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Maggie’s The Woodchuck and Firewood Hoarders Thread

Three days now of lows in the 40’s and highs in the low 50’s and nonstop rain. Prior to this, we went 27 days without rain and the AC running nonstop 🤷🏼‍♂️. Iowa. House was down to 63 👍🏻, but Miss Lori was chilly 🙄. Spent some time this afternoon to properly clean the stove, flue, and cap. Knocked the chill off tonight with splitter scraps.
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I prefer the Stihl ES bars with wide nose, 13-tooth sprocket. Unfortunately, Stihl doesn't think we can be trusted with such things anymore, and is only importing the narrow nose bars now. I run 20" bars on everything, except the 024 and 261 are 16", and the 660 has a 25". I'm cutting above 8000-ft elevation, and need all the HP advantage I can get. The new saws lack the torque of the older saws. My only new saws are the newly acquired 261, and a 362 I've had for a few years now. Even though they have improved the air box filtration, they have taken a step back in torque, and the nagging problem of fuel tank over-pressurization, where the saw suddenly stops, and you have to open the fuel cap to release the pressure to get it to start again. I understand this is a common problem with all new Stihls?

I think it is an issue with the new Huskies too.
was running a buddies recently and ran into trouble like that.
sure as hell didnt impress me.

Im due a new saw. My brother jacked my old one.

think I am going to look for an older Stihl.
 
I think it is an issue with the new Huskies too.
was running a buddies recently and ran into trouble like that.
sure as hell didnt impress me.

Im due a new saw. My brother jacked my old one.

think I am going to look for an older Stihl.
I’ve not experienced the latter problem. Nor have I heard of it. However, I’m at 850’ MSL. Wonder if it’s an altitude issue/problem. Good question to pose on arboristsite.com
 
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Not sure who you're asking, but here's my .02. I'm still running all Stihl bars. That will change in the future for the bigger saws as I'm not getting any younger. For the 25" plus bars I believe I'll try a Sugi and see how I get along.

i also run sthil bars, but i may get a lightweight for the 461 w a 32 incher
 
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Well, Im also not sure what routine cleaning/maintenance he does.

I would guess solid as he takes good care of his tools it seems.

seems silly to drop $600 on a saw and not take good care.
 
Three days now of lows in the 40’s and highs in the low 50’s and nonstop rain. Prior to this, we went 27 days without rain and the AC running nonstop 🤷🏼‍♂️. Iowa. House was down to 63 👍🏻, but Miss Lori was chilly 🙄. Spent some time this afternoon to properly clean the stove, flue, and cap. Knocked the chill off tonight with splitter scraps.
View attachment 7421063


Is this early for your area or is this normal?
 
I’m at ~900’ and if I run wide open dogging into oak they snuff themselves out 3/4 way through the tank or so. Just crack the cap now and again. That’s Husky 550xp and Stihl 461, and 660. Everything is stock and I do abuse them a bit.🤷‍♂️

That’s only when I’m bucking huge stacks of logs and don’t give them any chance to breathe.
Interesting. Again, I’ve not had this problem, but, there’s a first time for everything. Never say never.
I could see if you were bucking big stuff where you’re coming out the bottom of a 30 DBA Oak and moving 16” over and letting it eat again, where the tank may not have time to vent. The 70-90cc class saws in that environment are slurping fuel like crazy.
Which begs the question, are the guys running 90cc class saws on an Alaskan Mill experiencing the same problem 🤔? That’s full throttle 24/7
 
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Dad sent me this video.

"Best video I have seen showing a tall tree removal process including details of top guy work. 2 videos. I enjoy the top guy work. I have spent as long as 6 hrs in a continuous stretch up a tree like this to cut it down. 2nd video shows the ride the top guy gets when a section is dropped." - my dad
I was my dad's ground crew for that.

Awesome to see the tree work.

 
I need to get better at judging the height of trees. I have been cutting standing dead lodge pole pine. This morning I eyeballed a blow over on the edge of the stand that I am cutting. The tree didn't make it far when it blew over before hanging up in live trees. It couldn't have been more than a 15 degree lean. About eight feet up the tree was a little stub of an old branch. So, I figured I could tie around the tree above the branch, hook onto my truck, and pull the tree back and over. I carry a 100 foot piece of 5/8 static kernmantle rope just for pulling on trees. The rope was neatly coiled in a rope bag, but I had a 25' long 3/8" log chain, and two 30 foot heavy duty tow straps in the bed of the truck. The tree was only 26 inches a foot above ground level, and I am tied on eight feet high. There is no way in hell this tree is anywhere near 90 feet tall.

I hooked everything up and put the truck in four wheel drive low and started backing up taking all of the tension out of the line, then I gassed it just a bit. Just as planned, the tree went to vertical, then started falling in a perfect line, so I tugged a little bit more. As the tree started falling, I remember saying to myself, "Oh fuck, oh fuck..." .

The tree crashed down raining small branches all over my pick up truck. The very top of the tree was about 18 inches from my front bumper. Upon further examination, the bottom of the tree was about 8-10 feet from where it was originally uprooted. Now I know why one shouldn't go yanking on trees with elastic straps/ropes.
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I need to get better at judging the height of trees. I have been cutting standing dead lodge pole pine. This morning I eyeballed a blow over on the edge of the stand that I am cutting. The tree didn't make it far when it blew over before hanging up in live trees. It couldn't have been more than a 15 degree lean. About eight feet up the tree was a little stub of an old branch. So, I figured I could tie around the tree above the branch, hook onto my truck, and pull the tree back and over. I carry a 100 foot piece of 5/8 static kernmantle rope just for pulling on trees. The rope was neatly coiled in a rope bag, but I had a 25' long 3/8" log chain, and two 30 foot heavy duty tow straps in the bed of the truck. The tree was only 26 inches a foot above ground level, and I am tied on eight feet high. There is no way in hell this tree is anywhere near 90 feet tall.

I hooked everything up and put the truck in four wheel drive low and started backing up taking all of the tension out of the line, then I gassed it just a bit. Just as planned, the tree went to vertical, then started falling in a perfect line, so I tugged a little bit more. As the tree started falling, I remember saying to myself, "Oh fuck, oh fuck..." .

The tree crashed down raining small branches all over my pick up truck. The very top of the tree was about 18 inches from my front bumper. Upon further examination, the bottom of the tree was about 8-10 feet from where it was originally uprooted. Now I know why one shouldn't go yanking on trees with elastic straps/ropes.
View attachment 7426185
Grab a stick (or make one) the length of your arm. Hold your arm out straight with said stick in your fist vertical. Back up eyeballing the top of the stick until it meets the top of the tree. That is where the tree will land (+/- a couple of feet). You basically just completed the third side of a right triangle. Geometry doesn’t lie. You will be typically long using this method because we don’t fell from the stump base, and fudge factor on the long side is a good thing.
 
Spent the better part of the day at Lori’s folks. Phase 2 of storm clean up. Clearing hung up limbs from salvageable trees. American Linden (Basswood). Nice shade trees but useless firewood. Extremely low BTU rating. Spent the majority of the day on a ladder with my 192 top handle. Pulled out 3 loads of limbs/brush from just this one tree. The video pic is a screenshot as I’m not quite sure how to load them. Be safe fellas.
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Added to the stash late yesterday and today. Hauled home and stacked. Don’t have room to process so I’ll leave them in the round for a year or so. Hickory, Oak, and Cherry here.
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Damn, that's pretty Tom. I'm so late on the wood this year. I'll paint the school room I'm working on today and I should be back on the pile for a couple days
 
Just found this thread.
Cutting firewood is more fun than shooting sometimes lol.
Was going to go out this week, woods are closed for fires now.
Lots of people getting evacuated around here.
Loading the truck with preperations in case we evac, I was like I wonder how many other people load a 660 first, before food and water lol.
Anyway here's a pic from a few weeks ago . View attachment 7420448
That old growth fir is like gold around here 😀

Thats some large firewood !!
 
Steady rain this afternoon, so off to the shop . Learning to sharpen my own after all these years. Shops here are 2-3 weeks behind on sharpening here due to multiple storms.
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Steady rain this afternoon, so off to the shop . Learning to sharpen my own after all these years. Shops here are 2-3 weeks behind on sharpening here due to multiple storms.
View attachment 7433970

i just run a file, it isnt really necessary to use the guide. i do 1 side then spin saw and do the other side.
i wish i could explain how to sharpen the chain but i dont know the verbiage.
and after a few sharpens, drop those rakers
 
I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not 🤷🏼‍♂️😊
Commenting on the large size of the chips, nice file job on the chain.
Worth note mentioning, I buy the 12 packs of files in a box from Oregon chain, for less than 2 bucks a piece.
I hope to be on a saw later today, I'm so behind w the wood pile
 
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I'm a little bummed, I like to bring my firewood home from our cabin in the hills (1 hour away) in the fall when it cools off. I have around 20 cords cut, stacked, seasoned and under cover. I normally go threw 3-4 cord a year so I have about 5 years worth. Looks like a forest fire is going to take my cabin and wood supply, I'll know in a week or so.
 
I'm a little bummed, I like to bring my firewood home from our cabin in the hills (1 hour away) in the fall when it cools off. I have around 20 cords cut, stacked, seasoned and under cover. I normally go threw 3-4 cord a year so I have about 5 years worth. Looks like a forest fire is going to take my cabin and wood supply, I'll know in a week or so.

I wish you the best, Wildfire is the biggest fear I have where I'm at.

I have two burning near me, pictured is the one across the border from me in Wyoming. It flared up yesterday, and is nearly 100K acres in size.

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How do like the size of this pumpkin? Wood was so dense my 440 actually stuttered a couple times. Lot's of BTU's here. One of the few times I wish I had my 660 with me. I've been eyeballing this tree for a year now, wind blew it over earlier this Summer, so I guess it was time to turn it into firewood. Lodgepoles are typically not this big around here. The biggest one I've run across was 36" at the base. The stump is still there 16-years later. When they were excavating the hole for my foundation, the trackhoe couldn't even budge it, so it stayed in place.

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How do like the size of this pumpkin? Wood was so dense my 440 actually stuttered a couple times. Lot's of BTU's here. One of the few times I wish I had my 660 with me. I've been eyeballing this tree for a year now, wind blew it over earlier this Summer, so I guess it was time to turn it into firewood. Lodgepoles are typically not this big around here. The biggest one I've run across was 36" at the base. The stump is still there 16-years later. When they were excavating the hole for my foundation, the trackhoe couldn't even budge it, so it stayed in place.

View attachment 7436513

View attachment 7436523
If you get a chance, weigh one of those of those big rounds. I’m curious.
 
Wind is howling here today, so decided to split as I typically do that in the barn. Hickory, Oak, and Apple limb wood that is cut to 10” to go in the stove the short way. Should smell nice.
View attachment 7436268
Grew up with a grandmother and spinster sisters that cooked with a wood stove in NW Minnesota. I had to cut and stack all their cooking wood at 6". Ensured having coffee with sugar lumps whenever I came over...
 
If you get a chance, weigh one of those of those big rounds. I’m curious.

All split up shortly after getting back to the house. The rounds were heavy, I estimate them weighing between 125 and 150-lbs. 20" round where I started cutting So, 20" x 17.5" rounds. 12-feet down the tree, they were measuring 16" round.
 
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@riverside jeep - you in CO? Or further west?

Happy to drop some work and come help if you need.
Little further west, as in only 10 miles from dipping my toes in the pacific. But dang thanks for the offer! I actually have a son and son in law that need to know what end of the splitting maul to use.
 
Recommendations for a light splitting ax.

16-18 inch long all less than 12 inch diameter mostly oak.

My latest smoker won't draw well and needs smaller sticks.

I'm old and back is shot .

Some types will probably be better than others for that I suppose.

The 4lb ish spliter ax's are looking good as I can't swing the huge splitting maul 12lb + maybe near 20 lb my son handed me wort a damn.

And yes the old stick burner will be rebuilt as soon as I can.
 
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