Firewood sizes

[Itslay90]

What size do you prefer, little firewood, that’s not your standard size.the reason I am asking because I heard with firewood that’s cut.. shorter like “10-14 inches “you can stack more firewood in your wood burning stove.. and those big overnight pieces doesn’t provide a lot of heat. Meaning it doesn’t burn well..

Your thoughts ?

 

[vbu]

It all depends on your stove. I load mine E/W and cut my firewood at 19" to get the most wood in it

 

[TomMcDonald]

My stove takes 20" long wood north/south and 16" wood east/west.
I cut to 16" so I can load both directions and will lay one at the back to take up the room.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say those big overnight pieces don't provide a lot of heat.

 

[bholler]

I shoot for about 2" less than the max I can load ns. I will never load ew so that doesn't matter to me.

 

[stoveliker]

Short firewood is hard to stack. I hate it.
I cut mine 17-18", to load N/S.
I stuff the stove full and I use more square (i.e. more tightly packed) pieces when it's "polar vortex" cold.

The amount of wood (in lbs) in your stove determines how much heat can be produced, not their shape or size.
The latter only, in combination with the control options and ranges of your stove, determine how fast the heat is released.

 

[begreen]

Folks cut it shorter than 16" if they have an E/W loader and want to load it N/S in order to get a fuller load into the stove without it rolling up against the glass.

 

[Wildflush]

My stove can take up to 18” E/W optimum size is 16” which I prefer. I also have shorts and chunks for N/S or to fill in gaps. Too many smaller splits & your stove will take off. I keep larger splits of oak and ash for those very cold days/nights.

 

[bholler]

My stove can take up to 18” E/W optimum size is 16” which I prefer. I also have shorts and chunks for N/S or to fill in gaps. Too many smaller splits & your stove will take off. I keep larger splits of oak and ash for those very cold days/nights.

I actually load all small stuff when it's really cold. I can get more btus from.the stove with the extra surface area

 

[Wildflush]

I actually load all small stuff when it's really cold. I can get more btus from.the stove with the extra surface area

I found with lots of small stuff my STT can really increase. Granted I have a small firebox of 1.6. Also have to reload more often. I usually mix large and small but there are times I’m only making small fires and still heats up the house well.

 

[NickW]

15-19" for the NC30 at home, 12"+/- in the Northwoods for the Stratford II. Yes, stacking 12" sucks. Generally not more than about 3' tall and cribbing the ends sucks, but the n/s loads burn much nicer than e/w even with runners underneath.

 

[patrickk222]

Like most ppl will tell ya bud it just kinda depends on your stove mine can take 27" in length but i usually try n shoot for about 20 to 24 inches seems to work just fine .... now i never really had much of an issue with the bigger logs not burnin right cause what im burnin is pretty dry and there sittin on a good coal bed before i hit the hay and usually still burnin till like 4 or 5 pm the following day and lastly ill be honest too i use to burn some thick logs ( up to about 12 to 13 inches ) but i kinda shyed away from that uber thick stuff

 

[Woodcutter Tom]

Folks cut it shorter than 16" if they have an E/W loader and want to load it N/S in order to get a fuller load into the stove without it rolling up against the glass.

This is what I am doing right now. Spent yesterday cutting lengths at 11". This is the length for fitting in my stove N/S. I do not cut 16" lengths anymore. Can't fill the stove when loading E/W. I have a lot of 16" oak that I will be shortening. The 11" just works better for me.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I like to cut around 16-17". Shorter seems a waste and longer doesnt fit in some stoves if someone wants wood.

I love big pieces for cold winter time. They burn a lot longer than the small stuff. 3-5 12" rounds in the stove will go all day.

 

[NickW]

I like to cut around 16-17". Shorter seems a waste and longer doesnt fit in some stoves if someone wants wood.

I love big pieces for cold winter time. They burn a lot longer than the small stuff. 3-5 12" rounds in the stove will go all day.

I love rounds too (as long as they are well seasoned...), but 12"!?!? Holy cow! I don't go more than 7-8" and even those are a good size chunk if split in half...

 

[Wildflush]

How long do 12” rounds take to season?

 

[bholler]

I like to cut around 16-17". Shorter seems a waste and longer doesnt fit in some stoves if someone wants wood.

I love big pieces for cold winter time. They burn a lot longer than the small stuff. 3-5 12" rounds in the stove will go all day.

For me when it gets really cold I am.not worried about long burns. I want lots of heat smaller stuff does that for me

 

[Wildflush]

For me when it gets really cold I am.not worried about long burns. I want lots of heat smaller stuff does that for me

Agree but the trade off is you’re reloading faster. Again it depends on your house size and how well insulated it is. I found I did not need a lot of wood even in that cold spell of negative temps to retain my heat. One thing I learned on this forum that there is not a “one size fits all” since everyone has a different situation.

 

[bholler]

Agree but the trade off is your reloading faster. Again it depends on your house size and how well insulated it is. I found I did not need a lot of wood even in that cold spell of negative temps to retain my heat. One thing I learned on this forum that there is not a “one size fits all” since everyone has a different situation.

Absolutely correct there is no one correct answer

 

[Wildflush]

So much to learn here from knowledgeable folks on this forum. I remember my grandfather saying you’re learning new things to the day you die. So true.

 

[NickW]

How long do 12” rounds take to season?

Depends on the species and storage location. Oak even top covered in a sunny windy location I bet would be 5 years, ash maybe 3, might get low quality wood in 2 years if it didn't rot. I rarely leave birch as rounds...

 

[Wildflush]

Depends on the species and storage location. Oak even top covered in a sunny windy location I bet would be 5 years, ash maybe 3, might get low quality wood in 2 years if it didn't rot. I rarely leave birch as rounds...

I know white birch can rot quickly. My buddy just cut me some nice rounds of it for decoration on my hearth during the off-season. I love white birch. Just got back from the Berkshires and so many awesome birch groves there. Unfortunately lots of Ash and Oak trees down do to storm damage.

 

[joop]

i have opposite problem stove takes 25",but can only buy 16"so i make a row n/s then a split behind .do it each row and it fills no wasted space

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I try to scrounge the 12"rounds from dead and dry trees so it dries faster. I usually find elm that is pretty dry and almost ready to burn. With the wood I am currently cutting, most of it is still wet, so it'll be a while before I can use it.

 

[TomMcDonald]

i have opposite problem stove takes 25",but can only buy 16"so i make a row n/s then a split behind .do it each row and it fills no wasted space

That's what I do in my 22" deep stove

 

[BillBurns]

I load EW...or NS.....i never saw a difference yet.