Factors influencing Woodburning

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Stax

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Dec 22, 2010
941
Southeastern PA
In my quest to become a woodburner, I've often thought about the path of others. I'll never forget the time when I visited a childhood friend who had a glassdoor fireplace. That night, I slept next to it during the sleepover. Ever since, I've always wanted a stove in my own home.

What factors influenced your woodburning?

1. Parents were woodburners.
2. House came equipped w/ stove.
3. Access to or supply of free wood.
4. Cost effective.
5. All the above.
6. Other

Also, if you wouldn't mind including the following.

A. Age
B. Years of woodburning
C. Occupation (if relevant)
 
I always liked the ambiance of a wood burning fire. My Aunt/Uncle had/have a wood stove and I really liked everything about it growing up. Finally bought our first house last year and it had a fireplace, which was quickly replaced with an insert. I've only been burning wood for a little less than a year, but I enjoy everything about it. A lot of friends/family come over and see wood piled everywhere in our yard and probably think I'm a little crazy, but I don't really care. I like gathering the wood, splitting, burning... I don't enjoy stacking that much, but fortunately my girlfriend helps out a lot with that. Of course, I also like the cost savings in the winter and look at the process of processing my excuse for not having a gym membership.
 
I'll have my attorney review your request for personal information and I'll respond (or not) based upon her advice. :p Rick
 
6. Other...husband brought home a woodstove one day......I had no idea what the heck to do with it and googled "how to operate a wood stove"....no experience....not a clue prior to that....found Hearth.com....end of story....

A. 42 years old
B. 7 months burnin experience
C. irrelevant

Good luck....wood burnin rocks....and stay tuned here to Hearth....valuable knowledge to be learned....
 
Rcrozier said:
In my quest to become a woodburner, I've often thought about the path of others. I'll never forget the time when I visited a childhood friend who had a glassdoor fireplace. That night, I slept next to it during the sleepover. Ever since, I've always wanted a stove in my own home.

What factors influenced your woodburning?

1. Parents were woodburners. Yes.
2. House came equipped w/ stove.
3. Access to or supply of free wood. There is no free lunch but we do have lots of wood.
4. Cost effective. Yes.
5. All the above.
6. Other

Also, if you wouldn't mind including the following.

A. Age Stove: 4 years Me: too many.
B. Years of woodburning Well over 50
C. Occupation (if relevant)
What's that?
 
Rcrozier said:
In my quest to become a woodburner, I've often thought about the path of others. I'll never forget the time when I visited a childhood friend who had a glassdoor fireplace. That night, I slept next to it during the sleepover. Ever since, I've always wanted a stove in my own home.

What factors influenced your woodburning?

1. Parents were woodburners.Yup. Old VC Defiant
2. House came equipped w/ stove.
3. Access to or supply of free wood.
4. Cost effective.Way cheaper than oil heat for our house.
5. All the above.
6. Other

Also, if you wouldn't mind including the following.

A. Age 32
B. Years of woodburning
C. Occupation (if relevant) :puts on sunglasses: Chimney Sweep
 
1. Parents were woodburners.
3. Access to or supply of free wood.

Most important:
4. Cost effective (Only became a major consideration when oil hit $4 a few years ago)
 
Parents are wood burners so I grew up helping to tend the stove at an early age.I love heating with wood and scrounging.There is lots of wood in this region, more than anyone could imagine.Born in 62.
 
Rcrozier said:
In my quest to become a woodburner, I've often thought about the path of others. I'll never forget the time when I visited a childhood friend who had a glassdoor fireplace. That night, I slept next to it during the sleepover. Ever since, I've always wanted a stove in my own home.

What factors influenced your woodburning?

1. Parents were woodburners. Nope. Grandfather was though. Have always loved fire since I was just a sapling.
2. House came equipped w/ stove. First house a fireplace, loved burning in it. Second house had a fireplace as well, now an insert.
3. Access to or supply of free wood. Didn't really think so at first, but I learned quickly that applying myself gets me a lot of scrounged wood.
4. Cost effective. When oil hit about $4 a few years ago, it convinced me to do try alternative energy sources.
5. All the above.
6. Other Wanted to be greener and not rely so heavily on fossil fuels, increase the feeling of being independent

Also, if you wouldn't mind including the following.

A. Age 42
B. Years of woodburning - This past winter wad the first with an insert, prior to that about 12 years with a fireplace.[/b]
C. Occupation (if relevant) Teacher
 
It was a cold and stormy night...
 
6. Other - Always enjoyed lighting things on fire from an early age, sticks, twigs, buildings, etc. Progressed to a point where I never left the house without a lighter or matches. Decided to try and stop lighting random things I saw during the course of the day on fire and try to contain a fire in a woodstove where it would never, ever leave me. Is that unhealthy?

Just kidding... take it easy Jake!

Parents burned wood. Cost effective.
 
1. Three separate events made me think we needed backup heat:
-Tornado took down steel tower on the feed to town -> No electricity.
-County wide distribution transformer caught fire and was destroyed -> No electricity.
-Ice storm pulled down local electric distribution system -> No electricity for four days in winter.

2. Started in 2008, with backup wood stove on first level. This summer am removing a fireplace and installing a wood stove on second level because the first stove was so successful, warm, and pleasant. After some of this darn oak drys out, will try burning full time up stairs and shutting down hydronic radiant. The wife is a good sport, but the warm floor in winter is popular. We will see if the warm floor or hot stove wins out.

3. The woods has bolted. It needs good woodlot management. I am cutting the sprouts, twins, damaged, down, crowded, and ugly trees. Where I have cut, it looks much better and seems to be healthy. If I am going to cut this wood, it needs to be used. Waste not, want not.

4. Good exercise for the old bones.

Born in 47. Retired.
 
Rcrozier said:
In my quest to become a woodburner, I've often thought about the path of others. I'll never forget the time when I visited a childhood friend who had a glassdoor fireplace. That night, I slept next to it during the sleepover. Ever since, I've always wanted a stove in my own home.

What factors influenced your woodburning?

3. Access to or supply of free wood- quite a lot from storms & old highway ROWs. Little competition in these burbs.
4. Cost effective- increasingly so, that trend is NOT over. Cheap oil and fracked gas are not reliable.
6. Other- worked as groundie during college, learned a lot about saws especially- safe operation, care & feeding.

Also, if you wouldn't mind including the following.

A. Age- sufficient to know better.
B. Years of woodburning- 35+

This was not a result of a plan or quest, but just a leveraging of old skills with new to avoid being bled white financially,
with the understanding that conventional wisdom isn't. ("Cussed Yankee")
 
6. Other

Bought a house without access to NG. Previous owner was going through 3-4000 gallons of propane a year at $4.25/gallon. We burn first for economic reasons and a close second for independence. A radiant heat source is pretty nice to have around all winter too.


A. Age 40,40,11,5
B. Years of woodburning 6
 
The house came with a stove and an arborist neighbor. My parents installed one in the house I grew up in when I was quite young. It honestly didn't get all that much use, but I loved it. Not sure if that really counts toward years of burning, although I learned a lot.
Years of EPA stove burning: 6
Trips around the Sun: 36
 
Excellent replies guys. It's neat to hear all the stories.
 
Access to free wood on the property.
House didn't have a furnace.
Thought I would save money, but then had to get another job to afford wood-processing toys. :lol:
25 years experience burning not-quite-dry wood. This will be my first year with dry wood, so I'll be a newb. :lol:


BrotherBart said:
It was a cold and stormy night...
...in a galaxy far, far away. Or was it a Fairlane?
 
Woody Stover said:
BrotherBart said:
It was a cold and stormy night...
...in a galaxy far, far away. Or was it a Fairlane?

Actually, Ford spelled it "Galaxie". My cousin has a '66, and I learned that factoid about the name from looking for stuff to buy for him on eBay. Ford did sell a car named "Galaxy", but only in the European market...far, far away. %-P Rick
 
1 Parents had coal fires, but I liked chopping the kindling up as a little boy.
3 Access to some free wood (which makes 4 applicable)
6 Ambience of burning wood, has anybody ever had a romantic meal sat round an oil filled radiator ;-)

A. My wife says I act like a 17 year old, I often lie and knock off 10 years from my age, but I'm really 54.........
B. 33 years on an open fire, 8 months using a wood stove
C. Part time gardener/semi retired. Full time forager of wood.................

Edited to add...........
Discovering this forum and becoming obsessed with wood and all things woody
 
woodchip said:
Discovering this forum and becoming obsessed with wood and all things woody

I too have been obsessed with wood...funny thing: was at the grocery store about a week ago...came out to the lot to find a pickup truck parked next to my car that was filled with wood.
Well a year ago I would not have given it a second look but now....well I was all excited and I was checkin it out, picked up a few splits...smelled it.....wondering what kind of wood it was (I still have a lot to learn about how to id wood).
The guy came out and asked me..."can I help you with something?"
I told him...."I was just admiring the wood in your truck"....we had a conversation about wood and turns out he had the same woodburner as me....
As I was driving home I chuckled to myself....and how the girls at work make fun of my woodburning obsession....we'll see how much they make fun of me when they see their home heating bills come this winter as opposed to mine... :coolsmirk:
 
If I choose B5 do I win Bingo? :lol:

GAMMA RAY said:
..well I was all excited and I was checkin it out, picked up a few splits...smelled it.....wondering what kind of wood it was mine...

My son has asked me to please stop (at least outwardly) being envious over various wood stacks around town.
 
Thanks for the support Kat.....I think I need to join woodburners'/silver jewelry obsession anonymous....think that combo exists? Maybes I will start a group....
 
Del and I are already part of a group....addiction to hair care products..... :roll:
Sorry BB....back to topic burnerz....(could not resist)
 
~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
If I choose B5 do I win Bingo? :lol:

GAMMA RAY said:
..well I was all excited and I was checkin it out, picked up a few splits...smelled it.....wondering what kind of wood it was mine...

My son has asked me to please stop (at least outwardly) being envious over various wood stacks around town.

Yup, my son is pleading for the very same thing. Although I've noticed that he's taken to pointing some out, as well ;-)
 
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