Wood lenght question

If it were me I'd cut all the rounds to 16 and split everything...save the smaller split chunks for when your by the fire and can tend it accordingly.

I'm with savage...cut the rounds to length, bust the chunks into bite-sized pieces and save 'em in a bin. Then split the newly shortened rounds. Might depend on how you split, though...all by hand, or do you have a splitter? Rick

I did it the same way with the last several cords of doug fir that I bought 4 inches too long for a steal. Shorten and then split. It is harder to rig each piece up for shortening than you might think. So you want less shortening cuts.

I am using the chunks (pancakes) for campfire wood since they are not easy to use in a stove.

If I have a whole lot of rounds or sizeable splits that need to be shortened, I use my log splitter as a hydraulic wood vise to hold the wood sideways across the beam while I cut it off with the chain saw. Yeah, I got two machines running at the same time, but it can actually make pretty short work of a lot of long wood, if I git myself organized first. The "pancakes" get busted if need be, and fed to the stoves as required. Rick

There is nothing more irritating than splits that won't fit. See what length of splits you can easily get into your stove. Then either set up a jig where you butt the round up against a stop and have the excess hanging off, and use a chainsaw or split and then use your miter saw, which ever you find easier. If you have lots of long ones, use the chainsaw on the rounds. If it is just a few, use the miter saw.

fossil said:

If I have a whole lot of rounds or sizeable splits that need to be shortened, I use my log splitter as a hydraulic wood vise to hold the wood sideways across the beam while I cut it off with the chain saw. Yeah, I got two machines running at the same time, but it can actually make pretty short work of a lot of long wood, if I git myself organized first. The "pancakes" get busted if need be, and fed to the stoves as required. Rick

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Great tip on holding the rounds with the splitter.

pinewoodburner said:

I have a question for some of the wood experts here. I just purchased a Woodstock Fireview this year and they recommend 16". Firebox is 19". I just got a bunch of free red oak and chestnut oak today and this is next years wood. It was cut between 17" to 21" in length. Most of the rounds I got are about 20" in diameter. Should I cut the rounds before I split with the chain saw and used the small pieces as chunks, or should I split it and use my miter saw to cut it after they are split? More cutting but easier. Thanks Jeff

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used to cut rounds to size before splitting and splits that were too long were cut with the chain saw.
I picked up a used 14" miter saw that will cut up to a 6”x6"and love it. If your miter saw will handle the size of the splits I’d go with the miter saw.

pinewoodburner said:

I have a question for some of the wood experts here. I just purchased a Woodstock Fireview this year and they recommend 16". Firebox is 19". I just got a bunch of free red oak and chestnut oak today and this is next years wood. It was cut between 17" to 21" in length. Most of the rounds I got are about 20" in diameter. Should I cut the rounds before I split with the chain saw and used the small pieces as chunks, or should I split it and use my miter saw to cut it after they are split? More cutting but easier. Thanks Jeff

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Before you go cutting everything down to 16", our resident Woodstock Fireview expert "Todd" told me that it will take up to 19" pieces comfortably. But 20" will be too large. This is what he said:

The Fireview will take 18-19”. 20” is too big. Do you have a miter chop saw? When I run into anything over 19” I chop them down.

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Todd and Backwoods Savage are the guys to ask if you have any questions about the Fireview. These guys are so helpful!!

Thanks HearthKB, but not sure I should have been included there. Todd has double the knowledge.

Yes, we have burned 19" logs in the Fireview, but I still feel the shorter 16" will burn better because of the air being circulated on the ends.

We also have cut down some logs because our previous stove would take long 20" pieces. We use a sawhorse a lot when cutting limbs and small stuff so naturally we used that when cutting the longer 20" logs. I run the saw, the wife lifts the wood to the sawhorse. Goes well, we work well together and it gets done fast and safely.

Have you thought of cutting the too long rounds in the middle? That way you have 10" or 11" sticks when split and no waste.

some of those pieces could probably fit nice at an angle. probably won't work well when trying to fill the firebox but if your tossing in a couple of splits i think it will do. might save u a little bit of work if you don't have to touch some of the wood at all. either way free oak is a treasure

All I can say is I can understand your dilemma it is often when I get the gift of precut wood usually it is rarely cut to an ideal size. For the pieces that are too long I think the answer depends upon what time of the year you are getting the wood, the need to use it and the amount of storage space available. If you are needing the wood soon I would cut them in half and split it small and season it on the top of your wood piles. If there is no rush I would leave them intact, split and cut them whatever way you see fit when you are near the use of the wood. The longer pieces do make a more solid base for a woodpile .

pinewoodburner said:

What is was wondering is if a round is 21" and the max the stove will take is 19", is it better to have a 2" pice left, or cut it down to 16" or 17" and have a leftover that is 5" thick. I will keep the leftovers and burn them. Storage space is not a problem for me. Cutting the large rounds with the chainsaw may be more work than cutting smaller pieces with the mittersaw, but the leftover round if split in half, seems like it may burn better. Stack 3 or 4 of them in the stove and it would be a large block of wood.

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criss cross patterns are good for brining the stove up to temp so the short ones should help you do that

I cut everything I can to consistent length, either before or after splitting. Makes for easier, neater stacking. Everything else...pancakes, splitter trash, chunks, scraps, everything except sawdust, busted off bark, and splinters...goes into trash cans or bins and ends up being used as either kindling or outright fuel. Bark, sawdust, and splinters become groundcover/mulch. I pick up darned near every little piece of fuel down to about 1" or so, and toss it into a bucket or a bin. Makes starting fires easy. Rick

I was somewhat unfortunate to move into a home with a Waterford Leprechaun wood stove. Beautiful little stove, but it only took 15 inch logs. Where do you get 15 inch wood? When I ordered 16 - 18 inch cordwood, I would chainsaw the logs in half. Than they would fit nicely, sideways, in the little leprechaun. I would place two logs on the ground, parrallel to each other, then put a log on top of them perpendicular, and saw through it. Although I eventually switched over to two 3CBs. The Waterford was kind of a PITA. Now only if I had some bricks of peat................

unit40 said:

...Where do you get 15 inch wood?

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I was born with it. :coolsmirk: (Hey, somebody was bound to jump all over that line.) Rick

Now if you were only born with a couple of peat bricks along with it you'ld be all set now, wouldn't ya

Keep the seventeens and cut the 21`s in half. Much easier stacking.