Wood Heat Thread ~ post pics

X2.
Closing the damper would make a big difference in the heat output of your stove, and in the amount of wood you're burning.

 

22 tons with a 10.8 second cycle time. Should be plenty of umph.

 

Yeah, should be. Locust can be pretty stringy, but 22 ton should be enough. My parents have a ?28? ton unit, and it doesn't have any problem with locust.

 

Should I close the damper all the way or close it like halfway?

I tried it the other day and after a few minutes it was reduced to a smolder. Once I opened the damper again it fired right up.

Do you guys keep the doors closed or open? I think I burn a lot more wood with the doors open, but it seems to heat the area better. I just close them when I'm not nearby.

 

Doors should always be closed unless you need a draw when you are first starting it

You want to char the outside of the wood on a higher setting then turn the damper down , doesn't have to be a choice between full air and no air either

 

I have yet to meet a hardwood log that my chincy Tractor Supply 22ton won't go through. Locust, hickory, dead elm, oak, beech, and Osage have been through mine. As long as the pump is a two stage it should eat anything you can put on it. Pro tip: Get a good maul and bust the big ones into quarters. I never use the vertical splitting feature as its hard on my back working at ground level.

 

Thanks oz I'll give that a shot

 

I have a 2 mauls and wedges but I would rather noodle the big rounds or use the vertical feature just enough so that I can handle splits and go back to vertical.

 

I split wood with a maul

 

Same here, a Snow & Nealley.
I have a sledge and some wedges for the really stubborn pieces, too.

 

The last bit of oak I split the splitter got a good work out in the vertical position and I got a good work out trying to split it. Each piece was around 300# and I had to put them under the splitter with the tractor. It was 5* this morning with about 8" of snow on the ground and if it wasn't for the splitter and the tractor I would still be out there with a maul and wedge!

 

Pieces that size I generally end just working my way around the circumference of the log, splitting off pieces as I go until it's small enough to just do a regular center split.


Edit: Unless I'm feeling Hulk-ish. Then I'll run a line across the face of it with the maul and drive a couple of wedges into that with the sledge until it blows apart.

 

been there done that,(except without the snow) why I'm tired of wood, great heat but....

 

Noodle?

I used to used the vertical position with mine. Splitting down the biggies into man-sized chunks by hand just results in less back strain for me. Its a good idea, it just seems so much more laborious for me to wrassle and position while crouched. The logs that don't cooperate with the maul end up in the asshole pile and are burned whole.

 

I posted here awhile back saying I was building my house and a stove is planned for my primary heat source. I still haven't gotten as far as purchasing one yet but thought I'd throw up a few more pics showing my progress on the exterior.

 

Coming along nicely! ^

 

Looks awesome!

 

Funkadelic

 

I never thought of naming the pile of misfit firewood. But the asshole pile is pretty good.

 

The asshole pile at my place gets split with a chainsaw