How Small of Rounds Do You Keep?

[Longknife]

I'm not really looking for advice, I'm just curious to hear what other people do.

I'm often accused by fellow wood burning family and friends that I spend way too much time bothering with small limbs and the like, especially with soft woods like Manitoba and Silver Maple (heck I even keep most of the sumac I take down...). I usually will keep anything the size of my wrist, maybe even smaller.

I realize the amount of labour this takes is probably not worth the BTUs and could be better spent on bucking and splitting the good stuff (I'm always chasing my tail with wood to keep up). I'm not a wasteful person however, and especially now that I'm pulling wood mostly from my own land, I have to deal with the stuff one way or another.

I really like having wood chips around to build up my bush trails, however the 6" PTO-driver chipper is the father-in-laws and requires me going to get it every time. As most know, it is a LOT of work to pile stuff aside and then feed the thing. My strategy as it is right now is to only set aside branches for chipping in the months I can't (or don't really want to) be burning. In the winter I can burn just about anywhere in the bush and it saves a lot of trudging through snow dragging them around. Plus, it couldn't be simpler and the mess is gone in minutes.

So, with the above in mind, I don't like to see anything that could go in the stove, just go up in smoke in the bush, or fight with it and feed it into the chipper at some point. I fully understand why many people, especially people doing it commercially, don't bother with the smaller limbs, but I manage to keep my house warm by mixing them in, so why not?

 

[venator260]

I usually go down to perhaps 3-4 inches I'd say. If the tree happens to be in a place where I have to clean up the branches anyway, I go a bit smaller, perhaps 2 inches.

I say that because over the last year, I've cleared off a spot for a sand mound, cut some trees at the edge of my yard, and took care of a few dead trees next to a neighbor's field. I was moving everything regardless; may as well move it onto the truck and burn it for heat.

 

[shoot-straight]

2-3" I keep and don't split. Over 3 or so I usually Split once. Takes forever for rounds to dry to 20%.

All that said it depends on the tree. Had some standing dead pine I left In 5" rounds and it burned great.

 

[Longknife]

I usually go down to perhaps 3-4 inches I'd say. If the tree happens to be in a place where I have to clean up the branches anyway, I go a bit smaller, perhaps 2 inches.

I say that because over the last year, I've cleared off a spot for a sand mound, cut some trees at the edge of my yard, and took care of a few dead trees next to a neighbor's field. I was moving everything regardless; may as well move it onto the truck and burn it for heat.

I hear ya, but it can be a pain bucking and handling all those little 2" rounds by yourself.

I'm going to set up a good saw horse systems this year when I take on my pile of limbs that are waiting for me.

 

[venator260]

2-3" I keep and don't split. Over 3 or so I usually Split once. Takes forever for rounds to dry to 20%.

All that said it depends on the tree. Had some standing dead pine I left In 5" rounds and it burned great.

I've been discovering this. I have in my basement wood that has been in an enclosed shed since fall 2015 (i.e not ideal drying conditions). Splits have been running 16-18, but the rounds are a few percentage points higher. I have a decent sized reject pile that I've split and tested, and will be taking back to the shed to dry a bit more. I've been testing much of what I burn because the stuff that was on the bottom of the stack in the shed will occasionally be too wet, and find its way to the reject pile.

 

[venator260]

I hear ya, but it can be a pain bucking and handling all those little 2" rounds by yourself.

I'm going to set up a good saw horse systems this year when I take on my pile of limbs that are waiting for me.

At least 95% of the time, I cut wood with my dad. When cutting, he takes the role of the toby and tosses smaller stuff on top of already cut wood and holding the branch if need be. Makes the process so much faster than cutting alone. I always feel bad that he's running around tossing wood and I'm cutting; but he insists that he would rather do that than run the saw. I suppose he gets me back when splitting, as he runs the spitter while I collect rounds and toss them on the log lift attached to the splitter.

 

[Longknife]

At least 95% of the time, I cut wood with my dad. When cutting, he takes the role of the toby and tosses smaller stuff on top of already cut wood and holding the branch if need be. Makes the process so much faster than cutting alone. I always feel bad that he's running around tossing wood and I'm cutting; but he insists that he would rather do that than run the saw. I suppose he gets me back when splitting, as he runs the spitter while I collect rounds and toss them on the log lift attached to the splitter.

I used to have cutting partners, but it seems like everyone is doing theirown thing and has their own issues to deal with the last few years. Sometimes, we (mostly my dad or father-in-law, sometimes a buddy) will coordinate our efforts and maximize efficiencies, but it can be difficult.

 

[jwfirebird]

i bought a splitter too, seemed like a good idea, but its a ton of work, now i sold it and burn the small stuff, under a couple inches, over i use for camping outdoor fires, that and odd stuff. i split most everything and i make about 25 percent under an inch or two and mix in though the pile so its easy to remember to take it in.

 

[maple1]

I usually go down to 1.5-2". But also depends on my mood at the time. All softwood (conifer) branches stay there - they can be bigger than that. Whatever I don't take, just gets left there, so no branch handling or chipping or burning concerns for me. It disappears into the ground pretty good after a couple years & helps the next generation, hopefully.

 

[Longknife]

I usually go down to 1.5-2". But also depends on my mood at the time. All softwood (conifer) branches stay there - they can be bigger than that. Whatever I don't take, just gets left there, so no branch handling or chipping or burning concerns for me. It disappears into the ground pretty good after a couple years & helps the next generation, hopefully.

I don't take down many conifers other than standing dead/problem Eastern White Cedars.

They are the one species I try to chip the most as the chips are the most desirable (fragrant, long lasting, etc.). Plus, the branches can lay on the forest floor for years and not degrade, so it's best to deal with them one way or another.

In general, I am cleaning up my woodlot which is a huge mess from overall neglect and the lingering effects of the '98 ice storm. I can't add to the mess and half the burning/chipping I do is from trees that I'm not even processing for firewood, but general cleanup. Even if my woodlot was a nice clean slate, the sheer amount of ash limbs being brought on by the EAB would be overwhelming as well. Being a small space (5 acres ish), I don't have a lot of space as a luxury to spread limbs around enough that they wouldn't be an issue. When I selectively log my father's 100 acre bush, branches are most definitely left in place, never to be noticed again.

 

[ZZ Tom]

I don't take down any trees, I only scrounge what others have taken down and offered for free.

When I started burning I would grab anything but I soon figured out that the small stuff was just too much work. These days I prefer to only take stuff 8 inches or larger and I begin loading my truck with the really big stuff and work down. Many times I'll just get the large pieces and tell the people I'm too tired to come back for the small stuff.

Most burners around here don't want to mess with the big stuff so it's a win for everybody, I get my big rounds, somebody else gets the little stuff, and the homeowner gets their mess cleaned up.

 

[TheAardvark]

Honestly for me it just depends how tired I am after cutting and hauling the big pieces. If I feel good I will work up the small branches. If Im beat, they can stay where they are.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I don't bother with anything smaller than maybe a baseball bat size. They're are a lot of work, they mess up the stacks and they take years to truly season the way I like. I will keep oak branches as long as I can split them with my hydraulic.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I'm not really looking for advice, I'm just curious to hear what other people do.

I'm often accused by fellow wood burning family and friends that I spend way too much time bothering with small limbs and the like, especially with soft woods like Manitoba and Silver Maple (heck I even keep most of the sumac I take down...). I usually will keep anything the size of my wrist, maybe even smaller.

I realize the amount of labour this takes is probably not worth the BTUs and could be better spent on bucking and splitting the good stuff (I'm always chasing my tail with wood to keep up). I'm not a wasteful person however, and especially now that I'm pulling wood mostly from my own land, I have to deal with the stuff one way or another.

I really like having wood chips around to build up my bush trails, however the 6" PTO-driver chipper is the father-in-laws and requires me going to get it every time. As most know, it is a LOT of work to pile stuff aside and then feed the thing. My strategy as it is right now is to only set aside branches for chipping in the months I can't (or don't really want to) be burning. In the winter I can burn just about anywhere in the bush and it saves a lot of trudging through snow dragging them around. Plus, it couldn't be simpler and the mess is gone in minutes.

So, with the above in mind, I don't like to see anything that could go in the stove, just go up in smoke in the bush, or fight with it and feed it into the chipper at some point. I fully understand why many people, especially people doing it commercially, don't bother with the smaller limbs, but I manage to keep my house warm by mixing them in, so why not?

If it'll go through the trusty old Super Tomahawk, it gets chipped. If not, it gets burned. Those small rounds come in handy to fill gaps between the splits. Bonus BTUs.

 

[shoot-straight]

There is a reason trees have bark. Beneath it is the "living" part of the tree where water travels up. The bark protects this from dehydration and such.

Rounds dry the slowest
Then split wood
Then dimensional cut lumber (it drys super quick because it has 6 cut edges)

 

[firefighterjake]

I use to be pretty finicky and would leave a lot of wood behind in the woods -- chunks (short pieces), uglies (twisted, bent pieces) and would stop cutting when I got near the top of the tree.

Then I thought about it and figured my wife was right -- if I was going to take down a tree for the heat I might as well use as much as I can. Cutting down to 2 inches or so doesn't take a whole lot of extra work and those small rounds are perfect for filling in the gaps when I am loading the stove to the gills on a cold winter's night.

 

[jwfirebird]

sorry if off topic but what is a saab wood hauling trailer?

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

sorry if off topic but what is a saab wood hauling trailer?

 

[jwfirebird]

lol, think that one is too nice though, you woulnt want to put wood in that. back of an old staition wagon was more what i was picturing that might make a good wood trailer

the older guy i bought my house from left a bunch of stuff that he probably thought was semi useless at the time. he used to haul wood with a 8n and a trailer he made from a 20s or 30s truck frame and front axle. the wood was messed up, i replaced that and pulled it with my prairie for years. it was too wide though, the trails had to be truck width everywhere. i found and old transformer enclosure that they were getting rid of because it wasnt osha, but i made it just wider than a four wheeler with some wheel bearings from the wifes car. now i can cross the bridges with it and go down the road without worrying.

 

[Tar12]

Back in the day in times of desperation I kept everything down to 2in...now in times of plenty I keep nothing under 4-5 inches...the truck and trailer fill up a lot faster.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I like having different sizes. I don't hesitate to keep 2" rounds.

 

[AlbergSteve]

Whatever hits the ground, I burn! Generally, though, inch and a half or bigger. Here's the Ashford almost full of cedar and Douglas fir limbs and got almost 12 hours out of it - the limb wood seems way denser than trunk wood.

 

[firefighterjake]

sorry if off topic but what is a saab wood hauling trailer?

I had my cousin beef up an old metal trailer for the purpose of hauling firewood. He took a more-or-less standard Agrifab-like trailer and added a small axle with car tires on it for better clearance . . . the tires coming from a Saab. My only regret is that he didn't include the Saab center caps.

 

[peakbagger]

If I am cutting on someone else property I cut down to 2 to 3 inches. On my own I might go up to 4". A brush pile of 2 inch and under wood really tends to disappear in the woods after a couple of winters. If I Ieave it much larger it takes far longer.

 

[jwfirebird]

you would think they would be front wheel drive. saab is gm might be able to find stuff cheap that fits, they are the king of interchangeability