Good morning (new member intro)

[Bocephous]

I didn't see a welcome section here so I'll introduce myself here. I found your forum researching chainsaws (my current saw is a little underpowered) and I've found it to be very informative and entertaining. My wife and I live in northeastern PA on a decent sized chunk of family property that we bought from my father a few years ago. I grew up in the same area, moved away for 15 years, and came home just over 5 years ago. My father and I cut the wood to heat our home when I was a kid, and now I'm doing it for our home, and wouldn't have it any other way. Anyway, good morning, and I'm looking forward to spending more time here learning from you folks and contributing when I can.

 

[firefighterjake]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Jags]

Welcome to the big show. Pull up a chair and warm your feet by the fire.

 

[etiger2007]

Welcome to the forums

 

[begreen]

Welcome. Are you burning wood or coal?

 

[corey21]

Welcome.

 

[Wood Duck]

It is nice to have another PA resident on here. Welcome!

 

[rideau]

Glad you are onboard.

 

[Billybonfire]

Welcome from across the pond.

Billy.

 

[schlot]

Welcome and post some pictures when you can.

 

[Huntindog1]

Welcome and your comments remind me of when I was a kid and the times I had with my Father cutting wood.

 

[WellSeasoned]

Welcome fellow pa burner

 

[heatwise]

Welcome.

 

[PapaDave]

Welcome to the Hearth Bocephous.

 

[Blue2ndaries]

Welcome!

 

[osagebow]

Welcome. Pretty country up there.

 

[Bocephous]

Welcome. Are you burning wood or coal?

Thanks for the welcomes!

I have a coal stove, but I burn wood in it. I burned coal the first full winter I was back in PA and didn't enjoy the extra ashes compared to wood, the smell of it, or the fact that I had to pay for it. The Harman seems just as happy with wood as with coal.

Pics? Did someone ask for pics?

Our pups and some of our woods...

Right after we got our tractor...

Last fall, I think, near the top of our property...

Our pond in winter...

...and fall.

 

[osagebow]

Niiiiiiiiiiiice!

 

[rideau]

Beautiful. How much acreage do you have?

 

[weatherguy]

Nice property and dogs you have there Bocephous, nice to have your own private oasis and wood supply.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Welcome to the forums and I got to say your not one bit shy, awesome pics! And I'm also a bigger fan now that I have seen a boxer in your shots. I have two of them myself and I think they are the best.

 

[etiger2007]

Hey Bocephus how big is that pond?, I'm having one dug next year. I'm looking to go about 150 X 100 15 ft deep for bass blue gill and swimming. Love the boxers too.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Bocephus.

You have a beautiful place there and no doubt have plenty of wood. It is also nice that you live where there is an abundance of coal should you need it.

I would like to throw out a little caution and that is with the wood. Many times we see a fellow start to burn wood and he remembers doing it with his father. That is good. What is not good is that the father and then the son have in mind the old ways of burning wood. That is, cut it, split it and burn it. That won't work worth a hoot in the newer stoves. Most wood you will need a year from the time it has been split, then stacked out in the wind to dry. If you have oak, like in most of PA, then you really need some caution. Some say oak can be ready to burn in 2 years but here we've found 3 years much better and we stick with that. This does mean you will have some large wood piles but that is better than money in the bank and you don't even have to pay taxes on those wood piles. We recommend having 3 years worth of wood on hand at all times.

 

[Bocephous]

Beautiful. How much acreage do you have?

Thanks Rideau, we are truly blessed. We have about 72 acres and my father has another 36. Our property is mostly woods on the side of a hill, with about 15 acres or so being field.

Welcome to the forums and I got to say your not one bit shy, awesome pics! And I'm also a bigger fan now that I have seen a boxer in your shots. I have two of them myself and I think they are the best.

Those two knuckleheads are our kids, and they are the best. Couldn't ask for better fur-friends; they're both trying to get my attention now as I type.

Hey Bocephus how big is that pond?, I'm having one dug next year. I'm looking to go about 150 X 100 15 ft deep for bass blue gill and swimming. Love the boxers too.

I'd guess that it's about 150 feet across, and it was 13 feet deep when freshly dug about 2 years ago. It is filled with the overflow from my dad's pond, and his is fed by springs higher up on his property. I stocked it a year ago with bass and bluegill from my dad's pond.

Welcome to the forum Bocephus.

You have a beautiful place there and no doubt have plenty of wood. It is also nice that you live where there is an abundance of coal should you need it.

I would like to throw out a little caution and that is with the wood. Many times we see a fellow start to burn wood and he remembers doing it with his father. That is good. What is not good is that the father and then the son have in mind the old ways of burning wood. That is, cut it, split it and burn it. That won't work worth a hoot in the newer stoves. Most wood you will need a year from the time it has been split, then stacked out in the wind to dry. If you have oak, like in most of PA, then you really need some caution. Some say oak can be ready to burn in 2 years but here we've found 3 years much better and we stick with that. This does mean you will have some large wood piles but that is better than money in the bank and you don't even have to pay taxes on those wood piles. We recommend having 3 years worth of wood on hand at all times.

Thanks for the advice, Savage. I let my wood season pretty well, and where it's stacked it gets a lot of sunlight and wind. My dad has all the oak on his property; most of my wood is maple, ash, some tree my dad used to call ironwood, and hemlock. I leave the hemlock alone and use the rest. I've got about half of what I need for next seasoned cut but not split, and have about 9 or 10 ash trees high up on the hill that I'll have to pull down with the ATV. But not til it gets colder; the ticks are brutal right now.

 

[rideau]

72 acres. That's great. Glad you were able to move back home. That's a heritage to enjoy. Really good to be near your family too.