Minnesota!

[Minniechickmama]

Yeah Klopklop. Dad is wondering why he didn't do it sooner-buying that log splitter. At $70/day...it's paid for in 13 days of work. Not too bad. He's just about got the wood all put up. He does about 4 loads with his little green wagon that he bought for his little green tractor.

Those Silver Maples are messy. They're nice if you want a fast growing shade tree in no time but ack...the leaves keep coming and coming off of those things and like you said the branches that fall of. Almost like a Lombardi popular.

But the thing with those Silver Maple leaves is that you mow them and they nearly disintegrate. We discovered that if we wanted them for composting, we had to rake or catch all the mowed clippings. Otherwise, they are in such small pieces we would just leave them to work into the soil for the future.

I can see that the Poplars we planted will likely have quite a few lower branches that will come off well before the trees are harvestable. They are fun to listen to the wind blowing through though.

 

[KlopKlop]

I you are looking at building a house, then you should look at something called Formworks Buildings and masonry heaters.  If we ever get to it, we have plans to join a Formworks to our existing 2-story garage, and install a masonry heater.  We have wood, and we started the rapid growing hybrid poplars to use as a woodlot.  5-8 years harvestable firewood.  Of course, btu is not as good as oak, but for growing fuel, they are a pretty good tree to plant.

Here is a link to the Formworks FB page: 
https://www.facebook.com/formworks.building

That is a pretty cool construction technique! We are looking at a modular home (Design Homes Inc)
Not only are the homes affordable and we'll build, they have a 90 day turnaround. We will be knocking down our current house to build so that is important to us.

 

[duluthralphie]

I googled flywheel wood splitters and look at this crazy thing!

That was not the type I meant. but WOW!

I meant one like DR sells. The flywheel just stores kinetic energy and throw the ram forwards like a conventional splitter, but it is very fast.

 

[KlopKlop]

That was not the type I meant. but WOW!

I meant one like DR sells.  The flywheel just stores kinetic energy and throw the ram forwards like a conventional splitter, but it is very fast.

Scary, right??? I doubt it would work for very large logs. The bigger logs he does split really jump around. Which seems dangerous

I did see the DR ones too though. The concept is great, the price not so much. You could have 2 hydraulic splitters for that.

 

[duluthralphie]

well i think i have the run Eagle.hawk,owl proof. now today i think I'm going to try and Squirrel proof in the last 2 days i figure they have eaten about 20 lbs of food. and i noticed they keep the chickens away from the food.. they scream at the girls and wag their tails and one even lunged at one of the girls.. BAD Squirrels... so now I'm going to have 2 layers of wire. I should have just done it right the 1st time and used the hardware cloth...then the only thing left to do will be the wire skirting on the outside bottom... then winterizing it shortly after that,,,NVM i don't think it will ever be done...LOL....

A Red Rider BB gun ( or a cheap one) will quickly train the squirrels to leave your food and chickens alone. ( DO NOT LET THE NOISY NEIGHBOR SEE YOU TRAINING THEM).

Also a post hole ready to fill is kind of handy for those that FAIL training,,,

 

[duluthralphie]

Scary, right??? I doubt it would work for very large logs. The bigger logs he does split really jump around. Which seems dangerous

I did see the DR ones too though. The concept is great, the price not so much. You could have 2 hydraulic splitters for that.

You could, but do they ever crack the wood.

I noticed the guy on Youtube had pretty straight grained logs too. I wonder what would happen to an old snarly elm.


DR has great stuff, but it is all twice as expensive as it should be,

I have a DR wagon, I wish I didn't.

 

[duluthralphie]

Minnie those homes are great. I would love one, my DW, not so much.

There is one along I57 in southern Illinois, I always tell her how much I like it when we go by it. She tells me how much she hates it.



KlopKlop. Why is the EPA "outlawing" those stoves? It is renewable fuel, It burns the wood completely and the wood only burns when the thermostat calls for heat. Besides that you get the great smell of a campfire all winter long.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Minnie those homes are great. I would love one, my DW, not so much.

There is one along I57 in southern Illinois, I always tell her how much I like it when we go by it. She tells me how much she hates it.



KlopKlop. Why is the EPA "outlawing" those stoves? It is renewable fuel, It burns the wood completely and the wood only burns when the thermostat calls for heat. Besides that you get the great smell of a campfire all winter long.

I am sure it has to do with the particulate matter they put out. The nice thing with the masonry stoves, they should burn everything very cleanly.

Are you sure that the one in IL is a Formworks? It isn't just an underground, is it? There are many types of in-ground houses. The Formworks isn't a cave like building either, with the lights above it is a very open and light space inside. There is a family in Menomonie Falls that has had one for over 20-years and I have talked to them. They love it. Using the masonry heater works well, and the house is so well insulated from the elements that they don't even have to add heat until about Christmas, he said. We have been looking at that for years now, but we have so much to do to prep to rebuild that it hasn't been done yet. Here we are in the old dinosaur. This house could be fixed up, but for less money, we can have a new house.

 

[duluthralphie]

I am sure it has to do with the particulate matter they put out. The nice thing with the masonry stoves, they should burn everything very cleanly.

Are you sure that the one in IL is a Formworks? It isn't just an underground, is it? There are many types of in-ground houses. The Formworks isn't a cave like building either, with the lights above it is a very open and light space inside. There is a family in Menomonie Falls that has had one for over 20-years and I have talked to them. They love it. Using the masonry heater works well, and the house is so well insulated from the elements that they don't even have to add heat until about Christmas, he said. We have been looking at that for years now, but we have so much to do to prep to rebuild that it hasn't been done yet. Here we are in the old dinosaur. This house could be fixed up, but for less money, we can have a new house.

It may not be a formworks per se'.. it is an above ground which has "gunnite" like cement and foam sprayed around the outside shell.

I think the outdoor stoves burn a lot cleaner than a fireplace. Like almost every lawmaker has. I am fairly certain if your figure out how many "particulates" go into the harvesting refining and transporting of oil, and compare it to gathering wood on my own woodlot. The outdoor stove wins, plus it is really renewable and not just able to be considered renewable because of a carbon tax. (phony renewables).

Sort of like an Electric car versus a an economical gas car when figuring in production, battery and electricity generation carbon usage.


I totally understand a "city" not wanting them because of the smell, some people do not like that and if everyone in a city has one, there is a haze over the area. If every home on a city block had one it would be yucky. Out in the country not so much.. BTW Just for full disclosure and honesty, I dislike the EPA. Just my redneckedness coming through, so ignore me.

 

[KlopKlop]

I am sure it has to do with the particulate matter they put out.  The nice thing with the masonry stoves, they should burn everything very cleanly.


Are you sure that the one in IL is a Formworks?  It isn't just an underground, is it?  There are many types of in-ground houses.  The Formworks isn't a cave like building either, with the lights above it is a very open and light space inside.  There is a family in Menomonie Falls that has had one for over 20-years and I have talked to them.  They love it.  Using the masonry heater works well, and the house is so well insulated from the elements that they don't even have to add heat until about Christmas, he said.  We have been looking at that for years now, but we have so much to do to prep to rebuild that it hasn't been done yet.  Here we are in the old dinosaur.  This house could be fixed up, but for less money, we can have a new house.


 

That is why we want to build. We originally planned to add on to the house when we bought it but once we started making a list of updates to the old house on top of an addition, we realized it would be better to build new. We do plan on using part of the existing foundation too. Like Ralphie, I would love to do an 'alternative building style' but DW doesn't go for it. I love her more than I love alternative building styles, so traditional it is.