Last Saturday, my wife & I cut and split wood for the first time. It is for the woodburner that we will have in the basement family room of our new house. I cut a bunch of trees down while clearing for our house. My wife actually cut up alot of it during the week while she was off work. She quite a gal /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Her wrist is sore from using the chainsaw. We borrowed a friend's 5hp woodsplitter & we finished almost 2 cords Saturday. We probably have 5 to 6 more cords to cut, split & stack. Here's a pic of the end product.
Cutting & Splitting fun
- Thread starter shade2u2
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cstocks
Platinum Member
That's a nice stack of firewood, Shade. When I was growing up we had a fireplace and 19 acres with plenty of hardwood to cut and burn. The fireplace heated half the house all winter long and a butane heater kept the other half warm. I enjoyed standing in front of the fire and getting warm after being outside in the cold.
I always figured I would have a fireplace whenever I got around to building a new home of my own. However, our current house plans do not include a fireplace... just don't figure it will get that much use living in the Houston area. Plus I don't care too much for the idea of buying firewood... I kinda feel like that is something that oughta be free. Since it is not, no fireplace this time around.
Enjoy your new house!
I always figured I would have a fireplace whenever I got around to building a new home of my own. However, our current house plans do not include a fireplace... just don't figure it will get that much use living in the Houston area. Plus I don't care too much for the idea of buying firewood... I kinda feel like that is something that oughta be free. Since it is not, no fireplace this time around.
Enjoy your new house!
beenthere
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Nice pile of wood. I'm hoping you are not planning to burn it in a woodburner this coming winter. I don't want to rain on your parade, but this wood will not be close to dry (even if you cover the piles and protect them from rain) until at least the following winter if not the one after that. Green (un-dry) wood will cause creosote in your chimney which will at best plug it up, and at worst, cause a chimney fire. I've been through all that, and it wasn't pleasant. When wood isn't dry, only a small percentage of the heat value will be realized, as a high percentage of the energy will be converting water in the wood to steam (that takes a lot of BTU's). Incomplete burning will result, which causes creosote to condense when the smoke cools rapidly as it rises in the chimney.
I find that wood (red and white oak) is not really dry until the third year after cutting, splitting, and stacking under a roofed open-sided shed. I've been heating the house with wood since 1973, at about 6 cords per year. Again, I don't want to disappoint you, but want to pass on some of the information I have gleaned over the years.
I find that wood (red and white oak) is not really dry until the third year after cutting, splitting, and stacking under a roofed open-sided shed. I've been heating the house with wood since 1973, at about 6 cords per year. Again, I don't want to disappoint you, but want to pass on some of the information I have gleaned over the years.
Carl_NH
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beenthere,
I used to burn wood too for primary heat, but since in the renovated house (2600sq') with new insulation etc we use 800 gal oil annually including hot water. However we use a fireplace and burn wood frequently for it's heat as well ambiance.
Regarding time for wood to "dry" it is ideal to have a year or more aging, however not always realistic when storage factors are considered. I have been told (and experienced) that wood looses about 70% of its moisture content in the first 6-7 months (or to about 30-35% moisture content) when stored outside. In order for it to get to the 20% range it does take more time - a year or more, to get the final 10-15% to what is considered "dry" at 20% content. The drying process and time is not linear since ambient conditions prevail.
Annually we buy and cut wood in the early spring time, cut and stack it for use in the fall/winter. Also cycling the previous years wood to burn first. This allows a total drying time of about 8-9 months which has worked well.
As another note, here is a site that discusses the merits of wood. http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html
Carl
I used to burn wood too for primary heat, but since in the renovated house (2600sq') with new insulation etc we use 800 gal oil annually including hot water. However we use a fireplace and burn wood frequently for it's heat as well ambiance.
Regarding time for wood to "dry" it is ideal to have a year or more aging, however not always realistic when storage factors are considered. I have been told (and experienced) that wood looses about 70% of its moisture content in the first 6-7 months (or to about 30-35% moisture content) when stored outside. In order for it to get to the 20% range it does take more time - a year or more, to get the final 10-15% to what is considered "dry" at 20% content. The drying process and time is not linear since ambient conditions prevail.
Annually we buy and cut wood in the early spring time, cut and stack it for use in the fall/winter. Also cycling the previous years wood to burn first. This allows a total drying time of about 8-9 months which has worked well.
As another note, here is a site that discusses the merits of wood. http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html
Carl
Youare
Platinum Member
You are a lucky man to have a wife that will grab the chain saw and help work up a pile of fire wood. We have heated our house with only wood for the past 28 years, actually that is the only heat source we have.
The only suggestion I would make is for you to pile your wood off the ground. Lay some old 2X4's or some 2 or 3 inch diameter poles along the ground to get the first row off the ground. If you dont the first row will not dry at all.
Keep an eye on your piles as they dry they will settle and lean to one side or another. I have had a couple of piles fall over because I didn't tap them back in line. It is real easy to take a piece of wood and start tapping the pile straight again.
Every type of wood dries a little different you'll catch on after a season or two. Nothing like a nice wood stove to warm you up on a cool winter night. Keep up the good work.
Randy
The only suggestion I would make is for you to pile your wood off the ground. Lay some old 2X4's or some 2 or 3 inch diameter poles along the ground to get the first row off the ground. If you dont the first row will not dry at all.
Keep an eye on your piles as they dry they will settle and lean to one side or another. I have had a couple of piles fall over because I didn't tap them back in line. It is real easy to take a piece of wood and start tapping the pile straight again.
Every type of wood dries a little different you'll catch on after a season or two. Nothing like a nice wood stove to warm you up on a cool winter night. Keep up the good work.
Randy
