Cutting advise for wrong length wood

Cut them to length and use everything in the woodstove. Short chunks work just fine when you're around to tend the fire.

We use in pit plus wife likes them for her in the stove. We get a lot as the tree guys cut to their size then when I get them and cut them down I always have a lot. When we use them I fill 5 gal buckets up for the wife and she uses them up. Right now I have close to a cord of short ones.

As others have said . . . cut them to length . . . save the chunks and burn them in the shoulder season.

Sconnie Burner said:

I recently picked up 2/3 cord of mixed dry wood from a guy on CL to finish my winters supply and its all 20-22"(too long for stove). The optimal length for my stove is right around 17"(max 18" tight to stove door). Should I cut them in half or cut all the ends off and use them for the fire pit? I did pay for the wood so I hate to waste some of it as i have plenty of fire pit wood. What do you guys do?

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Construct a bin for odd size/unstackable pieces. Burn said pieces in woodstove.

Make jig box 17" deep. Load it up and run your saw down the face. Burn your 5" pieces wherever you want.

Odds & ends save you in shoulder season. Embrace them

Welcome to the forums, incase I missed you !!

Sconnie Burner said:

Thanks for all the advice. I didn't even think they would be worth throwing in the stove. I guess if they burn its creating heat right?

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Yes.

And You'd be suprised at what those smaller pieces can do, especially seasoned.

Those small pieces are great to get a dying fire going again. Don't let em go to waste!

Agreed, cut to your preferred length and set the shorts and odd lengths on top of your stacks. They burn. You can split 'em as well... if they're too large, just bust them into manageable pieces.

I broke a bunch of oddball blocks and log ends into pieces this year, they'll be great for starter wood.

Now about HOW to cut them. It's not that easy. I've set the splits on a pallet and chainsawed the ends off but a friend recommended a set up my regular dewalt chop saw and lop off the four inches with that.

I agree to cut the short end off so that you have regular wood plus a pile of chunks.

I just split it all up stack it for a couple years then as I move it from outside to covered I trim to apx 17" ( best length for my stove) on big bandsaw. Cutoffs get used in stove when I am home to tend to it. Filled a friends pick up ( 8ft box) with a heaping load of shorts and uglies last weekend ( he being a bit down on luck) which will off set some of his fuel bills this winter. Get a lot of shorts/uglies from tree service drop offs so this cleans up the area for me and he gets some btus for winter. Always keep an eye out for interesting knothole pieces , another friend does taxidermy - uses them for mounts also pieces that will make a small plank with interesting grain for same.

When I get odd length rounds I just cut them in half. My stove doesn't mind burning shorter splits.

It depends on the length for me. My stove can take a 24" split but I try to cut around 23". If a log is say 40" I'll half it. If its 30" I'll cut it 23" and use the 7" for shoulders

How deep is your stove? It might work out that you cut those rounds in half and load your stove north/south. See how that works.

wahoowad said:

How deep is your stove? It might work out that you cut those rounds in half and load your stove north/south. See how that works.

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Thats a great idea, never thought about that

I never seem to get rounds that are my ideal size. I just split em and let em season. Come late fall, I usually stack anywhere from a quarter to a half cord in the garage at a time. I go to work with a little electric ryobi, halfing them and cutting off ends, whatever. I use the small pieces to get an extra tight pack come bedtime.

The wife hates the sawdust, but that's what leaf blowers are really intended for.