South Eastern PA, First Season Burner

[flipadelphia26]

Hey all.

This is my first year burning wood for heat, as well as my first time owning a home. Moved from the City out to the country... It has been a much colder than average winter it seems, and we have gone through just about 4 Cord of wood. We have paid anywhere from 170 to 200 and some better than others...

I have a free standing woodstove in the front of the house, and a prefab in the back of the house that throws heat upstairs via heatilator. We havent turned on our furnace which supplies heat via baseboard once this winter. This has kept our gas bill pretty close to what it is in the summer time.

Next winter I want to save even more money by getting logs and chainsawing and splitting my own wood.

Problem is, I am having trouble sourcing these logs. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where I might look to get logs delivered once the snow melts, so I can get to work for next winter?

 

[TreePointer]

Do you have a pickup truck and/or a utility trailer?

 

[flipadelphia26]

Do you have a pickup truck and/or a utility trailer?

My brother has a pickup (lives with me)

I have access to an F350 with Dumping bed for a small Fee..

 

[bigbarf48]

Keep your eyes peeled when you're driving around for people having trees removed. Stop and ask if you can have the wood. Even better, ask local tree services what they do with the wood they get. Some sell firewood, but others pay to bring it to the dump and those are the guys that will be glad to dump logs in your yard FREE.

You say you moved to the country, do you have woods of your own to cut in? Maybe you have a neighbor that needs a fencerow cleared, ect.

Be persistent and keep asking around, even if neighbors don't have any for you now, they'll remember in the future. The more you ask, the more people know you're looking!

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

Hey all.

This is my first year burning wood for heat, as well as my first time owning a home. Moved from the City out to the country... It has been a much colder than average winter it seems, and we have gone through just about 4 Cord of wood. We have paid anywhere from 170 to 200 and some better than others...

I have a free standing woodstove in the front of the house, and a prefab in the back of the house that throws heat upstairs via heatilator. We havent turned on our furnace which supplies heat via baseboard once this winter. This has kept our gas bill pretty close to what it is in the summer time.

Next winter I want to save even more money by getting logs and chainsawing and splitting my own wood.

Problem is, I am having trouble sourcing these logs. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where I might look to get logs delivered once the snow melts, so I can get to work for next winter?

Welcome Flip,

I am very close to Oxford. Are you familiar with 272 out of Nottingham? If you head north on 272 toward Little Britain there is a guy that advertises log loads that posts signs along the road. I have not been up that way in several months but last time I was out that way I saw his sign at least 3 or 4 times. They might be buried now with the snow but once it clears up it may be worth a ride in that direction. Pretty drive too. Once 272 meets 222, you can turn back. I've seen the signs between that intersection and route 1 which is about a 7-8 mile stretch.

You can also try local tree service companies. Snyder & Son is a big one. Madsen's I think is the other. I've never used either but can't hurt to call and ask.

Clyde

 

[flipadelphia26]

Welcome Flip,

I am very close to Oxford. Are you familiar with 272 out of Nottingham? If you head north on 272 toward Little Britain there is a guy that advertises log loads that posts signs along the road. I have not been up that way in several months but last time I was out that way I saw his sign at least 3 or 4 times. They might be buried now with the snow but once it clears up it may be worth a ride in that direction. Pretty drive too. Once 272 meets 222, you can turn back. I've seen the signs between that intersection and route 1 which is about a 7-8 mile stretch.

You can also try local tree service companies. Snyder & Son is a big one. Madsen's I think is the other. I've never used either but can't hurt to call and ask.

Clyde

Yes, I am familiar with 272. Go to the Wawa there all the time. Thanks for the heads up. I will take a ride out that way as soon as the snow melts. Thank you!

 

[Missouri Frontier]

"flip, flip flipadelphia". dang that show is a riot. welcome Flip!

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

Yes, I am familiar with 272. Go to the Wawa there all the time. Thanks for the heads up. I will take a ride out that way as soon as the snow melts. Thank you!

No problem. Welcome to the country.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

There is more free wood out there than you think, keep your eyes open when the snow thaws....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hey all.

This is my first year burning wood for heat, as well as my first time owning a home. Moved from the City out to the country... It has been a much colder than average winter it seems, and we have gone through just about 4 Cord of wood. We have paid anywhere from 170 to 200 and some better than others...

I have a free standing woodstove in the front of the house, and a prefab in the back of the house that throws heat upstairs via heatilator. We havent turned on our furnace which supplies heat via baseboard once this winter. This has kept our gas bill pretty close to what it is in the summer time.

Next winter I want to save even more money by getting logs and chainsawing and splitting my own wood.

Problem is, I am having trouble sourcing these logs. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where I might look to get logs delivered once the snow melts, so I can get to work for next winter?

Welcome to the forum flipadelphia26 and welcome to the country too! Much better than city living.

I hope you can find the wood you are looking for and getting logs mean good cutting with no brush to contend with. I would highly advise when you get wood, specify that you want no oak. That is because oak will take too long to dry and you need wood for next winter. Even getting logs now you may very well still have burning problems next winter simply because of the short length of time for drying. So get the wood and then get it cut and split just as quickly as you can. Stack it in the sun and wind. A choice? Wind is the first choice over sun but you need both for sure because you don't have much time.

As you are on the forum more you'll see people mentioning the 3 year plan. If you can get yourself 3 years ahead on your wood supply, most of your stove related problems are taken care of because poor fuel is the number 1 problem with wood burning.

Good luck.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Welcome Flip. I'm near you also and suggest the guy off of 272. Make sure you see what they bring first. They try to sneak poplar and pine in those big loads. Pay a little extra for true hardwood logs. Good Luck

 

[Wood Duck]

I live in central PA so this is not exactly your neighborhood, but around here lots of people have loads of logs delivered, so I'd just ask one of them. Several neighbors still have a lot of logs piled up waiting to be cut.

 

[Studdlygoof]

I'm not far from that wawa by the herrs factory too. What's the deal/pricing with this log load guy? I can feel your pain flipadelphia as I too am new and have been hard up for wood. I did take these guys advice on calling tree companies and scored some wood on my third call so I would definitely try that route

 

[tmoneysju]

Hi, I'm in chester county as well. I don't have a stove yet but I've started collecting wood and haven't bought any yet. I have about 2 cords split and stacked and probably another cord or two cut that needs to be split. I found all of this either by just driving around my neighborhood, finding people having treework done and asking them if I could have the wood instead of the tree company or by watching facebook or other sites and seeing when my friends are having trees cut down.

 

[D8Chumley]

I'm working in Chestertown/Perryville MD and stop at that Wawa on 272 in the morning. If you see two handsome fellas in a black Myers truck, mostly the passenger, make sure to say hey!

 

[D8Chumley]

I'm sorry it's Charlestown not Chestertown

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

There's been a lot of snow melt these last few days. If the signs are still there and were covered with snow, they may be visible now. Anyone take a ride up that way yet?

 

[JA600L]

Hey guys I live in Lancaster. There is lots of wood around. Keep your eyes on Craigslist. I've noticed that there is more free wood to be found during the summer when nobody else feels like dealing with it.