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Author Topic: Anyone become a "wood slave"?  (Read 9359 times)

silver star

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Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« on: December 02, 2016, 06:55:39 PM »

When I first got my furnace , I posted on my car website, asking if anyone else used an owb. Typical replies about wasting time and work. One guy used the term wood slave, being obsessed with fallen trees, and throughout the year looking for and cutting etc. he knew a guy who was always making it a priority, always begging off other activities and obliging his children to help him. The kids moved out as soon as they were able.   
 Anyone feel they have too much fun messing in the woods, cutting,stacking, burning ? I only look for wood around the property which needs cut anyhow.  Found a tree across a logging road tonight.  Going to gobble  it up first thing in the morning.   I find every good productive hour equals a week of burning.
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Roger2561

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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2016, 02:37:58 AM »

I don't have a wood lot to turn to for my wood supply, I get it delivered log length.  But, last year one of my neighbors asked if I ever stop stop working?  I replied, no, you get old that way (I do take Sunday's off for church and then get in a much football as I can).  Us boys used to help our dad cut the wood supply when we were younger; worked the family farm, etc... but it didn't kill us.  Every one of my brothers heat with wood (I'm the only one who has an outdoor wood boiler).  My dad is the person who instilled the work ethic that's carried us through our occupations.  So, am I wood slave?  No, I prefer to look at it as part of my wellness program.   :)  Roger   
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2016, 06:31:54 AM »

No doubt, its a labor intensive way to heat your home. I've gotten that "your crazy" look more then once over the years. I guess I just enjoy cutting, splitting and stacking wood. Like they say, if its something you like to do, then its not going to feel like work.

Spending a December afternoon cutting wood is something i actually look forward to.
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mlappin

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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2016, 06:50:12 AM »

We own several hundred acres and rent over a thousand more, all of it has fencerows that need cleaned and you can only shove dead trees back into a fencerow for so long, would be a sin to just leave the stuff to rot. Out of what we own fifty of that is woods, turns a woods into a real mess if you never cut the tops after it’s logged.
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #4 on: December 03, 2016, 10:35:01 AM »

Well as a slave I can heat my home to 78 degrees and my hot water to 170 in northern Maine for 7 months out of the year at the low price of 1200 bucks and not even get mad if the doors are left open. The exercise is part of the game. I am completely different than my parents they would never even mow their own lawn where I refuse to get a riding mower as long as these legs keep working I will push mow my 1/2 acre of hilly grass and cut and split my 8 to 10 cords a year.
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #5 on: December 03, 2016, 11:16:40 AM »

One of the reasons I went with a wood pellet/shelled corn with a bulk storage solution.  As soon as I get the bulk bin and automation system up all I will have to do is clean out the ash!   :thumbup:

Neal
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mlappin

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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #6 on: December 03, 2016, 11:50:52 AM »

One of the reasons I went with a wood pellet/shelled corn with a bulk storage solution.  As soon as I get the bulk bin and automation system up all I will have to do is clean out the ash!   :thumbup:

Neal

How does wood pellets compare to Nat gas or LP? seems like they are always over $200/ton around here.

I was working on a prototype corn burner at one time, had it working well enough then corn got over the break even point and never messed with it again.
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silver star

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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2016, 07:49:04 AM »

Oh yeah, for me, I enjoy being in the woods cutting. Figure i wouldnt be there otherwise. I have fifty acres which needs fence rows cleaned, and 600 acres that the owners allows my brother and I to hunt on. Always blow downs across logging paths which need cleared.

I suspect if i lived on a little property with an OWB, i would just have a dump truck of mill refuse delivered and call it good, rather than chasing potential tree cutting opportunities.
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2016, 08:45:24 AM »

One of the reasons I went with a wood pellet/shelled corn with a bulk storage solution.  As soon as I get the bulk bin and automation system up all I will have to do is clean out the ash!   :thumbup:

Neal

How does wood pellets compare to Nat gas or LP? seems like they are always over $200/ton around here.

I was working on a prototype corn burner at one time, had it working well enough then corn got over the break even point and never messed with it again.
There is nothing that can compete with the cost of Natural gas, however there is no service offered out here on the farm.  LP has been on the rise lately.

I got my pellets for $180 a ton, corn (free since we farm it) would cost about $95 or so a ton at $2.50 a bushel.  I use a figure of $135 a ton after mixing.

Corn skyrocketed up several years ago, but now is dirt cheap.

Right now I am about at $3.70-$4.00 a day cost of fuel, depending on temp.

Neal
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mlappin

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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2016, 02:17:16 PM »

Depends on where you’re at far as basis I imagine, delivering mine to the ethanol plant for a little over $3.75/bushel.
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2016, 06:43:03 PM »

I've worked for a natural gas and electric utility for 39 years and you are correct that for the masses, natural gas is a very good option for heating, especially since fracking has taken off unlocking the worlds largest gas reserves right here in USA and driving prices down (imagine what it could be if we got this terrible administration out of the way). The most efficient heating source right now is Geothermal at approximately 500% efficient. The down side is that it is very costly to install and for most installs needs space for the loop field. The pay back depends on the fluctuating cost of the fuel it replaces but it will pay for itself in fuel savings.

Heating with wood or corn, even owning your own wood or corn, is not free heat. You have the cost of your heating unit, installation, maintenance, chainsaws, wood splitter, gas, oil, electricity, vehicles, trailer, tools, safety gear, tax on land, other things I've forgotten not to mention your own labor (your time always has worth even if you like doing it).

Bottom line, nothing is free except for the obama welfare class and us working people pay for that. Hopefully that is coming to an end.     
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #11 on: December 05, 2016, 12:09:42 PM »

Yeah nothing is free for sure , but it does keep me out of the house and the wife doesn't complain about my buying new toys if she thinks we need them to cut and split the wood. I've scored 2 new chainsaws and another tractor since we hooked up our boiler all because we "needed it" ;D We all have plenty of things to do but I would rather be a slave to the wood pile than some of the other things the wife could come up with.
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2016, 12:33:19 AM »

My greatest disappointment now is when the weather is to bad to get to go cut some wood.  After three years on the farm that came with a wood boiler, I enjoy cutting wood.  Good excersize.  I have a 82 year old friend that no longer burns wood, but still wants me to come over and cut some logs up that he has piled up for me.  He still likes to cut and can out work me.

Last week another friend put me in custodial care of a 661 c Stihl chainsaw, I could not wait till Saturday to get to use it.  Used a gallon and a half of premix by myself in one day, another first!

A good day, is a day outdoors with my chainsaw.
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2016, 09:45:19 PM »

I agree guys, even after 38 years of burning wood I always like getting out to the woods and it is good exercise not to mention feeling good about providing my own heat source.

Cooling off good here now, down in the teens tonight with wind chills in the single digits and supposed to continue for the foreseeable future. Hope we get enough snow to start riding snowmobiles soon.   
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Re: Anyone become a "wood slave"?
« Reply #14 on: December 08, 2016, 09:58:38 PM »

Now I was a slave to my old one and it only heated the house and sidewalk, so far I’ve been going out and using the Polaris Ranger topping the ash out that I’ve dropped, try to do this every day or every other day, already have a few weeks worth of wood cut. Ashes that had no leaves on them this summer are 22% or under already. Get enough logs lined up then I’ll run the processor for a day or two and have a years worth of wood.
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