Cordwood Challenge.

[Bushleague270]

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About as much as I'll do untill next winter, not including some dead spruce that I already burned and some more birch that I've got stashed in the bush. Its been fun, and I've learned a lot, but its about time to quit playing around and fire up the saws.

I mostly used an unstamped 2lb Rhineland head that I hung on a 26" handle, and a very old "big boys axe". The old axe is unstamped, I think the head weighs just a little under 3lbs. The handle was originally 32" but I had to re-seat the head further down, so it now measures 29". I've found this to be an excelent size to work with, it seems to strike a good ballence between being light enough to use for long time periods, but heavy enough that a fairly relaxed swing will still bite deep. Unfortunate that this size of axe seems to be somewhat hard to find.

RIMG0076 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/153108294@N08/, on Flickr

RIMG0077 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/153108294@N08/, on Flickr

 

[Bushleague270]

So I fired up the chainsaw and finished off my pile a couple of weeks ago... then got back to chopping! I'm fortunate enough to live in a location that any time I've got a few hours and nothing better to do I can go turn a birch into firewood. Right now, without snow, I'm just splitting it and leaving it discreetly stashed in the bush until next winter, when I can use a sled to drag it out. Since I'm cutting on public land there is a small risk that someone else might stumble across my firewood and help themselves, so I'm rotating my efforts through several different sites. The goal is to get a winters worth of wood, without using the power saws.

 

[Gato do mato]

I like splitting firewood.
When camping I sleep in a hammock, so you need a good supply of firewood to stay warm at night.

 

[EngrSorenson]

I, too, did something of a cordwood challenge a couple years back.
It's rewarding, great exercise, and my axe skills are far-and-away better for it.
I didn't notice until I went to go chop wood with some friends.
Some people would consider it playing around, but only if the destination is the end goal.

 

[Bushleague270]

I, too, did something of a cordwood challenge a couple years back.
It's rewarding, great exercise, and my axe skills are far-and-away better for it.
I didn't notice until I went to go chop wood with some friends.
Some people would consider it playing around, but only if the destination is the end goal.

For me, part of the outdoors apeal is the sense of self suffinciency involved in becoming profficient in the various skills. Following that line of though learning to use an axe to heat my house, to whatever degree I am capable of, makes perfect sense. Other than the fairly minor cost to fuel my vehicle (I generally get away with using my car, rather than my pickup, and travel distance is quite short), its a very off-grid, sans-system harvest with a fairly significant dollar value.