Anyone else split wood for their fireplace?

[rodpaine]

Wood heats our 84 year old Sears type house, which has an ideal layout in terms of heating performance. Been heating with it for the past 28 years, averaging $200/year for the wood, while many of our neighbors are burning $300 to $700/month for fuel oil. Too bad more can't involve wood heat.
-Rod
Additional info here, if you're interested.

[oldskool]

You guys are serious about your wood.

[no2tracks]

Anyone one know why some of the trunk heartwood is blue/black?



It might be a fungus. I know that the pine out west here is tinged blue from a fungus the pine beetle carries from tree to tree. We've had whole forests wiped out from the pine beetle infestation. The Breckenridge and Steamboat areas have been hit hard.

[Cooperman]

Splitting wood is very therapeudic. Great exercise.
Some of my best memories of growing up on our cattle/poultry farm in Arkansas were of falling some huge old dead tree, dragging it down to the house with the tractor and splitting it with mauls and wedges.

We used only a wood burning stove to heat our 2200 square foot home. Some strategically placed fans in hallways were all we needed.

[davintosh]

... The mill was a Mobile Dimension that ran on a VW engine. It was a pull start. Here are some big logs we hauled. We got the sweetest clear lumber out of these logs.

A pull-start VW engine? Pull with what; an orangutan?

Impressive operation. That there is real-man work!

[Mark in Toronto]

Some pretty cool images in this thread. We split and burn wood at my friend's turn of the century log cabin up north.

The plan is to install a pellet stove in the house as well as in the garage. Super efficient and only requires venting because it's a smoke free fire.

[T_C_D]

Additional info here, if you're interested.

Rod,

You have done a beautiful and thoughtful restoration of your home!

[vinceg101]

Finally, a shot of Chez ahab, toasty warm thanks to free firewood (and a lot of sweat).
[Click Here To See Image Full Size ]

I'm detecting a little Modern provenance there; care to elaborate?

[austin8753]

Watch your thumbs, Jeff!

[tsmall07]

The plan is to install a pellet stove in the house as well as in the garage. Super efficient and only requires venting because it's a smoke free fire.

I'm renting a room in a house that has a pellet stove. That thing will cook you pretty quick (my room is right beside it). It's neat, convenient, and efficient, but it lacks the same feel as a real wood stove and the small flame isn't as fun to watch.

[slammin_e28]

I prefer to split molecules....gas molecules that is. Less labour intensive.

[a]

Craig, what takes a 37" log? . I am kicking around making a wood fired oven outside. That is the Zojirushi's weak spot, the baking unit sucks. Like a 50s style brick BBQ. I am in the remains of Daniel Webster's apple orchard My BIL uses apple for smoking stuff. Hickory too. I had a chimney put in my enclosed porch. I bought a Vermont Castings Defiant. It heated better than the oil burner did. When the stove was air tight. I could get a 12 hr burn. But because of the roof in the way beside it , it never drew well. Then came kids and I built an addition. Now the chimney is in the center of the house and 2 feet above the ridge. It has a 9x12 flue. After a day or 2 of constant running, the masonry gets warm in the walls.

[ahab]

Finally, a shot of Chez ahab, toasty warm thanks to free firewood (and a lot of sweat).

I'm detecting a little Modern provenance there; care to elaborate?

Why yes, thank you for noticing. Florence Knoll couches/club chair and coffee table, and Eames loungers by Herman Miller. The lamp is unmarked however it's a Danish design, teakwood with chrome/brushed aluminum and uses mogul-base bulbs. My favorite touch is the vintage Nivico globe speakers, one of which you can just see hanging from the Tectum ceiling panels. No heaumeaux

The house was built in the mid-50's and a woodstove was the primary heat source back then. That and the southerly facing glass which allows the sun to heat the slab nicely when it's low and there are no leaves during the winter months. The oil furnace and baseboards weren't added until the 90s, prior to my ownership. Someone else mentioned cathartic, that's the perfect description of heating your house with a woodstove in my opinion. Cutting, splitting and stacking is great exercise and one of my favorite things to do on a snowy November afternoon. I think I would still do it if oil was free and I had to pay for firewood instead.

[Karl Grau]

ahab,

Love the furniture AND the house. The house is all the more cooler because it's famous. I can see the exact spot where Ferris and Cameron had the Ferrari 250 GTS California on jackstands trying to roll the odo back.
I'm also a Danish Modern fan. I acquired a lot of pieces that my parents bought in Denmark (much to my sister's dismay) before I was born. My goal is to eventually have the whole house furnished in period matching pieces (no homeaux).

Chas.

[rlomba8204]

Back to the original point (although I too like Ahab's house):

We have natural gas heat, which works very well because we have a extremely efficient furnace and decently well insulated house (work in progress). We have fireplaces too, and it's fun to use fallen trees in the yard (we back to a park) to burn in the fireplace. Now that the holidays are coming, I also use the fireplace to burn most of the idiotic / useless gifts I receive from my in-laws.

[Karl Grau]

Now that the holidays are coming, I also use the fireplace to burn most of the idiotic / useless gifts I receive from my in-laws.

Classic!

I get it from somebody on craigslist and it arrives like this in my driveway.

Wow, I didn't realize my Craigslist guy went that far North.

Great pic of you kids!

[vinceg101]

ahab,

Love the furniture AND the house. The house is all the more cooler because it's famous. I can see the exact spot where Ferris and Cameron had the Ferrari 250 GTS California on jackstands trying to roll the odo back.

Close, but the Speyer/Haid house (Rose Residence) is in Highland Park, IL. (It was still up for sale earlier this year; cheap by CA standards considering what you get).

I'm also a Danish Modern fan. I acquired a lot of pieces that my parents bought in Denmark (much to my sister's dismay) before I was born. My goal is to eventually have the whole house furnished in period matching pieces (no homeaux).

Chas.

Similar story: my FIL bought all our current dining room pieces from Wegner in Copenhagen in the late '50's. Helluv a Teak table with four 24" leaves making the table close to 14' long.

Ahab: Any idea of the Architect for yours?

(Sorry, back the regularly scheduled post)

[T_C_D]

This weekends haul. Maple and Beechwood.



Older he grows.



Enjoying the fire.

[Mark in Toronto]

We don't pick-up a machine without putting on safety equipment. Good to see the young fella is wearing ear and eye protection. I'd also suggest steet toe boots and shine protection.

[T_C_D]

I'd also suggest steet toe boots and shine protection.

I new this was coming. What is the shine protection? A kevlar lined jacket in case the chain comes apart?

[Mark in Toronto]

Oh, I meant shin not shine protections.

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http ... m=1&itbs=1

[T_C_D]

Oh, I meant shin not shine protections.

We play soccer. We have plenty of shin pads.

[craigb93]

Craig, what takes a 37" log? .

My fireplace.............its a real masonry deal, fairly in the middle of my living room.

I have two sets of andirons but neither will burn correctly with short wood. 37" leaves a couple of inches on each end.

I have a store bought cast iron tray with a ceramic filler that holds enough diesel fuel to get a fire started. (Total electric house.)

Fireplace is for enjoyment. Primary house heat is hydronic with a geothermal heat pump.
-Dick

[Tammer in Philly]

That's a very cool space!

I can second that. Ahab's house is sweet, and the view out the front (which is away from the road) is spectacular.

I am surprised you can keep that space heated with wood given the glass area. At least it faces south, IIRC.

-tammer

[Tammer in Philly]

Doh! Shoulda kept reading. At least my memory is okay.

Why yes, thank you for noticing. Florence Knoll couches/club chair and coffee table, and Eames loungers by Herman Miller. The lamp is unmarked however it's a Danish design, teakwood with chrome/brushed aluminum and uses mogul-base bulbs. My favorite touch is the vintage Nivico globe speakers, one of which you can just see hanging from the Tectum ceiling panels. No heaumeaux :laugh:

The house was built in the mid-50's and a woodstove was the primary heat source back then. That and the southerly facing glass which allows the sun to heat the slab nicely when it's low and there are no leaves during the winter months. The oil furnace and baseboards weren't added until the 90s, prior to my ownership. Someone else mentioned cathartic, that's the perfect description of heating your house with a woodstove in my opinion. Cutting, splitting and stacking is great exercise and one of my favorite things to do on a snowy November afternoon. I think I would still do it if oil was free and I had to pay for firewood instead.

[grey ghost]

I'm so far behind schedule....

[T_C_D]

An acquaintance of mine directed a tree removal service to our house. The result was a lot of heavy lifting and a huge pile of maple. FREE of course. Much easier than gathering it in the Volvo.



It's been a little over a week. Most of it is split. Some is already stacked. How much wood is too much?

[Duke]

Too much wood is almost enough.

[1st 5er]

There is no such thing as:
A free lunch.
Spare change.
Too much horsepower.
Too much wood.

[Jeremy]

As long as it doesn't sit around long enough to rot and thus become unusable, it's never too much. Covering the woodpile with a simple roof or even just a tarp helps keep the rot at bay, as does stacking the wood on something slightly raised off the ground. A simple pair of parallel 2x4 or 2x6 set on end is enough. Just so the bottom layer isn't actually touching the ground.