Planning ahead for wood storage (warning, long and kind rambly)

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

So with the hell of a year I've had (in a nutshell, the last time you folks heard from me was last winter when my dad had cancer, my house tried to kill me by exploding pipes and rotting subfloor, I had one snafu after another trying to install my stove, and then I got pregnant...) Well, I lost the baby in February, then my dad passed away in March, I got pregnant again in April but suffered another miscarriage in June, and my stove ended up getting used for maybe 60 fires. On the plus side, it got me over the learning curve, I still have nearly all of my wood that I bought, the stove is wonderful, and some days the only reason I got out of bed was to start a fire cause I was cold. Sorry for the sob story, just wanted to explain where I've been and why I'm so behind on this whole shebang.

I have nearly 4 cords of wood still, and it's had a lovely extra year of seasoning in my nice woodshed, and it should be enough to get me through this year, with maybe the occasional electric heater/furnace backup.

I've made exactly zero process on figuring out how to scavenge wood. Still have no axe or maul or splitter, I have a real nice Stihl I can borrow anytime I want but it's a heavy mofo and I'd like to get one better suited to my size and strength, so I can leave the heavy work to my better half and I can do the smaller brush-sized bits.

So, my questions are:

1) What all does one need to successfully scavenge their own wood? I don't have the set up to do logging in the woods- no reliable truck, not enough heavy gear, not enough guys to help, and I'm not strong enough to do it by myself. But, if I get on the ball and scour Craigslist and bum off neighbors with downed trees, I think I could swing it, at least help augment my stash.

2) What kind of stash would you build up before you felt comfortable scrapping your backup sources of heat? I would really love to stop using the furnace- it's on its last legs and it's expensive to run for the amount of heat it puts out, plus the gas exchange pipes are starting to rust so it's really not safe, and I'm not replacing it. I have ideas of ripping it out and turning the closet it's in into a pantry.

3) What is the most price-effective way of doing this? I got 4.5 cords of reasonably seasoned wood from a dealer last fall for $600. It wasn't GREAT-great, but it had been C/S/S for a year (could have stood another, I can definitely tell a difference between the logs now that they've seasoned another year), and it lit pretty easy and put out pretty decent heat with little problems. I'm tempted to just do this again, and then boom, I've got a nice cushion for next year, giving me time to more slowly accumulate the gear I need and scavenge for wood.

~Rose

 

[tfdchief]

After reading your entire post, I think you already have it figured out. Go with your plan.

 

[Wood Duck]

1. You need a car to scrounge, and that is really all you NEED. A truck or trailer would be nice, but I scrounged about 10 cords of wood with just a Saturn SL2 to haul it. and I don't think I ever cut any of it away from home. Mine was all from roadsides, powerlines, friends' houses, etc. Lots of it was from the curb in the suburbs (around here some townships will dispose of brush, so people put out wood to have chipped). I am reasonably strong so I can lift big rounds and 6 ft logs into the car; if you're less strong you might need to split or cut at the scrounging site to enable you to move the wood. Despite a recent post on this forum, I don't see bicycle scrounging as a real efficient way to gather wood. If you live in town you might be able to scrounge just by asking tree services who are working nearby to drop wood at your house. I have never been successful at this, but I live kind of out-of-the-way. I do use a chainsaw to cut and a maul to split the wood at home, but not usually during the scrounge.

2. I would not want to have a house without a backup heat system. I'd be happy never to use the backup, but I'd always want it there just in case.

3. Scrounging wood is very low cost if you don't count your time as a cost, and if you have the equipment you need. If you had to buy a truck it would probably be cheaper to buy wood instead.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Rose, let's hope the bad luck is all in your past and you'll go forward in good shape from this point on.

4 cord to start with is great! Especially because it has been 2 years in the stack.

As for scrounging or cutting from a woodlot, many times you'll do better from a woodlot if you can cut some of the smaller trees. For you, do not even look at the big stuff. As for handling the wood, my wife still enjoys helping out but now can not do much lifting but she still is a great helper. Small lady? Just handle what you can and don't worry about what others can handle. As for hauling the wood, a car with a small trailer lets you haul a decent amount or if you really need to, then just the car will do but you'll have to make a lot of trips. Getting wood from that other dealer can certainly be an option.

For a saw that you can handle, Stihl makes some very good smaller saws and they also have the easy start which means you won't have to struggle with cranking them as you would on the larger saws. They also are relatively light so you would be able to handle them better.

As for the backup heat, I really don't know what it would take for you but a year's supply might be enough. I still like to be 2-3 years ahead.

We have not had a backup heating unit for many, many moons; probably close to 35 years. In a pinch, one can always run an electric heater or two or maybe one of the kerosene units but you'd have to be very careful with one of those.

Good luck Rose.

 

[zknowlto]

So with the hell of a year I've had (in a nutshell, the last time you folks heard from me was last winter when my dad had cancer, my house tried to kill me by exploding pipes and rotting subfloor, I had one snafu after another trying to install my stove, and then I got pregnant...) Well, I lost the baby in February, then my dad passed away in March, I got pregnant again in April but suffered another miscarriage in June, and my stove ended up getting used for maybe 60 fires. On the plus side, it got me over the learning curve, I still have nearly all of my wood that I bought, the stove is wonderful, and some days the only reason I got out of bed was to start a fire cause I was cold. Sorry for the sob story, just wanted to explain where I've been and why I'm so behind on this whole shebang.

I have nearly 4 cords of wood still, and it's had a lovely extra year of seasoning in my nice woodshed, and it should be enough to get me through this year, with maybe the occasional electric heater/furnace backup.

I've made exactly zero process on figuring out how to scavenge wood. Still have no axe or maul or splitter, I have a real nice Stihl I can borrow anytime I want but it's a heavy mofo and I'd like to get one better suited to my size and strength, so I can leave the heavy work to my better half and I can do the smaller brush-sized bits.

So, my questions are:

1) What all does one need to successfully scavenge their own wood? I don't have the set up to do logging in the woods- no reliable truck, not enough heavy gear, not enough guys to help, and I'm not strong enough to do it by myself. But, if I get on the ball and scour Craigslist and bum off neighbors with downed trees, I think I could swing it, at least help augment my stash.

2) What kind of stash would you build up before you felt comfortable scrapping your backup sources of heat? I would really love to stop using the furnace- it's on its last legs and it's expensive to run for the amount of heat it puts out, plus the gas exchange pipes are starting to rust so it's really not safe, and I'm not replacing it. I have ideas of ripping it out and turning the closet it's in into a pantry.

3) What is the most price-effective way of doing this? I got 4.5 cords of reasonably seasoned wood from a dealer last fall for $600. It wasn't GREAT-great, but it had been C/S/S for a year (could have stood another, I can definitely tell a difference between the logs now that they've seasoned another year), and it lit pretty easy and put out pretty decent heat with little problems. I'm tempted to just do this again, and then boom, I've got a nice cushion for next year, giving me time to more slowly accumulate the gear I need and scavenge for wood.

~Rose

1) I've managed to scavenge 3 cords per year over the last two years, primarily off CL. I use my car (now with a small trailer), a six pound maul, and a bow saw. I'd definitely have more scrounging options if I had more equipment, but you definitely don't need tons of stuff to get started. I'd keep an eye out for relatively easy CL scores and see how you do.

2) I really only supplement using wood heat, so I'm not really the best qualified to answer this. However, I'd think I'd be a little uncomfortable without a backup.

3) It doesn't take to many decent scrounges to build up your supply. Even if you're able to come up with one or two scavenged cords per year, this would greatly reduce the amount of wood you'd have to buy.

Good luck!

 

[wood-fan-atic]

First off,Rose - I am so sorry for the heart-breaking year you have had to endure. God bless you. As far as your wood options - it depends on your finances and strength. If you can afford it- since you are already set for this year - you can buy NEXT years wood NOW (Un-seasoned, its cheaper), and season it yourself. You will always be a year ahead , and the only real work you'll have to do each year is stack your delivery.
If you do not want to buy each year - you will still need some cash to get some equipment to get you going. An old station wagon or truck ( even some cars can pull a small trailer) will be needed to scrounge off CL. A small, lightweight chainsaw (16") and a maul to start. I started with a car trunk and a maul - and over the years have upgraded to an SUV with a small trailer, 2 saws (one big, one small), and a log splitter.
I would not suggest EVER not having a back-up heat source. As you know - emergencies happen - and you never know when you will have to up-and-leave your house (or for vacation) - and you dont want your pipes to freeze.
Like I said, consider buying next years wood now(green), and try scrounging for the next year. You will get a feel for what you can and cannot handle on a regular basis - and not have to worry about next years supply, b/c it will be seasoning in your yard.
Good luck to you. And I truly believe that good things are just around the corner for you. ;-)

 

[NorthCountryWood]

Rose....sorry for your losses. My wife and I have had the same problem over the past 7 years (4 miscarriages, 2 of them mid term).

Scavenging wood may be difficult without a truck unless you contact a few tree removal companies offering to take anything they cut.

Like others have said.....always have a back up heat source.

Stihl MS170 is a great small saw. Light and reliable. Had one for 6-7 years that has seen way more work than it was meant to. I'll pick it up before the bigger saws for just about anything other than felling the big stuff.

 

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

Thank you everyone for your kind words. =) I'm sorry to hear you and your wife have been through the same heartbreak, NCW- I'm hoping that these were just bad luck and we won't need any further intervention.

About the furnace.... we were told in 2009 that we shouldn't use it anymore, because it was spewing carbon monoxide. We fixed it up just enough to not be a lethal deathtrap. All of the ducting is about 15 years out of date and needs replacing as well. That's why I opted to get the wood stove, it was about $3000 cheaper to install than replacing my entire heating system (and we got that sweet tax rebate, plus it's cheaper to run to boot, even if I do buy all my wood). The furnace really really struggled to keep this place above sixty this year, even with using the wood stove during the day. The gas exchange pipes need to be replaced for it to be safe to use, which is bukoo expensive, and all of the contractors I've had out here have said they don't really want to touch it since if it all goes to hell and we die of carbon monoxide poisoning, they would be taking on the liability for a 30 year old system that needs to be overhauled. And I just cannot afford that right now. Plus..... PANTRY! If you've ever lived in a small singlewide mobile home, you know what I'm talking about. Or your wife does. =P

I wouldn't be completely without a backup source of heat- we have 2 space heaters that do a pretty decent job of keeping the place liveable, and on the off chance that both me and my husband ever got to go somewhere together again (I WISH! =P) we just turn the water off, turn on all the taps until they drain, and disconnect the main line so it drains out under the house. If somehow the power went out (which has honestly never happened to me in four years of living here- we don't get very heavy storms even in the dead of winter) well, that's what the wood stove is for! If everything just somehow went to pot we'd haul up and go stay with my in-laws. =P

I am thinking that this year, I will try to work with my wood dealer- maybe two cords of 1 year seasoned for $300, and two cords of cut/split but not seasoned ($200), and then two cords of just bucked logs ($100), so I can work on splitting some up. Plus a splitting stump. That gives me six cords of wood for $600, which would normally cost me $900. Sound like a fair deal for both of us?

For my next-year's wood, I was thinking of stacking it along the fenceline, with some of that cheap fiberglass roofing over it just to keep the snow from piling up too much. It's so dry here in Utah and we don't normally get a lot of rain once the snow stops, so I'm hoping that with my four cords of already 2 year seasoned and stacked from last year, having two cords of 1 year c/s/s (for next year), then four cords to have c/s/s by this fall- should be enough for me to rotate so that by NEXT year I won't have to buy any already seasoned c/s/s wood. That sound reasonable to you folks?

Thanks so much for all the help everyone- I really appreciate it! Feel like I almost know what I'm doing now. Considering this time last year I was like, "Seasoned wood? What? You mean I can't just buy it off Craigslist and burn it?!"

~Rose

 

[Wood Duck]

I should add that most of the 10+ cords of firewood I have scrounged were in smaller diameters and often very small scrounges. Drive through a neighborhood and look at the yard waste piles by the road. Many times you see some brush plus a few lengths of small but perfectly burnable limbs or the trunks of shrubs in the 4 to 8 inch diameter range. I have tons of this stuff in my wood piles. Anyone who would consider scrounging firewood could have lifted this stuff into a vehicle. I see a few small logs not as a tiny, worthless scrounge, but as heat for a day (or maybe only half a day). I often drive side roads on my way home just to look for wood. it doesn't burn much extra gas and keeps me entertained. Also drive by construction sites and look for discarded small pieces of lumber. It would be hard to collect enough during the winter to keep pace with your burning, but if you do a little all year it adds up much faster than you might think.

 

[snowleopard]

I've wondered how things were going. I'd noticed that your sig box still mentioned only "one goofy girl", and hoped that you simply hadn't gotten around to updating. Please accept my condolences on the loss of your children. I'm not sure there's a greater sorrow in this world than that. Thank you for trusting us enough to share.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Keep an eye on your city mulch pile/drop off site. You will generally find a lot of manageable size stuff there. The problem I see with having the tree services drop at your house is you will end up with a lot of bigger stuff you will have a problem processing.

We put our old LP forced air furnace, all the ductwork and the 500 gal lp tank on the curb a few years ago. We were about 2 years ahead on wood and 2 or 3 electric heaters keep the house from freezing if needed. Like you, I wasn't putting a dime into that system either. Good luck.

 

[maple1]

Get yourself a small trailer for your vehicle for Christmas, and get your other half a wheelbarrow - he can fill the trailer up & you can drive it home. Think of all the fun weekends you'll have doing that together.

(Hope the humour came through, but there was a serious side to it too - good luck...)