Making Cleaner Firewood… I Think I Figured It Out
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- Thank you Helix Sleep for sponsoring! Click here helixsleep.com... to get 25% off your
Helix mattress (plus a FREE bedroom bundle!) during their Presidents’ Day Sale, which ends February 20th. If you miss this limited time offer, you can still get 20% off using my link! Offers subject to change. #helixsleep
Firewood Marker Link
www.amazon.com...
Thank you Helix Sleep for sponsoring! Click here helixsleep.com/hometownacres to get 25% off your
Helix mattress (plus a FREE bedroom bundle!) during their Presidents’ Day Sale, which ends February 20th. If you miss this limited time offer, you can still get 20% off using my link! Offers subject to change. #helixsleep
There are so many popups and popups and popups and personal information required on your sponsor's site that I gave up after being annoyed with their website. Probably a good mattress, but I will never know. Have you tried their site?
O ya....neighbor doug getting all wound up seeing some orange and blue lol. Great video adam
Andrew, you have no idea how wound up I was. 😂 I’d love some Orange and Blue over my way!🥰🥰 My wife looks good with orange and blue in front of her as well.😊
@@OneEyeCustoms lol keep being awesome doug
@@EastonmadeWoodSplitters And you as well! Great machine you sent, great machine!!!
That Axis makes such beautiful firewood. I think the #1 priority is the quality of the final product. Efficiency is important, but not if the product suffers. Overall, the Axis is the most valuable of the two. Of course, the BEST machine you can have is another person helping 🤠👍
Making friends with Doug was very beneficial for you and for Doug. Similar interests complement the relationship.
I enjoy both channels -- Adam's Hometown Acres and Soug's One Eyed Customs...great work guys !!
I would leave the IBC tote on the tractor forks and raised up so that you don't have to bend over so much when stacking the tote. Or build a stand to sit the tote on.
i do this. smart idea. I cut a single ibc tote to create that stand and place the tote on it. makes a world off difference on the back
The bottom line is making pretty, clean bundle/recreational burning wood takes extra time and effort. I have an Eastonmade Ultra with a single and 4-way wedge. If I run 10" and up pieces through the 4 way wedge once that's usually good enough for cord wood or heating wood. If I'm making bundle or recreational wood it means extra time and effort of running some pieces through again but it also means $270 per face cord for the way I sell that wood vs. $130 per face cord for heating wood. Dave
I hope you get a chipper shredder! All that scarp and branches become a mulch pile! Mulch sells well! Also I would love to see you build a solar wind powered dry kiln for your wood on site! Well worth the investment!! You could use the water vapor from the two solar / wind powered dehumidifier’s to fill the lake!
I think the strength of the boxwedge comes in handling and splitting huge rounds. In the grand scheme of things, what is more important to you, minimizing waste or maximizing your time (free time with your family). Either way you create some great firewood and both machines are amazing!
Hey Adam, if you flip the dump trailer and the IBC tote around, so the dump trailer is by the log lift on the axis, you can pre-stage those big pieces that need re-splitting on the log lift so you’re not having to walk between the log splitter, and the trailer and the IBC tote every time you need to re-split a piece of wood. You could just batch it on the log lift, and then re-split all those pieces at once.
That's true and You don't need to run second machine all the time. Maybe You need to start it twice or bit more.
I think for a solo operation, the Axis vertical splitter is the way to go. Any speed advantage the 37D has with a 6 way wedge is negated by the machine constantly waiting on the operator to feed it. If your end goal is maximizing yield from the firewood rounds and minimizing waste, the Axis is the way to go. Everyone seems to forget the Axis is also meant to bust up those giant gnarly rounds and not just to make perfect size bundle wood.
I would agree. Also, Adam is a hobbyist so the axis is perfect for him. You easily bang out 100 cords a year with the axis no problem at all!
@@Dorchwoods If he charges for the firewood, then he has a business. Volume does not matter.
IMO I like the way you did the process in this video by eliminating time messing with the scrap wood. In the end it all depends on what your goal is; efficiency vs production, etc.
I enjoy your accountant lens of looking at splitting wood. Hearing percentages brings a smile on.
To be efficient this is a 2 Men or even a 3 Men Job. Showed on the bucking in the beginning. On the other hand it looked like a nice workout and you can be sure your back pain will appear before you lay on the Helix that night.😉
Quality is always better. The stack looks a lot cleaner.
Years ago I ran big splitters with 8 way on them. They were fast…. I went back to single horizontals and started using vertical splitters. I think there isn’t a wrong way to split wood and everyone figures out what works for them. I like watching these videos of people trying new way.
Thanks for the video! BTW. Did you see the new wolf ridge VS 17? I’d like to try one out!
Hi Adam,
Another option might be on the log pre-sort end.
At a glance, it's obvious (by the diameter) which logs are probably best suited for which splitter and/or wedge configuration. However, if you were to track/record a more accurate diameter range you could pre-sort these logs prior to splitting and cut back on waste.
It might be worth the time to get a few different colored cans of spray paint....With this method, you could stack your oversize logs in one or more piles as you already do. However, after you do, take the time to check the diameter ranges. As you do this hit the different diameter ranges with a different colored spray paint that you can easily see from the cab of the excavator. Once spray painted, you can sort out logs prior to cutting to length.
Ex: The first log at the top of the pile has a green marking. At a glance, you know from the cab.this log's diameter is too big for machine A and/or the particular wedge configuration currently on the splitter....Instead of cutting it to length you either set it aside or move it elsewhere on the pile and move on to the red marked log, one you know in advance is perfect for that splitter and/or wedge configuration.
This pre-sort tag/paint method will also come in handy with the piles of logs you still have from last summer's clearing project. When it comes time to move them to one of the splitters, you sort them them as you go....Green goes near splitter A....Red goes near splitter B etc....
Few guys near me and they use the scrap as fire starter or kindle wood....... I have one neighbour who even grinds the small stuff into a chipper and make fire starters with wax and a wick and sells them along with firewood to the stands .... Everyone has an idea for scrap...
Hello Adam. Perhaps you can put the larger pieces of waste between the 2 rows of wood in the IBC crate. This way you can sell wood with kindling. Now you have lost most of the waste and you make a difference with your competition. And you can continue splitting with the big machine. Love your videos. Greetings from the Netherlands.
I always thought doing a resplit would be the way to go to eliminate all the big pieces. You can make some sweet firewood with your new process. Maybe even bump the price since every piece is an ideal size.
The more times you handle the wood the less money you make. I don’t sell firewood but do cut and split for myself all by hand and I split and stack and then resplit when I get ready to burn. But the 3 or 4 cords I do a year is good exercise for a 63 year old. Don’t over think it and keep the videos coming
This was very interesting and well tested. Good to see Neighbor Doug in the beginning.
I manage a small wood pile for weekend campfires. The waste that is produced has to be picked up and added to the fire just as a means of disposal. The less waste I
produce the better.
You sure are living your best life while taking advantage of your analytical skills! 😃
I would use the Box Wedge, but sharpen the knife edges. I believe the factory edge is a bit dull. I would also add some angle iron to the output chutes to divert splits to the conveyor.
I think this could be a great process with a few adjustments. Like you said, its was basically 30 minutes extra work, for twice as much wood, and hardly no waste. Yes you are splitting wood off of your property now, but if you were buying all of your logs it could make a difference.
I completely understand what you’re trying to accomplish- not sure how a volume firewood business like mine would be able to charge out the actual cost in order to recoup the extra labour involved. You’ve got a great set up there! You’re inspiring plenty to get to work! Myself included. All the best from snowy Nova Scotia- Jeff.
Less waste is good. I wouldn't have a box wedge myself. Nice, clean firewood stacked in I.B.C. totes is the way to go also! That is the way I would do it. Great video Adam!
Could you bundle the waste for starter wood & sell that? Save time on splitting twice, get rid of waste & make money! 🤷🏻♀️ You are a hard worker!! God bless you and your family!! ♥️ 🙏👍
Exactly what I was going to say!
Done like a true accountant - leveraging the strength of one machine, minimizing weakness of the other machine, minimizing the weakness of the first machine, maximizing the strength of the second machine...
Well said!
@@HometownAcresvery worthwhile exercise!
Keep thinking outside the box!
I like the less labor of the box wedge.
Hate the chaff. All the ideas of using it are fine and all, as long as I don't have to do that extra work!!
The cool thing is, you can mess around with ideas and move things around to try new ideas. You haven't boxed yourself into a certain work pattern. And there is no need to.
Neighbor Doug is a good hoe operator!
And good idea guy!
Thanks for the video.
You can minimize waste also by splitting the rounds the way they grew (butt to top). In other words have the wedge engage the butt end of the round. Going against the grain causes poorer splitting and shearing. Try it. you'll like it.
Eastonmade should make a hopper feeder attachment for the axis. Saw the rounds into the tractor bucket dump into hopper split then load tote. Basically a smaller less expensive Rex600
I think this system was far superior from a quality,waste reduction and business aspect. Have a great day Adam,take care and God Bless!!!❤😊
Andrew said the 37D has the power to run his new 16-way wedge. It may eliminate the need to resplit.
I’m hoping to get my hands on one
Nice looking results on your firewood. A little extra time equals better quality control which in turn equals customer satisfaction. Yes wood is wood at the end of the day, but consumers have an expectation how things should look and pay for it.
Loved Doug playing Alfred E. Neumann!
Suggestion: Build a "feeder box or tray" that slant down towards the splitter. Fill it with rounds that will roll f\down to the splitter. Fill the tray with the excavator or skid steer.
Hey Adam,Love them both . Would like to have both just to do wood for heating our house.
Great job! May God Bless you for all your work.
You could use the “scrap” as kindling. Sell it or throw it in for bulk purchases
Sunday morning viewer here ~ Productivity vs. Yield. Great Quandary! I too have experimented with process improvement using a horizontal splitter with a 4-way and single. My yield of clean quality split wood increased significantly with the use of the single wedge (so did my time into the process) AND I did not have 1/2 IBC tote full of scrape or small stripes of Oak at the end with the single wedge. At the end of each splitting session I would put the 4-way back on and use it to split rounds that were 8" or less - worked great! My experiment was with two loads or 24 logs 12 foot in length. Great video here and thanks for confirming my earlier test results Adam! Keith
I like the scraps and chunks. they make the best fire when you fill the stove with them.
Yep...been heating my house with wood for 30 yrs. Wood heats my house or gets sold, scraps and chaff heat the workshop. Win,win,win.
@@earlzathome The same here Earl since 1975. I waste nothing. even the bark is tilled into my garden.
Hey Adam, 2 things that jump out to me.
Use a long handled hookaroon to pick up the smaller rounds. It’ll save your back.
When double splitting drop 20 splits into the IBC before you bend again and stack, that’ll save time and your back. Great video as always.
Excellent video and good creativity. I have been waiting for good wood splitting videos from you. You delivered.
The "bull work" is pretty much eliminated, and you produced a great looking product.
I think you are doing it right! 1st class operation.
For me personally it comes down to what the "client" wants. I've done trial and error myself with different methods, some focused on productivity speed and others on less scrap like you did here and sell it as a sort of "premium" firewood (no not for some sort of massive price increase) but all in all most people I talk to really couldn't care less about the little scraps, they either burn them as is or use them to start the fires so it's no issue to them. I'd just go based on what clients demand most
Hey awesome video. I have a few suggestions.
You should get a pickaroon / hookaroon for moving the logs to the machine instead of bending over. Might save your back.
Also there is an attachment for skid steers/ excavators.
The halversons firewood processing. I know you aren’t sponsored by them but maybe they will let you try out their product.
Hook it up to one of your machines it will lift the logs/ cut and split them for you. If they are to big just split over into the dump trailer and re split with the easton made axis.
The halverson is cheaper and will be faster since you wont have to use a chainsaw.
Its definitely a lot faster with the 6-way wedge and a lot less waste for sure.
I know that the vast majority of the firewood is going to be sold, so resplitting is necessary for easier handling for the customers. If it was for my own personal use, I wouldn't think twice about resplitting. Growing up, we burned firewood and the chunks you had in your trailer we would've kept as is.
I know firewood heats more than once, but handling things more than I need too, kind of starts getting under my skin.
Great video and experiment.
Nice perspective of the different wedges!! Need to make splits that customers desire which sells wood!! Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
Morning interesting video is the waste Wood worth the extra time for double splitting or would it be simpler just to find some use for the waste Wood or throw it in the fire pit instead of double splitting I’ll be interesting to hear your comment on that probably you’ve already addressed it farther in the video Thanks for the videos
Or the fuel for both machines used to do this.
This is a great example of touching the wood more, and STILL being more efficient. People are too hung up on "touching the wood" too much. Great video adam!
Try perhaps dropping the intake end of the conveyor because the pieces are bigger. That bit more if a drop may help them from bunching up.
37D IS A GOOD SPLITTER IF YOU DOING PRODUCTION SPLITTING CORDS OF WOOD THE 37D IS THE WAY TO GO, THE AXIS IS A GOOD SPLITTER THAT PRODUCES BETTER WOOD WITH MINMUM WASTE YOU CAN CHOOSE THE SIZE SPLITS IF YOUR DOING BUNDLE WOOD OR BOILER WOOD OR IF YOU ARE WORKING ON YOUR OWN THE AXIS IS THE WAY TO GO,
I personally like a mix of all sized firewood. Still $400 a cord no matter how you shake it on the ma/nh boarder.
Adam just curious why you didnt stack the rounds on the log lift and split from the other side, instead of going back and forth for each round
A CPA's understanding of the numbers, coupled with an efficiency expert's never ending search for smoothing out the production, that's what I like about Adam's approach to things. There is no "I" in team, but there is in "one man operation". A guy has to figure out what works for him and go with it, he's the bean counter AND the footstep taker and back bender.
Talking about getting hurt back as u get older,... wait til u go to an exciting action movie and throw your back out, happened to me at Avengers end game, 😂😂😂😂 front row and all kinds of action, 😂😂😂
Ive thrown out my back getting out of bed too, it happens, but ive found that swinging an axe or riding my lawn mower helps out ...of all things.
As well as a styrofoam cylinder, kinds pops it back in 😂
P.s, i think you got er dialed in, as far as ideal wood mfg, with little waste, great work sir. 👍
Ideally a wedge could be designed that would lessen the waste, split to the correct size and be able to use the return feature. I would concentrate on what exactly is causing the waste and try to make that connection vs running two machines.
Great demo Adam, this is exactly my plan for this years bundle supply. Im going to run everything through the Wallenstein processors 4-way into the dump then resize it on the vertical splitter. To me its the best option for premium wood. Even to just get logs busted open to start drying then resplit down the road is a fast way to get ahead! Take care buddy.
i think you did both machines right by using their strengths!! great video and did doug change the controls on the excavator?
Yes he did
Great break down of the process.
You have that analytical mind and it shows with you always trying to be efficient. I only used the box with the giant rounds. Otherwise it was in the shed. The 6 was my go to when I had mine. It was the best all around. However there is also a diameter around 12-16” that the 12 way took care of in one pass...no re-splits needed. It was always about sorting and finding the right weapon.
The Axis vertical splitter is overall best ,its easy on the back and handles big rounds and small bundle wood
Very Nice! I really like the placement of all the implements too! The less you have to move around, the better! Lean Manufacturing!!
That scrap can be bundled for campground and for indoor stoves' use.
I love the wood-efficiency of the two-machine setup! My main thought in watching this would be to go for more of a two-person continuous-process straight assembly-line setup and have a funneled ramp drop it right onto the Axis' blue hopper area.
Adam, putting the bundles closer will save you the need to move to pickup and drop the wood pieces. I really appreciate your time efficiency assessment at the end of every activity.
Another great firewood, video.
ADAM, interesting evaluation on comparing the splitters. Running the ' numbers' for your operation definitely gives you the advantage of productivity and such. Comes down to personal decision to get the best value for your time vs. end cost of product. Personally, I would have the Axis for the end product. Less slash, special sized pieces for boilers, stoves, campfires, bundling, to kindling.
The interesting part of this setup is: With two people you can immensly speed up the production. I would even think that production in this serial setup woud be faster then with two people just working in parallel on both machines. That is because of what you said: You are using both machines for what they are good in.
This is a Doug question. Since you love re-engineering things, don't you think the new splitter could use a wider and longer hopper at the beginning of the conveyor belt? Maybe make it a bolt on system?
Have you tried squaring up rounds with the Axis and running those through the box wedge? I don't know if it will cut down on scrap, but it would be interesting to find out.
Always love you 2 guys working together ❤.
You could save a little time off by separating and stacking..
Big peices on the load table of axis and smaller pieces into the tote, then split all the big pieces at 1 time, gives you more of a rhythm.. put a tote on each end of the axis..
I think if your feed ramp to the trailer was less of an angle, you would have less trouble with the wood feeding onto the conveyor belt.
This is what I was thinking. He’s not loading a dump truck. Lower the angle and I bet he won’t have as much of a problem.
When you are just firing up the Axis to start resplitting your wood, Chris and I are cracking open Banquets with our feet up and enjoying a fire burning up the scrap created from running our wood through the pizza wedge one time 😂🍻
I need a burn pit
How I would approach it would depend on how much production output was needed. If it was a small operation I’d do what you did to maximize the yield and enjoy the work. Thanks for another great video!
I'm not an accountant by any means but I'm a producer of firewood for my home. My main goal is to touch the wood the least amount of times I can between my woods and my stove. I believe you've done a video on that in the past. This video has introduced an additional touch, more fuel consumption, and time for producing the finished product. That being said, it would be interesting for you to do an ROI comparison of purchasing an 8 or 12 way wedge from Eastonmade vs. the fuel you burn in the Axis, plus the time it takes to get the desired sized wood you want. Or, @OneEyeCustoms could fab you up any type of wedge you'd want to reduce waste and increase efficiency!
One more way to add efficiency. Wait until you have 4or5 pieces split from the axis, then place them in the tote. Less movements.
My Eastonmade was shipped with box wedge installed so much waste was tired of fixing jams on conveyor and lots of waste installed tall 4 way about 2.5 years ago still in it
If you're intending to do all resplits in the same location i'd raise the IBC tote a foot or so off the ground. Amazing how much easier to fill if never bending to ankle level. Your back will thank you once you reach 50😊
If you only have one machine, it’s hard to say which is better. I like my Wolfe Ridge Box Wedge, but I have run a 37D and the Eastonmade is amazingly quick. I do like that the Eastonmade is easier to operate from the log lift side, that definitely helps the process where you’re by yourself. Resplitting with the Axis is great. I noticed & thought that it may be slightly more efficient to raise the log lift on the Axis and stage more split pieces. That way you’re grabbing several pieces at once and going to the tote, vs. the 2 pieces split. Just an observation, I have no doubt you will perfect the process. Looking forward to more content on all the machines. Take care & have a great day Around the Yard! ~ Brent
Hi Adam, great idea, working to the strengths of both machines. What i see as a drawback in addition to what you mentioned is the Axis having to keep running and burning fuel while stacking firewood that did not need to be re-split. Not sure how to solve that though
It would be interesting to time the split and resplit versus doing the splitting with just the axis. Just curious as to whether there is an actual time savings with the 2 step process. However a true time savings would be achieved if there were 2 operators in the process.
Adam, id be curious to know why you split narrower. As a wood insert owner (BK) i prefer larger splits.
Hey Adam, any plans to bring in stone to your firewood area to keep out of the mud?
Yyou need to have a lift for the firewood basket to sit on so that it is at the right height while you are stacking to reduce bending
As a consumer who only buys firewood for camping or the home fire pit I hate wood that has been done on a processor or a box wedge. It's covered with large splinters and at least half the pieces need to be split again with an ax. I buy from a seller that uses an Axis to get what I consider better wood, even though his wood is more expensive.
Good to know
Id sort the logs by size and then do everything with the 6 way that won't need resplit and everything else with the box wedge.
I think I would rather use the box wedge and just keep the scrap for selling as kindling or throwing in your own stove. Sure it burns up quick but burning is burning and heat is heat. It makes a great starting for the morning when you are stacking on ash and you can fill a stove up with that stuff.
I rented a firewood processor last summer and 5 gal bucket sized worked best we had some logs that were 24” and they fit but the chunks were just to big
I’m with you, it also about stewardship, not everything is about efficiency, although I really couldn’t see a downside, great video, you are almost fully recovered from accountancy syndrome…….
From a safety perspective, would love to see more PPE (i.e. leg protection and face shield) used when cutting the logs into smaller pieces. I think you could recoupe money lost in extra time splitting by charging more for a better end product.
Adam,
Since you want to eliminate waste, what if you used the single wedge and split in half, take them over to the Axis. Since you are re-splitting anyway, you'll reduce waste and handle the wood about the same.
Would lowering the angle of the conveyor help?
Hey Adam why don't you and Doug sit down and design a splitting wedge that makes smaller individual pieces of firewood in order to avoid resplitting? It would be a huge time saver. Just a thought. Great video as always.
Nailed it Adam!
To save more time you think you could buy or make an 8 way wedge?
I'd personally value whatever method saves wear and tear on your back. The waste delta between the two is pretty small in the grand scheme of things.
Think Doug's looking for a steak dinner ! Or maybe you can help him weld Aluminum 🤷♂️
Great vid ! I’d be looking it if the vertical axis needed to be used for the end result is it worth the cost of having two machines worth it. Or just run the vertical with the optional conveyor.
Cheers
I bag what you call scrap and it makes the best kindling money can buy.
Nice work sir
I’ll take the Easton. I have no use for the “firewood shredder”. I stack all of my baskets and I like my firewood more uniform.