First year report & things I learned!

paredown said:

1. Wood stoves make life worth living in New York winters; Or anywhere else in the north.

2. Cut more wood than you think you will need; Always! And have a 3 year supply on hand at all times.

3. Cut your wood early so you are not fussing with mixing seasoned with dodgy wood trying to get the stove to hit cruising speed; See above.

4. Wood from Craigslist sellers is likely to be dodgy--especially late in the season; And from 99% of the wood sellers who say their wood is seasoned.

5. Woodbricks work better than dodgy Craigslist wood at the end of the season. Their price is a reminder to heed items 2 and 3; I've never used the things and doubt I ever will.

6. Aside from warmth and comfort (and quiet--no furnace wailing away in the background), halving your utility bill in the first year's burning make items 2 & 3 go faster; Yes, just knowing you are not going to have to pay out those dollars is worth much.

7. Knowing about #6 makes those trips to the woodpile in the freezing cold if not joyous, then certainly tolerable. All I had to do was tell myself "Orange and Rocklland (aka Orange and Rapeland) will charge me $30 for gas today if I don't get going"... Those trips to the woodpile are not all that bad and just remember that you are also providing your body with much needed fresh air.

Thanks to the collective wisdom of the board for getting me squared away this year! Next year gets even better.

Dean

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paredown said:

1. Wood stoves, snowmobiling and the occasional trip to the Carribean make life worth living in Maine winters;

2. Cut more wood than you think you will need . . . and then cut some more . . . any wood left over at the end of the burning season will be that much more seasoned for next year . . . and no one complains about having too much wood . . . many people complain about running out of wood at the end of the season.

3. Cut your wood early so you are not fussing with mixing seasoned with dodgy wood trying to get the stove to hit cruising speed . . . and then when you think you have enough for the upcoming year, cut some more . . . to get ahead on the next year's season and to be sure you'll have more than enough wood for the winter.

4. Wood from Craigslist sellers is likely to be dodgy--especially late in the season . . . which is why you should buy early and process it yourself . . . then if the wood isn't ready to burn you'll have no one but yourself to blame.

5. Woodbricks work better than dodgy Craigslist wood at the end of the season. Their price is a reminder to heed items 2 and 3 . . . and seasoned wood works best of all.

6. Aside from warmth and comfort (and quiet--no furnace wailing away in the background), reducing your heating oil bill in the first year's burning to next to nothing make items 2 & 3 go faster . . . but you will not care since you will be warm and don't have to worry about paying for $2.50 or $4 plus a gallon oil just to stay warm.

7. Knowing about #6 makes those trips to the woodshed a fun experience . . . taking a breath of that fresh air with just a hint of woodsmoke, looking at all of the wood (i.e. processed heat) and knowing you are all set for whatever Mother Nature throws your way and watching the snow come down on a quiet Sunday afternoon reminds one that the work from the past year was worth it.

Thanks to the collective wisdom of the board for getting me squared away this year . . . and I now solemnly promise that a) I will continue to post here and offer advice I have learned to newbies this coming year, b) I will get to work on my wood for next year and c) I will undoubtedly start lusting after hydraulic splitters, soapstone stoves, chainsaws, trailers and other woodstove-related stuff like the rest of you guys.
Dean

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Backwoods Savage said:

paredown said:

1. Wood stoves make life worth living in New York winters; Or anywhere else in the north. Or anywhere else in the SOUTH :coolsmile:

2. Cut more wood than you think you will need; Always! And have a 3 year supply on hand at all times.

3. Cut your wood early so you are not fussing with mixing seasoned with dodgy wood trying to get the stove to hit cruising speed; See above.

4. Wood from Craigslist sellers is likely to be dodgy--especially late in the season; And from 99% of the wood sellers who say their wood is seasoned.

5. Woodbricks work better than dodgy Craigslist wood at the end of the season. Their price is a reminder to heed items 2 and 3; I've never used the things and doubt I ever will.

6. Aside from warmth and comfort (and quiet--no furnace wailing away in the background), halving your utility bill in the first year's burning make items 2 & 3 go faster; Yes, just knowing you are not going to have to pay out those dollars is worth much.

7. Knowing about #6 makes those trips to the woodpile in the freezing cold if not joyous, then certainly tolerable. All I had to do was tell myself "Orange and Rocklland (aka Orange and Rapeland) will charge me $30 for gas today if I don't get going"... Those trips to the woodpile are not all that bad and just remember that you are also providing your body with much needed fresh air.

Thanks to the collective wisdom of the board for getting me squared away this year! Next year gets even better.

Dean

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woodjack said:

15. Nice to have a fire burning when you"light up a fattie". ;-)

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