2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK)

[Ashful]

I keep most my stuff in approximately that range, 4" - 6" across each wedge, and it seems to be a pretty good compromise between dry time and too much work. The BK is not super sensitive to split size, assuming you can get the wood dry throughout, thanks to the automatic t'stat.

 

[Highbeam]

A mixture of sizes is helpful since you will want to pack the box full and tight. If all you cut is big ones, you would waste a lot of firebox space with every load. All splits that I split are small enough to be picked up with one hand. That ends up being 4-6" range. Square is good too, less surface area for a slower burn.

 

[Jeff in Maine]

Twd000
For what it may be worth this is my second year with a Princess bought new last October. This is what I did this year. Last year I split my wood very small I would be new to the BK and wanted to be sure the wood was small enough and dry enough to burn well even if I had trouble understanding how the stove worked. Most of my splits last year were no bigger than 4" at the widest point. I got the feeling that some bigger wood was in order for this winter.

So this year I split it a little differently if for instance I had a round that measures 10"-12" across it I do this. I split the round in half then I take one of the halves and split it again so I end up with 3 pieces per round. If it was larger than 10-12 inches across I made 4 pieces from each round. If it was 15" and larger I split off all 4 sides and left the center square. Time will tell but last year I can remember thinking " yup shoulda made some bigger wood ".
Also this year I split up 1/3 cord of fir this year too. I end up some cold days with deep coals in the stove. Coals are good but they don't heat my house as well as flame. I mentioned this last year here and the advice I got was to rake the coals forward and put some soft wood on top that way you get some flames for heat and the coals get burned up at the same time. Again time will tell a but I does make some sense to me. Good luck Jeff

 

[tarzan]

Split to dry and split to fill the stove. The goal is dry wood and to win at stove Tetrus.

The answer (in my opinion) is 4" to 6" as said above.

The BK has a thermostat that controls burn rate whether you load it with 20some Eco bricks or 5 large splits. The most important thing in winter is to completely as possible fill the box with seasoned wood.

 

[PA_Forester]

Split to dry and split to fill the stove. The goal is dry wood and to win at stove Tetrus.

The answer (in my opinion) is 4" to 6" as said above.

The BK has a thermostat that controls burn rate whether you load it with 20some Eco bricks or 5 large splits. The most important thing in winter is to completely as possible fill the box with seasoned wood.

I use a mallet to force those last few pieces in.

I'm kidding, of course, but I do use one of these (link below) mounted to a red oak cut-off stump that is dense and perfect as a base for the splitter. This splitter allows me to make the perfect piece to finish up the last of a full load for the Blaze King. Plus, I keep this next to the wood and close to my stove, it's a safe and very easy way to split wood indoors
http://www.logsplittersdirect.com/WoodEze-5MH-S-SPLITTER-Log-Splitter/p3845.html

 

[tarzan]

I use a mallet to force those last few pieces in.

I'm kidding, of course, but I do use one of these (link below) mounted to a red oak cut-off stump that is dense and perfect as a base for the splitter. This splitter allows me to make the perfect piece to finish up the last of a full load for the Blaze King. Plus, I keep this next to the wood and close to my stove, it's a safe and very easy way to split wood indoors
http://www.logsplittersdirect.com/WoodEze-5MH-S-SPLITTER-Log-Splitter/p3845.html

You got me there. I'm not that annal lol but I am guilty of using my hand as a mallet when that last piece is SO close to going in

 

[drz1050]

Wiggle wiggle wiggle

I just have a big beech round next to the stove as my chopping block.. use either the estwing fireside friend, a little hatchet, or my house axe (short handle) depending on the size/ my mood and whichever one I feel like grabbing haha.

 

[tarzan]

Wiggle wiggle wiggle

I just have a big beech round next to the stove as my chopping block.. use either the estwing fireside friend, a little hatchet, or my house axe (short handle) depending on the size/ my mood and whichever one I feel like grabbing haha.

Extra points for using and spelling Estwing right!

 

[webby3650]

Extra points for using and spelling Estwing right!

I thought I was the only one! I kills me when when people say "eastwing"...

 

[jetsam]

I've got a question guys. I guess I can ask it here. Thinking about getting a princess today or tomorrow. I like the ambience of the flame, or glowing plasma bouncing at the top like the non cat stoves do. My question is, can I wait to engage the cat and get this effect for a few hours while we're up, watching tv at night after work, and then engage the cat for the long burn times when heading to bed? Or does it not work like that? Thanks.

You engage the cat as soon as the stove is warm enough and leave it engaged. If you want a fireshow, turn up the thermostat a little.

Honestly, after a month of loading the thing, you may find that you're usually choosing the lowest burn that can heat your house over the fireshow- but the fireshow is always just a knob twist away.

Burning with the cat disengaged can supposedly warp the bypass gaskets (if I remember right), but I believe there's a few people here who have had accidents in that department without damaging their stoves. Worse though, I would imagine that it is easier to overfire a BK with the cat disengaged (they are normally pretty hard to overfire because of the magic thermostat).

 

[Ashful]

I thought I was the only one! I kills me when when people say "eastwing"...

Spelled Estwing, but most here pronounce it "East wing". I never had enough confidence (or care) in the pronunciation to bother correcting anyone on it, but would love settle this one for my own use, if anyone is in the know. Please cite your authoritative source.

 

[jetsam]

I use a mallet to force those last few pieces in.

I'm kidding, of course, but I do use one of these (link below) mounted to a red oak cut-off stump that is dense and perfect as a base for the splitter. This splitter allows me to make the perfect piece to finish up the last of a full load for the Blaze King. Plus, I keep this next to the wood and close to my stove, it's a safe and very easy way to split wood indoors
http://www.logsplittersdirect.com/WoodEze-5MH-S-SPLITTER-Log-Splitter/p3845.html

I am almost as bad. I have a log with a hatchet stuck in it on the porch so I can split off little chunks to fill the crannies.

 

[jetsam]

Spelled Estwing, but most here pronounce it "East wing". I never had enough confidence (or care) in the pronunciation to bother correcting anyone on it, but would love settle this one for my own use, if anyone is in the know. Please cite your authoritative source.

The founder was a first generation Swedish immigrant; Estwing is his family name. (Source)

Now we just need a Swede to tell us how to say it!

I have full confidence that somebody here is on the scandanavianstovetalk.com forums.

 

[Poindexter]

Estwing.com is the correct url for the hammer maker. I coild take a picture of one of mine if i was willing to get out of my chair.

 

[tarzan]

Spelled Estwing, but most here pronounce it "East wing". I never had enough confidence (or care) in the pronunciation to bother correcting anyone on it, but would love settle this one for my own use, if anyone is in the know. Please cite your authoritative source.

Beast Best Feast Fest East Est

 

[Ashful]

Estwing.com is the correct url for the hammer maker. I coild take a picture of one of mine if i was willing to get out of my chair.

No doubt on the spelling, Poindexter. But, being a Swedish name, I'm not placing any bets on the pronunciation. It might fit our English assumption of "Ehst-wing", or might actually sound like "East-wing". Who knows?

 

[tarzan]

Ok, I googled "Estwing hammer pronunciation" and it looks like Ehst-wing IS the proper pronunciation.

My apologies for driving this train off the tracks

 

[Poindexter]

Twd000
Also this year I split up 1/3 cord of fir this year too. I end up some cold days with deep coals in the stove. Coals are good but they don't heat my house as well as flame. I mentioned this last year here and the advice I got was to rake the coals forward and put some soft wood on top that way you get some flames for heat and the coals get burned up at the same time. Again time will tell a but I does make some sense to me. Good luck Jeff

I think what is happening is the coals are keeping the cat hot enough to be active, only they aren't making enough smoke for the cat to actually do anything other than be hot enough to be active. Tossing the small piece of softwood on there makes smoke, which the cat consumes. I suspect you will find your cat probe moving further up into the active range and your house getting warmer with the small piece of softwood on the coals.

 

[Highbeam]

And don't be afraid of softwood. The BK was made in the PNW where softwood dominates. You won't get quite as long of burns but even the carppiest cottonwood in a BK will burn longer than the best hardwood in a non-cat, well probably, we don't have much ironwood to try.

 

[Ashful]

Ok, I googled "Estwing hammer pronunciation" and it looks like Ehst-wing IS the proper pronunciation.

My apologies for driving this train off the tracks

So, is it pronounced Blasé king or...?


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[tarzan]

So, is it pronounced Blasé king or...?

Yes. That's how I pronounce it when the subject comes up, in certain circles Usually while holding a Dos Equis!


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[BKVP]

Are all you dudes retired and just sitting around? If you are, I can put you to work!

Chris

 

[Jeff in Maine]

I think what is happening is the coals are keeping the cat hot enough to be active, only they aren't making enough smoke for the cat to actually do anything other than be hot enough to be active. Tossing the small piece of softwood on there makes smoke, which the cat consumes. I suspect you will find your cat probe moving further up into the active range and your house getting warmer with the small piece of softwood on the coals.

I hope so, I would not try to tell you why but the coals are ok I guess but the flame makes the house much warmer.

 

[Jeff in Maine]

And don't be afraid of softwood. The BK was made in the PNW where softwood dominates. You won't get quite as long of burns but even the carppiest cottonwood in a BK will burn longer than the best hardwood in a non-cat, well probably, we don't have much ironwood to try.

I know I have heard this before I ought to try it out some. I have about 1.76 billion cords of Fir, Hemlock, Poplar, and Pine. Especially Pine I have an awful lot of Pine Pulp " low quality pine" Tell me your opinions on this please. I have worked in the woods since I was 11 and I discovered something that made no sense to me the other day.

I wanted a little soft wood like I have said earlier so I knew where there were 2 standing dead Fir about 14" on the stump. They were in a blown over root ball sort of situation and had been dead for 2 years. All brown no green whatsoever limbs all dried out dead. So Sunday I went out and cut them off the stump and sawed them up to split they are / were very wet still like a live tree would be ? I am laboring under the assumption that the tree with the bark in tack and roots still in the earth ,... the tree was still "wicking" water up into the trunk clear to the top. The tree is all worked up split and inside with a powerful fan blowing across it 24/7 starting Sunday.
What do you think?, why were these trees still so wet.... we have had a regular drought the last 3 months so they are not rain soaked by any means.

I have another one same size same thing dead for at least a year. I am thinking I will take the saw and "Girdle" the tree close to the ground thus maybe interrupting the " wicking " action.

 

[Highbeam]

I know I have heard this before I ought to try it out some. I have about 1.76 billion cords of Fir, Hemlock, Poplar, and Pine. Especially Pine I have an awful lot of Pine Pulp " low quality pine" Tell me your opinions on this please. I have worked in the woods since I was 11 and I discovered something that made no sense to me the other day.

I wanted a little soft wood like I have said earlier so I knew where there were 2 standing dead Fir about 14" on the stump. They were in a blown over root ball sort of situation and had been dead for 2 years. All brown no green whatsoever limbs all dried out dead. So Sunday I went out and cut them off the stump and sawed them up to split they are / were very wet still like a live tree would be ? I am laboring under the assumption that the tree with the bark in tack and roots still in the earth ,... the tree was still "wicking" water up into the trunk clear to the top. The tree is all worked up split and inside with a powerful fan blowing across it 24/7 starting Sunday.
What do you think?, why were these trees still so wet.... we have had a regular drought the last 3 months so they are not rain soaked by any means.

I have another one same size same thing dead for at least a year. I am thinking I will take the saw and "Girdle" the tree close to the ground thus maybe interrupting the " wicking " action.

Firewood doesn't start really seasoning until it has been cut, split, and stacked. Certainly not the logs that are on the ground with roots still buried. I live on the wet side of WA and most logs in the woods on the ground will rot before they dry.

I would have no problem burning pine and have burned many cords of red cedar and cottonwood. It's not like the old days, modern stoves are able to get much more out of the lower btu woods if you do your part by seasoning the fuel well. I actually prefer the ashier varieties like red alder since the ash helps to slow the burn rate a bit.

Douglas fir makes almost zero ash when burnt efficiently.

If it needs a fan to be dry I would be looking for another source of fuel.