It may seem like winter is still a long way off, but now is the time to start preparing, especially if you burn wood as a heat source! My family was blessed to find a couple of downed oak trees with the help of a friend (due to a combination of weather and insects) which will be the bulk of our heat this coming winter.
While it may be free in that it didn't cost us money, it does cost us a bit of time, but the investment is well worth it! We borrowed a gas powered log splitter which allowed us to split the large oak pieces in a fraction of the time. And when my husband had to leave for the afternoon, the girls and I could still run it and split wood by ourselves. (However, I was plenty sore and tired from lifting HUGE pieces of heavy oak - most of which were larger than the photo below is showing!)
The splitter produced plenty of scraps that will be excellent for kindling to get fires started...
I like to store the scraps in a metal garbage can, but this time, I'm going to need a lot more than one trash can!
This month's issue of Mother Earth News (Oct./Nov. 2011) has an article on getting the most out of your firewood in case you want to pick up a copy on the newstand. I learned some good tips that I'm going to try out this year.
So far, we've barely made a dent in our wood supply... lots more to split! What a wonderful problem to have!!
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I love your blog and so enjoy reading what you and the other homesteaders have been up to! We purchased a log splitter a few years ago and what a difference it makes. Did you know you can tilt the splitter down on the ground and not have to lift the wood up to split it? It makes it a lot easier and faster to split.
ReplyDeleteMy newphew actually "split" his finger with one of those log spliters, so have your kids be careful. My sister still uses it, however, it was an important "lesson" for her boys. Blessings from Wisconsin
ReplyDeleteWe've been doing a lot of wood lately too. We don't heat the whole house, but we use it as a house backup and we use it for our garage and workshop. While no work is "great," I've actually enjoyed it because it's definitely something we can all work on together as a family and feel accomplished with.
ReplyDeletePeggy, LOL... I just figured that out yesterday! AFTER the fact! No matter... we still have plenty to do and I'll be tilting it down to see how that works for us, but it may require more bending over (and I have a hiatal hernia), so we'll see... I found that once I lifted the wood, I could set it on those things on the side and roll it over into place without bending over again. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteDicky Bird - good warning! I actually got my finger caught between the wood and a piece of metal over on the side, but got it out quick enough before it got smashed! It was a good warning to us all!
Va_grown, you're so right! I loved how my girls felt like that had done something really important to help the family (worthy work!), and my 13 year old got to actually run the controls - helped her to feel responsible; that we could trust her with a very "adult" job. It was good on many levels!
Sadly, the bad air in the southern San Joaquin Valley does not allow for much wood burning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, Amy. Today I linked up a post on how to make pear wine, just one of the many things fermenting on my counter right now. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the idea to store the chips in a trash can. That might help with the "bugs" my DH is concerned will get into the house/studs. etc. 5 gallon pails with lids wont hold as much, but may work for the short term. Then, I suppose, you must watch for mold and mildew -- too airtight. Hmmm. :)
ReplyDeleteAunt Lou, since it's SUPER dry here, we don't have to worry about mold or mildew, but anyone living where humidity is an issue, might have a better solution. I could see how it would build up if any moisture got in there!
ReplyDeleteYay, I participated! Took me long enough ;) Amy, I always enjoy my visits here -- it's just like coming home. Your wood pile is looking great! Since my hubs just had another back surgery, I'm getting to do lots more of this wood business.. and actually I love it. We knew we'd definitely need a log splitter from here on out, so luckily we got a great deal on one earlier this year. Fun to use too.. don't ya think? ;) PTL for good friends too! -Tammy
ReplyDeleteWow, Your oak wood is gorgeous!!!! Nice photos. Your splitter is serious!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my. Can we borrow your splitter?! That is a job that we have to look forward to as well. We have three trees down that have to be cut up and then a friend has asked that we come cut up 5 trees that were brought down by a storm this past Spring. Lots of wood for the new wood stove but I have a feeling my chiropractor fees are going to go up!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm posting about fall cookin'...my favorite time of year to cook!
ReplyDeleteAwwww, Tammy... you made my day!! Thank you! I actually had lots of fun splitting the wood and can't wait to do more! I'm just needing some more racks and the truck won't deliver them to town for another two weeks! I think I'll just cut and make a pile, then the girls can stack later. (Or I might to keep my waist in shape!) So glad you linked up, friend!!
ReplyDeleteAmy, I would LOVE to have a wood-splitter like yours!
ReplyDeleteMy poor hubby injured both hands at work this year and hand splitting our wood pile gives him trouble now.
What a great sense of satisfaction you must have to see your lovely timber stacked up like that!
Thanks for hosting.
blessings..Trish
I miss having a fire in our fireplace. We just haven't had time for the past few years to collect free firewood, nor do we have a good vehicle for hauling it home.
ReplyDeleteThe other articles on the cover of Mother Earth News look equally interesting! I'd love to get a root cellar going!
This week I shared a recipe for homemade tartar sauce that can be completely homemade depending on what's in the pantry.