Are you living in a cold part of Kiwiland. I have a mate who moved to Auckland a few years ago. He bought a house, It has no insulation in the walls. I’m guessing it was build in the early 80’s, I was quite surprised when he told me.
State of the wood pile
- Thread starter LondonNeil
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
We keep it in the upper 70's, might even hit 80 degrees sometimes.
With lighting up season approaching, I probably have 2-4 weeks before the stove will be lit in the evenings, I looked at my piles today nd thought of this thread. I think I'm doing ok.
I don't have a good pic of the wood stacked uot front, but i've had 2-3 cube out there against the south facing wall all summer long...all record breaking summer long...boy its been hot. This photo was back in June, ignore the rounds that I'd dumped temporarily, but you can see much of the pile of splits peeking out behind.
then out back, hiding on one corner is the old shed
its fairly full....completely full except just inside the door.
So that's another 8.5 ish cube, all dry as a bone, seasoned 2 summers.
Then there is a cube and a bit I've shifte to mum and dad's, no photos of that...but its there, and finally, the fresh stack (mainly)
The dip in the middle, just to the left of the knackered old kiddies paddling pool draped on the pile, that bit is 12 month seasoned (couple of cube in the dip). The rest is laid down since April, there's around 3.5 or more cord split there, with half a cord bucked but not split yet to the right.
I'm rather pleased with progress. I'd like to get those rounds split, and might get another couple of car loads collected before we start burning, but even without any further collections I'm at about 25 cube. Any further collection i do now will leave me better off come end of the burn season than at the end of the last, unless it is a hard hard winter.
Oh and on the tool front, I didn't get the 660 built and realised i wouldn't find time so moved it on for what I'd paid to another member. Then after ordering a dolmakita 7900, waiting 2 months for it, getting my cash refunded, trying to order it elsewhere but failing, ditching that stupid idea and settling on a husky 365 new from my local dealer I then got offered a very light use 2015 365 x torq just days before the trip to the dealer...so picked that up for only a little more than the 660 was sold for...and my my its nice!
All in all I'm quite content.
I don't have a good pic of the wood stacked uot front, but i've had 2-3 cube out there against the south facing wall all summer long...all record breaking summer long...boy its been hot. This photo was back in June, ignore the rounds that I'd dumped temporarily, but you can see much of the pile of splits peeking out behind.
then out back, hiding on one corner is the old shed
its fairly full....completely full except just inside the door.
So that's another 8.5 ish cube, all dry as a bone, seasoned 2 summers.
Then there is a cube and a bit I've shifte to mum and dad's, no photos of that...but its there, and finally, the fresh stack (mainly)
The dip in the middle, just to the left of the knackered old kiddies paddling pool draped on the pile, that bit is 12 month seasoned (couple of cube in the dip). The rest is laid down since April, there's around 3.5 or more cord split there, with half a cord bucked but not split yet to the right.
I'm rather pleased with progress. I'd like to get those rounds split, and might get another couple of car loads collected before we start burning, but even without any further collections I'm at about 25 cube. Any further collection i do now will leave me better off come end of the burn season than at the end of the last, unless it is a hard hard winter.
Oh and on the tool front, I didn't get the 660 built and realised i wouldn't find time so moved it on for what I'd paid to another member. Then after ordering a dolmakita 7900, waiting 2 months for it, getting my cash refunded, trying to order it elsewhere but failing, ditching that stupid idea and settling on a husky 365 new from my local dealer I then got offered a very light use 2015 365 x torq just days before the trip to the dealer...so picked that up for only a little more than the 660 was sold for...and my my its nice!
All in all I'm quite content.
D
Deleted member 149229
Guest
Very informative but you failed details on 1 point. What’s for supper?With lighting up season approaching, I probably have 2-4 weeks before the stove will be lit in the evenings, I looked at my piles today nd thought of this thread. I think I'm doing ok.
I don't have a good pic of the wood stacked uot front, but i've had 2-3 cube out there against the south facing wall all summer long...all record breaking summer long...boy its been hot. This photo was back in June, ignore the rounds that I'd dumped temporarily, but you can see much of the pile of splits peeking out behind.
View attachment 675472
then out back, hiding on one corner is the old shed
View attachment 675474
its fairly full....completely full except just inside the door.
View attachment 675475
So that's another 8.5 ish cube, all dry as a bone, seasoned 2 summers.
Then there is a cube and a bit I've shifte to mum and dad's, no photos of that...but its there, and finally, the fresh stack (mainly)
View attachment 675473
View attachment 675477
The dip in the middle, just to the left of the knackered old kiddies paddling pool draped on the pile, that bit is 12 month seasoned (couple of cube in the dip). The rest is laid down since April, there's around 3.5 or more cord split there, with half a cord bucked but not split yet to the right.
I'm rather pleased with progress. I'd like to get those rounds split, and might get another couple of car loads collected before we start burning, but even without any further collections I'm at about 25 cube. Any further collection i do now will leave me better off come end of the burn season than at the end of the last, unless it is a hard hard winter.
Oh and on the tool front, I didn't get the 660 built and realised i wouldn't find time so moved it on for what I'd paid to another member. Then after ordering a dolmakita 7900, waiting 2 months for it, getting my cash refunded, trying to order it elsewhere but failing, ditching that stupid idea and settling on a husky 365 new from my local dealer I then got offered a very light use 2015 365 x torq just days before the trip to the dealer...so picked that up for only a little more than the 660 was sold for...and my my its nice!
All in all I'm quite content.
Good job(s) Neil.With lighting up season approaching, I probably have 2-4 weeks before the stove will be lit in the evenings, I looked at my piles today nd thought of this thread. I think I'm doing ok.
I don't have a good pic of the wood stacked uot front, but i've had 2-3 cube out there against the south facing wall all summer long...all record breaking summer long...boy its been hot. This photo was back in June, ignore the rounds that I'd dumped temporarily, but you can see much of the pile of splits peeking out behind.
View attachment 675472
then out back, hiding on one corner is the old shed
View attachment 675474
its fairly full....completely full except just inside the door.
View attachment 675475
So that's another 8.5 ish cube, all dry as a bone, seasoned 2 summers.
Then there is a cube and a bit I've shifte to mum and dad's, no photos of that...but its there, and finally, the fresh stack (mainly)
View attachment 675473
View attachment 675477
The dip in the middle, just to the left of the knackered old kiddies paddling pool draped on the pile, that bit is 12 month seasoned (couple of cube in the dip). The rest is laid down since April, there's around 3.5 or more cord split there, with half a cord bucked but not split yet to the right.
I'm rather pleased with progress. I'd like to get those rounds split, and might get another couple of car loads collected before we start burning, but even without any further collections I'm at about 25 cube. Any further collection i do now will leave me better off come end of the burn season than at the end of the last, unless it is a hard hard winter.
Oh and on the tool front, I didn't get the 660 built and realised i wouldn't find time so moved it on for what I'd paid to another member. Then after ordering a dolmakita 7900, waiting 2 months for it, getting my cash refunded, trying to order it elsewhere but failing, ditching that stupid idea and settling on a husky 365 new from my local dealer I then got offered a very light use 2015 365 x torq just days before the trip to the dealer...so picked that up for only a little more than the 660 was sold for...and my my its nice!
All in all I'm quite content.
What is a cube?
I'm way behind but have enough Black Cherry for this Winter and next Spring.
Been busy with building a retaining wall, carport and new steel house roof.
I'm planning to build a nice sized lean-to for extra firewood and it should hold about 4 cords.
Plus I have the under-deck wood racks that hold another 3 cords.
James Miller
Addicted to ArboristSite
Missed this thread when it started. We scrounge all are wood. Saves us a good chunk of money over running the furnace. I'll try to get some pics up of the tools, racks and haulers later.
Ahh metric, a cube, cubic metre. A cord, 128 cubic feet, is about 3.5m³. so I'm at about 7 cord. Last year I burnt about 2.5 but ran out of seasoned mid march, might have burnt 3 total if it had been here. Not sure what I'll burn this year, I'm not at home so much and fiancee is nervous of the stove, but I'm supplying mum and dad and dad is very poorly so they may use lots. I've got plenty for this winter I think. Had even thought of selling small bags/bundles.
Supper, im doing meat balls. Yum.
Supper, im doing meat balls. Yum.
cumminstinkerer
addicted to making my boiler run clean
here are a few of mine, one big stack of rounds and you can see one other pile of rounds in the background, not sure if I have enough logs lol. I'm going to pick up my old grain elevator to be used for splits tonight, then plan to start splitting saturday. It is amazing how fast those rounds are drying, we have had awesome drying weather the last couple weeks, Thank you Florence.
I had one of those DR electric splitters once. It seemed to have plenty of power but sadly mine developed a leak so I sent it back before the warranty ran out.
Went with a gas powered unit after that.
I've been thinking about getting another electric splitter for kindling.
cumminstinkerer
addicted to making my boiler run clean
So I measured the stacks in my previous post last night, the base is 22' long, the come out right to 6' tall and are 16" wide, there are 3 rows complete and I got about 3/4 of another done last night after work. Anyone want to wager how much is there once split? I wont be stacking so will not have a definitive answer. The state of my wood pile is muddy now, darn rain came through yesterday.
Henry3120xp
ArboristSite Member
I have many friends that use heat pumps for all their heat. Most of them have electric bills in the $350-$500 range for well insulated modern homes. I have a 1300 gallon waterstove (OWB) and my electric bill is around $60 during the coldest part of the winter, to heat my 105 year old basically uninsulated house and workshop.
Wood heat works very well for me but it does require a ton of effort. I burnt a little over 15 cords last winter.
Yes people pay dearly for the convenience of just pushing a button or setting a thermostat. It does come with perks like instant heat, safe heat for when your not home. But wood burning also has it's benefits as well as some draw backs. Wood heat is not free heat, we pay by doing the work that's required to make that happen.Gas, electric heat only heats you once, wood heat warms you several time before you even burn it. Wood heat requires quite a bit of labor compared to other types of heat. Collecting wood takes forethought planning and room to store and season the fuel. Wood heat taps into that primal feeling of long ago when that was the only way we kept warm back in the old days. Wood heaters and stoves also allow you to cook on the same heat that heating the house so there is that benefit as well. There is also the satisfaction of self preservation and self reliance that wood heat brings over modern ways of heating.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convenient
Its great if you get the wood for free and can process it but if you had to buy 15cord of wood it probably wouldn't be worth it.
It's a life style too. I'm always looking for free wood and collecting pallets as well as picking out trees to cut down in the winter and the time I spend cutting and splitting and moving wood. And you have to think years ahead. Or turn the heat pump on and be warm and not think about the bill.
It's a life style too. I'm always looking for free wood and collecting pallets as well as picking out trees to cut down in the winter and the time I spend cutting and splitting and moving wood. And you have to think years ahead. Or turn the heat pump on and be warm and not think about the bill.
One more benefit of wood stoves is in the winter my trash pickup is almost none existent. If there is a fire going in the stove, all my burnable trash gets tossed into the stove. Not all at once mind you, but as I produce trash, instead of tossing it in the trash can, I toss it in the stove.
Current state of the wood pile. I got those ash logs for free they were in a guy's driveway with a free sign on them and I took another load to my dad. I have more beams that I need to bring to the wood pile still. I have my stack of pallets for starting wood and my wood shed is full. Then there's the wood against the barn for next year.
Henry3120xp
ArboristSite Member
Yea if I had to buy wood it would be better to just have a heat pump installed. I’m very fortunate that my best friend runs a tree removal business and brings all the wood I want.
James Miller
Addicted to ArboristSite
This will be this years wood. Might even have some left if it's an easy winter.
These pics are stuff for the future.
The tools.
And the movers.Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
Who are the most respected porters in lower 48 states for work saws?
- Latest: EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar
-
-
-
-
-
-
