still playing catch-up from what I didn't do last summer . . .

[snowleopard]

Won't bore you with all the Plan A, glitch, Plan B, glitch details, but the short version is I've got a come-and-go bad knee that acted up a lot last summer, and my old Toy pickup was in similar straits, so best laid plans for getting wood gathered fell through, and I don't have a winter's supply of firewood cut, seasoned, sheltered, stacked, and split. Nor next's.

I also, when I went into this, envisioned this as a supplemental, emergency-back-up thing, not the primary heater that it's become.

Trying to come up with Plan C at this point, and that's why I'm posting, looking for ideas.

I've got about three acres of cottonwood, aspen, some spruce, and some don't-even-think-about-it birch trees, enough of which is standing-/leaning-/laying-deadwood to have heated the house all winter and then some if I'd gotten it pulled in and worked up. Been burning off of some cut-and-stacked piles that were here when I bought the place (I'd guess it's been there 6-8 years based on the condition of the bottom layer and the detritus on top), but they're getting picked over.

Went through the best pile of wood (didn't know at the time that it was this) on my learning curve, which meant I overheated the place a lot before I learned how to keep a steady, uniform heat, etc. Too soon old, too late smart, too much wood wasted.

So far, my estimates of how long my piles would heat the place have been pretty conservative, and I figure the last good-sized pile I'm working off of now will get me through January, if the weather stays on my side and the rest of the wood hidden in the pile is pretty good (a lot of this pile was pretty punky). This last pile I'm working off of is kinda hard to get to the chopping block, due to location, but we're staying ahead of it, some days not by much. However, it rained for three days here about six weeks ago, and some of the wood is pretty damp, so I'm setting that aside for April.

I have a garage where I could dry some of this wood out, and perhaps I will, but I'm trying to minimize the number of times I have to move it.

Winter here usually comes about mid-October, and breaks its back about mid-April. Coldest stretch is usually mid-Dec to mid-March, but we've seen exceptions either way. January's usually the coldest, but this varies, too. I'm thinking we're about half-way through the heating season in another week or two, but if someone has a way of calculating this, I'd be interested in how it's figured.

My options:
*chalk this up to a learning winter and call the fuel oil company (it's running 3.40 a gallon, last I heard);
*buy firewood (spruce or birch, supposedly seasoned, runs about $2-3C a cord);
*buy a chainsaw and try to work up the standing and leaning and (accessible) laying dead wood around here, then drag it to the house and work it up);
*pay someone to come out and cut up the firewood for me. (A little concerned about the liability issues there.)

Anyone know how to run a cost-benefit calculation on these?
Here's my plan for next summer: there's someone in the area who sells logging truckloads of seasoned birch for $1700. Advertises it as 10 full cords, but they have customers who say it's closer to 12. Former owners left a stack of corregated metal roofing (about 16 sheets of new and not-so-brand new) behind the garage. I thought it would make a good roof for a woodshed. I figure if I order birch and start working it up, I could mix the birch and the poplar on my property and I'd be looking at about 3 year's worth of wood without cutting down any living trees here.

I'd really appreciate feedback on how to evaluate my choices and what I may be overlooking in my figuring, and advice about the most prudent means of going forward for this make-do, patchwork winter.

I burn about 830 gallons of fuel in a good year (heating garage and water with this as well), but this year have burned about 150 since the beginning of September. I have about another 150 useable. I figure I've burned about 1-2 cords of wood, but that's only a very rough estimate.

Thanks in advance for your time and ideas.

 

[ddddddden]

Accdrding to the Jedi Council, dead trees dry out verrry slowly. You might have luck the limbs. . .Buying dry firewood can be difficult/impossible. Are bricks available in your area? They go for $250-300 / ton, supposedly the equivalent of 1 cord of hardwood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

This last pile I'm working off of is kinda hard to get to the chopping block, due to location, but we're staying ahead of it, some days not by much. However, it rained for three days here about six weeks ago, and some of the wood is pretty damp, so I'm setting that aside for April.

Rain won't affect wood like that unless it is punky. One day after rain it is usually dry and ready to burn. If it is punky, then I would simply throw it out into the woods.


I have a garage where I could dry some of this wood out, and perhaps I will, but I'm trying to minimize the number of times I have to move it.

If stacked in the garage it will not get the benefit of the wind. You could probably hook up a large fan to help but that seems extreme.


Winter here usually comes about mid-October, and breaks its back about mid-April. Coldest stretch is usually mid-Dec to mid-March, but we've seen exceptions either way. January's usually the coldest, but this varies, too. I'm thinking we're about half-way through the heating season in another week or two, but if someone has a way of calculating this, I'd be interested in how it's figured.

Wise men of old said to always have at least half your wood pile left at Groundhog Day. That does not necessarily mean you will burn the last half but it assures you will have at least some ready for next year. It is still better to be 2-3 years ahead on your wood supply.



My options:
*chalk this up to a learning winter and call the fuel oil company (it's running 3.40 a gallon, last I heard);
*buy firewood (spruce or birch, supposedly seasoned, runs about $2-3C a cord);
*buy a chainsaw and try to work up the standing and leaning and (accessible) laying dead wood around here, then drag it to the house and work it up);
*pay someone to come out and cut up the firewood for me. (A little concerned about the liability issues there.)

Anyone know how to run a cost-benefit calculation on these?
Here's my plan for next summer: there's someone in the area who sells logging truckloads of seasoned birch for $1700. Advertises it as 10 full cords, but they have customers who say it's closer to 12. Former owners left a stack of corregated metal roofing (about 16 sheets of new and not-so-brand new) behind the garage. I thought it would make a good roof for a woodshed. I figure if I order birch and start working it up, I could mix the birch and the poplar on my property and I'd be looking at about 3 year's worth of wood without cutting down any living trees here.

Seasoned birch in logging truckloads is not going to happen! The wood will not season until it has been cut to length and split. Then it is stacked out where the wind will hit the sides of the wood pile. Then you wait to let Mother Nature do her thing. So, no, that wood will not be seasoned when you buy it.


I'd really appreciate feedback on how to evaluate my choices and what I may be overlooking in my figuring, and advice about the most prudent means of going forward for this make-do, patchwork winter.

I burn about 830 gallons of fuel in a good year (heating garage and water with this as well), but this year have burned about 150 since the beginning of September. I have about another 150 useable. I figure I've burned about 1-2 cords of wood, but that's only a very rough estimate.

Thanks in advance for your time and ideas.

Good luck and remember to get next year's wood put up ASAP. Even if you buy in log loads which is not a bad way to go.

 

[Wood Duck]

I'd buy a chainsaw and start cutting the downed, dead wood from your property. Depending how much dead wood is available, I'd also consider buying some logs or talking to neighbors about cutting wood on someone else's property. That is called scrounging on this forum, and it can yield a lot of wood, but not always on short notice. Your goal should be to keep the stove burning this winter and also get at least two years ahead by next fall. Maybe you'll have to buy a load of logs to make the work go faster - you can cut up and split wood a lot faster if it is laying in a pile in the backyard than if it is spread around the woods. In any case, I wouldn't expect the wood you cut or buy now to be very well seasoned. Stack it and let it dry and it'll be seasoned pretty well next winter and great the following winter. Logs, even if they have been dead a few years, aren't very dry most of the time. You may find some of the wood is pretty good, and other wood pretty wet inside. Once you are a couple of years ahead, it won't matter if the wood is wet when you collect it because it will all have two years to dry before you burn it.

With the kind of money you could spend on oil, I'd definitely spend some money on a chainsaw and some time collecting wood.

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

. . .
I've got about three acres of cottonwood junk, aspenjunk, some sprucenot much better than junk, and some don't-even-think-about-it birch trees
. . .
My options:
*chalk this up to a learning winter and call the fuel oil company (it's running 3.40 a gallon, last I heard); assuming the oil works, it takes the stress of a cold house off you and reinforces-when you cut the checks-your drive to obtain suitable firewood
*buy firewood (spruce or birch, supposedly seasoned, runs about $2-3C a cord); secong least favorable option
*buy a chainsaw and try to work up the standing and leaning and (accessible) laying dead wood around here, then drag it to the house and work it up); Possibly best solution. If you're going to heat with wood, you'll need a saw. Not the sort of think you want to 'borrow' Cutting in the snow is fun if yer sick like a few of us and hate bugs swarming your face or sweating like a pig. If you end up not enjoying cuttin in the snow, that will fix your resolve to get your work done earlier next time
*pay someone to come out and cut up the firewood for me. (A little concerned about the liability issues there.)Least favorable option

{Paper} Birch gets a bad rap . . . but it burns decent and produces heat. Not like Oak/Maple/Hickory etc, but way better than Aspen, Basswood, Hemlock, etc.

 

[snowleopard]

Thank you all for reading my post and your thoughtful replies. Information is good, reality is my friend (even though I don't like hearing what it has to say some of the time).

Den, most of my standing/leaning/laying dead stuff is limb-less. Just poles. Prefer to get the elevated stuff, as this rots in a few years on the ground. BUt will take the Jedi's wisdom into consideration here. Bricks? 'fraid not . . .

Dennis, some of it is punky, and it's staying out there to take the slow route back into the carbon chain. Thank you for helping me rationalize not carrying all that wood into the garage and back out. Thank you for the Groundhog Day rule of thumb. Makes sense to me. I agree about being 2-3 years ahead on wood. I'd had a vision of getting wood heat in when I bought this place three years ago, but the oil run-up (almost $5 a gallon here) catapulted that plan onto the front burner, which is why I'm kinda going at this backwards. But at least I'm going at it . . .

The seasoned question also makes sense--from what I've seen, birch uncut and unsplit rots pretty quickly, but cut and split and allowed some time, burns beautifully. I like the idea of buying truckloads and working it up myself because it's about half the price this way, and after dealing with the stacks left behind (and don't think I"m not grateful--I am), and the detritus/rot/inconvenient location, I think it might be better to `get em young and raise 'em up right'--to have control over the cutting, splitting, stacking, covering, and time spent drying. I plan to hit the ground running every day that my knee will cooperate next summer. And having a delivered load would be a lot easier to work up than walking through the woods for it. I'm not afraid of work, just some days are better than others for moving around.

Duck, have been keeping my eye out for a saw. I had a wise woman (about 60+, 5'2", 120#) tell me not to wimp out and go too small. She said that she preferred a 20" bar because smaller left her fighting the saw. Interesting tidbit, that. And you're right, if I can get away with even half the oil I was burning in previous years, that stove will be money in the bank in a few more years, so it's not hard to justify the purchase of a saw. Okay, confession time. I've used saws myself in the past, no problem, but I've gotten a bit intimidated by them now. Guess I just have to lace up my boots and get over it.

Your goal should be to keep the stove burning this winter and also get at least two years ahead by next fall. Maybe you'll have to buy a load of logs to make the work go faster - you can cut up and split wood a lot faster if it is laying in a pile in the backyard than if it is spread around the woods. With the kind of money you could spend on oil, I'd definitely spend some money on a chainsaw and some time collecting wood.

THanks for this--that's how I see it, too. `Keep the stove burning this winter' beats `you're not perfectly set up, so don't be thinking you can do this'. I also hope that prices on logging-truckloads will drop a bit come spring; a mix of that and what I've got around here should keep me in clover. And a woodshed to boot? zowie!

Pyro, alack, junk is almost right, except the well-seasoned stuff kept my house quite comfortable up until now with a three-week span of -20F thrown in there. We're up north, (interior AK) and birch is considered prime wood here. Burning oak for heat seems almost like chopping up the chifferobe for kindling--since we're used to seeing it sold by the board foot for premium prices. A drive to obtain suitable cordwood would probably take me down to BC, pretty drive, but not cost effective. The oil boiler works, and is actually incredibly efficient--I'm burning about half of what's typical for a house this size here. But the house is more comfortable with wood, I'm hooked. Last night sitting around the fire with the two Teenthings--that's good stuff. I don't mind cutting in the cooler weather, as long as it's safe underfoot.

Thanks for the ideas--starting to formulate a plan here . . .

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Snowleopard I don't know where you are (would be nice of you put that in the info; just a close reference will do) but keep in mind that spring also brings on the frost laws so getting the log load in the spring might not work. But if you get it, say, by March 1-15 then you might beat it. Remember that it all depends upon the weather when the frost laws are in effect. We've seen them as short as 2 weeks here and as long as 5 weeks. They can start in March but sometimes don't start until April.

 

[snowleopard]

Thank you, Dennis. I'm in Interior AK. I'll call the outfit that's selling the logging loads and ask them what their windows for delivery are. Realistically, I'll be better fixed to do some round-the-clock wood processing in June, so may wait until then. While I'm talking to them, I'll ask what they mean by seasoned. I know some sellers here sipe their birch, but I doubt that this is the case here.

CL has a couple of saws listed: Stihl 250 for $200 and a Husky 346xp for $350. Neither specify bar length. The first sounds lightly used, the latter recently tuned-up by the local saw shop. I'm leaning towards the Stihl (unless someone on the forum persuades me otherwise), thinking that I could probably turn it over for most of that if it's not what I need.

After chewing over these replies and sleeping on it, I think I have a plan: get through this winter with what I can cut on my property, and maybe clean up on the access road here after contacting the property owner, of course. (Lots of wood laying beside the road, as these poplars will go down in a windstorm--kids and I have cut and dragged some of it off the road ourselves.) If I need to buy a cord of birch (about $300) to get through the winter, I'd still rather do that than put it in the oil tank, because I'm learning a lot living through a heating season.

Then, come spring or summer, I'll get situated for a log delivery. Those metal roofing panels are (I think--buried under snow behind the garage right now) wide enough to give me about 3 feet of coverage, given some overlap, so I have enough to make a woodshed (I'm thinking 8x12) and have some left over to cover cut poplar left out to season in the woods (easier to move after its dried some, easier to store). I can situate the woodshed to take advantage of the airflow off the ridge (we're right under the crest of the hill, on the south side) and to get maximum southern exposure.

The birch will be burnable this first year if I cut it small enough, and better after that. If I get the fuel tanks topped off as well, I should be about three years to the good, with a buffer. If I then get one more log delivery next year, and work it up in a position to be easily moved to the woodshed once I get some snow, then I'd be about five years out. Those two loads of wood should cost about what one winter's fuel supply costs. Then I can supplement as opportunity permits with woodcutting permits (just to glean the limbs left behind by those unwilling to harvest them) and the assorted scrounging opportunities.

It's a plan, at least. I work better when I have a vision.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Sounds like you have a good plan. The only question I would have is on battling that state bird you have while cutting up the firewood. Them skeeters get a bit hungry after such a long winter.

 

[Willman]

To save time on your log length load build your stacks and lay the metal roofing right on top. Then when you have time build the shed. I use the same method and wood is seasoned well after 2 yrs. Then into the sheds.

get some roofing screws and shoot em in thru the metal to hold down. Could also use some of your junk wood as ballast. Key here is to orient stacks for max drying via sun and wind.

Will

 

[snowleopard]

Thanks, Dennis and Will, good points to consider in both of these posts.

Not only will it be skeets season in the summer, but I'll have missed out on a couple of good drying months if I wait until June to work it up. I'll have ten days off of work in mid-March, and I might want to aim for that window instead. However, I'd guess that the demand for and therefore the price of the firewood stays high through at least March. A consideration, as I'd like to take advantage of the rumored price drop. Having that chore done before summer starts would indeed be a coup. And not having to stop and build a woodshed first would be a timesaver, too. I could drop some pallets where I plan to build, stack the wood, cover it w/the roofing, and build around it later this summer. Thanks.


Was out woodin' today, temps ran around 10F, nice weather to be working outside. Got several sled-loads pulled up from the downhill pile (dd home from college, my hero, did most of the pulling-uphill and split a little of it, too--I think just enough for texting-bragging-rights to her L48 suburban bf). I did most of the uncovering of the pile and throwing out the rounds--my good fortune that the PO's cuts fit my stove. Found a few more smaller piles down there, too, investigated one, and the one I checked out has definitely got wood worth hauling uphill to burn. Slightly different orientation now (since I am armed with The Plan), just scrounging on my own property for enough to `keep the stove burning this winter' (and poked around here enough to realize that I'm not the only one making do that way the first year), and feeling triumphant about each gain. The big pile I'm working off of will probably supply me enough to keep going through mid-February, and then on the uphill side of the house, there's some long logs that look like they were used to build a pole fence or corral or something--that's probably going to be a couple of weeks worth of wood there, worth walking up there to take a look tomorrow . . .