Old guy, old saw, new hip

Burnham

Burnham

Woods walker
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
23,407
Location
Western Oregon
Put a couple of Tundra loads of firewood in the shed these last two days. FS permit for private use is a deal and a half...$10 bucks a cord, with enough attendant rules and regs to choke a horse :lol:. Fortunately, +32 years working on the Ranger District helps quite a bit, when hunting up legal blowdown is the game :).

Love putting the 064 to work. Makes short work of these 40ish inch wood (bark included) pulling a 32 inch bar. Half a cord, which is a full load for our truck :/:, took 7 rounds :).

I cut, then M splits and loads while I drink a few stouts :D ...well, maybe not, but show me many other 60 year old women with the skill, strength, and gumption to split and load right beside any man. She's a marvel, all 105 pounds of her, muscleing 300 pound rounds down to the road.

So, Chris...I can still pull the old beast over rather effortlessly yet...but don't give up hope, the day I cannot is far closer than the day you are in that condition. Our deal still holds :).

Lastly, these beautifully tooled and skillfully installed titanium, cobalt chrome, and crosslinked polyethelene bits that make up my new right hip joint have changed my life, nothing short of a miracle. Amazing, it truly is.

A few pics! 4680125 firewood 008.jpg 4680125 firewood 006.jpg 4680125 firewood 003.jpg 4680125 firewood 002.jpg
 
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Melanie uses a 6 lb. maul with a 30 inch handle, and pops a splitting wedge until the work is down to the "woodshed to woodbox" splitting (aka woodstove ready sizes)...that's after we get in cut, split to load, hauled, and 'shedded. Got to multiply the advantage at every opportunity when the rounds are that size.

I use a 6 pounder these days, too. Back when my shoulders, elbows, and wrists were not busted down, I swung an 8 pounder...that was perhaps not wise, I see now :).

Once it's in the shed, splitting down to stove sizes, she splits with maul alone...as do I. I can and sometimes do it with a 5 lb., 32 inch handled axe, but the maul is easier work on average.
 
Love me a 064 too Burnham, that would sure be some pretty wood to run through a sawmill, quartersawn. But, I dont suppose you can take lengths on your firewood permit.
 
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Truth there, PF...both on the desirability of milling this clear oldgrowth Doug fir, and on the inability to get permit to do so, most cases. Sad.

Willie...you forecast my future :). 064 has more work ahead, as does M :D. As for me...have to buy another couple of 6-packs of Deschutes Obsidian :lol:.
 
Good to see you working up a sweat, old buddy:)
I still have 30 cubic meters of ash logs sitting behind my house, where the forwarder stacked them, that I need to cut and split.
Wanna come over and give me a hand with it.
 
I'd love to have wood stacked and cured for winter, but I usually wind up giving all my wood to my dad until the first cold snap, then start burning whatever I bring home from work....green as a gourd. Actually, I used to prefer green wood as the heater we used had some air leaks in it and dry would burn up much too quickly. Now that we have one I can choke down with air valve/damper, I do like dry wood better. Need to build a shed for it I reckon.
 
A little hard work mixed in with a little beer... you're definitely doing retirement right. :)
 
Good fun, tell M I'm seriously impressed, I don't like splitting, ever since a round skittered off the splitting block and slammed into my shin...
Give me the chainsaw, Mr. Bermy is the splitting king.

By the way, you said a while back your other hip was bothering you, has it settled down?
 
Great pix, B. Good to see you out again doing what you love. :)


You don't look "old" to me ... ;)
 
B, Im happy to see you out and in the woods. Your wife is much like my own. Petite but has the heart of a lion. The day that saw arrives here in PA (which I hope is later then sooner), it will be cherished, well cared for, and any willing ear will get the story of who and where it came from.
 
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  • #22
Bermy said:
Good fun, tell M I'm seriously impressed, I don't like splitting, ever since a round skittered off the splitting block and slammed into my shin...
Give me the chainsaw, Mr. Bermy is the splitting king.

By the way, you said a while back your other hip was bothering you, has it settled down?
Click to expand...

Not really, Fi. I deal with it, like I did with the right one for years. I doubt I'll wait as long to get the left one fixed as I did for the right, being more familiar with the process and confident of a good outcome will help a lot when deciding to pull the trigger on it. NSAIDs help a fair amount with day to day discomfort...sleeping comfortably seems to be the hardest issue to handle.
 
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