Monster Split

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golfandwoodnut

Minister of Fire
This was monster split night at my house. Do you ever have that really big split/round that you save for a really long cold night? This is my night (2 degrees). A large Locust split I could not split any more, because of a Y on the log, that filled the entire box. And that is alot in a Jotul Rockland. I knew it would burn for a long hot time.

After 9 hours of burning it is now just the largest coal I have had in the stove. I have added several pieces while it cooked. Does anyone else do this?

As I get more and more into this, I find I split larger and larger, for longer burns (because I know it will be seasoned because I am now ahead). Occasionally get the really large split that is bigger than most.
 
We have a small stove that we load North-South most of the time. We also keep a fairly deep bed of coals. Between those two factors we rarely use large splits.

Maybe when we have a larger stove or if we are two years ahead we will sort large splits aside for the coldest nights.

We are on our way up from a week of -29 temperatures so we don't worry much about sorting we just load cycle after cycle of wood.

Because we are using mostly Ash we seem to have no problem having lots of coals ready to go in the morning when we get up.
 
I have some 6-8" diameter blue beech (ironwood) logs I have been keeping in the house for the last few months for some of those *really* cold nights. I split one the other day (and it splits into some very awkward shaped splits, not good for packing the stove at night) and they're pretty dry now for having been cut last spring. One has a date with Mrs Flame tonight!
 
I'm splitting a bit larger on some wood. I find that some of the larger pieces will give super long burns if they are seasoned. It is sort of a strange thing to see the difference between the 1 year wood and the 2 year wood. I bought some from the friend of mine who is a dealer, this included some Maple that had sat in log form in the yard at the mill for two years, then it sat at my friends yard for another year before it got cut. As soon as he cut it some of it just about split on it's own, the rest was super easy to split. Then when I got it home it began end checking right away. I had it in my stack this year, burning it has been good. My point being that logs can season if they have enough air and are stacked on concrete, like at the saw mill, and the splits after only 3 months were measuring 18% to 23% on a fresh split... So to a certain extent the longer you wait the better, and the bigger your splits can be. The saw mill routinely sells reject logs that sit around for long periods. These particular logs were at a mill that cuts hardwood veneer only so the traffic is low and they take a long time to build up a firewood sale.
 
Yep, those get stuffed in and smaller ones around it. Mine are usually shagbark hickory cause it drys faster then oak. It burns like concrete!
 
Yep I usually set some large splits aside to use overnite.

Billy
 
In my small stove I can only fit one big split, and when I do I usually end up with small splits to fill in. After a couple of hours I am left with the big split all by itself, and it doesn't burn very well, so I add more smaller splits. I can end up burning the big split, but since I have to keep adding other wood I don't really get the long, self-sufficient burn that I would like. Medium splits end up giving a longer burn.
 
Since I cut and split all of my wood, I am responsible for the sizes. Mostly I just eyeball when I cut and attempt to make all my rounds 16 inches. Never fails that a few go bigger or smaller by mistake. I split them down and stack and burn them regardless. The really long ones go in sideways from corner to front. Shorts are good north and south. I also like to split them small enough that they are able to be picked up 1 handed by my wife. It's rare when I keep one that is a two hand split that could take up the entire fire box. I've had a few big ones.

I find that a well stacked fire box of regular splits - burns just as long as a really big split.

I am still envious of guys who make all their splits perfectly the same size and their stacks look like they used a level and frame to make them perfect. Mine are always rag-tag and look like they could fall at any minute.
 
basswidow said:
I am still envious of guys who make all their splits perfectly the same size and their stacks look like they used a level and frame to make them perfect. Mine are always rag-tag and look like they could fall at any minute.



Helps to be splitting nice straight wood that lends itself to that end.



My monster splits are rounds that wouldn't split and wouldn't even fit on the stove.
Might not even make it through the front door.
My brother burns them in his outdoor pit. Sometimes all weekend.
 
billb3 said:
basswidow said:
I am still envious of guys who make all their splits perfectly the same size and their stacks look like they used a level and frame to make them perfect. Mine are always rag-tag and look like they could fall at any minute.



Helps to be splitting nice straight wood that lends itself to that end.



My monster splits are rounds that wouldn't split and wouldn't even fit on the stove.
Might not even make it through the front door.
My brother burns them in his outdoor pit. Sometimes all weekend.

yep, unless you leave the Ys in the woods you are going to end up with some odd pieces. Some are best left for the outdoor fire pit.
 
Im burning two big ones tonight with some smaller splits to fill in the gaps. I put the biggest splits I have aside for these single digit and below zero nights back when I stacked my wood.
 
I put in 3 monsters last night. Usually a full load for me is 13 - 15 splits...last night it was about 8. I was pumped when I found a huge chunk of red oak in the stack (my last stick of oak for this year) because I thought I was out. The rest was red elm.

I started out with a cold house yesterday evening so I needed some extra umph...stuffed the stove at 7:30...ran it at 700* all night and was still at 600* at 6:00AM.
 
This year has done nothing good for my supply of dry monster splits.
 
Wood Duck said:
In my small stove I can only fit one big split, and when I do I usually end up with small splits to fill in. After a couple of hours I am left with the big split all by itself, and it doesn't burn very well, so I add more smaller splits. I can end up burning the big split, but since I have to keep adding other wood I don't really get the long, self-sufficient burn that I would like. Medium splits end up giving a longer burn.
Thanks for posting this. I'm getting ready for next year which will be my first year burning and have been wondering about what size I should split my rounds for the longest burn in my F3CB. If I'm remembering correctly, from past experience with fireplaces and campfires it seems that a solitary large log doesn't burn that well unless there is a good bed of coals that it is laying on...seems it's a case of "more the merrier". With the smaller firebox, I'm limited to smaller splits but will keep some larger ones to fill in around for overnight burns (or should I say, "as far into the night as it will burn" burns). ;)

Ed
 
I like some bigger Sugar Maple on the bottom (plus four splits up top) when loading for the overnight burn but we don't have anything that big.



Zap
 
If it wasnt for 3 year old moster pine splits, I would not be able to pull 8-9 hour burns. bed of hot coals, 2+ cubic foot split, and all air space crammed with wood. still no real coals in the morning. just enough to start up some 2-3 inch splits. mmmm PINE, labour of love.
 
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