Weld a couple of loop & eye hooks on the 4 corners, that way you can put 2 ratchet straps across each row and sinch the stacks down while transport! Awesome job as always!
Canny beat getting drunk on the heat from a wood fire! And it's utilising a natural, local resource that would otherwise be left to rot, which is like the principle eat the whole animal. Much better than paying an energy company too.
I agree 100% with your “rant”. To each their own! I’m impressed with your “toys” and how you put them to use in very practical ways. Keep on keeping on!!
I agree also. Wasted time is different for each person. But with saying that in this day and age it's so easy to find free firewood now days it save so much money. I have a contract with a tree service and I get some of the wood from that so they don't have to pay to get rid of it. They dump it at my property for me to burn.
You have 191.25 cubic feet of space in that rack. A cord measures 128 cubic feet no matter how you sack it. So, you can fit 1 1/2 cords in that rack. Hope this helps! 🤠👍
Cool, I just did a rough estimate by eyeball in my head and came up with about one and a third cords but you are correct when I got out the calculator.
100% correct. I had to use a calculator.....here are the computations. A cord of wood is 125 cubic feet A rack 8.5ft x 3ft x 7.5 feet = 191.25 cubic feet #cords of wood = 191.25 / 124 = 1.494 cords on the rack IBC tote holds 43.5 cubic feet. About 4.4 IBC totes on rack (191.25/43.5)
Neil , very well put . Everyone has their interest and it’s definitely not anyone else’s place to judge if it’s not hurting anyone . It’s great exercise and I enjoy watching while I eat my breakfast on Sunday lol
Could I split wood to heat my house? No. Do I love watching your videos and DIY projects and live vicariously through your videos? YES! Great job on the videos and thank you for letting us ride along with you. You are a great story teller, not many people could make a video about splitting wood so interesting. I was waiting all week to see if it would work out or not. Keep up the great work!
Neil you have created a great life for yourself. Your videos are great, and so is your character and hard work that you display. If you like what you are doing, that's what matters. People with negative comments or question you, seem to forget that. I for one am grateful to come along on the ride. Dan
There is nothing like a wood stove fire for comfort! I have the same conversation with myself regarding firewood. One should do what makes one happy. Carry on.
Many years ago, I lived in the Upper Snake River Valley in Idaho. During the summer months and early fall, my dad and I would take our pickups, chain saws and snacks on our days off and go cut firewood in the forest before they made you get permits. They would let us help keep the forest clear of dead trees and reduce forest fires. We used the wood in our homes for heat just like you. I don't think there was much else that I have ever done other than fish with my dad that was more enjoyable and relaxing. Keep the faith sir and keep the great videos coming. Thanks.
To me cutting / splitting firewood is great exercise. Some people spend a lot of money on gym equipment or memberships to keep fit. All people need some form of activity that keeps them moving (both mentally and physically). Being outdoors in the fresh air is great for the body. Like you say some people hunt, run, fish, chase a little ball around a golf course - they are doing something they enjoy. I retired from a desk job 5 years ago. I like to watch UA-cam while on the treadmill, elliptical or bike at the gym. I also make it a point to walk 2 miles outdoors every day when it is not raining - just to be in the sunshine and fresh air. I have cut and split wood in my younger days and I know it can be satisfying for the body and mind. Keep doing what like and stay active.
I agree with your "rant" 100%. I burn wood too. In fact I was dragging logs to cut and split yesterday. It's a lot of work for sure but it's good exercise, helps keep my property clean of fallen trees and it's great heat. Nothing easy about it but I enjoy it and that's what matters. Thanks for sharing!
If you dont want to make another rack. And want a steady flow. Of wood still. Once you've used up your rack. You can then switch to you "odds and ends" tote while you cut more for your rack. And once you start using from your rack again. You can go back and fill the tote with the "odds and ends" to then switch back when you're ready.
Just a thought. You could make doors for it that are removable that are mesh so when you are transporting it you don’t have to worry about dumping the stack through your window. You would just need cattle fence material for the doors and they can attach with pins and when you park the thing in your wood shed you can easily take them off. And you can use the doors for either rack. It would really just be for safety in transportation
Great solution that minimizes the number of touches required 🪵 having 2 or more will be great. I really appreciate your mini rant on work and the zen of splitting wood. 🪓 I hated it growing up, but miss it a bit now (as a fellow office worker)
I love the rant. Especially over some wood splitting ASMR. I love the irony of someone "wasting their time" watching this video and commenting the you are "wasting your time". Personally I love figuring out how much money I save by doing things myself, but the truth is I just like learning new things and being able to do stuff myself. Makes me feel like I'm a good man because I am useful and able.
Hey Neil, if you’re concerned about wood hitting the glass door on your skid steer, just weld some cattle panel on the back of the rack and it should keep the wood from ever coming back and hitting the glass door on the skid steer. I hope this all makes sense. Thanks for the videos Neil!
Yes the ratchet strap across the top. I've heated my house and cabin with wood for about 45 years now. Yes I enjoy doing it with the feeling of accomplishment and excursive.
We (the group I hunt with) talk about the plus and minus of hunting for our freezers. There is no way that hunting pencils out from a financial point. However, the memories, sometimes the pain of getting our harvest back to the freezer, the camaraderie and the beauty of the area that we hunt in, is the intangible that has no price tag. As I watch you splitting and stacking the fire wood I can feel that intangible feeling pouring from you. As you said, the feeling of accomplishment, the feeling of providing to you and your family that something that you don't get from a gallon of propane. I understand. Don't let the keyboard trolls get to you. GREAT VIDEO as always!
Splitting wood can even be therapeutic. Is it worth farming? Homesteading? Being self sustaining? Using renewable resources? Doing it yourself. It’s an easy answer for me I think. There is so much power in your discussion. It gave me pause to think. I am totally with you for sure but still gives me things to chew on. Please do more rants like this lol. On having the equipment you have and is it worth it…. 90+% of the wood you get is for free, you use the equipment on side jobs to make money for you family or DIY to save money for your family so you have that equipment to help be efficient for wood…. Wood is ~300+ /cord, propane is ~3/gallon > either one is about $3000 for heat at a minimum. Love it man. Thanks.
You said it perfectly Neil. Your take on “is it worth it” is spot on. Not sure if someone else suggested this or not but perhaps you could cut cattle panel or something similar to cover the front and back of the rack and just ratchet strap around them add some stability during transport. Just an idea🤷🏼♂️. Keep up the great videos!
I completely agree, I am self sufficient and my friends ask me why don't you pay someone to do it. I tell them #1 I save a lot of money, # 2 I want it done right, and #3 it's good exercise! I'm 73 and I know one of these days all this will come to an end, but I'm going to have fun until that day!
I live in an apartment complex and look forward to going home and splitting wood with my brothers. Its hard work, but it takes my mind off of all the B.S. i have to deal with. Its great exercise and I love smelling it in their wood burning stoves over the Holidays! Its a big sense of accomplishment if we fill his huge woodshed. Plus it provides wood for my parents who are older and have electric heat, but love to have fires in their fireplace over the winter months. Same with hunting, I love shooting archery, but what I’m really there for is to be out in nature. Keep up the great videos man!
LOVED the rant, Neil! I am 100% with you! (Although I might have some confirmation bias, since I run an outdoor wood boiler and have a wood stove inside too lol) but I think felling, bucking, hauling, splitting, stacking, burning and enjoying wood and wood heat is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Thank you for another amazing video, I look forward to each one:)
From Australia Neil, been watching a long time now. Get out and do it yourself, as you do and enjoy, mind, body and soul! At 73 years of age now and that is what helps me to keep going and cutting our own firewood, determination, work, fresh air, and the satisfaction that 'I did it' and am grateful that I still can. Well done mate.
I get the same questions about burning wood and why I do it, my answer is it is a lifestyle I enjoy and want to keep doing till I can't. I also did a ground mount solar with micro inverters that was so easy to install and I get the same wonderful feeling when the sun is shining and I am making more power then I can use selling it back to the utility as I get from having a roaring fire on a blustery day. I good project for you someday.
I was holding my breath and covering my eyes when you were going over the ditch. Good job. Perhaps wrap it with pallet (stretch) wrap while it's in transport??? Also, don't forget dad's driveway!!
Neil, I’m a city kid (44yrs old) with no farming skills or trades, but the passion and hard work that you present on your channel is what makes me come back every Sunday. I learn a little bit each time and it’s challenged to try things I’ve never tried before. I built an entryway bench out of an old courthouse pew because of your videos. It was so rewarding like splitting wood. Thank you, Neil.
First, I'm glad I waited to watch. I just couldn't do the German, Spanish, or any other language but English it was offer me. Thanks for fixing it if you did. Now as far as splitting wood, I'm with you, and I enjoy it too. To each he's own as you said though. My last thought was back to the IBC totes again. I know you addressed this in the last video and you said it was no bueno for you but, I didn't remember why? I was thinking you could fill a bunch of baskets so much faster and carry them faster, easier, and safer with the skid loader, and it looks like you could stack a bunch in your lean too. Unstack them with the loader as needed or us a pallet jack to move them around in there on the concrete if you didn't take the machine out. You could also have a bunch drying(seasoning) in the (field) wood yard and you could grab them with the loader as needed. Just my 2 cents and food for thought. I appreciate you doing your videos Neil, my favorite thing to watch Sunday morning.
I find "self satifaction/reliance" missing in today's society. The feeling I get from recycling/reusing material and making something useful is soooo satisfying to me. I was given this gift to me from my Grandpa Jack. Though I was only 7 when he died, I remember hanging out in his workshop with him refurbishing tools, funature, and anything someone else threw away. 50+ years later, I still think of him when I finish a project. I saved another object from the dump. With making firewood, you work hard. You heat your house. You don't put more stuff in a landfill. Most importantly, you did it yourself. Neil, Thanks for all your content on UA-cam. Thanks to your tractor rebuilt, it got me motivated to get several projects completed after May years of procrastinating.
I'm so excited i go to se the conclusion of this rack. i saw the construction and that wonderful mind of yours comes up with another great idea and I'm a bit wondering when it gets painted that consistent yellow that you have come to love. Neil another great video for you and i cant wait to see what happens next!!!
Great video. From my measure the rack holds about 1-1/2 cords. A wide band ratchet strap near the top of the rack, to bind wood into frame, would keep the sway between the two minimized.
I'm not sure why the video switches to German for some folks. I'm trying to figure out if it is something I can fix on my side, but you may be able to fix it with a change in your UA-cam settings. Danke fürs Zuschauen!
My theory is that the videos are loaded across multiple servers and locations and it was still in the process. It started in English each time but in 5 seconds switched to French. About every 2 minutes another language would appear on the video audio setting and after about 10 minutes US English finally appeared for me.
I'm with you. I just wish that it was a cleaner fuel. But no judgement. We heated our home with a wood stove for many years. As for the rack, that's going to get tricky to move in the winter with the snow and ice. Best of luck!
Can we get a Filled Up and Emptied Out date tracker as well? I don't know if that would go well, but could be fun to celebrate! Love this, and I plan on doing something similar now that I've watched wood stacking adventures parts 1 and now 2. Love what you do man!
Nothing but respect Neil. I've been watching your channel for a long time now, I look forward to your Sunday drops, whoever is saying that you...... splitting all that wood is a waste of time, has no sense of pride in anything they do, you don't split wood because it's fun,.you don't split wood because it's your hobby, you splitting wood in preparation for the winter is directly connected to all love in your heart for your family, I get it, and you don't ever have to justify that. Thank you for the good content, God Bless You and your Familia. George Gloria Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
I agree Neil with what you said about is it worth it! You’re absolutely right to be able to accomplish something, I did that or I made that. It’s a good feeling, as humans you’re right we do need that. Have a good week from northwestern Vermont.
As always, I enjoy your videos. I too love cutting and splitting firewood for my fireplace. I had two thoughts about improving your firewood rack when watching your video. First, it would be nice to be able to tilt your rack back when transporting. Maybe standing up plywood and strapping against the backside. The other thought would be to have heavy duty wheels to be able to move the rack in your wood storage area.
Neil, You just keep doing what you do, I think many people appreciate your position on doing things that give you a sense of accomplishment "and" provide a great addition to everyday expense control.
Just found your channel, I agree 100% with you. Use of time is subjective. I enjoy the process of finding down trees to cut up, splitting the wood and stacking. We spend 3-5 days in the backyard enjoying a fire and we spend a great deal of the summer camping. Heck! I just spent 26 minutes of my life watching a stranger in you process fire wood, and I enjoyed that 26 minutes, so it was not a waste of my time. 👍🏼
I totally agree with you on getting the satisfaction of doing things for yourself. There is a satisfaction of sitting back at the end of a day and saying 'i did that'. Great job Neil! Love your videos. Hello from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
No need to apologize for your rant do what you love to do and enjoy I love watching all your videos and I can tell the love you have for each and everything you do from seeding a lawn to putting gravel by the pond you have pride in what you do and want it to look and function the best that it can when you’re finished with it keep up the amazing work !
Maybe you can use two sheets of plywood with some 2x4 legs to support the top layers from falling out. Set one in front and and one in back held in place with straps. You only need to use the plywood support while moving the rack. Like you said, you don’t want the firewood to fall and break the glass door.
I can relate to what you were saying about time well spent. I too am not much into sports or hunting. I enjoy watching you working on your projects and wishing I were there. I think the time you spend on cutting and splitting wood would be enjoyable time.😊
I started thinking that it was way more work then what it would be worth and immediately thought that using propane or electric would be easier. But you convinced me to think of it as labor of love and see the relaxing element to it. I have little to no need for wood but i could see myself enjoying doing what you are doing. Thanks for the video. Its one of my weekend highlights.
The rack turned out great seems quite stable as you transport it.. I'm with you a sense of satisfaction for a job well done and useful..I miss splitting wood by hand ..
Top rant Neil! I'm with you entirely, so much I do could be seen as a waste of time by others,... but I just love doing it. The gift of practicality is totally priceless, if you are physically able, love living and doing stuff, there is no end to what you can do! 😊
Hi, I really enjoy watching your videos. I recommend use two ratchet straps. From the right side, above tp the left side, one for each row. That way everything will be fastened to the device, there will be no situation for something to fall during transfer. Greatings from Israel. Tsahi
Amen brother, I’m with you on heating your home with firewood have done it that way for the past 16 years. Something rewarding about all of it! Love to watch your videos every Sunday morning keep up the great work.
Absolutely agree 100% with your explanation. You do you. Why are they even on your Chanel if they don't like what you are doing. I Love DIY. Look you have a skid steer. I want one lol. Anything that justifies a new toy is worth it. My last rant is. The cost of propane or natural gas would probably make you have to compromise heating the shop also it would just be too expensive.
I fully agree with you, that if you enjoy doing something and feel rewarded by it, then thats what you should do and it is totally worth it. Thinking for safety sake of nothing coming through the glass of the skid steer, maybe look into the heavy duty mesh tarps that are made to fit dump trailers. With the size of that rack a tarp for a 12 or 14 foot long dump trailer should be able to go up one side, over the top and down the other but be up far enough that you could hook ratchet straps to the tarp and the bottom of the rack non each side to pull in order to pull it tight and help hold the stacks in place. They have those tarps at Tractor Supply.
17:24 I would also say cutting your own wood has a great level of self reliance. Not having to depend on a propane guy is a great advantage over most folks.
I am glad I am not the only one that drops and spills and falls 1/3 of what I touch! Great video as always. You do you and the older we get the number of people we care what they think drops precipitously.
I would definitely consider putting a mesh on the back of it so you can tilt back and travel faster and not have to worry about losing any firewood As always another great video thank you
It’s not a waste of time. It’s something to occupy your time as well. I mean what are these people saving all this time for? To do the things or sit on their asses doing nothing. Letting things go and doing things the easy way is not a life I’d want to live. I love this channel and what you represent!
Hello sir! I watch with my husband as our tradition with our coffee on Sunday and just as you began to explain your reasoning behind your fire furnace process I was questioning if it was worth all the effort. lol. You explained the reasons perfectly and it makes total sense!!! We really enjoy your channel! Keep up the great work and you do you boo!
Its 1.3 cords, which is 4 ibc totes. And as for the rant, I'm right there with ya. I burn wood for the ambiance, the physical exercise, and because its a local and renewable resource and I get to heat for free with trees that fall on my property. A while ago I looked up how many BTU's were in raw heating oil and in red oak (the majority of what I burn in my area), and a cord of wood is about equal to filling my 250gal oil tank which was about $550 at the time that I did the math. So the way I see it I'm saving about $500 per cord that I burn.
I think some goat/livestock fence welded around the sides and back would keep the wood from crashing through your skid loaders window and allow you to lean back the wood cart and keep everything on the cart especially when trying to get up the ditch on the side of the road.
I've always said some guys have Corvettes and some have firewood equipment. I love that my "Corvette" heats my home and saves a few bucks along the way! Great video Neil.
You have the right tools for the right job and you're having fun using those tools. It's very satisfying and that's all that matters. Keep up the great videos. Cheers.
A few wraps around with plastic wrap would help tie it all together during transport. A cheap and easy assurance you won’t spill all the effort of stacking over. 👍🏻
I look forward to your videos every Sunday morning. Thanks for using our resources for good, and teaching your children that the product of your designs, and work is it's own reward.
There's another angle of "is it worth to make firewood". To prepare the firewood is the same as clearing leaves from the yard in fall - it's just a task that I have to perform due to the choices in life that I made. I could easily get rid of the work for clearing leaves, but then I can't have a house in the countryside. If you ask the question "should I really move to an apartment in a city just to get rid of dealing with the leaves" it gets more clear. No one would do that just for that purpose and give up on all the other benefits of owning a large property. On the financial aspects, I had a discussion with a friend one day, and he said, it's not worth it - he can make more money if he just does his normal work during the time that he otherwise would spend doing firewood, and then heats his house with a heat pump. However, he is a consultant and has his own company. He can put in more time and get more money out. I on the other hand have an ordinary day job, with a constant pay. Every month I get the same money. If I work longer hours, I'm not seeing a penny more on my bank account. So heating with wood means, I keep money on my account that otherwise would go to some utility company, with no other way to replace it. And we are somewhat independent of prices for natural gas, heating oil, electricity etc. Also we have some forest property that we anyway have to manage. Some time I have to spend on doing forestry work, and somewhere I need to get rid of the wood. Win-win situation for me. Your mileage might vary.
Good to see proof of concept worked. I'd still get a piece of snowfence to prevent wood from falling backwards into the cab when traveling. I with you cutting firewood is very relaxing and good exercise, it's also a great way to manage or forests and help reduce forest fires. But unfortunately I live in town and it's more expensive to haul it into town then it is to pay the propane bill. Plus here in Ontario Canada the insurance rates for having a woodfire place is nuts due to the fact that there's alot of folks who burned their house down cause they didn't know what they where doing. Keep the great work
I'm in the middle of a DIY bathroom renovation using repurposed materials and UA-cam university. Don't need to do this myself, even frustrating at times when things don't go perfect but as each step is completed the sense of accomplishment is fulfilling.
Not sure if this helps at all but my family has always split wood and stacked it on trailers we have made ourselves. We custom make trailers with older axles off of worn out farm equipment and scrap steel. We build them to fix approx 2 cords of wood or more and immediately stack once split and let them dry for a year. They’re covered with older roofing tin to keep the rain off, then drive them in with the tractor whenever they are needed throughout the winter.
You're right on! We're all different, thank goodness. It's ok to spend our time differently. I spend lots of time sitting in trees bow hunting, which some think is crazy. Learn lots from you, thank you!
Cook, bake, and make my own firewood. Have a huge garden. Only sports I watch are my kids. He's spot on. It's good for you! Bet Neil makes it to 100th birthday
Hi Neil i like cutting wood and i am retired so i kind of take my time doing it. I don't have a lot of equipment i use chainsaws and a tractor with a grapple and a splitter. Before i got splitter i did it by hand with a maul.
I'm with ya! Your project oriented, you get a sense of accomplishment by figuring out how to get your projects started, and finished, and then maintained.
I would argue making firewood is therapeutic and good exercise. You may want to consider putting ratchet straps on both stacks of wood pulling the piles down to the base just to add a little more stability and maybe make it more difficult for wood to fall out. It looks like all you would need to do is hook the straps on the towers somewhere… maybe weld hooks on the towers? Great videos…
Does the video switch to German at 00:10 for anyone else and then not have an English audio track available anymore?
The video started in German from 0:00 with no English translation 😢
Yes! I opened and closed the app several times trying to fix this. The first time it only played German
Yep. Need subtitles
Mine went to indonesian.
Mine was German as well. Had to go into the settings and change my closed caption default to English. I'm not sure why but that fixed it.
Weld a couple of loop & eye hooks on the 4 corners, that way you can put 2 ratchet straps across each row and sinch the stacks down while transport! Awesome job as always!
Thats exactly what i was coming to comment
This is a great idea!
Me as well, it needs an ounce of prevention!
I would get a roll of 18” stretch wrap and put about 6 or 8 laps around the whole thing near the top of the rack.
Yes, great idea, will stabilise the load leaving you free to focus on where your going.
Loved it, I’m 70 year old woman, still cutting, splitting, stacking and burning wood. The fire is humming tonight .
Canny beat getting drunk on the heat from a wood fire! And it's utilising a natural, local resource that would otherwise be left to rot, which is like the principle eat the whole animal. Much better than paying an energy company too.
Heck ya Marilyn!!!!
You keep rocking it!!!!!
Let me know if you need anything!!!
I agree 100% with your “rant”. To each their own! I’m impressed with your “toys” and how you put them to use in very practical ways. Keep on keeping on!!
I agree. Lots of stuff will have different meaning to different people. You will decide yourself what is time waisted, and what not.
I agree also. Wasted time is different for each person. But with saying that in this day and age it's so easy to find free firewood now days it save so much money. I have a contract with a tree service and I get some of the wood from that so they don't have to pay to get rid of it. They dump it at my property for me to burn.
It is your house, your back, and your time, your investment in keeping your family warm. I admire your work ethic.
You have 191.25 cubic feet of space in that rack. A cord measures 128 cubic feet no matter how you sack it. So, you can fit 1 1/2 cords in that rack. Hope this helps! 🤠👍
Sweet! Thanks Sam
Cool, I just did a rough estimate by eyeball in my head and came up with about one and a third cords but you are correct when I got out the calculator.
Yup. What he said
100% correct. I had to use a calculator.....here are the computations. A cord of wood is 125 cubic feet
A rack 8.5ft x 3ft x 7.5 feet = 191.25 cubic feet
#cords of wood = 191.25 / 124 = 1.494 cords on the rack
IBC tote holds 43.5 cubic feet. About 4.4 IBC totes on rack (191.25/43.5)
Neil , very well put . Everyone has their interest and it’s definitely not anyone else’s place to judge if it’s not hurting anyone . It’s great exercise and I enjoy watching while I eat my breakfast on Sunday lol
Could I split wood to heat my house? No. Do I love watching your videos and DIY projects and live vicariously through your videos? YES! Great job on the videos and thank you for letting us ride along with you. You are a great story teller, not many people could make a video about splitting wood so interesting. I was waiting all week to see if it would work out or not. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the kind words. I'm grateful that you and so many others are willing to watch!
Absolutely wonderful response to those who say "is it worth it?". Very eloquently stated Neil!! I am in 100% agreement with you!
Neil you have created a great life for yourself. Your videos are great, and so is your character and hard work that you display. If you like what you are doing, that's what matters. People with negative comments or question you, seem to forget that. I for one am grateful to come along on the ride. Dan
There is nothing like a wood stove fire for comfort! I have the same conversation with myself regarding firewood. One should do what makes one happy. Carry on.
Some transportation wheels can be essential on the bottom of the rack. You will be able to rotate the rack and put it next to the wall :). Nice job.
Many years ago, I lived in the Upper Snake River Valley in Idaho. During the summer months and early fall, my dad and I would take our pickups, chain saws and snacks on our days off and go cut firewood in the forest before they made you get permits. They would let us help keep the forest clear of dead trees and reduce forest fires. We used the wood in our homes for heat just like you. I don't think there was much else that I have ever done other than fish with my dad that was more enjoyable and relaxing. Keep the faith sir and keep the great videos coming. Thanks.
To me cutting / splitting firewood is great exercise. Some people spend a lot of money on gym equipment or memberships to keep fit. All people need some form of activity that keeps them moving (both mentally and physically). Being outdoors in the fresh air is great for the body. Like you say some people hunt, run, fish, chase a little ball around a golf course - they are doing something they enjoy. I retired from a desk job 5 years ago. I like to watch UA-cam while on the treadmill, elliptical or bike at the gym. I also make it a point to walk 2 miles outdoors every day when it is not raining - just to be in the sunshine and fresh air. I have cut and split wood in my younger days and I know it can be satisfying for the body and mind. Keep doing what like and stay active.
I agree 100% with you. One man's "waste of time" is another man's solace "
I agree with your "rant" 100%. I burn wood too. In fact I was dragging logs to cut and split yesterday. It's a lot of work for sure but it's good exercise, helps keep my property clean of fallen trees and it's great heat. Nothing easy about it but I enjoy it and that's what matters. Thanks for sharing!
If you dont want to make another rack. And want a steady flow. Of wood still. Once you've used up your rack. You can then switch to you "odds and ends" tote while you cut more for your rack. And once you start using from your rack again. You can go back and fill the tote with the "odds and ends" to then switch back when you're ready.
Just a thought. You could make doors for it that are removable that are mesh so when you are transporting it you don’t have to worry about dumping the stack through your window. You would just need cattle fence material for the doors and they can attach with pins and when you park the thing in your wood shed you can easily take them off. And you can use the doors for either rack. It would really just be for safety in transportation
Great solution that minimizes the number of touches required 🪵 having 2 or more will be great. I really appreciate your mini rant on work and the zen of splitting wood. 🪓 I hated it growing up, but miss it a bit now (as a fellow office worker)
I love the rant. Especially over some wood splitting ASMR. I love the irony of someone "wasting their time" watching this video and commenting the you are "wasting your time".
Personally I love figuring out how much money I save by doing things myself, but the truth is I just like learning new things and being able to do stuff myself. Makes me feel like I'm a good man because I am useful and able.
Awesome idea! I would add some I bolts and just ratchet strap the top. That should keep it from tipping/falling
Hey Neil, if you’re concerned about wood hitting the glass door on your skid steer, just weld some cattle panel on the back of the rack and it should keep the wood from ever coming back and hitting the glass door on the skid steer. I hope this all makes sense. Thanks for the videos Neil!
Yes the ratchet strap across the top. I've heated my house and cabin with wood for about 45 years now. Yes I enjoy doing it with the feeling of accomplishment and excursive.
We (the group I hunt with) talk about the plus and minus of hunting for our freezers. There is no way that hunting pencils out from a financial point. However, the memories, sometimes the pain of getting our harvest back to the freezer, the camaraderie and the beauty of the area that we hunt in, is the intangible that has no price tag.
As I watch you splitting and stacking the fire wood I can feel that intangible feeling pouring from you. As you said, the feeling of accomplishment, the feeling of providing to you and your family that something that you don't get from a gallon of propane. I understand.
Don't let the keyboard trolls get to you.
GREAT VIDEO as always!
Splitting wood can even be therapeutic.
Is it worth farming? Homesteading? Being self sustaining? Using renewable resources? Doing it yourself.
It’s an easy answer for me I think.
There is so much power in your discussion. It gave me pause to think. I am totally with you for sure but still gives me things to chew on.
Please do more rants like this lol.
On having the equipment you have and is it worth it…. 90+% of the wood you get is for free, you use the equipment on side jobs to make money for you family or DIY to save money for your family so you have that equipment to help be efficient for wood…. Wood is ~300+ /cord, propane is ~3/gallon > either one is about $3000 for heat at a minimum.
Love it man. Thanks.
You had a very good answer for the people who said wood cutting was a waste of time. To each his own.
You said it perfectly Neil. Your take on “is it worth it” is spot on.
Not sure if someone else suggested this or not but perhaps you could cut cattle panel or something similar to cover the front and back of the rack and just ratchet strap around them add some stability during transport. Just an idea🤷🏼♂️. Keep up the great videos!
I completely agree, I am self sufficient and my friends ask me why don't you pay someone to do it. I tell them #1 I save a lot of money, # 2 I want it done right, and #3 it's good exercise! I'm 73 and I know one of these days all this will come to an end, but I'm going to have fun until that day!
I live in an apartment complex and look forward to going home and splitting wood with my brothers.
Its hard work, but it takes my mind off of all the B.S. i have to deal with.
Its great exercise and I love smelling it in their wood burning stoves over the Holidays! Its a big sense of accomplishment if we fill his huge woodshed.
Plus it provides wood for my parents who are older and have electric heat, but love to have fires in their fireplace over the winter months.
Same with hunting, I love shooting archery, but what I’m really there for is to be out in nature.
Keep up the great videos man!
I don’t know about anyone else, but I was holding my breath when backing out of the wood yard! Nice job!
LOVED the rant, Neil! I am 100% with you! (Although I might have some confirmation bias, since I run an outdoor wood boiler and have a wood stove inside too lol) but I think felling, bucking, hauling, splitting, stacking, burning and enjoying wood and wood heat is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Thank you for another amazing video, I look forward to each one:)
From Australia Neil, been watching a long time now. Get out and do it yourself, as you do and enjoy, mind, body and soul! At 73 years of age now and that is what helps me to keep going and cutting our own firewood, determination, work, fresh air, and the satisfaction that 'I did it' and am grateful that I still can. Well done mate.
I get the same questions about burning wood and why I do it, my answer is it is a lifestyle I enjoy and want to keep doing till I can't. I also did a ground mount solar with micro inverters that was so easy to install and I get the same wonderful feeling when the sun is shining and I am making more power then I can use selling it back to the utility as I get from having a roaring fire on a blustery day. I good project for you someday.
I was holding my breath and covering my eyes when you were going over the ditch. Good job. Perhaps wrap it with pallet (stretch) wrap while it's in transport??? Also, don't forget dad's driveway!!
Dad’s driveway is in the list!
I love your rack. May take longer to stack, but storage is easier, to me. Love the videos.
Neil, I’m a city kid (44yrs old) with no farming skills or trades, but the passion and hard work that you present on your channel is what makes me come back every Sunday. I learn a little bit each time and it’s challenged to try things I’ve never tried before. I built an entryway bench out of an old courthouse pew because of your videos. It was so rewarding like splitting wood. Thank you, Neil.
First, I'm glad I waited to watch. I just couldn't do the German, Spanish, or any other language but English it was offer me. Thanks for fixing it if you did. Now as far as splitting wood, I'm with you, and I enjoy it too. To each he's own as you said though. My last thought was back to the IBC totes again. I know you addressed this in the last video and you said it was no bueno for you but, I didn't remember why? I was thinking you could fill a bunch of baskets so much faster and carry them faster, easier, and safer with the skid loader, and it looks like you could stack a bunch in your lean too. Unstack them with the loader as needed or us a pallet jack to move them around in there on the concrete if you didn't take the machine out. You could also have a bunch drying(seasoning) in the (field) wood yard and you could grab them with the loader as needed. Just my 2 cents and food for thought. I appreciate you doing your videos Neil, my favorite thing to watch Sunday morning.
I find "self satifaction/reliance" missing in today's society. The feeling I get from recycling/reusing material and making something useful is soooo satisfying to me. I was given this gift to me from my Grandpa Jack. Though I was only 7 when he died, I remember hanging out in his workshop with him refurbishing tools, funature, and anything someone else threw away. 50+ years later, I still think of him when I finish a project. I saved another object from the dump. With making firewood, you work hard. You heat your house. You don't put more stuff in a landfill. Most importantly, you did it yourself. Neil, Thanks for all your content on UA-cam. Thanks to your tractor rebuilt, it got me motivated to get several projects completed after May years of procrastinating.
I'm so excited i go to se the conclusion of this rack. i saw the construction and that wonderful mind of yours comes up with another great idea and I'm a bit wondering when it gets painted that consistent yellow that you have come to love. Neil another great video for you and i cant wait to see what happens next!!!
Hi I am Michelle from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I’m with you, I bet you just love the time to clear our head and relax. keep doing what you love
Great video. From my measure the rack holds about 1-1/2 cords. A wide band ratchet strap near the top of the rack, to bind wood into frame, would keep the sway between the two minimized.
I love cutting wood, running the saw, and being outside. It's a matter of independence for me . I'm with you 110%.
Totally with you, I love cutting and splitting my firewood in-between hunting trips, love the videos.
I'm not sure why the video switches to German for some folks. I'm trying to figure out if it is something I can fix on my side, but you may be able to fix it with a change in your UA-cam settings. Danke fürs Zuschauen!
log out and log back in and it goes back to english
My theory is that the videos are loaded across multiple servers and locations and it was still in the process. It started in English each time but in 5 seconds switched to French. About every 2 minutes another language would appear on the video audio setting and after about 10 minutes US English finally appeared for me.
I watched on my laptop; it stayed English the whole way through
Not a problem for me. :) I can't hear so I only ever watch it with captions on. :)
I had that happen using a VPN. Took me a while to look at the VPN region and it was set to Austria. Switched it back to USA and it was all better!
I'm with you. I just wish that it was a cleaner fuel. But no judgement. We heated our home with a wood stove for many years. As for the rack, that's going to get tricky to move in the winter with the snow and ice. Best of luck!
Neil we’re here to see your view of life your perspective and opinion are a huge part of that! You may call it a rant but it’s why I’m here.
Can we get a Filled Up and Emptied Out date tracker as well? I don't know if that would go well, but could be fun to celebrate! Love this, and I plan on doing something similar now that I've watched wood stacking adventures parts 1 and now 2. Love what you do man!
Nothing but respect Neil.
I've been watching your channel for a long time now, I look forward to your Sunday drops, whoever is saying that you...... splitting all that wood is a waste of time, has no sense of pride in anything they do, you don't split wood because it's fun,.you don't split wood because it's your hobby, you splitting wood in preparation for the winter is directly connected to all love in your heart for your family, I get it, and you don't ever have to justify that.
Thank you for the good content, God Bless You and your Familia.
George Gloria
Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
I agree Neil with what you said about is it worth it! You’re absolutely right to be able to accomplish something, I did that or I made that. It’s a good feeling, as humans you’re right we do need that. Have a good week from northwestern Vermont.
Thanks! Really enjoy your videos Neil! Started watching since last summer when you began digging the pond.
Hey thanks so much Jon! Really appreciate you watching and thanks for the bonus!
As always, I enjoy your videos. I too love cutting and splitting firewood for my fireplace. I had two thoughts about improving your firewood rack when watching your video. First, it would be nice to be able to tilt your rack back when transporting. Maybe standing up plywood and strapping against the backside. The other thought would be to have heavy duty wheels to be able to move the rack in your wood storage area.
Neil, You just keep doing what you do, I think many people appreciate your position on doing things that give you a sense of accomplishment "and" provide a great addition to everyday expense control.
Just found your channel, I agree 100% with you. Use of time is subjective. I enjoy the process of finding down trees to cut up, splitting the wood and stacking. We spend 3-5 days in the backyard enjoying a fire and we spend a great deal of the summer camping. Heck! I just spent 26 minutes of my life watching a stranger in you process fire wood, and I enjoyed that 26 minutes, so it was not a waste of my time. 👍🏼
Thanks! That’s what I’m hoping for! A good use of everyone’s time.
I totally agree with you on getting the satisfaction of doing things for yourself. There is a satisfaction of sitting back at the end of a day and saying 'i did that'. Great job Neil! Love your videos. Hello from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Labor of Love for sure. Plus great exercise, fresh air, self sufficiency.... all good stuff.
No need to apologize for your rant do what you love to do and enjoy I love watching all your videos and I can tell the love you have for each and everything you do from seeding a lawn to putting gravel by the pond you have pride in what you do and want it to look and function the best that it can when you’re finished with it keep up the amazing work !
Maybe you can use two sheets of plywood with some 2x4 legs to support the top layers from falling out. Set one in front and and one in back held in place with straps. You only need to use the plywood support while moving the rack. Like you said, you don’t want the firewood to fall and break the glass door.
Life is all about making choices on how to spend your time. Love the philosophy session.
I can relate to what you were saying about time well spent. I too am not much into sports or hunting. I enjoy watching you working on your projects and wishing I were there. I think the time you spend on cutting and splitting wood would be enjoyable time.😊
I started thinking that it was way more work then what it would be worth and immediately thought that using propane or electric would be easier. But you convinced me to think of it as labor of love and see the relaxing element to it. I have little to no need for wood but i could see myself enjoying doing what you are doing. Thanks for the video. Its one of my weekend highlights.
Not a waste of time! It's obvious you love what you do!
Your ‘rant’ spoke to my heart. I remember splitting wood with my dad and pap. I can still smell that fresh split wood. Brings back great memories!❤
The rack turned out great seems quite stable as you transport it..
I'm with you a sense of satisfaction for a job well done and useful..I miss splitting wood by hand ..
Top rant Neil! I'm with you entirely, so much I do could be seen as a waste of time by others,... but I just love doing it. The gift of practicality is totally priceless, if you are physically able, love living and doing stuff, there is no end to what you can do! 😊
Hi, I really enjoy watching your videos. I recommend use two ratchet straps. From the right side, above tp the left side, one for each row. That way everything will be fastened to the device, there will be no situation for something to fall during transfer.
Greatings from Israel.
Tsahi
Amen brother, I’m with you on heating your home with firewood have done it that way for the past 16 years. Something rewarding about all of it! Love to watch your videos every Sunday morning keep up the great work.
Absolutely agree 100% with your explanation. You do you. Why are they even on your Chanel if they don't like what you are doing. I Love DIY. Look you have a skid steer. I want one lol. Anything that justifies a new toy is worth it. My last rant is. The cost of propane or natural gas would probably make you have to compromise heating the shop also it would just be too expensive.
My family and neighbors think I just Love yard work, The truth is, it's my exercise & my eyes really like the results.
I agree and it's a great stress reliever gives me time to clear my mind
I fully agree with you, that if you enjoy doing something and feel rewarded by it, then thats what you should do and it is totally worth it. Thinking for safety sake of nothing coming through the glass of the skid steer, maybe look into the heavy duty mesh tarps that are made to fit dump trailers. With the size of that rack a tarp for a 12 or 14 foot long dump trailer should be able to go up one side, over the top and down the other but be up far enough that you could hook ratchet straps to the tarp and the bottom of the rack non each side to pull in order to pull it tight and help hold the stacks in place. They have those tarps at Tractor Supply.
17:24 I would also say cutting your own wood has a great level of self reliance. Not having to depend on a propane guy is a great advantage over most folks.
I am glad I am not the only one that drops and spills and falls 1/3 of what I touch! Great video as always. You do you and the older we get the number of people we care what they think drops precipitously.
I would definitely consider putting a mesh on the back of it so you can tilt back and travel faster and not have to worry about losing any firewood
As always another great video thank you
It’s not a waste of time. It’s something to occupy your time as well. I mean what are these people saving all this time for? To do the things or sit on their asses doing nothing. Letting things go and doing things the easy way is not a life I’d want to live.
I love this channel and what you represent!
Hello sir! I watch with my husband as our tradition with our coffee on Sunday and just as you began to explain your reasoning behind your fire furnace process I was questioning if it was worth all the effort. lol. You explained the reasons perfectly and it makes total sense!!! We really enjoy your channel! Keep up the great work and you do you boo!
I'm glad that you chop firewood . It's cool to other things people do. Also, I'm from southern Indiana, so i get it.
Its 1.3 cords, which is 4 ibc totes.
And as for the rant, I'm right there with ya. I burn wood for the ambiance, the physical exercise, and because its a local and renewable resource and I get to heat for free with trees that fall on my property. A while ago I looked up how many BTU's were in raw heating oil and in red oak (the majority of what I burn in my area), and a cord of wood is about equal to filling my 250gal oil tank which was about $550 at the time that I did the math. So the way I see it I'm saving about $500 per cord that I burn.
Wow! I like that math.
I think some goat/livestock fence welded around the sides and back would keep the wood from crashing through your skid loaders window and allow you to lean back the wood cart and keep everything on the cart especially when trying to get up the ditch on the side of the road.
👍 A temporary net stretched over that glass side would be a must for me.
You could put a piece of cattle panel on the side you pick it up from to keep the wood from falling towards you plus’s should help it be more secure.
I've always said some guys have Corvettes and some have firewood equipment. I love that my "Corvette" heats my home and saves a few bucks along the way! Great video Neil.
Exactly!
You have the right tools for the right job and you're having fun using those tools. It's very satisfying and that's all that matters. Keep up the great videos. Cheers.
A few wraps around with plastic wrap would help tie it all together during transport. A cheap and easy assurance you won’t spill all the effort of stacking over. 👍🏻
Yes it is totally worth it you keep doing what you do bravo Sir.
I look forward to your videos every Sunday morning. Thanks for using our resources for good, and teaching your children that the product of your designs, and work is it's own reward.
There's another angle of "is it worth to make firewood".
To prepare the firewood is the same as clearing leaves from the yard in fall - it's just a task that I have to perform due to the choices in life that I made. I could easily get rid of the work for clearing leaves, but then I can't have a house in the countryside. If you ask the question "should I really move to an apartment in a city just to get rid of dealing with the leaves" it gets more clear. No one would do that just for that purpose and give up on all the other benefits of owning a large property.
On the financial aspects, I had a discussion with a friend one day, and he said, it's not worth it - he can make more money if he just does his normal work during the time that he otherwise would spend doing firewood, and then heats his house with a heat pump. However, he is a consultant and has his own company. He can put in more time and get more money out. I on the other hand have an ordinary day job, with a constant pay. Every month I get the same money. If I work longer hours, I'm not seeing a penny more on my bank account. So heating with wood means, I keep money on my account that otherwise would go to some utility company, with no other way to replace it. And we are somewhat independent of prices for natural gas, heating oil, electricity etc.
Also we have some forest property that we anyway have to manage. Some time I have to spend on doing forestry work, and somewhere I need to get rid of the wood. Win-win situation for me. Your mileage might vary.
Great points. Thanks!
Good to see proof of concept worked. I'd still get a piece of snowfence to prevent wood from falling backwards into the cab when traveling.
I with you cutting firewood is very relaxing and good exercise, it's also a great way to manage or forests and help reduce forest fires. But unfortunately I live in town and it's more expensive to haul it into town then it is to pay the propane bill. Plus here in Ontario Canada the insurance rates for having a woodfire place is nuts due to the fact that there's alot of folks who burned their house down cause they didn't know what they where doing.
Keep the great work
I'm in the middle of a DIY bathroom renovation using repurposed materials and UA-cam university. Don't need to do this myself, even frustrating at times when things don't go perfect but as each step is completed the sense of accomplishment is fulfilling.
I can only imagine the smell in your storage shed, grease, dust, diesel, wood. Reminds me of my uncles shop. An amazing memory
Here's what I say....if it makes you happy and you feel your time was well spent...that's all that matters. Another nice video. Thank you, Neil.
I’m 100% with you! If we all liked doing the same things, this would be a pretty boring world 😀
Not sure if this helps at all but my family has always split wood and stacked it on trailers we have made ourselves. We custom make trailers with older axles off of worn out farm equipment and scrap steel. We build them to fix approx 2 cords of wood or more and immediately stack once split and let them dry for a year. They’re covered with older roofing tin to keep the rain off, then drive them in with the tractor whenever they are needed throughout the winter.
You're right on! We're all different, thank goodness. It's ok to spend our time differently. I spend lots of time sitting in trees bow hunting, which some think is crazy. Learn lots from you, thank you!
Man, you have got the coolest toys on UA-cam! And the best channel!! Thanks for sharing .
16:00 This speech 💯 🎯👌🏼👍🏼👊🏼
Cook, bake, and make my own firewood. Have a huge garden. Only sports I watch are my kids. He's spot on. It's good for you! Bet Neil makes it to 100th birthday
Hi Neil i like cutting wood and i am retired so i kind of take my time doing it. I don't have a lot of equipment i use chainsaws and a tractor with a grapple and a splitter. Before i got splitter i did it by hand with a maul.
You’re out in the fresh air, getting exercise doing something you enjoy, what’s not to like. Good video 😊
I'm with ya! Your project oriented, you get a sense of accomplishment by figuring out how to get your projects started, and finished, and then maintained.
Well said!! If you enjoy what you are doing it is not a waste of time! I think the wood rack will work great!
I would argue making firewood is therapeutic and good exercise. You may want to consider putting ratchet straps on both stacks of wood pulling the piles down to the base just to add a little more stability and maybe make it more difficult for wood to fall out. It looks like all you would need to do is hook the straps on the towers somewhere… maybe weld hooks on the towers? Great videos…
I find the whole firewood process very therapeutic! Split on!
Keep doing you….. we will watch and learn and enjoy