Wood First, Stove Later

[Pellet_Pete]

While I continue to daydream and mull over the specifics of the hearth extension & install I hope to accomplish by next heating season, I've realized there's one aspect of wood heating that I can be working on right now - wood supply! And thanks to this forum right here, I've gotten the scrounging bug to start working on wood for this coming & future years. Saturday loaded cherry blocks into my Toyota Matrix (don't got no truck!) from a friend's house. Today, came upon some transmission line clearing leftovers that had been picked over already, but came away with a load of red oak, black birch and a stick of hickory. Found a couple rounds of black locust to boot (not pictured). Man, that black birch split like a dream!



Got plenty of pallets kicking around from pellets, and I've got a nice gravelly drying spot that is part wind tunnel, part open-air kiln. Will probably get the bulk of my wood from a logger who cuts a lot of ash in the near future, but this is a good way to start scratching the itch and perhaps getting some species that might not find their way into a truckload. Worst case, even if the install doesn't happen this year, I'll be on the inside track with my fuel supply.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Fantastic! You are ahead of most new burners. Just be aware of the length of time it takes different types of wood to dry, especially that oak. Don't try to burn that next winter for sure.

All of your wood I'd highly advise to stack in single rows and stack it rather loosely. Do not try for a pretty stack. Stack it low so it won't tip over on you. Stack it in as windy of a spot as you have and remember that air circulation is the biggest key to getting that wood dry. In your area, you are probably best if you top cover the wood as soon as it gets stacked.

 

[Pellet_Pete]

Thanks for the advice. Loose, single row stacking w//top cover is just what I was planning. Dont worry, there's no way I would burn the oak or hickory next year - I don't want to get banished from hearth.com!

 

[Seanm]

thats great that you are thinking of your wood supply ahead of installing your stove, often we see the opposite. Fortunately for me (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) I burn soft wood so I can put wood up in the spring and burn it the following winter. I remember c,s,s 4 cord of wood before we even had a wood stove installed. My wife said we are going to look silly having all this wood if we dont install the stove... I just smiled.

 

[BEConklin]

That's what I'm doing as well - working on the supply before the stove is purchased. My plan is to have an Englander 17 in my office downcellar for next winter and then an insert ..maybe a Lopi Cape Cod for the living room for the winter of 2015-2016. Both for supplemental heating.

Meanwhile, I should have 2 cord for next season and I have a cord of hickory for the insert so far....

At the same time, I typically use about 2/3 cord at the camper each season...this year that will be from dead standing wood in my yard...pine, spruce and hemlock mostly.

 

[bigbarf48]

Good way of thinking. Get a nice stash so you dont have to worry when you finally get a stove. I dont have a stove either but Ive still got ~10 cords out back

 

[pma1123]

After my first year of burning and knowing my wood-hoard actually started in October, I say hats off to you guys who did their homework and are getting started ahead of time!
I survived my first year burning standing dead trees that I split small, wood I purchased, and some not-so dry stuff I'd mix in once my supply was wearing thin.
I look forward to a winter where I just carry the stuff inside from a nice big stack and burn it, instead of screwing around out in the cold "making wood" and doing things we don't talk about here.