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Make It Easy:  splitting firewood  |
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lelasfriend
True Blue Farmgirl
109 Posts
sara
baltimore
MD
USA
109 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 05 2009 : 06:32:18 AM
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| Now that winter is slowly leaving us I have many downed trees on the farm. I would sure like to split all that up for firewood. Can anyone recommend the best place to get inexpensive tools to do the job and the best techniques to split firewood when you are a small woman? How much wood makes a cord too? I am thinking of hauling some of it to the hay and firewood auction to make a little money for the farm and they need it by the cord. Thanks, Sara |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4188 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4188 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2009 : 04:43:53 AM
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I do believe a cord of wood is 4' x 4' x 8'. A face cord is 2x4x8. Using a splitting maul is the cheapest. It is a work out regardless of your size. If the wood splits easy, it is fun to do.
Michele |
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lelasfriend
True Blue Farmgirl
109 Posts
sara
baltimore
MD
USA
109 Posts |
Posted - Mar 08 2009 : 3:29:05 PM
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| Wow! I had such an amazing shift in attitude today. I feel on top of the world. I decided to just do it and split those logs. And I discovered that I could do it! It was so empowering. I feel like my confidence went way up and that I feel like I could try anything. Another mom and I did it together and she felt the same way. One of the things that helped us was after we split the log in half we leaned the half against a large tree to split it into quarters. That really helped keep it from toppling over. Anyway we have a whole pile of firewood now and are eager to do more. Wish I knew how to post a picture of our ecstatic faces! Sara |
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Duchess
True Blue Farmgirl
109 Posts
Iowa
USA
109 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2009 : 06:00:01 AM
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I have a book that shows making a frame to stack the wood in until you have a cord. Amazing the things we can do, once we put our minds to it. I truly believe we can do most anything, maybe not all that well, but still do it. Our own fears and negative attitudes hold us back. You have proved once again what can be done just by trying. Using the wedge and sledge hammer seems safest to me. Best of luck!!
http://theclarkhomestead.blogspot.com/
http://Duchess56051.etsy.com
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4188 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4188 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2009 : 6:08:24 PM
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Way to go girls. I was smiling reading that, and thinking........you want to feel impowered, use a chain saw. That is a great feeling. More power******! Sounds like your wood split easily. And it is great exercise, a "real" work out.
Michele |
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JulieJ
Farmgirl in Training
40 Posts
Julie
In The Trees
MD
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2009 : 04:36:44 AM
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| My DH got me a chainsaw for Valentines Day this year!! |
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NikkiBeaumont
True Blue Farmgirl
473 Posts
473 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2009 : 05:11:34 AM
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Sara, yay for your team! Love that you and a friend split that wood. Won't you just be grinning to yourself as you sit by a warm fire next winter! I'm proud of you!
My husband gathers fallen wood that he sees everywhere throughout tornado season down here, then in the fall we split it and stack it under the deck. We use a hydraulic log splitter that he made but I think you can rent them. This thing will split anything. We have some trunks of trees three feet in diameter and that thing goes through them like a hot knife through butter. Pretty cool. I don't man the splitter. My job is to roll those hunks of wood over to the splitter, then the kids have to throw the pieces into the trailer.
I appreciate this kind of marking time in the year, but the kids are getting older and they find it less and less enjoyable. Makes me think that I need to do something to make it more special. Maybe this fall I'll pack a picnic basket with some treats, instead of tossing them a Gatorade and ordering them to get to it. Ha!
Farmgirl Sister #554 |
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Carol
Moderator/MaryJane's Design Diva
452 Posts
Carol
Moscow
Idaho
USA
452 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2009 : 07:17:02 AM
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MaryJane has a fabulous tutorial in her first book: MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, and Lifebook for the farmgirl in all of us. She specifically addresses a technique for smaller women and tells you what kinds of tools you'll need. Here's a link to buy her book:
http://shopping.maryjanesfarm.org/s.nl/it.A/id.635/.f?sc=2&category=70
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, red wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming 'WOO HOO, what a ride!'"
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Make It Easy: splitting firewood |
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splitting firewood
