Streamlining firewood production

[Stereo]

I run a business and we spend a lot of time thinking about how to shave cost here and there. How to avoid staff walking a long way repeatedly, to avoid having to move through doors time and again etc. etc.

 

But I've realised that all I do for my own firewood production is fell a tree, chop it into 10" long rounds and then either bring that back in the hilux and split later or chop it in the field with a maul and then load into the hilux and unload into the barn. To be honest, it takes too long and I feel there is far too much handling of the wood.

 

Whats the process that most of you arb guys follow to get from standing tree to pile of logs? Would be interested to hear. We have plenty of woodland so supply is not an issue.

 

My own feelings are fell, log the branches and the trunk into 1m lengths. Split anything which needs splitting there and then with a vertical splitter (power source is an issue here without spending out on a diesel or PTO one). Then stack the lengths (billets?) on pallets in the wood / field to season. When required, saw into log lengths.

 

The reason I ask is that we are strongly considering heating our business premises with a wood gasifying boiler from next winter so demand is going to go up and I'm not getting any younger!

[Ian Clarke]

when we cut stuff down on jobs we chipp whats too small and bring back the bigger stuff in to lengths that are manageable and ring the thicker sections. stack at the yard wait for it to season. then vertical splitter and axes. put in to piles when we need to load them up back the van to the pile and start chucking

[gensetsteve]

I tried the billet idea and found that the most time consuming. To save time we put in vented 1.5 cu bags with tipping loops on bottom. Or we fill polytunnel with concrete floor for scooping up later with bobcat. We ring and split as soon as possible. Stuff 12" and under 1m lengths ideal for putting through processor. Big stuff leave in 1o ft long easier to dice up at yard:thumbup1:

[armchairarborist]

in arb work everything possible is done to clear the site fast and get everything back to the yard to eventually be processed. on the farm we fell in winter, extract, ring up and stack on a good size trailer, this stays on the trailer till we get time to split the lot into the barn all at once.

[Stereo]

Thanks for the comments. The point about billets was that I have found it much faster to log up smaller stuff (up to 4" dia) using my GMC mitre chop saw than a chainsaw. Probably safer as well. I have been bringing the lengths back in the hilux and then chopping them on the table directly into a trolley for taking to the stack. Saves the back as well I find. So I thought it would be quicker to cut and split into long, thin lengths and leave these to season with the final processing being with the chop saw in the workshop.

 

I suppose the key is that I have never owned a decent splitter and rely on the maul so that's maybe what I need to to look at.

[windfall]

The billett method has been recommended to me by two large equipment suppliers, their large pto/electric/petrol powered saws are ideal when used with the conveyor and horizontal splitter.

[gensetsteve]

The thing to do is make your production as good as you can with what you have. The problem I had with billets is you touch the same piece of wood at least twice. Because we used beech it never split uniformly and was a cow to put back through the processor because of the strange triangle shapes u get. With a circular bench saw I am sure things would be better. Powered in feed and conveyor are defo the way to go.

[sandbach-sticks]

We have now got as efficient as we ever have been. split everything into 0.8m lengths, then someone next to you on circular saw (similar to the one on Alpine tractors website), drops onto conveyor straight into potato crate ready for next year. Doing it this way you don't have to stack the billets neatly, which is what we did last year and took too long and reduced profit. I agree handling the wood several times is the biggest problem we faced, and time (hrs in a day etc etc) mean that you have to be well organised in winter to stick to the method we use, but when we have stuck to it, it really has proved to be the best way for us. We have really reduced the amount of work done with chainsaws. If you find any quicker method please please let me know

[lightfootforestry.ie]

We use a 1m vertical splitter for anything larger than the 22cm that the automatic processor can handle. Once the one meter sections are small enough they go on the infeed conveyor of the processor, are chopped up and conveyed into bag, crate, trailer etc. This is effective for for timber sizes 5cm-22cm and then from 40cm up to whatever the vertical splitter will break.