What In The Heck Was I thinking?

[TRAPnHUNT]

Last year I took down a box elder tree before the SOB fell on it's own. I cut it into 16", sections, left it to somewhat season so I could use it for burning outside in the fire pit. Well today I got a hair brain idea that I'm still young enough to where I can split the wood by hand with a maul & wedge. After splitting 5 good size logs, I said to myself "Self, are you done torturing yourself yet?" Now I know a number of guys who own their own hydraulic log splitters. Why didn't I just go borrow one of those instead and have my son come over and help? No need to answer this. Sometimes that bulb just isn't burning that bright!

[woodsman416]

Come on now, splitting wood is not so bad. I'm 47 and I've never used a hydraulic splitter. I only split about 4 cords a year but it's all done with an 8 lb maul. I even did a sweet gum last year but I'll never do that again!

[brian81]

I think splitting by hand is faster but using a would splitter is the way to go..

[dennis78]

I split all my wood by hand.I kind of enjoy it some times. It gets me away from the wife.

[fishleclair]

I used to split wood with my dad by axe and aul......Once we left left home (bro and I) he went and bought a splitter

[Admin]

I love splitting wood, both by hand and with a hydraulic splitter. Some wood splits easier than others though. The one thing I hate doing is what I did today, and that's sawing off stumps. I sawed about 60 stumps today and did it in the fricken rain

Talk about WTF was I thinking

[TRAPnHUNT]

JC,
Thats what dozers and backhoes are used for when cutting in roads!
Man... What were you thinking? LOL

[watershedman25]

My back and my wrist are bad so a couple yrs. ago I bought one of those "widowmakers" that go on the back of a tractor, hooks to the PTO, got a big cork screw on it. Man, it's bad, bad dangerous I mean. It willo work but it scares the crap out of me to use it

[patricimo54]

I have split a lot of wood with a maul, wedge and sledge, and even a heavy ball peen and wedge( what a mistake that was).

I have tried to heat with wood all my adult life as often as my living conditions would allow and have heated my home consistently with wood since Dec.,1989.

There comes a point in ones life that you decide to work smarter than harder. I purchased a log splitter last year? from TSC for right at $1,000. It has served me well.

I look at it as assurance/insurance, that if I go down, like I almost did last winter on the ice that because of the ease of operation my bride will have the means to "Keep the Home Fires Burning"

[coalbank]

After years of cutting, loading, unloading, spliting and stacking and the (glamor/ novelty) wears out along with the desire to beat ones self up doing it, I have found an alternitive.

Now I cut at my liesure when it's most convienent. The rest I build in my wood shop in the form of turkey calls which I trade for firewood. It takes sooo much less effort to pick up a board than a whole load of wood x2. and still enjoy a full supply of firewood.
We have an outdoor boiler system and burn aprox 20-25 cord yearly. Still put up 10-12 myself but getting less the more calls I make. ;D

I made a bench full of calls and sent a pic to my buddy with the caption reading:" A year of firewood in 4 days lol." He called me a politicly incorrect name

Know all to well the Sweet Gum.

[Admin]

Apr 13, 2011 18:49:14 GMT -5 TRAPnHUNT said:

JC,
Thats what dozers and backhoes are used for when cutting in roads!
Man... What were you thinking? LOL

I knew that was coming from you. Those exact words actually.

If I go in there andd pull all those stumps, I will have nothing but a half mile of mudholes to fill in. The place will be trashed from the heavy equipment and and will look like a wasteland, not to mention the cost of renting a dozer or track hoe. Even if I bury the stumps back in their holes, the place will be a soupy mess forever. I'm not attempting to drive in there with a truck, just ATV's. I have to cross a beaver dam as well. Cutting the stumps at ground level leaves the ground solid and untouched. If I tore the property all up and left it looking like it's been carpet bombed... then I'd be saying "WTF was I thinking"
Trust me, with all the water in the ground right now, digging the stumps out would be a stupid thing to do and would leave me with a lot more work in the long run.