Yes and no, if you don't have muscle to split and can't afford splitter then yeah your right. Glad, I got neighbor that is willing to rent me his log splitter for 25 dollars a day. I said, alright Im taking 2 days cause I don't want to rush and ruin his splitter result him not let me rent from him again. Log splitter have two positions, if log is too big, like can't hug it, then I use upright position, splitted into nice sized cord. It is depending on your experience. For me, I don't care of size, just liability and if tree is too close to something that I could be responsible for, forget it.
Yeah, I know what you mean by lots of twist and knots, I let log splitter deal with it.
So far, success this year and Im getting better every year.
My house needs about 2.5 cords per winter and I got approximately 5.6 cords. I like to have some buffering in case this coming winter is bitch as hell as I hoped for LOL. In about 3 weeks, guy wants me to help him cut his tree and he wants half, an give me other half. I was like (sigh) alright.
I am selling two woodstove, One is Old Mill, which should heat about 2,800 sq ft, twice bigger than I needed. Other is Little Moe, I tested and it was rather little too small for my house. Can heat up to 1,100 sq ft. I need 1,400 sq ft minimum. I now using Big Moe "All-nighter" and it works perfect for my house, and easier for me to control heat output. Can take up 30 inches of logs. Same with Old Mill I think
I find that any tree that is bigger then what i can hug with my two arms are just not worth it for firewood. By the time the tree is that big, esp maple its has alot of twists and knots. The large trunks just needs to be cut up with chainsaw making noodles and its hard on the saw. Don't like doing that. Sometimes I do though if I dont have a choice you know.
btw - Glad you got enough wood diehardbiker - its predicted to be a long colder winter this year in northeast.
