we'll keep the home fires burning..........

[pict]

well, stove installed (Osburn 2220), lit first two curing fire the previous evenings, and final longer fire tonight-now we're ready for action!
Can I ask the old hands a question or two?

What is the optimum size of firewood to feed your stove with? I've everything stacked, from small diameter whole oak logs to whopping great chunks of wood, and wonder what the best sizes are for efficiency.

 

[Gooserider]

Length is usually suggested as 2" less than the maximum log-length that will fit - this allows some room on each side for airflow, easy loading, and a bit of "slop" for cutting (the chainsaw is not generally used as a precision tool) while still giving you the fuel for a max power burn. Obviously if your manual says something different, go with the manual.

Log diameter is a bit more of a variable, the manual should tell you an optimal size for your stove, but in general larger stoves will take larger splits, smaller stoves, smaller splits... The other general rule is that large splits burn slower than small ones, so you can use this as a way of controlling your heat output - if you want lots of heat, or you need a fast heatup, use smaller wood. If you want a maximum length burn, hit it with the big stuff.

When splitting for my pile, I find that I tend to splt smaller than I probably should, but my "spec" has been that the largest dimension shouldn't be more than I can easily span with my hand, and the smallest has to be such that I can grab the end in one hand and pick the split up. Say about 4-6 inches.

Gooserider

 

[MrGriz]

Glad to hear you're up and running Pict.

I usually cut my wood to 16" - 18" in length. You don't want the wood tight from brick to brick, there needs to be some space for proper air flow.

I also like to keep a variety of sizes of splits and rounds in the wood pile. I find that with some smaller and larger pieces I can more easily pack the firebox for a long burn. Once the larger splits and rounds are in, there's always space for a few small ones to sneak in between. I keep some rounds up to about 6" - 8" and usually use them for overnight burns.

You need to remember that it takes rounds quite a bit longer to season than splits. With that in mind, make sure that the rounds you are burning are well seasoned.

 

[BrotherBart]

Even with my 3.5 cf firebox I cut to sixteen inch lengths. It gives infinite options for loading the firebox. It feels real macho to shove 20" wood into a stove but it sure limits your choices of load configuration for optimum burning.