If you process your own firewood, what's your preferred length?

[Garbanzo62]

Just cutup the top half of a dead ash that fell the day before I went to FLA. Bucked it at approx 16". I eyeball based on my saw bar. It won't see the stove for a while. Split one of the thicker limbs and it came back at 41%.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

18"

 

[johneh]

16 in. for the last 43 years. Easier to pile into cords

 

[j7art2]

13-16".

Oak is generally on the 13" side to season faster.

 

[zmender]

My stove manual recommends 18in log lengths.

 

[zak77]

I cut mine to 24" eventhough the stove would take a 31" but i find the 24" produces a good amount of heat. Plus i can easily tell how much wood i have by measure the length and height of the stack.

 

[Niro]

16 -18 easier to stack if lengths are consistent.

 

[buc74]

14" so we can load N/S on both our stoves.

 

[jblnut]

42" if they're 8" diameter or less 20-22" if they're 10"+. The 8-10" ones I usually decide on how tired I am when I'm cutting if I want to pitch something that big or not. Stove will take a 48" length but they're harder to I measure as the saw can easily mark a 21" length by using the bar and one of the bolts. Measure twice cut once haha.

If they're larger than 24" they get split so they fit in the door. Length becomes a game of "can I lift it" at that point.

 

[patrickk222]

i usually tend to keep mine at 20 inches

 

[trailrated]

I am actually cutting all my splits now at 11 inches. These will fit N-S in my Escape 1500. I find this gives me my longest burn times. I have plenty of 16 inch splits in my wood racks even after cut many of them down to 11 inches. It is what I prefer.

Man I did that for a half season, cut 10 inches because those would fit N/S in my stove and it burns really well that way. BUT that size took to long to process and stacked like crap so I went back to about 16''.

 

[Woodcutter Tom]

Man I did that for a half season, cut 10 inches because those would fit N/S in my stove and it burns really well that way. BUT that size took to long to process and stacked like crap so I went back to about 16''.

I have 6" X 9" X 16 foot timbers from an old railroad bridge. I usually place 2 side by side with a gap between them. Wood framing at the ends and in the middle. Top covered with old steel roofing. Stacks nicely for me.
For me it is worth the effort to cut for N-S loading.

 

[sweedish]

I’m happy when it fits in the stove.

 

[Wildflush]

My PE Vista can take up to 18” but optimum size is 16”. 16” stacks well also.

 

[Caw]

42" if they're 8" diameter or less 20-22" if they're 10"+. The 8-10" ones I usually decide on how tired I am when I'm cutting if I want to pitch something that big or not. Stove will take a 48" length but they're harder to I measure as the saw can easily mark a 21" length by using the bar and one of the bolts. Measure twice cut once haha.

If they're larger than 24" they get split so they fit in the door. Length becomes a game of "can I lift it" at that point.

That must be a gigantic stove!

 

[Mudgen]

First season with my stove. I've processed all of my own firewood so far. This first season's supply I cut to a standard 16-18". The Jotul F500 can accept up to 22" splits. Should I start cutting it longer to better fill the stove, or stick to the standard 16-18"? Do you size your wood to your stove or no? Thanks.

My Lopi Evergreen insert quickly revealed that although spec says 20.5" max, you can get about a 24" split in east-west if you still have some vertical room to maneuver. BUT you cannot close the door on a north-south load of over 15", so I like to have some shorter cuts.

 

[ArtBaldoni]

Splitter takes 25". I cut at 24 so I don't mess up and make one 25 1/4. I have an outdoor boiler that can take 36" so the splitter, not the stove, dictates my length.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

First season with my stove. I've processed all of my own firewood so far. This first season's supply I cut to a standard 16-18". The Jotul F500 can accept up to 22" splits. Should I start cutting it longer to better fill the stove, or stick to the standard 16-18"? Do you size your wood to your stove or no? Thanks.

Depends on how the longer wood goes in the stove. If you have to load E-W to fit the longer peices, stick with the shorter cut.

Cut about 1/4 cord to the 22" max length. Run it through your stove and pay attention to how it goes. At the end of the 1/4 cord, you'll have your answer. Just don't cut it all to the longer length until you have your answer. I chose to recut about 5 cords because I wanted to maximize my stoves functionality as a long heater, and N-S loading reduced that functionality.

 

[jblnut]

That must be a gigantic stove!

Crown Royal 7400MP. It'll eat two full wheelbarrows of wood a day when it's -20f and windy ..... Not the most "Hearth.com friendly" stove but it fits our needs really well as we have an almost unlimited supply of free undesirable woods. Boxelder, elm, Canadian White Oak (Poplar) and ash. All fence line cut by myself and neighbors to keep things neat and tidy.

 

[bunfoolio]

I have an f500. 18 to 20in. I measure at 19in when cutting.