Burning Season Begins!

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So today was the day. A warm October and November in northeast Ohio permitted me to delay firing up my Hardy H2 until the third week in November. This afternoon I threw some kindling and a fire-starter into the OWB and in about an hour the water temperature was up to 170 degrees. Our house is now receiving its heat from the Hardy. Burning season has begun!
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I still have wood to stack and some organizing to do around the wood shed and I plan on doing that tomorrow. The weather man is calling for cold and rain for most of next week so I hope to get it done Sunday. This will be our 5th winter heating with the Hardy. So far this fall we have been using the propane to heat the house . I have to lower the level in my 500 gallon propane tank because I want it relocated in the spring for some "barn renovation." Even though I have a supply of wood to last for 2 years I still want the propane for back-up in case the Hardy quits working...you know, redundancy.
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That's all for now. I notice my clothes smell like wood smoke! Ah, the joys of heating with wood!
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OWB

Ash, The Firewood Of Kings

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I was having another boring day at my day-job...you know how that goes. My cell phone rang and it was my friend calling...he owns a huge farm out my way. The township had cut up a bunch of ash trees by the power lines on his property and the crew took the extra step to cut them into firewood length. They left them laying by the side of the road. "If they are still there after you get home you can have it all," he said. Hmm...free wood...ash...laying by the side of the road...sounds like Disney Land for OWB! The remaining time at work crept by...I watched the clock go tick, tick, tick...Oh I hate the anxiety of waiting...would the wood be there when I got home? Is it really ash...the greatest firewood on earth...The Firewood of Kings?
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I got home, loaded up the truck and drove out to his place. No less than 1/2 mile from my house was the freshly cut ash...all piled next to the road. It was all there and it was all mine! Major score! Small victory for the Ohio Woodburner! I love ash. It is an absolute joy to split with a maul, it seasons fast, and burns hot. Around these parts, if you are the type to sell firewood you can get a premium price for split ash...its that nice to have. Here is a picture of one of the two heaping loads of ash I got this day.
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I normally remove my tool box from my truck when I haul wood but this ash was literally a half mile down my quiet country road I live on. I was able to cram a lot of wood into the bed on each load since I wouldn't be driving out onto a main road. Below is a picture of the second load after I unloaded. When cut, ash is white in color and doesn't have much aroma. It is a pretty dry wood even when green so it can get pretty powdery when you are cutting it with your saw. I recommend you clean out your air filter after you cut up some ash because the small dust can clog it up.

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Here is a picture of the second load after I dumped it on the ground. In the background you can see some fresh split cherry. This was split by my Fiskars Super Splitter and was a lot of fun. Cherry is a blast to split...still not as fun as ash...but cherry, to me, has the best aroma of any wood when its cut or split. It is addicting. Sometimes, when I'm not busy I will walk out to my wood pile and smell the split wood. On certain days when the wind is blowing from the perfect direction, I can catch a whiff of my wood pile when I'm working in the barn.

Ohio's weather is still cooperating with me and my wood acquisition so I am continuing to bring in wood whenever I can get it. I have yet to fire up my OWB because we are supposed to have 60 degree weather next week. I am heating with propane until the day I fire up the Hardy. I plan to keep cutting, splitting and stacking before the snow flies and moth-ball my truck for winter. I will probably fire up the Hardy H2 next weekend. Sounds like a reason to throw a party.

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OWB.

Bringing Home The Heat

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A neighbor of my parents had three trees that were dying and he asked if I would cut them down for him...I could keep the wood. On the face of it, this appears to be a good deal but if you have cut down trees before you quickly realize that cleaning up all the limbs is a HUGE amount of work...and if your time is valuable...the wood you gain is not enough to off-set your labor. But, in this case, the old neighbor is a friend and I was happy to help. This gave me a chance to run my new Dolmar 7900 and use my Fiskars Super Splitter on the large rounds I cut. The trees were a big black cherry and two ash. Both of which make excellent firewood. I love both cherry and ash, they are a joy to split and I love the smell that cherry gives off when its cut and split. My buddy next door offered to bring his backhoe over to help me fell the trees. I would cut and he would push with his machine. They were too close to the power lines for my skill level as a tree feller so I was grateful for his help. Here he is with his machine waiting for me to put down my camera and fire up my saw.

We got all three trees safely, and quickly to the ground and from there I fired up my Husqvarna 346XP and started limbing.

The ash tree is closest to me...the cherry is in the background. Please note my personal protection equipment (PPE). My helmet with face screen, safety glasses, chainsaw gloves, chaps and steel toe boots. Please do not run a saw without your PPE.

I was able to haul away three truck loads of firewood from this job. Again, the branches were a pain. I had to pull them to the middle of his yard and make a large pile to burn at a later date. I did get a lot of wood. I noticed many of the other neighbors came out to watch. I'm sure they were checking out my saws and thinking just how cool I must be!

Below is a picture of the wood once I got it home to my house. I pile my wood next to my Hardy H2 outdoor wood boiler (OWB). One of the benefits of an OWB is you can dump your wood next to the furnace avoiding the need to lug it into the basement. This saves a lot of back breaking work. Not to mention you keep all the bugs, dirt, and ash out of your house. The cherry is the darker wood on the right. The ash is to the left. It is much lighter, almost white when split.

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I hope you have been doing well and have been getting in your wood. I have a feeling the cold weather is just around the corner.
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OWB

Looking Good In The Woods

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I like to surf the internet and spend my fair share of time on YouTube watching chainsaw related videos. There are some really cool videos of people cutting down trees, cutting up firewood, or just showing off their new saw. It’s pretty fun and I have learned a lot just watching these. The more I visit sites dedicated to woodcutting, chainsaws etc. the more I stumbled upon a clothing company who makes duds for people who climb trees or work with chainsaws. Arborwear is their name and…here’s what’s really cool…they happen to be headquartered in my back yard of Northeast Ohio! Their website was pretty inviting and they seemed to be a down to earth company so I stopped out at their place to find they have an outlet store. Wow…pretty cool! I picked up a couple pair of pants and this really cool chainsaw shirt pretty cheap. I never find shirts that have chainsaws on them without some perverted reference of the word “wood” so I was excited to pick this one pictured above.
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I had my new shirt on the other day when I was visiting a land owner to discuss his trees he was giving me for firewood. While I was talking with him his dog, evidently bothered by the menacing “crossed chainsaws” motif on my shirt, decided to attack me. He jumped on me causing me to twist away. The fierce animal latched onto my shirt and ripped it. Scary, when I think about it now. I was close to losing a portion of my mid-section to this beast. If I decide to return to this lot to cut up trees I will bring along some “protection” if this dog decides to come back. Here is a close-up of the damage. It's a good thing this dog was a Poodle or otherwise it could have really caused damage!


I will post some other pictures of my new pants later. I’m really impressed with Arborwear’s quality and the thought that goes into their products. Yes, having an awesome saw like the Dolmar 7900 in the woods is important…but looks count for something too. Oh, how my wife can resist me I’ll never know.
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OWB

The Dolmar 7900

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Say hello to my little friend!
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Well, the deed is done. I added the Dolmar 7900 to my stable of chainsaws. Through my experiences cutting wood I recognized the need for a bigger saw, a longer bar, and something really cool. Let me tell you…there isn’t a better, more powerful chainsaw for the money in the world than the Dolmar 7900. Not only does the Dolmar win a trophy for its good looks, it is unmatched in its power, performance and price tag for a professional grade saw. Dolmars are made in Germany and they have been making gas powered chainsaws for over 80 years. They lack the market presence that Stihl or Husqvarna have but don't let that prevent you from buying one. Dolmar's are a superb machine and have earned their respect in the woods.
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Last year I blogged about my experience with a loaned 7900 and I was very impressed. I immediately recognized how much more productive my woodcutting would be if I had a saw such as this one. Please know that I love all chainsaws…it doesn’t matter if it is a Stihl, Husqvarna, Poulan, Echo or Fisher Price…I love them all. I have looked around and tried different saws, spoke with a lot of informed people and just knew the Dolmar was for me.
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Here is my obligatory picture of my new purchase in front of the fireplace. Yes, I went with the HD filter upgrade because I plan to do some milling with this saw.

The next picture below is a close up. From this side you can see the decompression valve. It's the blue button just left of the started rope. The decompression valve helps make starting the saw easier as it releases cylinder compression when you are pulling on the rope. When the saw fires up, the valve closes. Pretty slick. This Dolmar is 79 cc and weighs around 18 pounds with the bar and chain. It is rated at 6.3 horsepower and will run around 13,500 rpm's. You can also see the HD filter and how it is held on with two clips. This makes access to your air filter easy when you are in the woods...no tools necessary. I went with a 24 inch bar and an Oregon LGX chain.

So...I know what you're asking. How did it run? Well, it ran like a monster. My first time with the Dolmar I cut up a big locust I had tangled with in the spring. It measured 26 inches but the "Big Red Machine" quickly dispatched the log into rounds of firewood. What I love about this saw is, yes it is very powerful, but at the same time has the best anti-vibration (av) of any saw I have ever run. This includes the Husqvarna 372 XP and the Stihl MS 440. Here is a picture of the locust I broke the Dolmar in with.

Don't be confused with its Husqvarna bar. I saved a couple bucks going with it. Hey...every penny counts! I complained the first two tanks of fuel I ran through this saw that the exhaust fumes were potent and gave me a headache. As the saw has broken in I have noticed the fumes are less and I haven't experienced any need for aspirin. I am just hoping this was from its break-in as I have used the same can of mix for it.

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When you cut big wood, unless you are superhuman, the rounds are too big to lift into your truck so a little trick is to cut the logs into quarters buy "noodling" them with the saw. The Dolmar 7900 may be the best noodler in the business. To noodle you lay the log on its side like your are going to roll it. You then lay your bar from end to end and cut thru the log. This makes long, curly shavings...or "noodles" that accumulate on the ground.

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Here is a picture of a locust round I had just noodled. Pretty sweet looking!

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A big saw like the Dolmar 7900 may not be something you need or want but I hope this gives you some ideas for a saw to fit your needs. Compared to other saws in its class the Dolmar is relatively light. But to be lugging it around all day you have to admit it is a little heavy. You wouldn't be using this saw to prune or limb trees all day long. This saw is for bucking big wood and felling big trees. You can't imagine how powerful this saw is until you use it. If your previous chainsaw experience is with a little green Poulan or Craftsman...you would not imagine how this saw cuts until you put it in your own hands. Please, if you run a chainsaw, wear your personal protective equipment (PPE) . Safe cutting should be your goal and its the only way you can come back tomorrow and run your saw some more.

Now if you will excuse me...I have some big trees to cut up.

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OWB

Sharp Chains...Game of Logging

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Yesterday I had an opportunity to attend a seminar on chainsaw safety held in the parking lot of my local Husqvarna/Dolmar dealer. It was a pretty neat deal that came with a free lunch and a bunch of free hand outs such as T-shirts, hats, saw accessories etc. And since this was a free event…you couldn’t beat the price! The speaker, Kevin Snyder, is a certified safety instructor from the Game of Logging, which if you haven’t heard of before, is an organization that promotes safe chainsawing thru education and competition events. Kevin is also a professional logger and was a pretty cool dude. He was very passionate about his profession and had the look, and attitude of a logger. While he had more knowledge about trees, wood, and saws in his pinky than what I have in my whole body I found him very humble and he viewed every question or comment as not only a chance to teach but also for him to learn as well. We need more people like him in this world...
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Anyhow…
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Kevin was very passionate about safety and wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when ever you use a saw. He taught us the proper use of PPE, safe saw handling techniques, proper saw maintenance, chain sharpening, tree felling, limbing, and bucking techniques. Interesting to me was how much time he spent on the proper way to sharpen the chain on your saw. While everything he discussed ultimately led back to safe saw handling, the one area playing the biggest role in your entire sawing experience was keeping your chain sharp. Using a sharp chain has major implications to how your saw works, its longevity, your safety, and enjoyment of this great machine. A dull chain doesn’t cut wood as efficiently making your saw run faster and hotter. A dull chain makes smaller chips which can easily work their way past your air filter and into the cylinder. A dull chain will wear out your bar and sprocket tip faster. A dull chain can increase the risk of kick-back. I have always known, from experience, that a dull chain is undesirable because you can’t cut wood as fast…duh…but I never realized how much of an insidious roll it had with safety and overall health of your saw. If you love your saws as much as I do… and would like for it to live a long, healthy life with you in the woods then please take the time to learn how to sharpen your chain or at least develop a “sharp chain plan” so that you are never left in the woods with dull cutters. That was my biggest take away from this seminar and I know that this little investment in time will make me a better sawyer and a better ambassador for this “hobby” as I preach the chainsaw gospel to those who will listen!
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The last thing Kevin did was to cut down an 80 foot pin oak to demonstrate proper felling techniques. If you are a consistent reader of my blog you know that I very rarely fell trees as most of my trees have been bulldozed down in a field. The doomed tree for today was leaning two foot in the opposite direction of where we needed it to fall. Kevin methodically walked us thru his felling plan, demonstrated the proper notch, hinge-wood, back-cut, wedging, and safe escape route and plopped the oak safely to the ground. It was cool to see how a wedge can lift a tree as much as it does and also how much confidence Kevin had in his abilities. I honestly would have never considered cutting this tree down...way out of my league! It was a great experience and it has left me craving for more. Safe cutting everyone and keep your chains sharp!
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Below is a picture of Kevin at work. His saw of choice for this job was a Dolmar 7900. Kevin had four Dolmars this day, the 7900, 6400, 5105, and the 420. I took this picture with my phone so its not as quality as I would like.

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OWB

The Fiskars Super Splitter

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I have added a new tool to my firewood procurement activities. Behold the Fiskars Super Splitter (FSS). I have heard a lot about this little gem from a number of people but have never seen one nor had one in my hands to experience what all the excitement is about. For as long as I have been splitting wood my choices have been the venerable sledge and wedge…and the reliable 8 pound maul. The Fiskars Super Splitter is much lighter at 4 ½ pounds and, much unlike a maul, has a razor sharp edge to it…and I mean RAZOR sharp! If you split with a maul you appreciate the semi-blunt edge so if you’re chopping swing fails to split the log, the maul won’t become helplessly stuck in the wood. You would think the Fiskars' would be a pain from getting stuck all time but I have found the razor edge of the FSS works to your advantage because of the non stick coating on its head. This is a precision made tool let me tell you! Up the sides of the Fiskars’ head are two castings that help split the log as the edge is sunk into its target.
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I have seen the Fiskars Super Splitter priced between $30 and $70 at local retailers and on line. I bought mine for $30 on Amazon.com with free shipping. That is how much a no-name 8 pound maul costs. The Fiskars claims the handle is indestructible and the head is guaranteed for life to not become loose. I am now starting to haul in my wood from my late summer cutting so I will be able to give this fellow a workout. I will let you know how it goes.
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OWB