This is going to be a quick post for my first wood haul of the season I'll post more later on I'm tired. :sleep:First load.Second load...

I consume about 9-10 cords a year. But remember there is 2 houses here to heat. No propane, no electric heaters just good ol' fashion wood heat. I don't have the luxury of twisting up the thermostat and having heat. I've got to stuff the stove and light the fire. Yes. I do split it before winter. This stuff is still wet from the snow and rains. I'm plaining on going out some more and loading up with a few cords extra. The hot weather is coming hopefully next week we'll jump into the high 80's or low 90's. Give a week of that and then start cracking rounds.

Is this alpine fir AKA white fir? If so, I think its alot easier to split wet.. But that stuff don't really make alot of heat. Didn't you have a log splitter? So what are you doing to cook food? Do you have a wood cook stove, too?! When I was doing wood, I'd wait for the rounds to check and then get to splitting...

Is this alpine fir AKA white fir?

No. It's not white fir. It's a sub-family for the spruce family very similar.

But that stuff don't really make alot of heat.

Great. That's fine with me. I'm tired of cleaning chimney because of choking down red fir too much to keep from roasting to death.

So what are you doing to cook food?

Electric range in the kitchen. We are not that back woods. I do have electric heat in the ceiling but that is way too expensive to use being it heats the crawl space in the roof more than the room. That's been disabled years ago.

When I was doing wood, I'd wait for the rounds to check and then get to splitting...

Just started to check... I'll get started some time next week.

Just started to check... I'll get started some time next week.

What do you guys mean buy "Checking"? Most of our wood is best split in the dead of winter to make clean splits other wise our wood on the plains is very stringy and hard work to split although I do split most in the summer it sucks big time.

This is checking..[ATTACH]5681[/ATTACH]Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

What do you guys mean buy "Checking"? Most of our wood is best split in the dead of winter to make clean splits other wise our wood on the plains is very stringy and hard work to split although I do split most in the summer it sucks big time.

:thumb1: Amen to that, Brother! I won't even attempt to split American red elm unless it's 0* or colder!

:thumb1: Amen to that, Brother! I won't even attempt to split American red elm unless it's 0* or colder!

Our Red fir and pine are reverse of that.The hotter and drier the weather the easier its to split the wood. If it even cold or damp then the wood is very stringy and PITA to rip apart.

Most of the hardwood I split with my Fiskars X25 splitting axe, splits easiest whilst wet, or fresh cut. Give it a few weeks after cutting, and it's a painus in the anus to split. This does not apply if I cut and split wood near 0* temps however.

Our Red fir and pine are reverse of that.The hotter and drier the weather the easier its to split the wood. If it even cold or damp then the wood is very stringy and PITA to rip apart.

Red fir is my most fav. to split! Such a wonderful smell splitting it...

Just a few pix of my morning "wood" gathering !!!!:lol:Michael.........I still say you've got it easy bucking the wood that you do.This was almost 4 hours work this AM.As I said prior.............even my "straight" wood is "crooked"!!!!!

Well this trip went wrong from the get go.

[*]Forgot my 2 front headache rack boards.

[*]When I attempt to fall the tree it sat back and bound the bar. Had to beat wedges in to free the saw.

[*]The some where coming down the road I had a flat tire.

So when I got back toward home I swung into a family friend place and dump the load off in her yard. Yeah! I gave the load away to a friend free of charge.

I'm tired...

Just a few pix of my morning "wood" gathering !!!!

In your second picture, it looks like you've stacked them in single rick rows. T posts on the end, good idea. Now, if you want more stability, cross-stack your wood every 8 ft.

In your second picture, it looks like you've stacked them in single rick rows. T posts on the end, good idea. Now, if you want more stability, cross-stack your wood every 8 ft.

I tried that.........but with the gnarly, crooked wood I split, it's actually more stable this way. If I split nice straight grained wood that I could get nice, even square splits from..........yeah, it's a "no-brainer" for sure. Thanks though!!!!

In your second picture, it looks like you've stacked them in single rick rows. T posts on the end, good idea. Now, if you want more stability, cross-stack your wood every 8 ft.

Other view.