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Firewood

So I took a week vacation to finally side my house. Until about a decade ago siding houses was a large part of what I did. And not to brag but I am the best there is at it. Even though it appears I haven't forgot much and 3/4 of my house is now done and looks awesome, it turns out I am no longer built for dragging walkboards up and down walls and using snips that have been dull since I put them down ten years ago to cut 2200 sq. feet of siding and soffit. Every night this week I come in bent over like an old man. My back is killing me and my hands are on fire.

Worst F'in vacation ever.
I hear you Bob, I've scheduled (and taken) 2 vacations this year and caught covid that lasted throughout both times off. What a drag. At least you got something productive done.
 
I hear you Bob, I've scheduled (and taken) 2 vacations this year and caught covid that lasted throughout both times off. What a drag. At least you got something productive done.
I really don't mind the work. I used a vacation a couple years ago to put up about 90' of privacy fence. What I mind is the fact that something I did every day until ten years ago is really physically hard for me to do all day now. My buddy helped me. The same guy I sold my company, equipment and contracts to when I took my current job. He's no spring chicken either but just us two will get the job done tomorrow. 5 days. Back in the day I would have charged someone about 15k for the job. These days I think it's closer to 25k. I spent 6k just on the material and I still have to buy gutters and haul off the trash and scrap. My house had old, crappy steel siding on it so I had to tear all that crap off first.
I hung ledger boards for a giant deck. Which I will be building in the spring and I still have to finish off the extra privacy fence I started installing when I bought the house next door. Both houses, 4 lots, all behind a 6' privacy fence on three sides with the river down the hill in the back. It will be worth it when I'm done.
 
Split two oak trees into a cord of wood yesterday. My aching back!
Man I don't miss the wood stove. My old man and me cut and split wood every winter ( for the following year). With mauls. I was young and no doubt winter time is the best time for this type of work. Some years later, enter my father in law. He cut and split wood mostly in the summer and I was obliged to help. That was a drag.
 
Heated a house for 6 years when I was stationed in central Idaho. Fortunately, there were plenty of bug-killed lodgepole pine available.

Had & still have a great Husqvarna 262XP Pro saw (20" bar) that made dropping & bucking trees easy. The hard part of course was loading into my trailer and splitting everything when I got the loads home.

Had to put up ~5-6 cords to let everything dry properly for the next year & burned the previous years' work to get through the cold season.

Always lots of work using wood for heat, but hard work builds character.
 
I bet you they don’t even know what an axe even is……..
My well used axes and maul and wedges occupy a place of honor in my shop. I use them to chop a root when digging now and again but will rent a splitter nowadays. After Hurricane Ivan in 2004 I ran my Stihl 460 saws every day for 3 months and wore out about 30 chains. Cut up a tree, sharpen chain, repeat. Those Stihls and my Dremel are still running strong but dang, they got a lot heavier and I don't last as long. Toby Keith wrote a song about this...
 
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@HayesGreener
Here’s a chain saw for you. Complete with cut wood. 🫣😵‍💫😂😂😂
 
I hired my brilliant, beautiful 17-year old granddaughter to stack the firewood. She needed gas money and my back needed a break. She handled the job perfectly and was cheerful throughout. Ended up with about a cord and a half. I am determined to see that all my grandkids are exposed to the concept of work for money, even if their contemporaries are not.
 
I hired my brilliant, beautiful 17-year old granddaughter to stack the firewood. She needed gas money and my back needed a break. She handled the job perfectly and was cheerful throughout. Ended up with about a cord and a half. I am determined to see that all my grandkids are exposed to the concept of work for money, even if their contemporaries are not.
Outstanding. Glad you are able to help teach life lessons to you offspring. Non of my sons worked while going to high school because I wanted them to focus on academics and athletics. I told them they would have their adult life to work a job. Evidently it worked because my twins became the only set from our state to graduate from USAFA.
 
Outstanding. Glad you are able to help teach life lessons to you offspring. Non of my sons worked while going to high school because I wanted them to focus on academics and athletics. I told them they would have their adult life to work a job. Evidently it worked because my twins became the only set from our state to graduate from USAFA.
GoAir Force! It speaks well of parents who raise patriots! And doubles, at that!
 
For a number of years I had two log splitters, but they grew up an moved away. Now I have to rent one from Home Depot. Because of my heart issues my cardiologist said there my three activties I should no longer engage in. So the family took away my mauls, wedges and sledge hammer as well as my snow shovels. I'd tell you the third activity from which I am restricted, but 10mmLife might get embarrassed and blush. The good thing is the doc said I could always watch! Such is life.
 
For a number of years I had two log splitters, but they grew up an moved away. Now I have to rent one from Home Depot. Because of my heart issues my cardiologist said there my three activties I should no longer engage in. So the family took away my mauls, wedges and sledge hammer as well as my snow shovels. I'd tell you the third activity from which I am restricted, but 10mmLife might get embarrassed and blush. The good thing is the doc said I could always watch! Such is life.
I recall something about those that cannot do should teach.....
 
I finished cutting a large red oak yesterday that died from the wilt. It was 25 inches across stump. I am 71 years old and consider work like this my excercise program.....Advil is my friend lol.
 

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