Re-cutting 20 cords of CSS'd

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shoot-straight said:
I am an ashford owner. I also have splits that I thought were too long and cut for my old stove. You can fit 20" in. Its close to the glass but yep. It will fit. Especially the splits that go on top, you get another 1.5" when you get above the firebrick.

That said, if you can live with it, find someone to trade with. If you have to cut it, a large electric miter chop saw is the safest and best way in my opinion.

If there is any doubt, take a split to the dealer or bring some here. I'll show you how to burn 20" splits. I'm not far.
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Thanks for the info. Will be interesting to see what Poindexter finds, as well. Also, thanks for the offer to check... might be interesting to see an Ashford in action, if I could find the time for a day trip. I'm north of Philly, exactly 2 hrs. from Kennedyville.

I agree on the chop saw being a good option. Either way, I'd be cutting 1 cord at a time, as I haul it up to the house from the wood lot. Still, that's a lot of butts!

Trading would be tough, as I just don't have it in me to move and restack much more than a cord of split wood at a time. Definitely possible, at a high level, but the details get in the way!
 
Just found this in the Ashford manual:

Firebox Depth 18" (457mm) (Brick to Brick, 20.5” (521mm) Brick to Glass)
Width 20" (508mm)
Height 12 7/8" (327mm)

So, N/S looks better, with 20.5" brick to glass. I would guess 80% of my splits are under 20.5", and even those that are over won't create 4" butts when trimmed down.
 
Joful said:
Just found this in the Ashford manual:

Firebox Depth 18" (457mm) (Brick to Brick, 20.5” (521mm) Brick to Glass)
Width 20" (508mm)
Height 12 7/8" (327mm)

So, N/S looks better, with 20.5" brick to glass. I would guess 80% of my splits are under 20.5", and even those that are over won't create 4" butts when trimmed down.
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I tried to save you the time, I posted a screen shot from the BK site in post 17 for you. :)
 
Yup, shoot-straight was right. I dunno the production tolerance on these, mine is s/n 115x.

I am not telling you can do it, but I am saying there is hope.

Mine measures 19.5" brick to brick for EW loading, but there are metal tabs welded on the sides that keep the bricks from toppling over. Eyeballing it I would imagine loading 19" splits in there EW would be a tight fit. My stove will be cold enough to get you a more accurate measurement in late May.

But NS, you got a chance. I measured brick to glass on both sides for NS loading and I came up with 20.25" on both sides.

Couple caveats. Below the loading door is a steel lip with firebrick along the front partially covered by the lip. I run mine with the ash/coal bed pretty much even with the bottom of the door opening. If you are wanting to get splits down in there directly on the floor behind the door you will probably need 18" splits.

Also, loading EW I feel like I can get some pieces up through the door opening and into the top of the stove that I couldn't do loading NS.

One option would be to process three or four cords of pine/spruce at 18" before April 15th, get them somewhere sunny and have them ready for this fall. In shoulders you can fill in the floor with them and then load your twenties NS (most likely). In really cold weather you could run a EW load of 18" pine hot and fast after work but before bed, and then load as in shoulders for your at work and overnight burns. Just an idea.

Alternatively you could look at stoves that will handle the 20s you already got. I got no specific suggestion on that one, but I hate cutting one millionth of an inch off one split out of fifty.
 
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rdust said:
I tried to save you the time, I posted a screen shot from the BK site in post 17 for you. :)
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Sorry... Pics didn't load on LTE with Tapatalk. Had to revisit on wifi to see!
 
If the firebox is 18" you shouldn't need to cut them. Put them in the firebox diagonally. My firebox is 26" or so. I've put pieces in well over 30" diagonally.
 
j7art2 said:
If the firebox is 18" you shouldn't need to cut them. Put them in the firebox diagonally. My firebox is 26" or so. I've put pieces in well over 30" diagonally.
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Kinda hard to stuff the box full with splits on the diagonal.
 
Could be I guess. I do it all the time. I don't have that particular stove, so it's hard to say how it'll work on that model. My firebox is so big, if the door was bigger I could climb inside it. Throwing in 5 pieces of 4-5" diameter rounds only fills it half way or so.
 
shoot-straight said:
did you really think his ashford was different than mine?
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Nope. But while you said 20" would fit, he was offering to get an actual measurement of box depth. My splits probably vary 19" - 21".
 
If you think that 80% will fit without trimming... I would just build a jig for the "max" size the stove will take. If the wood fits in the jig - take it inside to burn. Doesn't fit, goes to the side for the re-trim. That will bring you down to roughly 4 cords needing to be trimmed. Still a PIA, but much better than staring at 20 cords worth.
 
Jags said:
If you think that 80% will fit without trimming... I would just build a jig for the "max" size the stove will take. If the wood fits in the jig - take it inside to burn. Doesn't fit, goes to the side for the re-trim. That will bring you down to roughly 4 cords needing to be trimmed. Still a PIA, but much better than staring at 20 cords worth.
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We think a lot alike. I think step 1 is to visit a BK dealer with an armload of my most typical splits, and see how they fit. If most are going to fit, it's feasible. If I have to re-trim every last split of my 20 cords to fit, I think the BK is a no-deal.
 
Joful said:
If I have to re-trim every last split of my 20 cords to fit, I think the BK is a no-deal.
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Hmmm...I am not sure that I would let 3 years (If I recall your consumption correctly) worth of fuel dictate the stove(s) I am buying.

Maybe as you get a cord of "too long" set aside, you work a trade with a supplier for shorter stuff? Working in one cord increments might take the sting out of the extra work to swap.
 
I should have chosen my words better. If every last stick won't fit, I'll delay on buying the BK's until I can work up some shorter seasoned wood. The only decent wood supplier around here seems to be me, given the limited stuff I've bought from a few local sources.
 
Joful said:
The only decent wood supplier around here seems to be me,
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You do have the advantage of time with 3 years of fuel sitting there. It should allow for proper drying of their "seasoned wood".;lol
 
True. I was referring more to the fact that what I bring home is pretty much 100% oak and ash, and all straight as a rail, perfect 20" lengths that stack like block. The rounds I have purchased from local suppliers seems to be almost entirely crotches and elbows, with lots of unfavorable woods (Maple, Poplar, etc.) mixed in.
 
Yeah - but you are talking about BK stoves and their alien tech that allows for consumption of lesser woods to rival a nuke plant.
 
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For the size house you have and the amount of wood you burn, I would definitely consider a gasser or OWB. You would burn less, get more even heat, and maybe not even haul wood inside anymore depending on your setup. You could switch fireplaces back to open burn for the ambiance and enjoy consistent, clean warmth from hydronic heat.
 
To cut down why not just use a cut-off/miter saw with a length stop clamped to the fence so you don't need to measure anything? Just slide a split against the stop and make the cut.
 
I had the same issue. I went from a Englander 30 the a BK Princess. I had about 12 cords at 20"-22". I made the jig pictured below and it works great. I don't have a wood shed so weekly I bring my wood into my attached garage via three wheelbarrows and the wood sits in the wheel barrows until it goes into the stove. I fill the jig cut it with my 28" bar in one cut then fill the wheelbarrows. Takes maybe a min to cut. The cut off pcs work great for in between fires when it's cold and can't get away with 12 hr cycles. Otherwise I fill it with the cut offs and then let the thermostat do it's thing.
 

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jeffesonm said:
For the size house you have and the amount of wood you burn, I would definitely consider a gasser or OWB. You would burn less, get more even heat, and maybe not even haul wood inside anymore depending on your setup. You could switch fireplaces back to open burn for the ambiance and enjoy consistent, clean warmth from hydronic heat.
Click to expand...

I will let Joful tell you what would be involved in plumbing that place for hydronic heat. !!!
 
Oldman47 said:
Just slide a split against the stop and make the cut.
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You use the word "just," because you're not the one staring at 20 cords worth of splits! I think you're neglecting the scale of this job. ;lol
 
BrotherBart said:
I will let Joful tell you what would be involved in plumbing that place for hydronic heat. !!!
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;lol T'would be a nightmare, if it wasn't already done! We have six zones of hot water, in addition to 5 zones of heat pump, three zones electric resistive, and one zone propane in this little cottage.

However, we can assume stoves are a given. Yes, you might be tempted to install a wood boiler in this joint, but I am not. I don't think many people could keep that boiler fed, and maintain a separate career. The 300 million BTU usage in my sig is not exaggeration.
 
Joful said:
You use the word "just," because you're not the one staring at 20 cords worth of splits! I think you're neglecting the scale of this job. ;lol
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Sorry, I didn't mean to minimize the effort involved. I know it will be tons of work. I was just trying to suggest a way to make it a less onerous job. It will definitely be a lot of work but not something that needs to be finished tomorrow. Why not do a cord or so at a time as you get close to needing the wood for burning?
 
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