Christmas Score

[Kool_hand_Looke]

So I posted a week or two ago about how a house burned down on my road...and thought it was mine. It wasn (we weren't home I got phone calls). Even though my OP turned into "you need to be confident in your stove and pay attention" which wasn't the case...I'm still thankful it wasn't my house.

Anyways, the neighbor it turns out had an inefficient fireplace and like 5 cords of wood. He would accept anymore help from us. No money. No food. No cooked meals. So I made him a deal that I'd "buy" his wood off him. I got 5 truck loads and he'd only accept a 100 bucks. Cut. Split. Dried. And stacked. With the offereing to get the rest any time. All hard maple and oak.

 

[Sinngetreu]

Good for you for "buying" the wood. That sounds like a heck of a score.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Good for you for "buying" the wood. That sounds like a heck of a score.

The only thing (there's always something) is that there's a lot of bark. For some reason my stove doesnt like to process and dispatch bark. I'm assuming it's because of the moisture in the bark. I just try to knock what I can off.

 

[Sinngetreu]

The only thing (there's always something) is that there's a lot of bark. For some reason my stove doesnt like to process and dispatch bark. I'm assuming it's because of the moisture in the bark. I just try to knock what I can off.

You could always use it for garden mulch.
Did they ever find out the exact cause of the fire?

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Well the power was out that day. It was like 40 min after the power was switched back on and their house was 4 alarm (small towns). They think it was in living room and are positive it wasn't the fireplace. It started on opposite side.

 

[Sinngetreu]

Well the power was out that day. It was like 40 min after the power was switched back on and their house was 4 alarm (small towns). They think it was in living room and are positive it wasn't the fireplace. It started on opposite side.

Man, that sucks. I remember your OP. I'm like you are, I load the stove before going to work with a wife and son still in bed and it used to really unnerve me to crank the stove and leave. I can totally imagine the adrenaline rush getting your phone call.

Getting back to the bark, my stove doesn't care so I'm not sure what other uses to use it for other than fire-starters or mulch. I know that you can carve Cottonwood bark, but it only takes a few pieces of that until your bored with it.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Idk why this ones so flaky with bark. And it's only with the bark that's hard to get off like the branches with tight bark. But...if I load small stuff in and pack it full and it catches good, maaaaaan does that stove ever get hot. But, if I toss a nice night log in with no bark I have to fiddle fart around with it for like an hour to get it to not just smolder all night. The sweet spot is a fine line.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

You know, when I posted that...it pissed me off that the "radio rambos" get on their loud speakers and made it an issue with my ability; or lack thereof in their self fulfilled prophecy, to effectively process wood to heat.

It amazed me how fast the post turned into that.

 

[Sinngetreu]

Idk why this ones so flaky with bark. And it's only with the bark that's hard to get off like the branches with tight bark. But...if I load small stuff in and pack it full and it catches good, maaaaaan does that stove ever get hot. But, if I toss a nice night log in with no bark I have to fiddle fart around with it for like an hour to get it to not just smolder all night. The sweet spot is a fine line.

Yep! I know exactly what you mean! I am lucky enough to have a night owl of a wife that loves the stove. I started this shoulder season with the intent to have perfect overnights and after over-firing twice and under-firing a number of times, we just feed it and play with the draft to get a longer or shorter burn.
Someday we will master the burn, but right now we are just trying to keep the house warm.

I do know how to control an over-fire really well now though.

 

[tigger]

So instead of hanging with my in laws today I decided to head out on a recon mission. I belong to a golf course and the grounds keeper saves the trees they cut down for me. So here is half of what I got today. Anyone wants to take a stab at the types of wood....

 

[Sinngetreu]

You know, when I posted that...it pissed me off that the "radio rambos" get on their loud speakers and made it an issue with my ability; or lack thereof in their self fulfilled prophecy, to effectively process wood to heat.

It amazed me how fast the post turned into that.

Yeah, it can be a crap shoot. It sucks when you cant see someones face to know exactly what the conversation is supposed to be about.
One thing about it though, I did get one thing out of that post that stuck with me and that was the comment someone said about the military training. Doing the same routine every-time does help to be confident. The rest I just tried to ignore.

 

[Sinngetreu]

So instead of hanging with my in laws today I decided to head out on a recon mission. I belong to a golf course and the grounds keeper saves the trees they cut down for me. So here is half of what I got today. Anyone wants to take a stab at the types of wood....View attachment 121700

Is it a maple? That's what it reminds me of just glancing at it.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Some of those small rounds look like maple. Those others, elm perhaps?

 

[tigger]

Yea I am fairly certain about the maple. The big rounds are a mystery. They are heavy as hell. I burned some a few years ago and had good result. Never knew what it was. Thanks and merry christmas to all.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Yep! I know exactly what you mean! I am lucky enough to have a night owl of a wife that loves the stove. I started this shoulder season with the intent to have perfect overnights and after over-firing twice and under-firing a number of times, we just feed it and play with the draft to get a longer or shorter burn.
Someday we will master the burn, but right now we are just trying to keep the house warm.

I do know how to control an over-fire really well now though.

Lol. I'm the night owl. Bad I burn the midnight oil big time. And I gotta get up at 430 in the AM. I sleep like crap. Since day one of getting out of military.

My wife can't seem to figure put the secondary air. The primary air she cmt seem to figure out: more open=more warm. Like, I hear her bain saying "me not know words you say" and "how do I wood stove, how do I damper."

Bless her heart for trying.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

It the big ones look like elm. I'm sure the Overlords of Wood will strike me down with vengeance though.

 

[Sinngetreu]

"me not know words you say" and "how do I wood stove, how do I damper."

I just had a mental image of my German Shepherd cocking his head when I read this. That's awesome.

 

[Sinngetreu]

Yea I am fairly certain about the maple. The big rounds are a mystery. They are heavy as hell. I burned some a few years ago and had good result. Never knew what it was. Thanks and merry christmas to all.

You might want to post a thread in the Wood Shed for a better answer. Your talking to a bunch of rookies in this thread. Merry Christmas to you too!