officially firewood season has started for me

[Hinotori]

I'm grateful for our mostly mild, if wet, climate. Couple that with us liking it cooler and just a cord to cord and a half will get us through winter.

We're low on restoration priority so pellet stove isn't even a good option for us. We have gotten the pressed blocks when they were cheap for a pallet. I think it was $80 for it and it lasted all winter. Win win for us on work and cost

 

[cabinguy]

I have a splitting maul like that as well.

I prefer the gas splitter with all my health issues.

I have a little 3 lb hand kindling maul that works well for dividing chunks of cedar and fir smaller for the stove. Swinging something hammer size is easier on me than a full size maul.

Hinotori I love my Truper Ive given my Step Son and a couple Amish Friends one as a gift because it works so well. Ive thought about purchasing a kindling cracker for splitting kindling I understand it works well and is very safe it was designed and marketed by a 13 year old girl what a story.

https://www.kindlingcracker.com/

 

[baymule]

Now I want one of those.....and STILL don't have a fireplace! LOL

 

[Mini Horses]

For your 3 days of winter, who needs a fireplace?! Get a cute little firepit and a couple lounge chairs -- put on a sweater and enjoy.

 

[Hinotori]

Hinotori I love my Truper Ive given my Step Son and a couple Amish Friends one as a gift because it works so well. Ive thought about purchasing a kindling cracker for splitting kindling I understand it works well and is very safe it was designed and marketed by a 13 year old girl what a story.
View attachment 8285https://www.kindlingcracker.com/

Got one of those for my parents two christmases ago. Mom can't use the kindling maul, but she can manage that fine. She likes it

 

[baymule]

For your 3 days of winter, who needs a fireplace?! Get a cute little firepit and a couple lounge chairs -- put on a sweater and enjoy.

Ahem. I'll have you know that we had SNOW last year and it lasted THREE days. AND we had ICE that I had to break and haul hot water to melt the ice, for the animals to drink. SNOW is COLD!

 

[Mini Horses]

Bay, I'm looking for the violin playing emoji -- poor baby! Go buy the firepit.

TRULY, I know the evils of the cold. While we have a "reasonably" mild/decent winter, there are years when it is quite cold. Our "normal" winter is cold Jan/Feb, with at least 2 weeks of real cold, freeze on water troughs, exposed pipes, etc. Hauling water is the pits! I have several large tubs with electric built in to heat & they work great! But the cost is bad, bad, bad. One really cold winter it cost me $300 for the month -- extra from tubs. So. REALLY bad for several days, I plug a large one in to dip from. Or, I have plugged another where the most are housed, plugging in only for the night. Mostly, I haul jugs of steaming, like you. I'm not wanting those bills. If snow & freeze, I suck it up & use. Had a week last year with 2-3" frozen on tops, I used the heat a few days. Mostly we may get 2 snows, 1-2", lasts 2-3 days. About every 5 yrs or so, I see a foot snow. Area is down for 2 weeks!

 

[sumi]

I have a pile of branches that are waiting to get cut up for burning, but with my still sore wrist it's not happening yet. I'm considering buying a chainsaw for it. Very little of the wood is big enough to need splitting, but I have a nice little hatchet for the job IF my arm allows.

This winter I'm planning to burn mostly coal though. I found some Polish coal @ €14.75 per 40kg (just over 88 lbs) bag! That is really, really cheap. My house is not big and the layout allows me to heat it comfortably with just the wood burning stove.

 

[Beekissed]

We have an old orange steel maul, the name no longer is evident on the tool, so not sure what kind it is. Nowadays we use a splitter, as none of us have the shoulder joints enough to use a maul.

We use an old Swisher log splitter that we keep in good condition....looks brand new right now after Mom cleaned it up before the firewood season. We've been splitting on some giant trees that have fallen down this year, two of them are green pine we are putting in a dry out shelter for later use when it's dry and cured out.

 

[cabinguy]

We have an old orange steel maul, the name no longer is evident on the tool, so not sure what kind it is. Nowadays we use a splitter, as none of us have the shoulder joints enough to use a maul.

We use an old Swisher log splitter that we keep in good condition....looks brand new right now after Mom cleaned it up before the firewood season. We've been splitting on some giant trees that have fallen down this year, two of them are green pine we are putting in a dry out shelter for later use when it's dry and cured out.

Bee I understand about using the splitter I'm trying to resist because I hate the noise of the engine and smell of the gas and Hydraulic oil however I think in a few years age is going to win that battle and ill break down and use a splitter but until that time I'm skidding the logs with horses or my 1941 9n Ford , cutting rounds with my chain saw and splitting with my favorite maul. The past 8 years wood has provide 75-80% of my heat. I guess I use 3 - 4 cords a year all harvested from my woods mostly dead fall and never live trees. I guess I'm strange but I really do enjoy the whole process .
Llue skidding logs a few years ago