Splitting Firewood

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

18 Oct 2008 08:32 AM

Brr, the temperatures today dropped from the comfortable 70s to 45 degrees this morning. it should warm up to the 60s, as the sun comes out, but there is no doubt that fall is really here. I heard rumors that it will soon drop down to 30 overnight.

There is almost nothing better in this weather than going out and getting some firewood stacked and split. The rewards of having a good store of firewood means snuggling in on the weekend with a roaring fire and some movies while the cold winds blow outside.

Last weekend, we started the process of getting some split wood put up on our front porch, and we plan on adding to the pile today. I got my first lessons in splitting wood. Unfortunately, I think I need slightly smaller tools. My one hand can quite wrap all of the way around the axe and it is a bit heavy. While I haven't given up on this great outdoor task, the reality is that my husband can get the wood split faster than it takes me to haul it and stack it. So that is our current system.

One thing I have been thinking about is a bucking post. We would have to build it, but it basically consists of two notched cross arms and a post that suspends limbs and tree stems above the ground, making them easier to cut them to length. When they are placed on the ground, it can cause chain saw dubbing as the saw hits the ground, shortening the life span of the the blades.

My husband tells me that he is all over this notion. He plans of having a bucking post when it comes time to attack the larger limbs in our brush pile. Who knows, I might even try my hand with a hand saw, so to speak.

In between hauling and stacking the split wood, I peruse the yard for fallen twigs that can be gathered, broken into lengths and bound with twine in convenient bunches of kindling for starting the fires.

How are you preparing for winter?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog and caring for little ones in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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