures.

[maple flats]

My wood is all cut and stacked for 2012, maybe most of 13. Wood cut this year will be for 2013 or 14 That is about as far ahead as I want to get because it is stacked outdoors and is best if 1-2 years old, not more.

[Sugarmaker]

Dave Nice job on the wood. Gary too! If you get a chance, post a picture of your wood pile. Nothing like a nice stacked pile of wood when the price of fuel starts to go up.
Regards,
Chris

[driske]

The wood pile is kind of a summer long project. Got 2 college kids lined up to help tackle the 80 pulp cords that need to be processed into 2013-14 sugar wood.(2012 is in the shed).
We had gone to oil for a couple years. I didn't like the noise and being reliant on the volatile fuel prices. The transition back to wood has prompted a return to being overall woodlot managers as well.
Take a 2172 Jonsereds and a 4 hour stint at the wood pile and you've already saved yourself the cost of a Gym membership!;)

[C.Wilcox]

driske,

Who are you buying your pulp cords from? Or are you cutting them out of your own property?

[Sugarmaker]

WOW 80 cord of pulp wood is a pile.
Come on guys!!!! I want to see pictures of these big piles of wood? Grab the cameras, snap a couple shots and then figure out how to post those shots right here for us to drool on our key boards:)
Still hauling pallets home every day in PA!
Regards,
Chris

[syrupkid]

Got all my wood made for 2012 and 2013. The woods I rent was logged a few years back and all the slash is laying there and fairly dry, it is just waiting there for me to come by with the saw rig and cut it up. There is also another + or - 3 full cord in our yard that needs to come down this summer. Driske if you need another person to cut wood im open all summer and i have a chainsaw and splitting maul (i like to go old school plus its faster if the wood is fairly knot free)

[3rdgen.maple]

Sugarmaker I just dont know how you manage to deal with those pallets. Alot of work goes into getting them cut up but dang they burn hot though. I should be close to 10 cord of slabs cut up by weeks end. I want 20 on hand before the fall is here. I decided after this year I would have a 2 year supply on hand and darn if IM not going to do it. Right now its all thrown into a mountain. I am planning on tearing down the sugarhouse and rebuilding it so no sense in stacking it twice. The lumber starts to get sawn on June 1st. I will get a picture for ya but holding out till that pile looks more impressive for your viewing pleasure lol. Oh when I say cord I mean a real cord not that fake, I mean face cord stuff.

[maple flats]

I just expanded our garden area where we need to fence it in to protect from deer 40' towards a low section of woods and it is 170' long. My wife now wants me to clearcut the area for better sun in the garden, about 30-40' more into the woods. (Wife gets what she wants generally). There are no sugarmaples in there but it is all hardwoods, so my wood stock will grow again. There is likely 2 season's worth of evaporator wood in there. In case you wonder why make a garden there, we had 2 areas fenced in at that field with the sugarhouse road going between. They are 60' x 110'. On one of them she had me extend the garden 30' at each end and then go 40' closer to the woods too. (yes we use that much, we sell thru a few different markets, fruits and vegetables).
When I get this cut and split I'll need a lot more posts to stack my wood. I stack it in an open field between posts 16' apart and I make 2 rows side by side, then a tractor aisle and 2 more rows and it repeats for as long as there is wood to stack. When filled each double row is about 2 full cord at the 4.5' high x 21" length I cut. If I only had a roof over it this would be better.

[Sugarmaker]

Pallets are a royal pain but I dont have to go to the woods! They are fairly uniform. small as or smaller than your wrist no splitting, mix of hard and soft wood, Burn hot and fast. Just about any wood cutting is work. At about the 3.75 full cord mark.
I do have a buzz rig but no tractor to run it! Maybe someday. Then I might just use slabs.
Dave sounds like a nice wood pile! Wow big gardens too.
I would like to get back into that.
Regards,
Chris

[3rdgen.maple]

I am opting out of the garden this year, just too much wood to get cut and many other things with the house and sugarhouse you guys know the deal. I did however get pretty jealous of you sugarmaker with that new saw so I looked at my 455 rancher and decided since the warranty is up in a couple weeks I better go trade it in. Now I got a new 570, 68 cc and 4.9 hp 28 inch bar, Cuts alot faster than the rancher which I really liked as well. I hope she who must be obeyed doesnt find out. Also traded in my stihl 031 and a small johnsered i had that neither one I have used in a few years. Got 7 full cords in a big old heaping pile one more on the trailer to cut and 4 more on the way this week.

[xyz5150]

Good choice with the 570, the 570 is the best bang for the buck in the husky line what Jonsered did you buy?

[3rdgen.maple]

Good choice with the 570, the 570 is the best bang for the buck in the husky line what Jonsered did you buy?

Didnt buy a johnsered I traded an older one in as well as the 455 and an 031 stihl. Didnt use the stihl or the Johnsered in a few years so I just got rid of them. When I bought my first husky years and years ago I just quit using them. I love the trade in value on the husqavarna. Every 2 years I trade up. I did some homework on that 570 before I chose it. I was planning on going with the 576xp but after looking up specs there is really not alot of difference between the 570 and the 576. Both have the 3 peice crank, turning the same rpms, same carb, same plugs etc just a wee bit smaller piston and jug. So I couldnt see why I would spend 200 bucks more for the 576xp. The 570 the way I seen it was built to be an xp they just didnt label it as such. Only thing I could think is they wanted to cover both markets and get the bucks for the xp lovers but still be able to get sales of the 570 for those with less cash in hand. All I can say is I loved the 455 but holy crap this 570 will cut like a monster on steroids.

[red maples]

I am jelous you guys are so far ahead. I have about 10 cords 1/2 full log length, 1/2 cut ready to be spilt sitting in the yard, 1.5 cords split to be stacked. about 4-5 cords in the woods to bring out yet. and thats just pulp wood for maple. got a few hard wood trees down in the woods for still need to be cut up and gotta get the rest of the trees down before the leaves are full. but they usually still grow a little even after they are cut!!! long way to go!!!:( but got the whole summer to go!!! ;) My wife thinks I am nuts but I actually enjoy getting into the wood pile and knocking it out. When your splitting and getting into a groove. It my kinda meditation!!!

I just got this thing called "the Mingo" you put a marking paint can in it and roll it right along the log and it hits the paint at the designated measurement . love it. its fast easy. It comes with a 16" wheel which is about what I use for maple but just need a wheel for 20" or 21" which of course they don't have but thats the size I need for the woodstove. But that are easy enough to make!!! outa plexi or wood.

[adk1]

Interesting posts. I ahve a husky 357XP. Have a 16" bar I use for bucking and a 20" bar for felling. The 16" bar is much faster when bucking. Love the saw.

[brookledge]

I looked at the mingo and it looks cool. I have been using invereted marking paint for a long time. The thing I really like is the flourescent paint really shows up on the ground after I cut up the smaller pieces. so it makes picking up quicker and easier when the smaller pieces have dropped into brush or leaves
Keith

[Sugarmaker]

You guys are doing great! I hear saws running and timber falling all over syrup country!
Grab the cameras and post some pictures of those big wood piles too!!!
My wood cutting gets done in the evenings and weekends and fits in between all the other summer projects. Not a chain saw post but I do like my new Stihl MS250-C for pallets. Nice to get the right sized saw for the job! If I was cutting a lot big trees I would have to get a bigger saw. It too would be a Stihl.
Regards,
Chris

[CBOYER]

sugarmaker, i have a 025, wich is now a MS250, and buy a MS361 last year, What a difference! this 361 run 15,000 rpm and is best weight/power ratio for me.

[3rdgen.maple]

No Drooling please!!!
3591

[xyz5150]

Send That Baby to Walkers saw shop in British Columbia, get her ported and polished you will have about the same hp as the 385 then you can throw some chips off that big bar.:lol: Gotta love hot rodding even with a chainsaw.:lol:

[Sugarmaker]

OK was about wood but soon turned to HOT rod chain saws! :) I should have saw that coming!!! My little Stihl will not get ported and polished. If it survives for about 5-7 years I will be happy. It will have a hard life. More pallets to cut tomorrow.
3rdgen, That is a nice looking big saw!
Chris

[3rdgen.maple]

5150 you really dont think that didnt cross my mind already did you? I got to stop trading these saws in one of these days but its just fun tearing the woods up with a new saw. lol
Sugarmaker you hold tight I will get you a picture of the wood pile very soon. Just trying to get it a little more impressive looking. My family says I have lost my marbles when they look at the pile of wood lol. I just cant help myself. I got possesed by the wood demands too never run out of sugar wood in the middle of a season again. That was a nightmare I care not to go through again.

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

Coal is the way to go. And then an armful of wood to break up the klinkers once and a while. Hotter fire and less work. And it helps when you live in a place called coal center. My county has the largest high quality coalmine in the world and has since the early 1900s.

And we provide enough coal to power all Pennsylvania.

My best friend is a shovel and ibuprophen when my back hurts from shoveling coal :lol:

[driske]

Burned a little coal back in the 80's when it was still available here. Fantastic heat source indeed. Other than the power company burning like a train load a day ,I don't know where it's found locally.
Wilcox, it's all cut off our own woods----lots more thinning to do yet. (If it ever quits raining and dries out).
Syrupkid; sorry got the help lined up for this year, but I'll keep you in mind down the road.
I haven't touched the saw since the end of season. Still the process of making big ones into little ones continues due to the efforts of a vigorous young neighbor. His wife says he needs this to decompress from his city job.
Since Daughter #1 is now home from school I'll see if she can be persuaded to get some pictures on the board. I'm a dinosaur when it comes to stuff like that.:confused:

[Sugarmaker]

I slacked off and did not fire up the saw, pallets were safe for today. Lots of rain on and off all day.
Should be at 4 cords when I get the last batch cut up.
Went to Centerville today lots of timber in that area of NW PA.
Regards,
Chris

[Gary R]

OK Sugarmaker, here's what you asked for. I've read some big numbers but, haven't seen any pictures. I don't have a lot of wood. I have all that I'd need for next season. I'm going to keep cutting so I'll have it for the future. There's only about 1 1/2 cord under the shed roof. Maybe 2 cord under the blue tarp. All of that is Black Birch. 4 or 5 house wood in the wood shed with the BAT mobile.

[Sugarmaker]

Gary,
Thanks for posting. Wood piles look great! Looks like a couple of years worth for you.
Chris

[3rdgen.maple]

Here you go sugarmaker. This is half the wood I plan on getting done this year. About 10 cords right there. Time to split and stack and then get some more.
3631

3632

3633

[Sugarmaker]

3RDGEN,
That is a nice pile of wood!
Thanks for posting. You have been busy.
Regards,
Chris

[3rdgen.maple]

I find that after a stressfull day at work firing up the saw and cutting some wood helps my mental state. As you can see work has stressed me out pretty good last couple weeks lol. Was going to quit on that woodpile after 2 more cord but dang Im having so much fun I will keep adding to it all summer and fall if I can. Hopefully double it and have plenty of wood for about 3 seasons.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

here is some of my wood FREE!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e234/poultneyfiredog18/Sugaring/mysugaringwood.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e234/poultneyfiredog18/Sugaring/mysugaringwood1.jpg

[Dennis H.]

I have been put on hold for a while till I can finish off my wood pile. The ground getting into the woods is just way to wet still.

I agree that cutting and splitting is very relaxing, the thing I hate to do is the stacking. What a pain when the wood is about 2-3" round. There is alot of sticks to pick up!!

Flatlander seeing that pic of the guy with his spurs up in the tree is giving me the itch to go climb my self. Last year I bought a set of spurs and also the equipment to rope climb. It is amazing how fun it is to be in a tree. It's another one of those strange hobby things.

[Paddymountain]

OK Guys, I've been meaning to start a new post on pictures just like this. Flatland ,has beat me to it! This is me about 1985,cutting the last top out of an oak tree in
Dauphin County,Pa about 20 miles north of Harrisburg. Anyone else have any pictures they have like this?
I hung up my spikes and saddle in 1988 after eleven years of trimming trees for the power co. All I can say is after that,just about any job looks easy!

[Josh Nickles]

Sugarmaker, maybe you would know... How many pallets does it take to equal a full cord of normally stacked firewood?

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

well there is 221,184 cubic inches in a cord of wood, so take the pallet board measure the board then divide that into number above and that will tell you how many boards you need for a cord of pallet wood.

[Sugarmaker]

Josh,
Never counted the number of pallets.
Lets see, I would guess 50 to 60 pallets fully compressed would make about a cord. I do about 9 cord for the season, so about 450 to 540 pallets. Yikes that sounds like a lot when you think of it that way.:)

Almost at the 5 cord mark for 2012.

You tree climbers can have that work. Looks dangerous to me.
Regards,
Chris

[SapZilla]

There are 128 cubic feet in a cord of wood, but I'm sure Josh and everyone else on here knows that. I am also sure that Josh knows how to do basic math. To calculate a solid volume of wood would, however, be completely inaccurate.

It would be indeed very interesting to know exactly how many conventional pallets it takes to equal a cord of wood.

What does 221, 184 mean when calculating cord wood?


well there is 221,184 cubic inches in a cord of wood, so take the pallet board measure the board then divide that into number above and that will tell you how many boards you need for a cord of pallet wood.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

just rough guestimate not excat but the guy wanted to know how many pallet, so last time I checked at least in VT a cord of wood was 4ftx4ftx8ft correct? so simple math done here in VT not saying I am a math major by no means 4x4x8=128 cubic feet, so since a pallet is a small thin piece of wood I figured ok (original question was how many pallets) so since a pallet board is some thing like 1" thick 4" wide and oh for conversational purposes its 4'long. Thats 192cubic inches but back to that really big number I came up with, 4x4x8=48"x48"x96"=221184cu", thats because there are 12" in 1' so 4'x12=48". So lets say there is a 1"square gap for air space in a normal stack of wood between each piece. so there would be 1152 pieces of wood to make a cord of wood with pallet wood, wood pecker pecked so much wood he knocked out 55,296sq", so that would be 1152 pieces minus pecking,(221184-55296=165888CU").
165888/192=864 PIECES OF WOOD 1"X4"X4' to make a cord of pallet wood, thats if you shoot the pecker who keeps wittling away at the stack pallet wood in your back yard.:D

[CBOYER]

Hey Flatlander, in Canada we are in metric, could you translate for us your nuclear theory of cubic foot in a cord of wood :lol:

[lakeview maple]

Flat Lander you need another hobby ,way to much time on your hands,LOL Im still laughing and will for the next 3 days,lol ,thanks for the good humor, Al

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

sure give me a few, I can do it, but I need to state that I am by no means a mathmatical wood pecker:D
I'll even break out my 1986 french book from HS and translate it

[collinsmapleman2012]

i think they call it a cord so people dont have to do all the math:D
come over to NY and we can learn ya real well:D
i think if you can do all that math then there is free time for cuttin wood.... i got a whole pile of logs for house wood!!!! ;):lol:

[Jim Schumacher]

Well Chris, you can see you have a new responsibility. We all want to know EXACTLY how many skids it takes. I want the report on my desk by June 15th.


Josh,
Never counted the number of pallets.
Lets see, I would guess 50 to 60 pallets fully compressed would make about a cord. I do about 9 cord for the season, so about 450 to 540 pallets. Yikes that sounds like a lot when you think of it that way.:)

Almost at the 5 cord mark for 2012.

You tree climbers can have that work. Looks dangerous to me.
Regards,
Chris

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

"juste excat bruts estimation approximative pas mais le gars a voulu savoir combien de palette, le temps aussi à la dernière que j'ai vérifié au moins dans VT une corde de bois a été 1,22 m x 1,22 m x 2,44 m correcte? si simple de math fait ici au VT ne dis pas que je suis un mathématicien nullement 1.22x1.22x2.44 = 3,63 mètres cubes, alors depuis une palette est un petit morceau de bois mince je me suis dit ok (question initiale était le nombre de palettes) donc depuis un conseil palette est quelque chose comme 2,54 cm d'épaisseur 10,16 cm de large et oh à des fins de conversation de son 121.92cm long. Thats conseil palette 3146,3, mais revenir à ce très gros chiffre""Je suis venu avec, 1,22 x 1,22 x 2,44 = 121,92 x 121,92 x 243,84 cm = 3.624.556,3 cubes dans une corde de bois, thats parce qu'il ya 100cm = 1m afin 4m x 100cm = 400cm. Donc disons que il ya un écart 2,54 cm carré pour l'espace aérien dans une pile normale de bois entre chaque morceau. Il y aurait donc 1152 pièces de bois pour faire une corde de bois avec du bois de palettes, bois pecker piquetées de bois tellement il a frappé (2,54 x 2,54 x = 121.92cm 786.5cm), 1152 x 786,5 cm = 906 139, de sorte que 1152 serait pièces moins hiérarchique, (3624556 - 906139 cm = 2718417cubic).\r\n2718417/3146 = 864 PIÈCES DE BOIS 2,54 x 2,54 x 121,92 pour faire une corde de bois de palettes, thats si vous tirez le qui Pecker bois arde Wittling loin à la pile de palettes de bois dans votre cour arrière.":lol:

[adk1]

Sap wood splitting day tomorrow.

[Sugarmaker]

Holy crap what have I done???

And is Flat Lander OK?

Tune in tomorrow to view continued posts about pallets to cords, gallons to pints, liters to milliliters and BTU's to joules:)

BTW we did hit the 5 cord mark with pallets. Moving towards 9 cord
I am adjusting my numbers, I believe you may need approx 100 pallets per cord! Yeah I like that number or about 2 pallets for each tap you have out there. Still just a approx guess.
Jim Sent you a PM. This is as close as your going yo get to a report:)
Hope things are great and everyone is having a good time!
I have been busy on my other hobby Cub Cadet tractors and keeping them maintained and the lawn mowed.
Regards,
Chris

[CBOYER]

...thats si vous tirez le pénis qui garde Wittling loin à la pile de palettes de bois dans votre cour arrière."

Did you realy know what you are writing??:o

Your Maths are ok but you french is like chinese instructions to mount a tent on a rainy day..:lol:

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

...thats si vous tirez le pénis qui garde Wittling loin à la pile de palettes de bois dans votre cour arrière."

Did you realy know what you are writing??:o

Your Maths are ok but you french is like chinese instructions to mount a tent on a rainy day..:lol:

that must be the reason all the strippers walked away from me when I tried talking to them at the Gazzlin
whooooops sorry for the mistake in the one word didn't mean to say that "wood pecker" cant use just pecker

[Sugarmaker]

Back to wood working!
Some action shots harvesting pallets that keep showing up. At the 6 cord mark and continuing to whittle on them:)
Not the prettiest wood pile but it gets the syrup made!
Regards,
Chris

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Back to wood working!
Some action shots harvesting pallets that keep showing up. At the 6 cord mark and continuing to whittle on them:)
Not the prettiest wood pile but it gets the syrup made!
Regards,
Chris

lloks like my calc on the cord of pallet wood was pretty dam close:D