To split, or not to split??

I will be ordering my new stove this week (caliente chilli sunset red, I believe "whorehouse" red was already taken), Pacific Energy Summit classic. I have an abundance of ponderosa pine logs and rounds that have been lying around for nearly three years and are EXTREMELY dry. Since pine burns so fast anyway, should I possibly consider not splitting up the rounds and just burn the logs round?.

My thinking is that since these logs are so dry (kiln dry moisture or less), if I split them up, they will burn up in 10 minutes. Maybe I could get a good fire going and then add a full round to it. What do you think?

Mayhem:

Here is a very enlightening article that Mountainstoveguy had posted for me in another thread. It seems that contrary to belief, pine can actually be just as "clean" if not the cleanest wood to burn due to its complete and very hot burning. Properly seasones pine will contain NO MORE creosote than any other wood!.


Pine doenst contain any more creosote then any other wood, how wood is seasoned is what determins the creosote buildup in the chimney. Pine, IMO has less chance of creosote buildup due to the low density and a high combustion rate.

here is a quote from http://www.mastersweep.com/wood.htm

“Back in the early 1980’s, tests were conducted to discover which kind of wood created the most creosote in a regular “open” fireplace. The results were surprising. Contrary to popular opinion, the hardwood’s, like oak and madrone, created MORE creosote than the softwoods, like fir and pine. The reason for this, is that if the softwoods are dry, they create a hotter, more intense fire. The draft created by the hotter fire moves the air up the chimney faster! Because it is moving faster, the flue gas does not have as much time to condense as creosote inside the chimney. Also, because the flue gas is hotter: it does not cool down to the condensation point as quickly. On the contrary, the dense hardwood’s tend to smolder more, so their flue gas temperature is cooler. Thus, more creosote is able to condense on the surface of the flue. So, saying that “fir builds up more creosote than oak” just isn’t true! It is a misunderstanding to think that it’s the pitch in wood which causes creosote. It’s not the pitch that is the problem, it’s the water IN the pitch. Once the water in the wood has evaporated, that pitch becomes high octane fuel! When dry, softwoods burn extremely hot! “

I guess I may be in a different situation than most since I may end up burning lots of pine. Our pine is not only dry, but SUPER dry!. Our humidity right now is around 5% (less than kiln dried wood!), and its been this low for a long time.

Since dry pine is literally in the "kindling" category, My thought was to bet a good fire going, then add a big pine round complete..(about 18 inches long).

I like Gosses suggestion of trying to make more of a square out of the round so I can pack in more wood. That might be tough however since I don't have a mill. I do think its a great idea to cut up big 18'' rounds and then lop off two flat sides, thereby making a kind of block that stacks easily. I've just got to figure out a way to do this short of using a mill.

Thanks for the tip Bro B. We actually do have some better wood around here I am finding out. We also have some Juniper and a smaller version of an oak tree called gambel oak.

A guy who cuts his own wood turned me on to a location not far from my home where there is a stand of gambel oak. We are not allowed to cut live trees but dead standing and fallen trees are okay.