Maggie’s The Woodchuck and Firewood Hoarders Thread
- Thread starter bogeybrown
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Working on fire pit seating ,using old hand cut granite curbing and other large hand cut stones
Adding antique hand cut stones to the fireplace
It is a rock, of course it is antique. 
It's older than Maggot. Looks good.
It's older than Maggot. Looks good.Antique as in hand cut by unpaid labor, I have been collecting stones in that category for 38 years and I have to bury them so people can't steal them.
I dun messed up.
Anybody have a recommendation on a good colorado saw? I was thinking the stihl 261c.
Hot day here in westcliffe, I think I forgot to shake last year's mixed fule... that's all I can think of? Poor poor 271, it's cut a lot of wood for me.
Anybody have a recommendation on a good colorado saw? I was thinking the stihl 261c.
Hot day here in westcliffe, I think I forgot to shake last year's mixed fule... that's all I can think of? Poor poor 271, it's cut a lot of wood for me.
I’m in New Mexico and cut at 7K’ plus altitudes. I’m running a 261c and it did Ok stock. It’s ported/advanced now with muffler mod and a WCS air cleaner.
The M-tronic still doesn’t like big altitude/temperature swings so I find myself recalibrating it several times as the temp increases.
The 261 does have a great power to weight though. Nice for running in the mountains here.
I don't think that's how it works cutting pine in the mountains.
No experience as I have older saws, but maybe a 362?
On the smaller stuff I use a 036, 38 Super, larger 440 mag or 044 primarily, but they're Old errr like the Operator.
I try to run them all a bit when I'm bringing in the winter wood.
Nothing wrong with having a little extra power IMHO.
What would it cost to rebuild?
https://www.stihlusa.com/professional/chainsaws
https://cdnassets.stihlusa.com/1670862913-2023-chainsaw-comparison.pdf
On the smaller stuff I use a 036, 38 Super, larger 440 mag or 044 primarily, but they're Old errr like the Operator.
I try to run them all a bit when I'm bringing in the winter wood.
Nothing wrong with having a little extra power IMHO.
What would it cost to rebuild?
https://www.stihlusa.com/professional/chainsaws
https://cdnassets.stihlusa.com/1670862913-2023-chainsaw-comparison.pdf
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How does having more power not work in anything? I've never heard a person say gee whizz my saw has to much power.
It's more of a unnecessary weight thing. Most of what I cut is 20" and smaller soft wood.
I carried a 660 all day. Then I had to use it.
Good on ya. That’s a heavy saw.
I love my 44 but if I don’t need the long bar, 261 it is.
This should help. According to it the 261 is slightly more powerful than the 271 and 1.5lbs less. Uses same chain and bars as what you have.
The 271 is a clam shell engine in that the cylinder is part of the crankcase. The 261 is a pro model that has a separate cylinder that can be easily replaced.
Sounds like exactly what I need
I'm still not completely sure how I screwed the piston/cylinder up so bad. It looks awful.
I've talked a few friends into 261's it's about time I get my own.
Do you guys also have a favorite electric sharpener?
A guy at church heard me griping and gave me his ms250. It'll do fine for this season. Maybe I'll just run the splitter haha. Still planning on the 261c. God is good.
We've lost a ton of elms in my area here on the gulf coast over the last year. This one is behind my dad's garage. Leafed out this spring nice and pretty and full then just died. I'm talking bark peeling off of it already. It was a roach hotel too. That was fun all the way up in the air on the loader. Aimed it at the front axle on the trailer, south wind pushed it about 5' farther north than it was aimed but it came out good.
Hope everybody is doing well with the firewood piles!
Just checking in to share a bit. Got mine put up for the winter. Here's a few pics from this years firewood processing.
The Woodchuck log-jack, and the lifting tongs sure make the work easier.
Just checking in to share a bit. Got mine put up for the winter. Here's a few pics from this years firewood processing.
The Woodchuck log-jack, and the lifting tongs sure make the work easier.
Damn haven't seen you in a hot minute.
I am running short this year on my wood. Had to travel for work. Should still be ok as I have a bit put by.
I'll have to look at that woodchuck jack as mine is subpar. Makes things a lot easier.
I did get a gas powered splitter this year. It is so much better on the hands and back.
I am running short this year on my wood. Had to travel for work. Should still be ok as I have a bit put by.
I'll have to look at that woodchuck jack as mine is subpar. Makes things a lot easier.
I did get a gas powered splitter this year. It is so much better on the hands and back.
Damn @MontanaMarine looking good... All lodgepole or is there some fir mixed in. You must have a fairly small stove, ie small chunks. Does the wall of wood keep the carport from drifting in? Well done. I had a couple log decks scoped out on a completed timber harvest.. short logs... but it got hot and dry and when I went back to check only ponderosa pine left. Guess I better go outside and take a couple pictures of the woodpile and play. 
Also details on the metal peavy. Looks like a good one!
Probably 2.5-3 years of firewood, depending on the winter (6-8+ cords used annually).
However the last time I was this prepared, I had injuries in 2 subsequent years and couldn't cut a stick.
RSF Energy wood stove from BC, ....If I had the pile of wood this has burned in 40 + years I would be a rich man.
Also details on the metal peavy. Looks like a good one!
Probably 2.5-3 years of firewood, depending on the winter (6-8+ cords used annually).
However the last time I was this prepared, I had injuries in 2 subsequent years and couldn't cut a stick.
RSF Energy wood stove from BC, ....If I had the pile of wood this has burned in 40 + years I would be a rich man.
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Yeah I haven't been posting much in recent years, but still check out the motivational pics thread.....grin.
I've been using a small electric hydraulic splitter for the last 16 years. It sure makes things easier.
Mostly lodgepole, a little larch. I just buy it by the logtruck load, and a load lasts about four winters. Stove is a Lopi 1750. So it's not huge, but not tiny either. House is 1680 sq-ft, and it does a good job keeping it warm. We'll add some space-heater action at the ends of the house when it stays below zero for a while.Damn @MontanaMarine looking good... All lodgepole or is there some fir mixed in. You must have a fairly small stove, ie small chunks. Does the wall of wood keep the carport from drifting in? Well done. I had a couple log decks scoped out on a completed timber harvest.. short logs... but it got hot and dry and when I went back to check only ponderosa pine left. Guess I better go outside and take a couple pictures of the woodpile and play.
Also details on the metal peavy. Looks like a good one!
Jack is the Woodchuck Dual Pro, it's a good piece of gear,
Woodchuck DualPro Log Jack / Lifter / Cant Hook / Peavey 47"
WOODCHUCK DUALPRO LOG LIFTER CANT HOOK
www.shforestrysupplies.com 
Woodchuck Tools-Innovative Log Handling Tools With A Lifetime Warrantee
Shop Woodchuck combination Log Jacks, Lifters, Cant Hooks, Peaveys, and Hookeroons. Best prices, fast free shipping available.
www.shforestrysupplies.com Wow, nice firewood operation and stove (boiler?) going on there!Damn @MontanaMarine looking good... All lodgepole or is there some fir mixed in. You must have a fairly small stove, ie small chunks. Does the wall of wood keep the carport from drifting in? Well done. I had a couple log decks scoped out on a completed timber harvest.. short logs... but it got hot and dry and when I went back to check only ponderosa pine left. Guess I better go outside and take a couple pictures of the woodpile and play.
Also details on the metal peavy. Looks like a good one!
View attachment 8231763View attachment 8231764View attachment 8231765View attachment 8231766View attachment 8231767
Not really a carport, but the firewood does block most of the snow from getting in there. It's the southern facing end of the house, so gets good sunlight/snow melting/wood drying during nice winter weather days.
As always, beautiful stacks and pretty country! Nicely done.Hope everybody is doing well with the firewood piles!
Just checking in to share a bit. Got mine put up for the winter. Here's a few pics from this years firewood processing.
The Woodchuck log-jack, and the lifting tongs sure make the work easier.
So the log lifter a good tool?
We just tried to not eat dirt and roll them over. Have started using shorter bars / smaller saws that take care of 95% of our needes.
Would cut down on bending I guess.
We just tried to not eat dirt and roll them over. Have started using shorter bars / smaller saws that take care of 95% of our needes.
Would cut down on bending I guess.
Peavy/log lifters are great.
I use one like this....saves my saw chain, saves bending over, makes it easier to lever a log around to cut.
^^^^^^^^^ Thanks , 50 years ago I hauled fireplace wood all summer and sold it.
I had no need for dragging around extra tools since I was young dumb and full of it.
Now find myself helping my son clear land of cedars , small oaks that are too densely
populated and save some of the nicer mesquite trees.
He asked why we would save any of those and I asked him to look under a few of them.
We had been under a 4 month brutal drought and finally got some beneficial rains.
First place new grass came up was under the mesquites.
I like to mix some mesquite in with my oak for ribs or brisket, trick is to put it in first
and make sure its 100% bunt to coals before you start. Alternatively you can sparingly
throw a small chunk at a time on like adding a seasoning. A steak cooked on a bed of
mesquite coals is a wonderful thing.
If I can slow his roll on the cedars long enough to salvage the strait posts I want to
maybe build some ground blinds for hunting, maybe for the couple hundred yards
of the only fence that needs rebuilt on the place we cant even get close to.
That explains why its screwed and busted down by hogs and the neighbors
bull that likes corn out of our feeder.
I had no need for dragging around extra tools since I was young dumb and full of it.
Now find myself helping my son clear land of cedars , small oaks that are too densely
populated and save some of the nicer mesquite trees.
He asked why we would save any of those and I asked him to look under a few of them.
We had been under a 4 month brutal drought and finally got some beneficial rains.
First place new grass came up was under the mesquites.
I like to mix some mesquite in with my oak for ribs or brisket, trick is to put it in first
and make sure its 100% bunt to coals before you start. Alternatively you can sparingly
throw a small chunk at a time on like adding a seasoning. A steak cooked on a bed of
mesquite coals is a wonderful thing.
If I can slow his roll on the cedars long enough to salvage the strait posts I want to
maybe build some ground blinds for hunting, maybe for the couple hundred yards
of the only fence that needs rebuilt on the place we cant even get close to.
That explains why its screwed and busted down by hogs and the neighbors
bull that likes corn out of our feeder.
I have been deep cleaning and sharpening saws.
I have:
Husqvana 359
MS250 (ATV saw)
MS241C
MS260Pro
MS261C
MS362C
MS391
MS440
So I’ve decided to sell a couple and the 359 (I bought new many years ago) and the MS260 are sold pending meetups with folks from Arborsite. MS391 will go too.
The main reason is I am ready to just have all creamsicle saws (already sold last 2 Echos) and to reduce size redundancy
I will be left with a high performance limber (241C), a great all-arounder (261C), firewood bucker (362C) and “big” saw (440)…..at least this is what I tell myself The only non-pro saw then will be the 250 and while I know people hate em, mine is a favorite with the aftermarket carb.
Anyway, my 4 (5
) saw plan is in process.
I have everything but the metal roofing to put up the planned 16x16 woodshed. My roofing metal place makes 5 rib/5 v there and it’s only $2.60/linear foot. I have some more oak to buck and a ton to split but hopefully with cooler weather here I will get to it.
My splitter needs a starter gear but still runs perfectly with its ancient Kohler boxer twin.
Carry on wood bros
I have:
Husqvana 359
MS250 (ATV saw)
MS241C
MS260Pro
MS261C
MS362C
MS391
MS440
So I’ve decided to sell a couple and the 359 (I bought new many years ago) and the MS260 are sold pending meetups with folks from Arborsite. MS391 will go too.
The main reason is I am ready to just have all creamsicle saws (already sold last 2 Echos) and to reduce size redundancy
I will be left with a high performance limber (241C), a great all-arounder (261C), firewood bucker (362C) and “big” saw (440)…..at least this is what I tell myself
The only non-pro saw then will be the 250 and while I know people hate em, mine is a favorite with the aftermarket carb.Anyway, my 4 (5
) saw plan is in process.I have everything but the metal roofing to put up the planned 16x16 woodshed. My roofing metal place makes 5 rib/5 v there and it’s only $2.60/linear foot. I have some more oak to buck and a ton to split but hopefully with cooler weather here I will get to it.
My splitter needs a starter gear
but still runs perfectly with its ancient Kohler boxer twin.Carry on wood bros
It makes the work a lot easier on the back. I have a ruptured L4/5 that had surgery some years ago, and for me the bending can aggravate the back, plus I'm 6'3", so there is a ways to bend. But yeah, the log jack is well worth the cost for me.
Sawed up the rest of the oak logs I had piled up. I augered the post holes for the wood shed. I used the MS291 just because I needed to make sure it ran perfectly before listing it. Good afternoon, now it’s rest time.
I have a question for the pros , I have a place a hours drive away that has alot of dead oak I can cut for free , most of it dead from oak wilt, if I bring it to my home am I going to expose my oak trees to oak wilt , these trees have been dead for at least two years if that makes a difference.
“Oak wilt is a fungal disease caused by the organism Bretziella fagacearum that threatens Quercus spp. The disease is limited to the eastern half of the United States; first described in the 1940s in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. The pathogen penetrates xylem tissue, preventing water transport and causing disease symptoms. Symptoms generally consist of leaf discoloration, wilt, defoliation, and death. The disease is dispersed by insect vectors and to adjacent trees through underground root networks. However, human spread is the most consequential dispersal method. Moving firewood long distances can potentially transport diseases and invasive species.”
Here in Florida we can't move firewood more than 50 miles from point of origin or it must be kiln dried per specs
If the trees have been dead 2+ years you should be fine. For extra safety knock bark off at cutting site. Ideally you cut stack on site and after a Summer of heat haul home, heat kills the fungus.
A 291 was my first stihl saw. I cut a ton of wood with that sucker clearing my property with it. Bought it with a 20" bar and ran it that way the entire time I had it. Bought a 441 because I wanted something with more balls then I learned about modding saws.
A muffler mod and a tune did wonders for the little 291. If I had known that before the 441 I'd probably still have the 291. They're both gone now and I've got a 462 running a 28. Intake and exhaust mods and kicked the base gasket out. Runs pretty good. I've got another top end for it I want to have ported but long range rifles and reloading components been eating up all my spare change.