AUTUMN IN CHECK: PREPARING YOUR WINTER WOODSTACK

AUTUMN MUST DO: Preparing winter firewood
WHEN: Late Autumn
DESCRIPTION: How to chop wood properly for winter
OUTCOME: Well cut wood for stacking, fireplaces and warming

There’s nothing like a roaring fireplace to keep you warm and toasty throughout Winter. If you’re lucky enough to have one at home, you’ll know that building a good woodstack is serious business!

Before cutting wood, it’s important to make sure your blades are sharp. You can tell by the size of the sawdust – big chips mean your chain is sharp, small chips and sand (like dust) means the teeth are dull and in need of a sharpen. It’s also a good idea to maintain your chain with a STIHL file sharpener and to service your chainsaw once yearly at your local STIHL dealer, just to make sure it’s in safe working order. STIHL is the number one selling chainsaw brand worldwide, so there’s really no one better for the job.

Remember, always wear the right PPE to ensure your ongoing safety and those around you, as well as to check in with your State or Territory’s forestry authority to make sure you’re collecting firewood in a way that’s safe and legal.

Sharpen your axe technique: Charlie’s 5 step guide

Before commencing any wood cutting, ensure your safety with quality protective gear. From helmet and visor sets to earmuffs, safety glasses, gloves and protective workwear and footwear, taking the correct precaution is vital.
Chop up wood with a chainsaw to manageable sizes, making sure the lengths you’re cutting fit into your fireplace. A simple tip? Cut one log to size and use that as your guide for all your cut marks.
Place each cut timber length onto a chopping block. Hold the axe with two hands evenly spread down the bar, with your lead hand at the top.
As you lift the axe above your head pull your lead hand down to the lower part of the handle to your secondary hand and as you swing down follow through with the swing and try to bury it in the wood – don’t be scared and keep your eye on the point of impact.
Split the wood as thinly as you need i.e for burning or kindling.

Charlie’s top tools for creating your woodstack

Make sure you are wearing the appropriate protective gear.
Clear your workspace of other branches or debris.
Always start your chainsaw on the ground with your foot securely on the handle, after checking your chain tension and chain break.
Mark your collected branches to the length of your fireplace and use your chainsaw to cut them into manageable logs.
Never stand directly behind the chainsaw. Keep a solid stance slightly to the side.
For safety, always cut at full revs and make contact with the log as close to the powerhead as possible.
Try placing smaller logs amongst the bigger ones. This will aerate your woodstack which helps speed up the drying process.
Firewood shouldn’t be cut last minute, the wood needs time to dry out. Wet wood doesn’t burn well and causes soot and smoke. Where possible, use dead limbs and branches to reduce dry time.

Charlie’s top tools for preparing your firewood

Having comfortable, quality protective gear is vital when operating a chainsaw. From a helmet set to protective gloves, safety glasses, earmuffs, chaps and more, when it comes to staying safe, STIHL has you covered.
STIHL make an extensive range of petrol and battery chainsaws. The powerful and compact MS 180 and the battery MS 120 C-B are both perfect for firewood and garden maintenance, but your local STIHL dealer will be able to advise you on the many options available and help find the best chainsaw to suit your needs.
Start by making sure you saw chain is sharp. The STIHL 2-in-1 File sharpens your cutting teeth and depth gauges. Start by marking the most worn tooth and lining up the pictogram on the file with the direction of the tooth. Keep the bar and file parallel at a 30 degree angle. File each tooth applying medium pressure and an even speed.
Use a sawhorse to save yourself bending down (and less chance of the saw chain running into the dirt).
Use an axe to split wood into smaller pieces to fit your fireplace.