Handling Firewood As Little As Possible (load IBC cages faster)

If you're like me and you are constantly splitting firewood, you likely have looked for ways to handle firewood less. Today my new log shed takes on a new purpose in the form of a perfect wood splitter platform. Watch as I set the wood splitter height perfectly so the firewood falls right off the splitter and into the IBC cages for storage. Now that's a beautiful thing!
Wood splitter shown in this video:
Eastonmade Ultra
www.eastonmade...
Chainsaw shown in this video:
Husqvarna 555 with 24" Holzfforma bar
Log Marking Tool used in this video: Mingo Marker
www.themingomar... (use code sawwithsandy15 for 15% off the entire purchase)
www.amazon.com...
Pickaroon shown in this video made by Fiskars
​
@EastonmadeWoodSplitters #woodsplitter #holzfforma #firewood #logsplitter #fiskars #woodprocessing #homesteading

[@billyhaddock5540]

Sandy, ur engineer set-up with the wood Splitter and wood cages is spot-on.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Billy. Working out real well

[@BuildALotAcres]

Great idea Sandy. Work smarter, not harder!

[@InTheWoodyard]

You got yourself a real nice splitter there!! Good to meet you and your better half at the Bunyan show!!!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Chris! Great really good to finally meet you! Hope all is well and the trip home went well. I’m back here in Ontario now

[@gusswenson7811]

Good morning Sandy. Definitely makes it a little easier.. Great idea.. Should keep a little snow and rain off you for sure.. Thanks for sharing another adventure with us. Cheers my friend.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Great to have you along for the video! Think it will work out great to keep those elements off for sure

[@timothyallbritton1961]

You would have made a great trial attorney. I love the way you speak making sure you cover every angle that a keyboard warrior may find to post a negative comment. Bravo my friend! Great video as always!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey there Timothy. Maybe in a second career haha. Great to have you along as always!

[@critical-thought]

“… sit back and relax … I don’t know when that will be.” I feel you brother.

[@sawingwithsandy]

hahah wishful thinking

[@runsolo7418]

Like the set up, it will save your back in the long run. Here's another idea. I you build a south facing pole building with an angled roof, to store your wood filled IBC's inside out of the weather. Cover the south face with heavy clear plastic and you've made a wood kiln, with sufficient sunlight and air flow, your wood with be bone dry in no time.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I like it! The kiln idea is something I've seen done for lumber but not too much for firewood. Sure would help speed up the process

[@TheBeardedCarpenter]

Howdy Sandy- that worked out really sweet. Good idea. God bless

[@RA-zw6hp]

Love the cycle time on that splitter.

[@tjjewell4115]

Man, Sandy your Chain is super sharp, good job with the Firewood.

[@sawingwithsandy]

It sure was like butter today!

[@markboettcher9443]

Smart idea! You've got my gears turning! Thanks!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Great to hear that Mark!

[@scottjones5221]

Again nice job Sandy

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey Scott! Thanks for that!

[@contrafax]

all kinds of wins on this setup, congratulations!!

[@ironsales5669]

Always nice to handle materials less often. Staying out of the elements is a bonus. Nice job Sandy

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thank you! Yeah as I was building the wood splitter sitting out staring at me was giving me a hint that this would be a great use for it

[@saintaugustine1715]

Good morning Sandy it will be even greatest when it is one of those rainy cold days that you can not do much outdide work out great have a great day P.S.put a big log on my machine yesterday HM 126 small end 20 big end 28 inches and over 6 feet long going to finish that one today

[@sawingwithsandy]

That's a nice log right there! Bet you can get a good pile of lumber out to it. I get jealous hearing stories of the larger logs some times as I"m often into the small logs but at the end of the day still out sawing so happy about that. Hope the log turns out some nice lumber for ya!

[@bay9876]

Maybe a firewood burning stove with a fresh brew of mud in the corner of the Chop Shop just to take the edge off and chill out of the cold Ontario winters. Burning up the scraps and waste wood for heat would be nice, too. Working out of the elements gets a lot more work done. Great video.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Sounds nice to me! I'll have to see what I can find. The wood stove is the cheap part, stove pipe is realll expensive these days I find

[@VowellVentures]

Simple, efficient use of what's on hand wins over expensive and elaborate machinery any day!!!! My Ultra should be starting it's journey north the end of this week or next. Can't wait to start playing with it and dreaming up ways to streamline the process. I have 2.5acres of trees on the ground ready to strip, buck and split, and another pile of birch rounds ready to go! Just nowhere to put them once split for now. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤣

[@sawingwithsandy]

You'll really enjoy the Ultra. It's been an amazing tool for me here

[@deprived56501]

Not bad. Glad it's working for you. I'm still loving that splitter. Good vid. Thanks.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thank you for coming along for the video

[@lorettaandjasonoffgrid]

Brilliant! Less bending and lifting... throwing etc etc! Nice idea!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thank you!

[@delmanicke9228]

Lare see your video pretty smooth operation, I like it.

[@mudderman8620]

Making work more comfortable and convenient is a winner Sandy. Come old man winter you will appreciate getting out of the elements to work. Nice! 😊😊😊😊

[@sawingwithsandy]

Absolutely. I was thinking back to some of those cold winter days last winter when all my equipment was covered in snow and that drew me to this

[@pgerry9400]

Love it, I remeber sharing the idea of having the bin on lower area while you were at the mill site, you upped it by now having a covered roof too.

[@sawingwithsandy]

You were one of the ones who gave me that idea originally. Was a great idea for sure. I would've done that idea if it weren't for this shed

[@toddpacheco4748]

Great job and video Sandy ❤😊😮

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Todd. Hope all is well with you

[@russellbelliveau1694]

Chop shop nice idea!!! Great work

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Russell! Turned out great I think

[@wallacefrey6247]

This is even better than the idea I had about setting the splitter on the high side of a hill with the IBC cages set on a cut out lower spot. This way you have a shaded flat surface,and don't have to stand in mud. Great job as always Sandy,and can't wait for the next project.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I do like having the shade and the wind block from the back of the building will be nice in the Winter. In the summer it does keep the sun off me too

[@johnwoody4905]

good video and job works really well. with a log table you could really save a lot of labor. take care, be safe and well.

[@ryanklingerman1975]

I like the set up. See you at the Paul Bunyan show this weekend.

[@sawingwithsandy]

See you there Ryan! Be sure to say hello

[@johnaddis1022]

Good evening Sandy, its Friday Night and my weather app is showing you should be getting a mixture of rain and snow right now at 2145 hrs. gues your winter wile be here early. John Toccoa GA

[@carlmclelland7624]

I think you came up with a good idea, and this gave me another idea. You might have to take down a couple trees for this, but...... Position your trailer at the END of the sawmill. When you're sawing lumber, take the scrap slabs and throw them straight off the end, into the trailer. No twisting or turning, or throwing scrap over the mill. Everything goes straight off the end, like your firewood goes into the totes............

[@sawingwithsandy]

That would be real handy Carl! I see sawmills with the log drag back and thought how slick that would be as well. Keep me from having to do too much in the way of rotating would keep me sawing

[@tomki6asp]

Great idea put into practice. Celebrate with some sludge. Nice 555, no bogging down with that. I’m looking at a Stihl MS261.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey Tom! I'm happy with the 555, cut right through that wood with the 24" bar and all. Those MS261 are nice as well

[@jeffhuffman5433]

This set up will definitely make your life easier and I have no doubt you will find many more uses for the chop shop. For now this makes a really good place to use and store that awesome wood splitter. Great video Sandy.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Jeff!

[@gotti5472]

It would keep the snow and rain off of you and the sun in the summer

[@sawingwithsandy]

For sure!

[@tpctrash]

Good idea. Seems to work great. I think I would add a clear to the edge of the wood so the splitter doesn’t. vibrate off the deck.

[@sawingwithsandy]

That would be a good idea. That would be a big fall if it slips off.

[@tpctrash]

@@sawingwithsandy yeah that was supposed to be cleat not clear that I typed but you figured it out. Lol

[@bwillan]

That is certainly a good firewood setup in the new Chop Shop. Easy access to moving the IBC tote with the tractor and pallet forks.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thank you!

[@kensmith4918]

Good job Sandy. Job well done. lol

[@sawingwithsandy]

hahah thanks Ken

[@johnfulcher559]

Sandy try cutting your logs with your forks waist high then put those rounds in your bucket. Then you can drive it to your splitter where you can grab them. That's the way I do it I'm 71 with a bad back and I cut 10 full cords a year for my boiler, You have great video's Sandy,

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks for that John. I'll give it a try!

[@andyperrine9987]

Pretty damn cool!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Andy!

[@jimmerrithew453]

Hello Sandy. You might reduce your workload by rolling a bunch of rounds into the tractor bucket, then lift them up to your working height. This would reduce the amount of lifting.

[@sawingwithsandy]

That would be helpful for sure. I find it just takes me a bit longer with the tractor but is nice on the rounds that are heavy

[@rodneywroten2994]

that worked well

[@sawingwithsandy]

Happy with not having to throw the firewood as much now for sure

[@buddyreed2623]

Hello Sandy. That height to fit the tote was so good, I think you had an idea about it. Great fit. The caps I mentioned before was because I saw you wiping at dirt off of the hydraulic connections and those would keep the dirt of the hydraulic oil and pump. Splitting will be nicer in the snow. Have good days!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Sure will be alot nicer without that snow freezing everythign up for sure. Great to have you along for the video. Hope all is well

[@exotictones1054]

This is going to work be a good deal when you get done.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I'm thinking this will be a great upgrade and make things faster for sure

[@earlzathome]

Great idea once again Sandy! Now if you could figure out some flip-up wings for the side ends of the extension table on the ultra, it would funnel those pieces into the tote nicely!

[@roccofiori3028]

nice covered setup. how about an infeed table that can be loaded with the tractor or trailer/loader? build the infeed table with a cutoff saw, and perhaps conveyor chains, for bonus points. 😷

[@noel3065]

that's a nice set up now. I use my homemade pickaroon like you to put logs on log splitter also. And I also have those holtzforma bars on my chainsaw, but I now switched from 24 to 28 and saves my back alittle more. nice job Sandy see you Saturday

[@sawingwithsandy]

A 28" would be a nice bar. Not sure if it's a bit big for this 60cc saw but I've got a 28" bar on my Holzfforma G372 and it runs it quite nice

[@noel3065]

I use a 28" on my 54cc homelite and 2 of my 58cc and 1 60cc poulan. I'm not trying to brake any record time cutting and it does a really good job. Just make sure you bar is getting enough oil. thats the main concern

[@Homesteading-A-Z]

I like your Log Length Marking System that's awesome . is that adjustable for length between marks ?

[@mikewatson4644]

Nice setup. I'm sure that you will continue to make it work better as you use it. Lots of ideas in the comments. You will pick out any that will work for you, I'm sure Thanks for the video and keep the brain working on the ideas

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Mike. Great ideas for sure. I'll be sure to get started on a few of them before long

[@JohnRichmondRFF]

Where is your log lift, and perhaps you could roll them into your bucket and hold them up beside the table and feed?

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey John. A log lift would be handy for sure. I may have to come up with something. The bucket on the tractor would do the trick

[@johnaddis1022]

Morning Sandy, great day for splitting (Chopping) wood. We back the 10 thousand dump trailer up to the splitter and just throw it on then take it to the racks. I have an idea, mount a bar magnet (Harbor Freight) to the post to put you pickaroon on in between times so it doesn't fall over and make you have to bend over to retrieve it. you could also turn a IBC crate over and use it like a table to stack rounds on in reach of the "chopper" so you don't have to go back and forth so much just a thought... John Toccoa GA

[@sawingwithsandy]

That would be ideal John! Having a big dump trailer to load right into. That idea about the magnet is great! That pickaroon falls over sometimes and makes it a pain bending over to get it. Thanks for that one!

[@lynnlegault985]

Coincidence or by design sometime things just work out saves a step,,, genius

[@sawingwithsandy]

This was a bit of a coincidence for sure but am happy it worked out

[@yvesjolicoeur747]

very smart set-up.... you sitting back and relaxing...lol...I don't think so...keep them wheels turning

[@sawingwithsandy]

hahaha I'm certainly one of those people who would go stir crazy sitting around

[@sydneymcconnaughhay5947]

Hi Sandy ,,are you planning to cover the gable end ? Great video your the best!!!!!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Good question Sydney. I do plan on covering it up but may not get to it before the snow flies.

[@jimmaskell7537]

All you need a place to brew your sludge 👍

[@sawingwithsandy]

That's right!

[@jeffpeters1014]

You need a shelf for your sludge!

[@tomt8320]

Hi Sandy. Great idea. I am looking forward to your enhancements to the Chop Shop. I would like to see you with a layout for automated bucking from logs into rounds fed directly onto the splitting table. Do you see an assist using the Wallenstein log loader trailer? A ramp with small winch to pull logs, and a cradle for chainsaw to chop at desired length directly onto the splitting table? No more lifting with a Hookeroon - That's what I want to see.😃

[@sawingwithsandy]

I sure wouldn't be against something like that. After some of the ideas I'm hearing my wheels are turning again in my brain. I'm sure I'll come up with something. Thanks for watching Tom. Have a great day!

[@mjcomea]

How about a sawbuck behind you? Use your grapple or excavator thumb to drop a log on the sawbuck. When it's cut, you won't need to bend to move the log to the splitter. I built a folding sawbuck so I can move and store it easily.

[@sawingwithsandy]

That would be a great idea. Think I"ll have to come up with something before long. Keep me from having to lift the rounds

[@edflowers5873]

Use mini lift block logs much nicer on the back nice work buddy

[@sawingwithsandy]

For sure. Main reason I don't have it out here is I just got done painting it

[@09FLTRMM77]

MM77 Approved 👍🏼👍🏼………………………………………………………….. I kept thinking 🤔 why doesn’t he just fill the floor space with gravel? NOW it makes sense!

[@sawingwithsandy]

I'm happy with the height it turned out to be . I wasn't entirely sure as I was building it but came out great I think. I"ll continue fine-tuning though

[@shawnfromportland]

all set for winter. you still live in that cabin you built full time?

[@bryansaunter4124]

Still think u need infeed table, tractor can hold logs over it cut onto table. Will save your back, be more efficient. Heating with wood is lots of work, can be hard on the body. Good vids as always

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hi Bryan! I agree with ya. Think I"ll see what I can come up with for this. Will help my back for sure

[@adammoore7994]

Really cool setup. Maybe you should put a rack for the rounds so you can have a few at a time right there at the splitter. Instead of having to go get them every or every other split.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Think you're right there Adam. That would help with having to go back and forth a bunch of times

[@Storman77]

I love that pickaroon you have. is it a Fiskar? another great idea Sandy! luv your video's

[@sawingwithsandy]

It's a great tool. It's a Fiskar. I've found it to be useful for alot of things and keeps me from having to bend over

[@Pascalore]

Here you go. Take half of a standard door hinge. Pry open the tabs, pass it over the middle top of the far side of your IBC cage and squeeze them shut. Weld/bolt/attach a screw hook to the center of the hinge pointing away and down then tie a string to the hook. When you place IBC cage #2 behind cage #1, flip the hook around to catch the top of cage #2. The hook should be able to be lifted without catching cage #2. Grab the string before you use the tractor to remove cage #1. When you lift cage #1, cage #2 will be hooked and lifted pulling it along with cage #1 as you back up. When in position, set cage #1 down, pull string to release hook and finish removing cage #1. You can daisy chain multiple IBC cages since they are light weight when empty.

[@RavensRidgeNC]

Question: Does that Holz's bar oil cap leak? I picked one up, found it puddles when not in use. Loving the Chop Shop, seems to work out great!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Great question. This saw is a Husqvarna 555 with a Holzfforma bar on it. My G372 Holzfforma doesn't appear to have a leaky bar oil cap though

[@RavensRidgeNC]

Cool, thanks! Might just order a replacement, or find a tighter seal.@@sawingwithsandy

[@freetime4051]

Don't you wish now that you should have got the log lift option? ....Pete

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hi Pete, thanks for watching. I do like the models that have the log lifts. The ultra doesn't have that as an option.

[@braunzie2]

Is the splitter balanced to move around easy?

[@sawingwithsandy]

Good question. It is balanced well enough that I'm able to lift the tongue by hand to move it around. It's not too light though though it wants to teeter back when trying to hitch it

[@leeczaplinski9781]

Cutting the rounds and rolling them into the bucket of the tractor then raising the bucket just behind you makes it easier to just turn around , reach for a round and put it in the splitter. No?

[@sawingwithsandy]

For sure. Just would take me a bit longer getting the tractor bucket put on the tractor and into and out of the tractor. Would be a good idea for larger rounds as well though

[@robertwazniak9495]

@@sawingwithsandyor, just cut the whole side out of one IBC tote and load your rounds into it and lift it to a convenient position. That way everything will be done with forks.

[@sawingwithsandy]

@robertwazniak9495. That's a great idea there as well Robert. Thanks for sharing those !

[@morgansword]

Not my place to say how or when you do a project... seems redundant to me to make a mess where the equipment lives... you've got enough room to have any type of wood processing spot you need so why block or make a mess in front of a parking space... just one look at the lumber mill will say sawdust and chips build up much faster than one give it credit for.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks for watching Morgan