wood, splitted

[low_delta]

Thursday I had my nephew help me split the wood I got back in April. Friday I stacked about half of it. Then a little on Saturday. Then most of the rest on Monday, and I finished it up today. This evening I covered most of it with tarps.

This free firewood is awfully expensive. It cost me about $65 for the splitter, and the same for my nephew's help. $40 for the tarps, which probably won't last as long as the wood. $40 for five new fenceposts. So that's $210 right there. I wish I could determine how much burning the wood saves me per month in heating bills. $100 a year, maybe?

Here's what I started with:



Two rows of rounds, A big pile of longer pieces on this end, plus another pile of them in the middle. And the really big ones on the far end.


Here's the splitter, next to the really big pieces.


I was able to set the splitter vertically, which was good, because I don't know how I would have lifted most of those big pieces up there. But it was still a lot of work, because instead of just setting the log down on the splitter, and then rotating it once the cut was made, I had to manhandle the piece into a new position after every cut, and hold it there.




Jake, when we were starting the second row.


When that row was finished.

Here's what I ended up with:


Three rows here. Two are old, the leftmost row was newly split. I estimate these three rows will last two years, maybe into the third winter.


Two long rows, two short rows. In between is all the junk wood that was in the shed. I'll split it into kindling once the new shed is up.


I saved the two biggest pieces. You can see one there in the middle, between the rows. I might try to make a table or something out of them.


It looks more impressive from this end, since you can't see the pile of junk in between.

Comments

[sunshine-two.livejournal.com]

Good job!

[mummm.livejournal.com]

Wow! That's a LOT of work! I hope it pays off for you! You could sell some of it...

You're very tired, right?
"Splitted" = Split

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

;-)

[katbyte.livejournal.com]

I am pretty sure you would be surprised how much that saves you in winter. (No fireplace here in Florida)

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I hope so. When I first started using the fireplace extensively, I only saw a $10 drop, but that was just a guess, since you never really know how much of your energy usage goes where.

[cleobatya.livejournal.com]

Great exercise!!!

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I was in pain the next couple of days.

Also, I threw a lot of that wood to get it from the pile over to where I stacked it. I threw it all different ways, using all my different arm muscles.

[ravenfeather.livejournal.com]

That is a LOT of wood! Is that just one tree? I am so glad you saved some of those beautiful pieces for furniture of some kind.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Three trees. He's got several more that will come down next year. I'm not sure what he or I will do with them.

[rivendweller.livejournal.com]

It depends on how efficient your wood heater is. You saw mine. It has a fan built-in. That helps.

Just one visit from the propane truck costs about $450 here. If I don't use the wood at all, and use the propane exclusively during a cold winter, I can expect about six weeks before the stupid truck shows up again. I can put that off until Spring if I basically turn off the propane heater and just rely on wood for house heat.

I think you will save more money that you realize, Kevin.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I hope so. Last winter I ran it whenever we were home - evenings and weekends. I didn't see a significant change in our gas bill.