I just bought a cord of wood, but it's damp and hisses when I burn it. What can I do?

[MichaelS]

Later that same summer.....

mistake

 

[NewtownPA]

One option that I haven't seen mentioned so far is to look at getting "log length" wood and processing it yourself. This is a medium cost choice between scrounging and cutting it yourself and purchasing cut / split from the wood guy. It does require that you get yourself the appropriate gear (saw, PPE, etc.) but you can probably get away with a lighter saw, and won't need the pickup truck, trailer, or other stuff to move big loads of wood long distances.

Essentially ask wood dealers for a cost on a "tri-axle" load of log-length cordwood. This is the big truck size, and is typically between 5-7 cords worth of wood when processed, but will be delivered as a pile of logs 8-20' long. You will need a place where they can put the wood that can be accessed from your drive or other solid ground they can drive to. You should get this early in the spring, pretty much as soon as the snow is gone, (same thing applies to any other wood) which gives you most of the summer to get it cut and split. My usual drill was to fire up the saw, cut one or two tanks of gas worth, then split what I'd cut, and get the GF to stack it into my woodsheds - The important thing is to get it up off the ground as soon as possible, and possibly cover the tops as the season moves along.

Gooserider

I like your idea. I'm going to have to look into that. I'm in what's termed "the outer suburbs" (ie, i'm not city, not surburbs, but I'm not country either)

 

[Gooserider]

One option that I haven't seen mentioned so far is to look at getting "log length" wood and processing it yourself. This is a medium cost choice between scrounging and cutting it yourself and purchasing cut / split from the wood guy. It does require that you get yourself the appropriate gear (saw, PPE, etc.) but you can probably get away with a lighter saw, and won't need the pickup truck, trailer, or other stuff to move big loads of wood long distances.

Essentially ask wood dealers for a cost on a "tri-axle" load of log-length cordwood. This is the big truck size, and is typically between 5-7 cords worth of wood when processed, but will be delivered as a pile of logs 8-20' long. You will need a place where they can put the wood that can be accessed from your drive or other solid ground they can drive to. You should get this early in the spring, pretty much as soon as the snow is gone, (same thing applies to any other wood) which gives you most of the summer to get it cut and split. My usual drill was to fire up the saw, cut one or two tanks of gas worth, then split what I'd cut, and get the GF to stack it into my woodsheds - The important thing is to get it up off the ground as soon as possible, and possibly cover the tops as the season moves along.

Gooserider

I like your idea. I'm going to have to look into that. I'm in what's termed "the outer suburbs" (ie, i'm not city, not surburbs, but I'm not country either)

If you go for it, I would reccomend a good saw, probably a Husky or equivalent with an 18"-20" bar - I have a 16" Poulan that I find is a little on the light side - There are lots of discussions about saw options in the Gear forum.

You should also get some form of chain sharpening tools, and the usual small assortment of tools needed to take care of the saw.

There are a few options on splitting - the easy / expensive way is to get a powered splitter, either gas or electric, the biggest question being how much your budget allows - more money equals more power.... You can also rent them, or possibly borrow one from a friend, etc...

The cheaper way to do it is what I use, namely hand splitting. This is less expensive, and will save you from spending money on the health club as well, but takes more time and obviously is much more work... You will want at least 2-3 wedges, and a 6-8 lb sledge to drive them with - better is a "splitting maul" with a sledge head on one side and a splitting blade on the other. Some folks also use a "Monster Maul" that is a heavier version of a splitting tool that uses a 12lb head and a steel pipe handle - its a bear to swing, but will split most rounds with far fewer hits. Again, you will find lots of threads on this as well.

Most important, don't forget your Personal Protection Gear... I reccomend one of those combo setups that combines ear protectors, a face mask, and possibly a hard hat. The hard hat is optional if you are just cutting on the ground, but is more important if you are dropping trees or doing other overhead work. Kevlar Chainsaw chaps are very much worth while, as are chainsaw boots - these both have layers of kevlar in them that are designed to stop a moving chain (hopefully) before it has a chance to damage you severely - Again discussed in the gear section, along with testamonials from folks that have been glad to be wearing it... Remember that a chainsaw is arguably the most dangerous power tool you can buy, and buy the gear accordingly....

Gooserider

 

[NewtownPA]

One option that I haven't seen mentioned so far is to look at getting "log length" wood and processing it yourself. This is a medium cost choice between scrounging and cutting it yourself and purchasing cut / split from the wood guy. It does require that you get yourself the appropriate gear (saw, PPE, etc.) but you can probably get away with a lighter saw, and won't need the pickup truck, trailer, or other stuff to move big loads of wood long distances.

Essentially ask wood dealers for a cost on a "tri-axle" load of log-length cordwood. This is the big truck size, and is typically between 5-7 cords worth of wood when processed, but will be delivered as a pile of logs 8-20' long. You will need a place where they can put the wood that can be accessed from your drive or other solid ground they can drive to. You should get this early in the spring, pretty much as soon as the snow is gone, (same thing applies to any other wood) which gives you most of the summer to get it cut and split. My usual drill was to fire up the saw, cut one or two tanks of gas worth, then split what I'd cut, and get the GF to stack it into my woodsheds - The important thing is to get it up off the ground as soon as possible, and possibly cover the tops as the season moves along.

Gooserider

I like your idea. I'm going to have to look into that. I'm in what's termed "the outer suburbs" (ie, i'm not city, not surburbs, but I'm not country either)

If you go for it, I would reccomend a good saw, probably a Husky or equivalent with an 18"-20" bar - I have a 16" Poulan that I find is a little on the light side - There are lots of discussions about saw options in the Gear forum.

You should also get some form of chain sharpening tools, and the usual small assortment of tools needed to take care of the saw.

There are a few options on splitting - the easy / expensive way is to get a powered splitter, either gas or electric, the biggest question being how much your budget allows - more money equals more power.... You can also rent them, or possibly borrow one from a friend, etc...

The cheaper way to do it is what I use, namely hand splitting. This is less expensive, and will save you from spending money on the health club as well, but takes more time and obviously is much more work... You will want at least 2-3 wedges, and a 6-8 lb sledge to drive them with - better is a "splitting maul" with a sledge head on one side and a splitting blade on the other. Some folks also use a "Monster Maul" that is a heavier version of a splitting tool that uses a 12lb head and a steel pipe handle - its a bear to swing, but will split most rounds with far fewer hits. Again, you will find lots of threads on this as well.

Most important, don't forget your Personal Protection Gear... I reccomend one of those combo setups that combines ear protectors, a face mask, and possibly a hard hat. The hard hat is optional if you are just cutting on the ground, but is more important if you are dropping trees or doing other overhead work. Kevlar Chainsaw chaps are very much worth while, as are chainsaw boots - these both have layers of kevlar in them that are designed to stop a moving chain (hopefully) before it has a chance to damage you severely - Again discussed in the gear section, along with testamonials from folks that have been glad to be wearing it... Remember that a chainsaw is arguably the most dangerous power tool you can buy, and buy the gear accordingly....

Gooserider

Thanks for all that good information! I can see that it's going to start costing $$$ real fast! ....though it is a "one-time buy". I'm going to have to price everything out to get an idea of how much I'll end up spending. My wife has wanted a new bathtub for a while so I'll have to budget things carefully to get the most bang for my buck.

 

[Henz]

I go log length all the time. I usually get 7 cord of poles..I ahve a 33 ton splitter and a huskee 357 XP.. the dump trailer helps too. I find that when I get hardwood in poles, get it for around $65/cord..Another thing is to dive right into it and dedicate yourself to cut and split two full years wroth of wood in one year..so that way each consecutive year you get your new green wood you are actually splitting it not for the coming heating season but for the following.