My rookie season

[smoker62]

Well this is my first year scrounging wood . I dont have a wood stove yet, only pellet but figure this will be a good start. I hope to get one soon and be ready for next year. Hard finding a rear vented stove that fits my 15" side clearance I like so far. Had 3 different dealers give me estimates of 45-4800 . I think I may buy direct and install myself. Its the class A pipe that hurts. Anyways heres some pics of my setup. All done in about 3-4 days over the past month or so. Nothing fancy but working so far. Hope my stacks dont fall over.

 

[smoker62]

Second

 

[smoker62]

Third.

 

[smoker62]

Last one, still have not figured out how to get pics in one post . When I do there to small to see good.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Smoker, you are off to a good start. Looks like you hauled the trailer with the truck then used the atv to move the trailer in? Should work nice. I've even sometimes went to the woods with the blade on the atv but it surely makes getting around a bit tight so usually just take it off. Backing things up with the atv is pretty easy too.

Do you have a plan on how much wood to get ahead? Also, did you leave some air space between the wood and the fence to assist with air circulation?

 

[smoker62]

I actually pulled the trailer back with the ATV. I then split with the electric right off the truck to the stack. I have two loads on the ground covered with snow now that need splitting and stacking. I have a foot between the stack and the fence. Most splits are 14" long . The ash in the middle is bigger and the Black Locust I split a bit smaller on either side. The fence is 6' tall . Any guess as to how much wood is stacked ?


Well, I just found out I have access to a local 200 acres of land that is mostly oaks . The owner said I could go in and cut eveything dead or down so I am going til I cant go no more or my wife says I am taking up too much yard. LOL.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That sounds good smoker. No guesses but it can be easily calculated. A cord of wood is 128 cubic feet. So measure length x width x depth and then divide by 128 and you'll get the cord amount.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Well this is my first year cutting and hauling my own wood instead of buying it like a chump and obviating any savings I might have earned. I dont have a wood stove yet, only pellet but figure this will be a good start. I hope to get one soon and be ready for next year. Hard finding a rear vented stove that fits my 15" side clearance I like so far. Had 3 different dealers give me estimates of 45-4800 . I think I may buy direct and install myself. Its the class A pipe that hurts. Anyways heres some pics of my setup. All done in about 3-4 days over the past month or so. Nothing fancy but working so far. Hope my stacks dont fall over.

Fixed

 

[WellSeasoned]

Your doing great getting ahead for future years. The wood storage looks good. Nice that you have the equipment to making scrounging easier.be well

 

[Gark]

A good lookin' scrounge collection there, and with black locust no less. Good stuff. The ATV must come in handy for access and hauling. I gotta convince the family accountant (wife) that a four-wheeler is more a working tool than a toy. Splits and rounds in & out of the pickup are getting kind of tedious.

 

[smoker62]

A good lookin' scrounge collection there, and with black locust no less. Good stuff. The ATV must come in handy for access and hauling. I gotta convince the family accountant (wife) that a four-wheeler is more a working tool than a toy. Splits and rounds in & out of the pickup are getting kind of tedious.

I bought the ATV for fun but so far its done more work. Its been plowing a little , lack of snow here in WI, which suits me fine. And scrounging work. It will move my trailer no problem with it piled full of splits.The 4 wheeler is a Can Am 1000, plenty of power. Its a 5' x 14' trailer . I will be using the ATV to pull the oak cuts out to the ditch line for easier cutting and loading. I will be dragging them out while my buddys are cutting and loading. We usually load 4 trucks per outing .

 

[smoker62]

Your doing great getting ahead for future years. The wood storage looks good. Nice that you have the equipment to making scrounging easier.be well

How do you like the Jotul 400 ? That is one of my top choices so far.

 

[maxed_out]

smoker, looking good. looks way better than my rookie year. nice toys too! your quad looks like a monster. if you feel like sharing what are the details around your potential stove setup? fireplace install,insert, free standing etc..how much chimney you need etc, etc. what are you looking at? lots of folks have done them themselves and saved some $.

 

[WellSeasoned]

Your doing great getting ahead for future years. The wood storage looks good. Nice that you have the equipment to making scrounging easier.be well

How do you like the Jotul 400 ? That is one of my top choices so far.

I love it, and is set up perfectly. Pipe straight up and out = good draft (which this particular stove needs) 16' feet worth. With having an open concept in the living room, dining room, and kitchen, its no problem heating a 1300 sq ft house, especially putting a fan on the floor down the hall set on low blowing toward the stove room keeps the bedrooms and bathroom warm. The F400 only has a medium sized firebox (1.75 cu ft) and this can be slightly problematic when its in the single digits outside. Then waking up in the middle of the night to reload is nessessary to keep the temps up. Longest burn "cycle" I have had is 12 hours. From start up to the very last few hot coals, that could start another fire with the help of firestarter or newspaper. Realistic "usable" burn time with usuable heat is around 5 hours, when the stove will really begin to cool down. Like all epa stoves, especially this one, seasoned wood is a must. If you have any space larger then 1500 sqft, bi level,etc, go with a bigger stove. You can build smaller fires in a bigger stove, but you cant build a bigger fire in a smaller stove. If your space is similar to mine, ranch style, open concept, so so insulation, this stove will work fine. Good luck, hope this info helps, and be well. - Brian

 

[smoker62]

smoker, looking good. looks way better than my rookie year. nice toys too! your quad looks like a monster. if you feel like sharing what are the details around your potential stove setup? fireplace install,insert, free standing etc..how much chimney you need etc, etc. what are you looking at? lots of folks have done them themselves and saved some $.

I'm replacing a Harman P61A pellet stove. This one in the pic . The right side clearance is about 15" to the river rock . The left side angles out at a 45*. I will have to vent out the back because of the mantle and also the vaulted ceiling. I dont want to offset in the room to miss a rafter and I certainly don't want to open up the drywall.

I have a chase in the corner behind the stone that is part of the house, not an outside box. It was built to accommodate a gas vented Vermont Castings that was there when we bought it. So I need to go back through the rock , then up through the rafter space which is about 8' up.

Then another 6-8 ft to get the 2' higher 10' over rule. I could 90* off the top if I can keep the mantle clearance ok but I have not really looked into that as it adds an elbow and a t instead of just the t for a rear vent.

 

[bogydave]

Very nice fence, the wood added a nice touch
Should season well.
Great that you are getting wood seasoned now, it will burn well when you have the stove in

Can't tell if you are a "bark up" or a "bark down" stacker. LOL
If not in the shed, I stack bark up or sideways, not sure it helps but some say it does.
Made sense that the bark would shed some of the water that lays on the wood when not covered.

 

[smoker62]

Haha, yeah Bogey , I started bark up because I figured it would shed water too. Then I went bark down on todays stack . It actually seemed to stack better or I was just more patient then my first pile. Not quite sure what I did with the Ash pile in the middle.

Thats my neighbors fence in the back, more wobbly that my wood pile. He actually had some go over last couple years from wind storms. He replace the posts on the downed ones. Unfortunately the ones to the right are still original and that section is pretty bad. It will probably take my piles down sometime this spring. I have my fence around the rest of my lot and its solid . I may move my stacks to the side if they go over and rope them to the good fence.

 

[Woody Stover]

Any guess as to how much wood is stacked ?

Well, I just found out I have access to a local 200 acres of land that is mostly oaks . The owner said I could go in and cut eveything dead or down so I am going til I cant go no more or my wife says I am taking up too much yard. LOL.

I'm guessing you've got at least a cord stacked there so far.
Sounds like you've got a good source of wood. If it's very close, all the better. Hopefully there's plenty of fast-drying stuff there to give you a couple of years to get the Oak good and dry.

 

[thewoodlands]

Well this is my first year scrounging wood . I dont have a wood stove yet, only pellet but figure this will be a good start. I hope to get one soon and be ready for next year. Hard finding a rear vented stove that fits my 15" side clearance I like so far. Had 3 different dealers give me estimates of 45-4800 . I think I may buy direct and install myself. Its the class A pipe that hurts. Anyways heres some pics of my setup. All done in about 3-4 days over the past month or so. Nothing fancy but working so far. Hope my stacks dont fall over.

Great start smoker62, what type of wood do you have?

zap

 

[smoker62]

Black locust in the two outside stacks and the snow covered pile of rounds behind the 4 wheeler. Ash in the center stack. I should start collecting the oak in the next few weeks.

Thanks guys, sure is a good feeling looking out the window at the growing stacks.

 

[osagebow]

Nice work smoker, and nice setup - congrats o gettin' ahead on your supply!

 

[RORY12553]

Third.

My kid came in behind me and said wow that is a lot of wood and you need to get one of those LOL

 

[smoker62]

Thanks, most cut with my 455 Rancher as well. Love this saw. You can buy one for your kid , they are making more all the time LOL.

 

[RORY12553]

Thanks, most cut with my 455 Rancher as well. Love this saw. You can buy one for your kid , they are making more all the time LOL.

He meant the ATV I don't let him near the saw he is 7...i'm sure he could handle it though...lol...like the saw just need to learn to sharpen the chain and get another one to alternate

 

[smoker62]

I meant the ATV too. I just saw your sig with the Rancher .