Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[svk]

It’s amazing how little fuel you need to sustain heat when it’s a bit warmer outside.

Went to bed around 10pm and it was 30, woke up at 5:30 and it was 25. I had shoved the boiler full of aspen right before bed and I had lots of coals throughout and a couple of small logs in the corners this morning. Boiler temp was still about 170.

 

[Circle B MN]

It’s amazing how little fuel you need to sustain heat when it’s a bit warmer outside.

Went to bed around 10pm and it was 30, woke up at 5:30 and it was 25. I had shoved the boiler full of aspen right before bed and I had lots of coals throughout and a couple of small logs in the corners this morning. Boiler temp was still about 170.

Yep, if this warm continues I'll be pretty deep yet in boiler wood come spring. Have to get a pool

 

[svk]

Yep, if this warm continues I'll be pretty deep yet in boiler wood come spring. Have to get a pool

That’s a good problem!

I’ve burned almost 4 of my ten cords already since November and early December were so cold. I do have a line on slab wood if needed to get to spring. And most of what I have left is hardwood so that should slow my consumption somewhat as 75 percent of what I’ve burned so far is pine and aspen.

 

[chucker]

saving on the wood sure has not helped making our lake ice any better! lol Christmas eve day, and still have not dug out the hard side or wheel house yet?? it don't look promising for ice fishing. "MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE"!...

 

[steved]

It’s amazing how little fuel you need to sustain heat when it’s a bit warmer outside.

Went to bed around 10pm and it was 30, woke up at 5:30 and it was 25. I had shoved the boiler full of aspen right before bed and I had lots of coals throughout and a couple of small logs in the corners this morning. Boiler temp was still about 170.

I've really not had to stoke the stove hot-hot yet this year...nothing like last year. Actually left it go out yesterday as it was near 40...burning at that temperature makes the house too hot.

Our biggest heat enemy is the wind, we are pretty much out in the open and the wind will strip the heat right out.

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[steved]

Yep, if this warm continues I'll be pretty deep yet in boiler wood come spring. Have to get a pool

Same here, burnt about half what I normally do.

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[James Miller]

Same here, burnt about half what I normally do.

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Sounds about right I have a pile of splits beside the driveway to refill the racks. If it doesnt get cold soon I won't have room for it all.

 

[rarefish383]

Found a couple of blow down ash trees when I was out hunting. Got after it yesterday. Also a few dead standing small locust in the same area. Breaking in the 261 MT.
View attachment 781775 View attachment 781776

I can't believe I'm going to say this, so put your fingers in your ears, and hand me a bar of the strongest soap you can find to wash my mouth out. I may have to re evaluate my opinion on Ash as a firewood. My friend has 60 some dead Ash on her farm, most are leaning over a fence that keep her cattle out of a local river. Where I cut it, I can leave all the scraps, no clean up. One of my old UPS buddies asked if I could hook him up with some firewood, sure. So, I'm marking and cutting, and he's rolling rounds on my trailer. I've been taking the wood home, splitting, and stacking to sell. When I got to the last two pieces on the trailer, they were about 30" with a 10" hole in the middle, full of ants. Well, after several days of hard freezes, the ants were gone, maybe the neighbors chickens found them. I had them on the small trailer to take down to the burn pile. Even with the chains on the tractor the hill was too icy, and I needed the trailer, so I took it to the front porch and started loading it into the stove. Figured it would only be a couple hours and it would be gone. The chunks were split big for the fire pit, so only one piece would fit in the stove at a time. It was about 5 oclock and we were heading to a friends for dinner, and some one said , put more wood on the fire, we won't be home till midnight. I opened the door and another piece wouldn't fit. Got home around 12 and the fire had burned down just enough to get the other big piece in. The next morning it had burned down just enough to fill it again. I knew Ash burned hot, but got a much longer burn time than I expected. maybe I'll stockpile my Oak and switch to Ash while it's available. It doesn't seem to last long on the ground.

 

[svk]

I've really not had to stoke the stove hot-hot yet this year.

Our biggest heat enemy is the wind, we are pretty much out in the open and the wind will strip the heat right out.

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I hear you.

We are up on a hill above the lake. The benefit is we often get half the snow accumulation because it ends up blown in the low areas behind us. Downside is the wind.

 

[svk]

saving on the wood sure has not helped making our lake ice any better! lol Christmas eve day, and still have not dug out the hard side or wheel house yet?? it don't look promising for ice fishing. "MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE"!...

For as cold as it was in November and early December those early snow storms totally screwed the freeze up!!!

 

[H-Ranch]

I may have to re evaluate my opinion on Ash as a firewood.

I knew Ash burned hot, but got a much longer burn time than I expected.

I the ash.

 

[Circle B MN]

I can't believe I'm going to say this, so put your fingers in your ears, and hand me a bar of the strongest soap you can find to wash my mouth out. I may have to re evaluate my opinion on Ash as a firewood. My friend has 60 some dead Ash on her farm, most are leaning over a fence that keep her cattle out of a local river. Where I cut it, I can leave all the scraps, no clean up. One of my old UPS buddies asked if I could hook him up with some firewood, sure. So, I'm marking and cutting, and he's rolling rounds on my trailer. I've been taking the wood home, splitting, and stacking to sell. When I got to the last two pieces on the trailer, they were about 30" with a 10" hole in the middle, full of ants. Well, after several days of hard freezes, the ants were gone, maybe the neighbors chickens found them. I had them on the small trailer to take down to the burn pile. Even with the chains on the tractor the hill was too icy, and I needed the trailer, so I took it to the front porch and started loading it into the stove. Figured it would only be a couple hours and it would be gone. The chunks were split big for the fire pit, so only one piece would fit in the stove at a time. It was about 5 oclock and we were heading to a friends for dinner, and some one said , put more wood on the fire, we won't be home till midnight. I opened the door and another piece wouldn't fit. Got home around 12 and the fire had burned down just enough to get the other big piece in. The next morning it had burned down just enough to fill it again. I knew Ash burned hot, but got a much longer burn time than I expected. maybe I'll stockpile my Oak and switch to Ash while it's available. It doesn't seem to last long on the ground.

I cut oak as there is a lot of it around these parts, but more and more I prefer ash, birch, etc. Seasons better, abundant, easy to work with.

 

[steved]

I cut oak as there is a lot of it around these parts, but more and more I prefer ash, birch, etc. Seasons better, abundant, easy to work with.

Same here, I have access to many species...I try to get the stuff that splits nice and is easy to handle.

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[panolo]

Minnesota guys, any of you near Faribault? I’m in a group of 20 Dealers, we have a member of the group from there. NADA 20Group......

1 hr 45 mins south of me. I actually have never heard of them but don't get south much anymore.

The 20 group can be a great resource. It has helped my career with some excellent ideas on both what to do and not to do.

 

[panolo]

I cut oak as there is a lot of it around these parts, but more and more I prefer ash, birch, etc. Seasons better, abundant, easy to work with.

Yep. I'll take all the ash and birch I can get. Not that I snivel at oak but there are other woods that season faster, cut easier, smaller to handle, and split like a dream. My favorite is sugar maple but it tends to be big so some of those rounds are a PIA to deal with.

 

[JustJeff]

Ash is huge around here. Partly because of the borer so everyone is cutting ash. And partly due to the fact that ash is about 30% moisture as cut so it dries quickly. For the people that cut it this week and burn it next, it's the wood of choice!

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[MustangMike]

Up at my Cabin, we burn mostly Ash and Black Cherry, because that is what is there. When the stove was in the old cabin, with a poor flue, we much preferred the Ash because it dried faster and burned well.

In the new cabin, we have a much better flue. Ash has high BTUs and provides plenty of heat, but for the overnight the Cherry seems to retain better coals. Often, we just mix the two woods.

Setting the damper to correspond with the temp and wind seems to be key, but when conditions change during the night it can really mess things up. Luckily, our air intake is temp controlled, which really helps to control the wood burn.

When it is windy, that damper needs to be closed, but when the air is still, if the damper is closed the stove will not produce enough heat.

Ash also seems to make a lot of ashes.

 

[MechanicMatt]

Ash, dries quickly and splits easy.

When burning wood, it’s probably 80% Ash

 

[MustangMike]

Another AX poster for ya fellasView attachment 782496

So, did you see the video of your female cousin axe/hatchet throwing while she was on vacation??? I was both surprised and impressed that my daughter did that!

She was also talking to one of the guys out there (Oregon) who hunted, and apparently it made a big impression on him when she told him that I not only hunted, but that I also reloaded my own ammo and butchered my own deer! His impression of Easterners was that none of us still did that!

 

[Philbert]

Yeah I left bottle of cooking oil out in winter and it solidifies so I would say that's what causes that issue, I'm sure it would be fine in warmer climates.

I think that it is more of an oxidation reaction than a temperature thing. Several threads about it, and other 'bio-oils'. Most advise against letting it sit in your saws for extended periods.

Philbert