Need opinions on this wood.

[DuckDog]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some opinions. Due to a couple crazy incidents over the last 12 months I was unable to order in a truck of logs to buck and split. So for only the second time in my life I am buying fully processed wood.

We are already into August which means burn season will likely start in 2 months or less. Wood options seem to be very limited when looking for firewood that was not just bucked and split in June / July of this year. However I found a place with probably 40+ face cord of 14-16 month old wood. Mix is 85% sugar maple, 10% red oak and 5% beech. No ash, no birch garunteed. $100/face or $250/full NO DELIVERY.

I went ahead and picked up a full yesterday. (3 good loads in my poor old Ranger) The wood has some satining on the ends as well as some white moldy looking fungus on the surface (as seen in the pictures) but really is top notch wood and has that "sound" when you knock two pieces together that really makes me confident that it is 14-16 months bucked and split.

Now here's the part that worries me. I am used to 16-18" long splits 5,6 or 7"+ wide. This stuff is 14-16" long and only 3-4" thick.

Does anyone else burn such small splits? How does it compare to bigger splits. Have I just doomed my wife and I to a winter of endless stove loading? And the big question, since I need probably another cord to get me through, do I buy another full of this guy?

 

[smokinj]

Looks like great firewood from here! :cheese:

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I often burn smaller stuff. It dries quicker, so if there's residual water from being rained on it will be golden when you need it. Pack it in with limited/no airspace between splits and you won't be loading endlessly.

 

[gzecc]

ask if the guy has larger stuff for the next load and mix when loading.

 

[CTYank]

The short lengths probably help with this "face" cord fantasy. Meaning- if in fact he's talking "1/3-cords" based on 16" lengths, then the 14" pieces are shorting you. One way to maximize profits selling wood is to sell more air-space.

Most all wood I burn is 8" long, to fit little stove. No problems here. Enables finer control of stoking, and overall efficiency. Most winters, 1.5 cords will do nicely.

Just don't pay wood prices for air.

 

[Woody Stover]

I pretty much use nothing but those split sizes. Long burns aren't a problem.

 

[mainstation]

$100 a face is a bit steep, but better than no wood.

 

[fossil]

That wood, if seasoned as you say it is, looks just fine to me. I like having a mix of split sizes. Rick

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I pretty much use nothing but those split sizes. Long burns aren't a problem.

+1 .... no problem...you'll do fine. And just the fact that you FOUND someone selling TRULY seasoned wood .. WOW.. play the lottery... its your lucky day, my friend!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

DuckDog, it is a shame to be in that position but now you have to do what you can to get things in order again. The wood you got looks great to me. I would not worry about the smaller splits as they are not that small to cause concern about overfiring or holding overnight fires.

I especially like those squares and rectangles that are mixed in the stack. If it were me, I'd save all of those to pack the stove during the coldest part of the winter because you can stack them tight and they will be more like big splits. When loading for night burns, I like to put those on the bottom rear of the firebox and then fill above them. If you have enough to fill the whole stove when it is super cold. then so much the better. If it were me, I'd go buy more from this fellow. Good luck.

 

[WoodPyro]

I would think about starting my own firewood operation, I can't imagine saving too much money if I bought my wood. If it was maybe one cord a year for "ambiance" that is a different matter. I burn because I love it, but I also love to save money/ pay for more woodgetting tools as I love almost all aspects of firewood gathering.

 

[n3pro]

Perfect size for me. Since my firebox is only 10 1/2 inches high under the burn tubes clean no ash or coals, can't fit much wood in bigger then that. My biggest difficulties have been the size of splits. What I see as the right size is too big, what I see as too small is actually right.

Unfortunately 90% of mine is bought. I burn because I like the heat, I like the smell, I like the work. Might not save a whole lot buying but I got much more expensive hobbies with a lot less benefit :grrr:

You got to do what you got to do and when you got to do it. Seen much, much worst.

 

[DuckDog]

Thanks for the replies. I still have issues looking at the size of these splits. They just seem so small. On the plus side, it will be easier to pack the stove at night.

Going rate around here seems to be between $285-$300 / cord. But that wood was most likely only split 3-5 months ago. Buying in logs like I usually do is half the price. It's not really about the money to me, it's more about the quality of heat for my family.


I have about a cord of wood left over from last year that was split by me at my regular size. I suppose I can mix it in with the smaller stuff if I really need to.

I also have 2 dead, dry, no bark, standing Elm that are coming down next weekend (dutch elm disease). They are a pretty good size and I suspect will yield 1-2 face cord. My paln is to burn this stuff early season when I do not need the btu's like I will in the dead of winter.

Anyway, I'll probably end up buying another cord off this guy. At least it's seasoned.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

DuckDog, beware of that elm. On the ones with the bark off, the top of the tree probably is ready to burn now but as you go lower you are bound to find lots of moisture yet in the wood. After many, many moons of cutting and burning this elm, I highly advise you be a bit picky in what you will start burning with and save the trunk of that tree for later use.

 

[chvymn99]

I too use the smaller stuff, find it to be easier to handle and putting it in the firebox. Those really dont look to be too small, maybe smaller than your use to but still manageable. If its truly seasoned, that will be a plus to helping you put BTU's in the house. Good Luck.

 

[rdust]

3-4 stuff is what I consider medium sized splits and will work fine. I'll be burning a lot of oak that size this year due to it being split in spring of 2009 and I split it small in hopes of using it in 2009. I ended up burning white ash for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 so I'll be burning the smaller split oak this year. What I consider "big" for me is 5x6 or 6x6, I vary rarely split anything bigger than the wedge of the splitter which is 6".

 

[WoodPyro]

If it is not about the money, you are really right about the quality of the heat. My heat pump puts out really lukewarm air and costs a lot to run even cooler temps like 68-70, and this is in TN, supposedly they are supposed to be so efficient, maybe the newer ones... My wood heat keeps us around 80 and even at lower temps, the heat just feels more "real".

 

[SolarAndWood]

$250/cd for year old split wood of that caliber doesn't seem unreasonable to me. As for the smaller splits, I'd rather have dry than big.

 

[albertj03]

Looks good to me. I just don't like bringing wood with mold on it in the house unless I'm going to burn it that day. Not sure if that's me being paranoid or if there really is a risk circulating mold spores throughout the house and having my kids breath it.

 

[Duetech]

It may seem that the small pieces are "gopher wood" and split any thinner I might agree with you. But you actually load the stove by weight in one sense. The smaller splits might require a slight draft reduction to prevent over-burning or firing to extract the per pound btu rating. In my locale the price would be considered steep but the btu quality would be excellent. The aging of the wood (if stored correctly to achieve true seasoning) will help it coal and generate heat with less smoke. It does appear as if some of the pieces are a little larger and would work well for longer heat output if banked.

 

[woodsmaster]

Perfect size split for a gasser. A little short for me but 16" is the standard in selling firewood so unless you specally order longer wood that's what your going to find. A Couple inches either way is acceptable to me. I agree that a few big splits for overnighters would be nice ,but I think you did good to find dry wood. He has more work in it than if he left them big.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

I cannot speak to the price, but I do like the mix of that wood (although I personally like my white ash and don't really mind birch -- heck, yellow birch here is a pretty decent wood and my wife loves white birch for the ease of reigniting) . . . and it certainly sounds like the wood may be seasoned (of course the real determining factor would either be a) burning some or b) testing it with a moisture meter since looks and even sounds can be deceiving.

I would not worry about the mold . . . I suspect the processor had the wood in a pile . . . most likely some wood that was on the bottom inside may have started growing some mold. Let it dry and it will burn fine.

Size . . . I used to be all about having big wood . . . the bigger, the better . . . until I realized that it is not all about the size . . . it's how you use the wood . . . now I find that I can do as well with lots of medium sized wood packed into my firebox as I can with fewer larger pieces . . . and honestly, it's usually easier to get the smaller sized wood settled down quicker.