I have come to a conclusion that woodburning is an art. Any dumb fool can burn stuff, but if you want to burn efficiently it is an art that has to be developed. The girls at work think I am obsessed but if I am going to do something I want to do it the best I can possibly do it. My husband said, there's nothing to it just throw in a couple of logs.....but that wasn't good enough for me and I have been trying to perfect my ability to maintain a good fire. We have good wood which is a good start but I have come to realize that not all the time will you have the perfect fire. Many factors come into play: temperature, wood, draft, coal bed etc. I try the best I can but sometimes I don't get the perfect secondaries or the best burn, but I have learned that every fire will be different and not to get down on myself because I am a newbie. I just want other newbies to learn that it will take time and to be patient and woodburning is an art.....................every day you will learn something new and get better at it. That's what I am trying to do.
Woodburning is an art....
- Thread starter GAMMA RAY
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Gamma Ray,
Very nicely said. I'd like to add that, like many vocations or avocations, it is both a science and an art. But definitely both and it's the art that makes us connect with the science. That said, fuel, oxygen and heat = fire!
Very nicely said. I'd like to add that, like many vocations or avocations, it is both a science and an art. But definitely both and it's the art that makes us connect with the science. That said, fuel, oxygen and heat = fire!
bogydave
Minister of Fire
Very true
There are very few with the born ability to burn with the new stoves but we all have the ability to learn.
More efficient, cleaner burning, burn less wood, $$ savings are all good motivators.
There are very few with the born ability to burn with the new stoves but we all have the ability to learn.
More efficient, cleaner burning, burn less wood, $$ savings are all good motivators.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
There certainly is much more to it than throwing some wood in the stove and closing the door! Around here it is amazing that as long as we've burned wood, my wife still has some problems. She does get the job done but so many times I'll have to go make some adjustments to get the fire going. She calls it my magic poke. I'll simply move the wood a little bit and the fire then goes. I keep telling her it is how she loads the stove and she believes me but still has a problem doing it right over and over.
It is somewhat like stacking wood. I simply will not let my wife stack wood! She is terrible at it and the stacks look like ..... well, not so good. Loading the stove is the same way. I can get more wood in than she can and usually don't have a problem getting the fire going good. I tell her to then try looking at it like a jigsaw puzzle and fit the pieces in there. Once the fire is going she does very well in controlling the draft and everything else; she even takes care of ashes and also can clean the chimney. She just has a problem stacking wood.
It is somewhat like stacking wood. I simply will not let my wife stack wood! She is terrible at it and the stacks look like ..... well, not so good. Loading the stove is the same way. I can get more wood in than she can and usually don't have a problem getting the fire going good. I tell her to then try looking at it like a jigsaw puzzle and fit the pieces in there. Once the fire is going she does very well in controlling the draft and everything else; she even takes care of ashes and also can clean the chimney. She just has a problem stacking wood.
Backwoods Savage said:
I'm starting to wonder if our wives are related
hh: Well said Gamma. In pursuit of the perfect process. It took me a year to really get used to my new stove compared to the fisher. A good part of the problem is that we aren't testing our methods out in controlled environments. Everytime we run the oven, have a change in weather, season, number of times in and out of the house, range fan running, etc, adds in another variable. An art it most certainly is. An art that is founded in science of course
pen
yooperdave
Minister of Fire
i'm surprised no-one has made the analogy about wood stoves and, (how can i say this without offending the masses,) loving women??
there are similarities, no? you have to learn the quirks of the stove, when the best time to load it, how to treat it, don't go too fast, build it up gradually, don't overfire it. i don't mean for this to sound dirty, but can't you see hhow its kinda the same? a gasor oil stove (furnace/boiler), all you have to do is set the t-stat and walk away. but the wood stove, you have to spend time with!
ok- go ahead and have your fun
there are similarities, no? you have to learn the quirks of the stove, when the best time to load it, how to treat it, don't go too fast, build it up gradually, don't overfire it. i don't mean for this to sound dirty, but can't you see hhow its kinda the same? a gasor oil stove (furnace/boiler), all you have to do is set the t-stat and walk away. but the wood stove, you have to spend time with!
ok- go ahead and have your fun
I agree with you completely, and it's a big part of what makes heating with wood...dare I say...a pleasurable activity. Don't get me wrong, I hate winter, but the magic that goes into figuring out just when to reload, how much to reload, when to adjust the air, kinda gets me through the winter. It's almost a hobby, sort of.
Almost all activities benefit from learning and experience. This is also true of heating your home with wood. I thank all of you with helping with my learning and reducing the amount of time I need to depend on experience.
xman23
Minister of Fire
I'd say you have to be proactive rather than reactive to all aspects of the burning process. You need to be one step ahead of the fire, with a plan and the next move ready to go. As Backwoods says a slight tweak to the stack is all it takes to light off a cold stove. Run the stove keeping the house temp comfortable day and night regardless of the outside temp, keep glass clean and don't produce clouds of smoke. If you work at it and learn from your mistakes it does become second nature.
Dix
Minister of Fire
gyrfalcon
Minister of Fire
When I am gone my wife just goes by the flue temp for the most part and "just burns", it works for her, I am sure she uses more wood than I but the house is as warm (or so she tells me).
pen said:
Kinda like medicine.
My doctor and I are nearly the same age, and I've been going to him for a large portion of the time he has been practicing. And he has been practicing.... on me, my wife, my three kids, 2500 other patients in our community. In the beginning, he seemed tense and a bit awkward. He sent you out for all kinds of tests, sent you off to specialists, prescribed all kinds of pills and sent you on your way. Now when I see him he seems relaxed, asks the right questions, puts his hands on my body and listens with them. Now he knows what's wrong with me soon after he enters the examination room. Now he knows how to attack the causes of illness rather that to just treat the symptoms. And now that he's finally become a true artist of healing, now when he's become a trusted confidant and friend, now when I'm gonna need him the most... he's getting set to retire.
After 25 years of practicing the art of heating with wood, I think I am finally nearing my time of retirement. I personally cannot see doing this into my 70s. Most of my friends who heated with wood all their lives have quit at this point. They have come full circle, and now look at me as some sort of crank. Maybe I am. Most of them did it to save money, and now that they have money don't see the point. Me? I've always enjoyed it - the stoves, the wood, the work, the heat, the simple esthetics of it. Let's face it... it's just so freakin' romantic. Despite my scientific prattling on this forum, I am really an artist in spirit. So I will continue on with my art for as long as it continues to give me pleasure, and after that, I plan to pursue the art of retirement.
Men are like thermostats
Women are like wood stoves??
Well - at least that is what I got from it. :lol:
Women are like wood stoves??
Well - at least that is what I got from it. :lol:
What I would add is learning the nuances of your stove. After adding the Oslo this year, I kept trying to burn it like the Morso and experienced some frustration. I have learned, although they are both non-cat stoves, they burn extremely differently.
Adios Pantalones
Minister of Fire
What a run of interesting comments. Here's a few ideas that came to me: In response to "great minds think alike" I was recently reminded that "feeble minds think alike too." I just throw that in for fun - what I read in these pages is great thinking. I love the "men are like thermostats" - very funny as well (and not a bad thing is is?). I sometimes think the difference in being able to master the art and science are things like really paying attention to all the variables: how much space to leave between logs given moisture content, what stage the fire is at, draft, etc. etc. The "knowing" what a fire/stove is doing and what it needs is a mixture of 1) knowing the variables, 2) assessing them, and 3) making the right decision (and being able to correct for mistakes). Thanks for the enjoyable lunch break.
Bill
Bill
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Any fool can burn their house down with a woodstove . . . it is the person who takes the time to learn the nuances of their woodstove and art and science of safe burning that keeps the home fires burning . . . where they belong . . . under control in the woodstove.
I would argue however that along with art and science, sometimes there is a bit of luck involved . . . for example -- luck when a person who didn't know about getting his wood cut, split and stacked a year prior finds that his 6-9 month old wood that he put up burns well . . . because he stacked it loose, happened to cut mostly low moisture or quick drying wood and stacked it by sheer coincidence on the one place on his property that gets a lot of sun and wind . . . and that the summer was nearly rain free. Where the art and science come into play is when the person learns that they were lucky and makes changes to insure that this "luck" continues next year.
I would argue however that along with art and science, sometimes there is a bit of luck involved . . . for example -- luck when a person who didn't know about getting his wood cut, split and stacked a year prior finds that his 6-9 month old wood that he put up burns well . . . because he stacked it loose, happened to cut mostly low moisture or quick drying wood and stacked it by sheer coincidence on the one place on his property that gets a lot of sun and wind . . . and that the summer was nearly rain free. Where the art and science come into play is when the person learns that they were lucky and makes changes to insure that this "luck" continues next year.
gyrfalcon
Minister of Fire
firefighterjake said:
Also, hardship is a great teacher-- hardship in the sense of not having a good wood supply on hand, or having a stove that's too small, or a not terribly well-insulated house, etc. I've had to learn every trick in the book to get the most out of my small stove, both from reading everything you more experienced folk have to say and simply observing my own stove's behavior really, really closely.
Folks in less cold climates with big stoves in well-insulated houses don't have to worry so much about how different kinds of wood seasons and burns or how the way you build the fire or manipulate the primary air affects the heat you get, etc. I've been forced to learn or freeze.
Lanningjw
Minister of Fire
Adios Pantalones
Minister of Fire
One definition of art: Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation
There's something to learn. I also try to make mine expressive. Performance. Start the stove in the nude, stand on one foot. Scream out the windows.
There's something to learn. I also try to make mine expressive. Performance. Start the stove in the nude, stand on one foot. Scream out the windows.
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