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[Touch0Gray]

I am new to the site but hardly new to wood butchery and heating, I have been heating almost exclusively with wood for well over 35 years now. I live in the middle of a 40 acre mixed hardwood stand, 15 are mine. I have been using a majestic insert which I built a stone hearth and surround for (6 feet wide 3 feet deep and 10 feet tall with the masonry chimney running up the center, about a 30,000 pound thermal mass. I virtually never cut a live tree and prefer red elm, barkless. I use Stihl saws and used an old home built splitter for over 30 years until a week ago. I recently purchased a chainsaw "sawmill" and have some slabs air drying, we will see how that works out. As I go, I will post more.

 

[Leiper]

Welcome sir.

 

[Simonkenton]

I love it! 30,000 pounds of thermal mass.
When I built the addition onto my log cabin I seriously thought about doing the same for my new wood stove install. However, is is on a framed subfloor, so I would have had to seriously reinforce that floor to do a serious masonry surround. I decided to skip it.

I do have the thermal mass effect on my fireplace pictured at left. This fireplace, which I built, is entirely inside the house so that, the back wall of the fireplace is the inside wall of the bathroom.
If I run the fireplace for 5 hours, on a 32 degree night, the heat will radiate out, and keep the house warm for 24 hours.
But, of course, being a fireplace it uses 5 times as much wood as the wood stove does in the addition.

 

[Touch0Gray]

Ours, is essentially part of mother earth! Footing is 4 x 6 x 4 feet thick resting on virgin ground. We built this house ourselves, every stick every stone. The exterior, first floor walls are 18 inch thick, load bearing. So between that "fireplace" and 18 inches of more rocks, I have 4 inches of fiber glass plywood, and drywall. The stove goes back into the rock about 3 feet. I can actually climb into it! (that is how I inspect my chimney)

 

[Touch0Gray]

Hmmmm does this site work with Tapatalk?

 

[Touch0Gray]

Thanks for the warm welcome, yes, pun intended

 

[Woody Stover]

I virtually never cut a live tree and prefer red elm, barkless.

Welcome, Touch0Gray! I've got a little more than a touch, I'd have to say.
What species slabs are you drying now? What woods are available where you cut?
Where in WI are you? I spent my first 30+ years around the Milw. area, and my brother is still up there, as are some good friends.
I had wondered if there was much Red Elm up there. There's quite a bit here but they seem to die young. But I have gotten a couple big ones..this was about 19". I don't know why I like it so much..it's not high-BTU, maybe between Cherry and White Ash. But I like the hue of the dead, dry wood, the fact that it's rot-resistant, and that it has little sapwood.

 

[Touch0Gray]

Lots of red elm, clean and dry, pretty much ready to burn when I cut them, they get about 35 to 50 years then kick off. Cleanest wood I find, although, not easy to split without hydraulics. I find that all wood had about the same btu per pound, so dry, non hernia producing wood works for me. Unfortunately, my woods has oak wilt, all my red oak are dying and after consulting the dnr, there isn't a thing we can to about it, it is fungal and travels root to root. I have red maple, red elm, red oak, white oak, some poplar, linden and iron wood. I also have a good bit of cherry but I hate burning it as fuel, it is so good for cooking! I am well more than a Touch0Gray too, more like a touch0hair!

Welcome, Touch0Gray! I've got a little more than a touch, I'd have to say.
What species slabs are you drying now? What woods are available where you cut?
Where in WI are you? I spent my first 30+ years around the Milw. area, and my brother is still up there, as are some good friends.
I had wondered if there was much Red Elm up there. There's quite a bit here but they seem to die young. But I have gotten a couple big ones..this was about 19". I don't know why I like it so much..it's not high-BTU, maybe between Cherry and White Ash. But I like the hue of the dead, dry wood, the fact that it's rot-resistant, and that it has little sapwood.
View attachment 256723 View attachment 256724 View attachment 256725

 

[Touch0Gray]

Sorry I missed the what species are you drying part, I had a red maple with a burl on the side that was in its death throes, if not entirely deceased. I knocked it down and realized it was very nicely spalted. It was also about 60% water (to the point where I was getting sprayed by a chunk on the lathe) my avatar is a slice of the burl.

 

[jmb6420]

Hmmmm does this site work with Tapatalk?

Nope. It used to until a couple of months ago. I really liked using tapatalk.

 

[Touch0Gray]

Nope. It used to until a couple of months ago. I really liked using tapatalk.

Thanks, I assumed not, since it wasn't working for me.

 

[Woody Stover]

Unfortunately, my woods has oak wilt, all my red oak are dying and after consulting the dnr, there isn't a thing we can to about it, it is fungal and travels root to root. I have red maple, red elm, red oak, white oak, some poplar, linden and iron wood. I also have a good bit of cherry but I hate burning it as fuel, it is so good for cooking!

There's something happening with the Red Oaks here as well. I'm not sure if it's Oak wilt or not; I'll have to start watching more closely to see if they are dying as quickly as they do from wilt.

 

[Leiper]

Too much doggone rain, ground is staying too wet around here. Trees are suffering in places.

 

[Touch0Gray]

There's something happening with the Red Oaks here as well. I'm not sure if it's Oak wilt or not; I'll have to start watching more closely to see if they are dying as quickly as they do from wilt.

Look under the bark on a dead one, you will see a messh/spider web like network of fungi

 

[Woody Stover]

Look under the bark on a dead one, you will see a messh/spider web like network of fungi

I went out and chopped on a couple. Some of this just looks like mildew, mold or whatever, but I also saw a little "webby" stuff, the small whiter spot at the top left of this pic. Hmmm..

 

[Touch0Gray]

I went out and chopped on a couple. Some of this just looks like mildew, mold or whatever, but I also saw a little "webby" stuff, the small whiter spot at the top left of this pic. Hmmm..
View attachment 256756

Kinda hard to say on a picture on an 8 inch tablet, if you call your local DNR office, they can tell you if it is prevalent in your area.