An overall better firewood experience.

[JA600L]

Hi guys,
I've been burning wood for about 5 years. I got myself on the 3 year plan with some ash, locust, and oak cut to medium/large size.
I find that I like to keep the premium woods at bay for extremely cold weeks. They are a little harder to come by in this area. So that leads me to scrounge for lesser woods on a yearly basis. This usually ends up being pine, mulberry, cherry, silver maple, box elder, etc..
So I'm a firm believer in the 3 year plan, but I am finding that it is much easier just to split wood smaller. It seems to greatly reduce drying time, easier starts, and a more complete burn for my cat stove.
So my new system is to stock pile the medium/large dense hardwoods in the 3 year pile. Then scrounge for 1 year woods that will dry when split small.
Maybe I can fill the stove with small splits and one or two mediums to kind of even it out. What do you guys think? Sound like a plan? Fyi my idea of a small split is not super small like kindling, but large enough to provide burn time.

 

[TedyOH]

Yeah I think I know what you mean / trying to do - what worked for me was getting 6 years ahead in 2 years, lots of work but what else is there to do in the winter? So this winter all I need to process is about 2 or 3 cord.....and with all the standing dead / dying ash around me I just may take this winter off!

 

[Highbeam]

The cat stoves are definitely good at reducing the burn rate of small split firewood to safe and controllable levels. Packing a cat stove with smaller stuff is much safer than doing the same with a non-cat which may just go nuclear.

I have been splitting the last few weeks and tend to go a bit larger but shoot for a mix since it is important to me to be able to fill every nook and cranny in that firebox for maximum burn time.

 

[bholler]

The cat stoves are definitely good at reducing the burn rate of small split firewood to safe and controllable levels. Packing a cat stove with smaller stuff is much safer than doing the same with a non-cat which may just go nuclear.

If you know your stove and setup you can do it safely with any stove and cats can over fire just as quick and bad as non cats. I always split pretty small and have yet to have a runaway on either of my stoves. And that is with a 33' tall chimney.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Just curious why is it harder to come by the "better" woods in Lancaster, should be as much great variety of hardwoods down there as up my way? Do you have any compost sites that you could get wood at, or are you just relying on getting wood where you see it down and get permission? And if it is dry I would rank Mulberry up there with the better woods, it grows like a weed around here but when dry it really throws the heat!

Just curious, that's all.....

 

[JA600L]

Just curious why is it harder to come by the "better" woods in Lancaster, should be as much great variety of hardwoods down there as up my way? Do you have any compost sites that you could get wood at, or are you just relying on getting wood where you see it down and get permission? And if it is dry I would rank Mulberry up there with the better woods, it grows like a weed around here but when dry it really throws the heat!

Just curious, that's all.....

The Amish and farmers around here tend to burn wood themselves. Lots of other people scrounging. I always do manage to find enough. I just mean woods like locust, oak, hickory, etc.. are almost never found free. I do have two pretty good sources though personally.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

The Amish and farmers around here tend to burn wood themselves. Lots of other people scrounging. I always do manage to find enough. I just mean woods like locust, oak, hickory, etc.. are almost never found free. I do have two pretty good sources though personally.

Okay got it, thanks....I hope you keep finding some!