The Cycle of the Seasons – Fall

Not unlike the cycle of life things happen around here that denotes the cycle of the seasons. Case in point, farmers have already started the second cutting of hay. Male deer are starting to congregate into bachelor herds. Canning jars are laying about the kitchen table as canning starts and the whine of chain saws and log splitters can be sporadically heard as you drive about. All signs that the summer is coming to its end.

Second cutting

One item that I have spoken about in the past is cutting, splitting, and stacking one’s firewood for the winter. That is the project I am working on currently. I wrote an article back in January 2019 about the process that I use titled, Heating With Wood. The article goes into great detail of what I do and the cost savings of processing your own fire wood.

Back in March right at the beginning of the pandemic, I had the diesel tank filled that my hobby farm neighbor and I share and ordered a tri-axle load of hard wood logs. I wanted to get the best price on off road diesel fuel which we did. Have you noticed that diesel is climbing as fall approaches? I also wanted to get a head start on our heat for the winter because I knew that logs would rise in price and become less available in August, as demand will rise partly do to the deteriorating political landscape.

I bought our tri-axle of logs for $675- this year, $25- up from last year. You can get about 10-cords of wood from a load +/- a half cord. We use 6 to 7-cords a year depending on the severity of the winter. Last year (2019-2020) we only used 5 ½-cords. Yup, a mild winter for our AO. Last week while at our bible study class one of the men was complaining that he had just received his tri-axle load of logs which he ordered in June at the cost of $750-. It is good to be ahead of the curve. That applies to many things like ammo, canning jars, extra lids, etc.

After looking at that big pile of logs for months now, I just can’t wait for the lumber jack elves to come out of the forest and cut the logs into usable firewood lengths for me like the cobbler who had the shoe elves finish his projects. It was time to fire up the chain saws and get to work.

Several weeks ago, I dropped off to the Husqvarna dealer eight chains to be sharpened. Yes, I sharpen my chains with a file as needed during the cutting phase but there is nothing like starting with sharp chains. When I dropped off the chains there were three sets in front of me. When I came back to pick up the sharpened chains there were over fourteen sets to be sharpened and I was told the shop was two weeks behind. In front of the curve again.

Once home I put a set of the newly sharpened chains on my Echo chain saw, gassed her up and filled the oil reservoir. Three pulls later the old beast fired right up. It pays to use non-ethanol gas and to make sure you drain your chain saw at the end of the season. As already mentioned, I have an Echo 18-inch and a Stihl 20-inch chainsaw. I prefer the Echo because it is lighter than the Stihl and it seems to start easier with the manual choke versus the Stihl’s automatic choke.

Just a short commercial here. Only use non-ethanol gas in your outside gas-powered tools. Yes, it costs more, 30 to 40-cents more per gallon however, what you will spend today you will save in repair bills in the future. Plus, the added benefit is that your tools will fire right up when you need them to. If you do not know where to find non-ethanol gas, just do a search for your AO. Also, most motorcycle shops like Cycle Gear sell the gas in five-gallon cans.

Back to the task at hand. I try to cut ½ cord of logs every other day. Stack the logs cut on the off day and when I have the desired quantity stacked, I then start the splitting process. A cord equals about 85 cut logs. This year my goal is to cut six cords of wood so that comes out to about 500, 20 to 22-inches logs in length. Perfect for my Jotul F-500 wood stove.

Jotul with beef barley soup on top

In the past when I was new to this seasonal project I use to just cut away and the law of physics would have whole logs roll down as I cut. Eventually the logs would resettle but if I wasn’t fast enough I could trip and fall or my leg might get caught between logs which was always exciting with a running chain saw in hand. I now think ahead and pull down enough logs from the stack with a chain and my tractor for my next cut.

Chain hooked to ‘key’ log and tractor

 

Quarter of a cord now in position to cut

 

Quarter of a cord of logs cut and ready to stack

For the most part I stack the logs by hand however, on occasion do to the diameter of the log and the close space I have to work in it is easier and safer to remove the cut log using a chain and tractor. Once it is picked up, I move it over to where the log splitter is located.

Moving some of the heavier logs

In closing, what are you and your family or tribe doing to get ready for this winter? What is your cycle of the seasons? With China on the brink of starvation, with AntiFa and BLM in the streets along and a rapidly mentally declining man on the DEM’s side running for president howw are you preparing for winter? This winter is going to be one that you will be telling your grandchildren about while sitting at a fire about a generation from today? Get in gear and get it done.

Freedom Through Self-Reliance â„¢

 

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About the Author: johnyMac

16 Comments

  1. Anonymous August 18, 2020 at 10:31

    5

  2. Matt August 18, 2020 at 10:34

    JohnyMac,

    Do you have a recommended wood stove vendor online, or was it a local purchase? I’d like one that can be used both for home heating and cooking, which your’s appears to do. Thanks for the good information.

    Matt

    • johnyMac August 18, 2020 at 19:34

      Matt, what I did was focus on the state closest to me that did not charge sales tax. At the time it was NH. Saved ~$200- vs buying in RI or PA. The dealership was close to the route I took to PA, while building the cabin, from RI.

      I have owned 2, Jotul wood stoves. One at our house in RI and of course the F-500 we own now. They are not cheap but they are awesome. Every year when the chimney guy comes, he is always impressed with my lack of creosote and the Jotul in general. The one at the cabin is side and front loaded. 95% of the time we use the side door. That way we can use full sized logs.

      Although we bought a propane stove with pilot light – illegal to sell in the USA anymore thanks to Obama – We use the wood stove in the winter several times a week to make stews, soups, pot roast, etc. Ye’ can’t beat it.

      73 & God Bless

      • Matt August 18, 2020 at 22:32

        Thanks so much,

        Matt

  3. Alan Burquist August 18, 2020 at 11:20

    We do our firewood cutting in the late spring, early June at the latest.. So we don’t have to work in the summer heat, and the wood has longer to dry out.. We have about 12cord out there, easily enough for 3 winters, so didn’t need to do it this year.. For wood we just call the chip mill, they send a full 8yard dumptruck, was $350 the last time, a couple years ago.. Mostly Alder and Maple, some Fir rejected by the sawmills for whatever reason.. Logs can be 1 to 4 feet thick 12 to 16ft long..

    I just have the driver back in, and dump it in the usual spot.. Break out the Peaveys and Buck away!
    I have 3 saws, but I live in Loggerville USA so it is pretty normal around here to have a selection of chainsaws..
    Husky51 rancher 20″, Stihl 044 Magnum 28″, and a Stihl 088 Magnum 36″.. I use premium pump gas in the Husky, but I use VP Race Gas for the high compression Stihls.. Mixed 50:1 with Golden Spectro premix.. Same exact thing I use in my Vintage Dirtbikes.. And I use 50wt Kendall for bar oil..

    We like our wood cut shorter than most, 10″ or so.. Easier to split, and easier to regulate the woodstove.. Works in the smoker too! My favorite splitting tool is a Norlund NW Trailblazer double bit axe.. Beautifully polished from years of use.. And we have a great 5ft wide Fir round, for our splitting block.. I swing the axe, and my wife sets up for me.. Once we get going it’s like a well oiled machine..

    Yep, crickets are chirping, I can hear the frogs in my neighbors pond.. Coolness in the morning air reminds me of back to School time.. Salmon/Steelhead season is on, and Deer season is coming soon!

    • johnyMac August 18, 2020 at 19:53

      Amen Alan Burquist. Sounds like you got things well in hand. Great Job.

      I miss steelhead. We have had NO GOOD salmon or steelhead since we left Seattle. MrsMac loves white salmon and we do not get it anymore. :-( Heck we do not get Dungeness crab or King Crab either anymore. Use to put traps out for Dungess and when our best friend would come back from Alaska – he was half owner in a crab boat – he would give us such a big bag of white king crab that barely fit in our small freezer.

      Okay, okay, enough…I am hungry now.

      Thanks for sharing.

      73 & God Bless

  4. BePrepared August 18, 2020 at 11:24

    Due to rural Vol FF service I keep two Husky 51s in hard cases with bar oil, spare chain, plug and a 2L can of 50:1 fuel ready to go. Frequently with large southern thunderstorms we have to start cutting from either end of the county roads and meet in the middle. About four years ago I moved off the ethanol pump gas (up to 10%) to 100% gasoline (treated with stabilizer) and noticed immediate reliability improvements. About two years ago I started using the canned 50:1 fuels after seeing huge improvements in the FD gear (FD switched to the 50:1 canned fuel a year before) plus it stores well. I’ve not had a problem starting the saws ever since I moved to 100% fuels (and even higher octane fuels) and the mean time between carburetor rebuilds has gone up drastically.

    • johnyMac August 18, 2020 at 19:55

      Amen BePrepared. No ethanol gas is the way to go. I use it now in my my Ford 9n Frankenstein tractor too. Saves a lot of maintenance time.

      73 & God Bless

  5. Pineslayer August 18, 2020 at 17:09

    I acquired a 500 fuel tank and just got it set up, just in case.
    I will start splitting wood soon, not in a big hurry as I have a couple seasons worth ready to go, but 3-4 seasons is my sweet spot.
    We have about 40 cords ready to be split at the ‘bone yard’ from previous excursions.
    My girls don’t like to be cold :)
    It comes in really handy for trading too.
    Keep your head on a swivel, it could be a rough winter.

  6. Old South August 18, 2020 at 18:02

    Got the Fall/Winter garden planted today. Collards, beets, rutabagas, cabbage, lettuce, and salad greens. Pumpkins should be ready by mid-October. Potatoes will be dug in 1-2 weeks. Carrots and broccoli coming along nicely. Something tells me we’re gonna need ’em.

  7. Alan Burquist August 18, 2020 at 18:46

    Heya johnyMac,
    A couple loggers tools you might consider buying.. Didn’t see any in the pics..

    Peavey is a log handling tool, a steel lever about 6ft long, with a hook that has a tooth on it.. The hook goes over the log, grabbing it with the tooth on the back side, the front side has a spike that digs in, giving you solid grip, and leverage on the log.. Much like a spanner wrench.. The second tool is a log jack, which is the same as a Peavey, but has a T/bar foot added.. Grab the log, and push the handle to the ground, forming a triangle stand, so it lifts and holds the log in the air to be bucked..

    They don’t cost too much, and sure make the whole job go hella faster!

  8. Heating with Wood… | NORSE DEFENSE August 19, 2020 at 10:52

    […] The Cycle of the Seasons – Fall […]

  9. Jackalope in TN August 19, 2020 at 12:45

    Though we don’t burn wood in our main house, we do have a stove in one of our cabins. Even though it’s more work, I like having a woodstove, because I know I can keep it fed. I’ve got a bunch of wood I need to buck up before winter, but it’s no rush, as the cold weather starts later here. We’ll be planting winter greens soon in the greenhouse. And by October I’ll have to bring in our dwarf lime, lemon and orange trees for the winter. my wife keeps purchasing tropical plants, so we’ll also have some banana and pomegranate plants inside this year. I’m looking forward to some crisp mornings.

    • johnyMac August 19, 2020 at 21:31

      I’m coming to your house for sure Jackalope ;-)

      Hey, we have to catch up on the HF one night.

      Take car Brother.

  10. Michael August 19, 2020 at 17:53

    JohnyMac have you ever looked into building yourself a Rocket Mass heater? I’ve helped a couple of my friends build them. Very Efficient, uses crap green pine and storm damaged bits and burns then full throttle for max heat and near zero smoke or creosote. A poor mans version of the Scandinavian tile stove. Most of the cost is labor and some fire brick, although a stainless steel barrel makes a very long lasting system as in decades. My friends living in ID went from burning 10+ cords of seasoned hardwoods to keep the log cabin warm to 3+ cords of green pine.

    Not a fast take the chill off the house stove. Keep your iron stove for that.

    A very heavy stove, needs to be built on the ground-slab as it s the MASS that adsorbs that super hot burn and slowly releases that heat for almost 24 hours. I’ve even helped install a pre-heater for the homes hot water system running through that mass. Safe because the water in those pipes never gets to boiling with all that mass adsorbing it. We still installed a pressure relief valve but it’s never over the past decade ever sputtered.

    Permes.com has a free sign up bonus for a good working set of plans for a 6 inch Rocket Mass Heater (diameter of the stove pipe used). They are old hippies but very down to earth otherwise. I’ve never gotten spam from them.

    BTW if you choose to post on permies no politics there Ok? They will ban you.

    • johnyMac August 19, 2020 at 22:09

      Michael, I am aware of the rocket mass heater and actually looked into building one at our cabin before we started the project. I read about them in John Vivan’s book titled Wood heat.. Although a very good burning and efficient design, it does not have the intrinsic vale that a wood stove does. Another interesting design along the wood stove option is a Hearthstone type of wood stove using soap stone rather than cast iron. I would have loved to go with that but it was double the Jotul in price and i was over-road by a higher authority. With that written, the Jotul is lined with firebrick which a lot of Tractor Supply types are not.

      Thanks for bringing that good alternate suggestion up.

      73 & God Bless

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