How much wood is enough?

LLigetfa said:

Speaking of culling Poplar, I have a bunch of dead falls and standing dead that I have to clean up this weekend. Not sure what to do with it all. Maybe if I mix it in with the Ash instead of burning one species exclusively at a time she won't notice as much.

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Sell it! Make a little mad money or put it towards buying your next load of ash.

I have worked hard to get ahead, now I am just about 3 years ahead and have started to think about selling some to offset the cost of the new man toys used to process the wood. Hard to part with the wood though knowing how much went into it.

Haven't started cutting wood yet this year but have 24-25 cords on hand. Hope to cut another 8-10 cords this winter. We'll get rid of some probably very soon though because there are always those who never think ahead on their wood piles and don't have the dollars to spend now.... We almost always also find some who are sick or injured and try to help them out some.

I have seven cords or so split and stacked, plus I think another cord or two waiting to be split and stacked that I have scrounged in the past two weeks, since we had a freak early snowstorm. I have NO WOODSTOVE, but keep collecting, so it is hard to say under what circumstances I would stop collecting more wood. I could store a ton of it here, so storage won't prevent me collecting. At some point I'll get the installation finished and start burning, and then I guess I'll really feel the need to get busy scrounging. I don't have an answer to the question in the thread titile, except to say I think it is a trick question like ' which came first, the chicken or the egg,' or 'do these pants make me look fat?'

Wood Duck, you are a wise man. Get the wood, then the stove. That is the only correct way. Too many think they can get the stove and get it installed and then just go out and get the fuel. That may work if you are burning oil or gas, but not wood.

hey Dennis, I was injured (recovering) and getting sick of cutting and splitting wood, so I meet both your qualifications for some that wood your getting rid of. When will you be by? Maybe you could bring some beer too. %-P

Backwoods Savage said:

Wood Duck, you are a wise man. Get the wood, then the stove. That is the only correct way. Too many think they can get the stove and get it installed and then just go out and get the fuel. That may work if you are burning oil or gas, but not wood.

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But there are mucho guidos giving away seasoned hardwood on craigslisst.

’berta Burner said:

hey Dennis, I was injured (recovering) and getting sick of cutting and splitting wood, so I meet both your qualifications for some that wood your getting rid of. When will you be by? Maybe you could bring some beer too. %-P

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Keep watching and keep the beer cold. I'm on my way.

13 cords here ,thats around 2 years or so for me

I guess what I have is about 2-3 years worth but woods got to season and you never know about the weather so I will keep on looking for more wood just the easier scrounges none of that take the tree down and haul it up a ravine by hand type where you start to wonder if you are going to make it.

Ratman said:

When you have to go to meetings in the Church basement.

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Are those the meetings where all they have is coffee and you have to sneak in your own beer if you want any.

I'm sure I have close to what Dennis has on hand now (on my big 0.4 acres :cheese, which is enough for at least 7 years for me. It's about 90% oak, with the remaining being beech, cherry, and maple. Even with that much on hand, I still want to jump at any chance I can to get more. Not that I need it, I just enjoy processing it. Unfortunately, I have so many other projects I need to get done, working up wood should be my last priority at this point. :-(

I have 15 cord of black locust split and put in my wood shed an i'am going out to get five more trees when the ground freezes that will give me about five more full cord to split in the spring.

TOM

BrowningBAR said:

How much wood is enough?

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It's never enough.

I have 3.5 cord I'll use 3 this winter. I really can't store anymore than that. If I could I would definetly store a couple
years worth.

no man said:

I have 3.5 cord I'll use 3 this winter. I really can't store anymore than that. If I could I would definetly store a couple
years worth.

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Finally someone I can identify with. I've got maybe 4.5 cords, and my yard is about maxed out. My wife declared me insane about a cord ago.

10 cords a year ? what do you live in a teepee ? That's ton of wood. I use about 2-3 cords a year to heat my house and garage in northern minnesota. But I don't think there is too much. Once you start, it's like a disease. First I had nice neat piles, now I'm talking about building a wood shed.


jon

mn_jon said:

10 cords a year ? what do you live in a teepee ? That's ton of wood. I use about 2-3 cords a year to heat my house and garage in northern minnesota. But I don't think there is too much. Once you start, it's like a disease. First I had nice neat piles, now I'm talking about building a wood shed.

jon

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Yeah, I'm amazed by these people going through seven to ten cords a year. My grandpa who lives on the border of Minnesota and Iowa and has an older cast-iron cat stove with a cat he's never replaced goes through about 3 cords a year. He's burning 24-7 and keeping his 2000-square-foot house unbearably warm for my taste.

If I had my way in the matter I would line our entire back yard with firewood - about 8 cords worth which would last about 2-3 years. Unfortunately my husband has but a ban on any more than 4 cords at a time. :smirk:

I keep smuggling in kindling though. It is easier to stash and I just can't pass up good, free wood....

He is a tolerant man but has limits.....

mn_jon said:

10 cords a year ? what do you live in a teepee ? That's ton of wood. I use about 2-3 cords a year to heat my house and garage in northern minnesota. But I don't think there is too much. Once you start, it's like a disease. First I had nice neat piles, now I'm talking about building a wood shed.


jon

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Man, this is the second time I've had to correct someone's spelling. It's "l i f e s t y l e". :lol:

perplexed said:

If I had my way in the matter I would line our entire back yard with firewood - about 8 cords worth which would last about 2-3 years. Unfortunately my husband has but a ban on any more than 4 cords at a time. :smirk:

I keep smuggling in kindling though. It is easier to stash and I just can't pass up good, free wood....

He is a tolerant man but has limits.....

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It's always amazing to run across a woman who is in the same position. I tend to think of the woodburning madness like colorblindness—a congenital condition afflicting only the male of the species... but I'm wrong, happily.

mn_jon said:

10 cords a year ? what do you live in a teepee ? That's ton of wood. I use about 2-3 cords a year to heat my house and garage in northern minnesota. But I don't think there is too much. Once you start, it's like a disease. First I had nice neat piles, now I'm talking about building a wood shed.


jon

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Wow, I only wish I could burn 10 cord a year! I love firewood, heating with wood, and everything about it. I try real hard, but I can only manage to burn about 4 cord or so per year in the stove and close to 1 in the firepit. I sell a little, give even more away, and my woodpiles are still growing faster than I can get rid of it.

People that burn 10 cord per year are so lucky!

dreezon said:

perplexed said:

If I had my way in the matter I would line our entire back yard with firewood - about 8 cords worth which would last about 2-3 years. Unfortunately my husband has but a ban on any more than 4 cords at a time. :smirk:

I keep smuggling in kindling though. It is easier to stash and I just can't pass up good, free wood....

He is a tolerant man but has limits.....

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It's always amazing to run across a woman who is in the same position. I tend to think of the woodburning madness like colorblindness—a congenital condition afflicting only the male of the species... but I'm wrong, happily.

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According to Greek 'mythology', Hestia was the Goddess of the hearth.

It is my opinion that somewhere along the line males caught on and wanted some of the fun for themselves.

It is also my opinion that things really got imbalanced when tools came along - you know, all the accessories - chain saws, splitters, trucks, trailers etc...

Alas, changed the history of wood burning BUT Hestia would be proud of us females who are hanging in here. :coolsmile: (I, for one, wouldn't want to upset a Goddess.)