Wood Heat Thread ~ post pics

Got a new ceramic baffle board and blanket ordered for the cellar monster, my primary heat stove. The current board is still pretty solid with just some chipping/flaking around the edges, but the blanket's about gone. I figured for $40 I'd just replace the baffle too, while I was in there anyway. While I've got it apart I'll do a reseal, because last winter I did notice some air bleeding around a couple of spots on the inside edges of the firebox.

 

Got a call Friday night from my Firewood guy asking if I needed any wood. I don't, really. The shed is already full for this winter (photo below) and I've got next year's wood cut to stove length already) but I know that if he's calling me then he needs the business, so I figure I'll do him a solid and take a delivery.


Plus, I might as well get it now as in the spring, since the longer it's down the more seasoned it'll be. So bright and early Saturday morning he rolls up with 20 tons for me.


Problem is, where he usually stacks it is where I normally plow snow during the winter, lol. So I had him split the load into two piles this year, because that way I can at least get one of them busted down to 4 footers and out of the way before the snow flies. So I ended up with these:



And I spent most of the day yesterday working on one of the piles and actually made really good progress, much better than I was expecting. By the end of the day I had gotten one of the piles down to this:


And moved it down into the lower part of the property where my wood lot is (pile is roughly 6 feet high, for scale):


Still pretty time-consuming, though. Pull a log out of the stack with the tractor, cut it down into 4 foot cordwood pieces, load those into the Yeti (seen here with a different load) and drive them down to the lower lot, then unload them into the pile down there. Repeat. I could fit 3-4 trees per trip into the truck, so I think I probably made 10-12 trips back and forth


Felt pretty good while I was working yesterday (was definitely tired by the end of the day, though) but today I'm feeling a little stiff. Usually I can bend over to touch my toes and put my hands flat on the floor, but all I could manage this morning was the tips of my fingers.

 

Now that is a Firewood guy.

Ken in NC

 

Tree length is the way to go, if you're going to buy it. 20 tons usually works out to 8-10 cord, or about 2 year's worth of heating. I could source the wood from my own property, since I have 3 mostly wooded acres, but I'd rather keep most of the trees for privacy purposes and just selectively drop diseased or damaged wood.

 

Finally got cool enough to have a real fire. We finished the 'seasoning' burns a few weeks ago so we're good to go in that regard. Wow does this stove throw heat. We can feel it 20 feet away. Cats like it too. If you stare a little bit you can see the ecofan whizzing away and the dragon snorting steam.

 

^^^^^^^^^^
NICE!!

 

5 cord in the wood room so far. Need about another cord to feel comfortable with this years supply. On a better note, cleaned my chimney for the first time since building the house, got about quarter of a pale. The vermiculite around the flue and chimney block must be working. Not bad for three years of burning wood.

 

That is a shit ton of wood. Sort of glad I don't burn just wood but also kinda wish I did.

 

20 shit tons, haha!
I've got the rest of that pile sectioned and stacked now, so I've got somewhere to shove snow. Now that I've got it out of the way it's sort of nice to know I've got 3 year's worth on hand, between what's in the shed for this year and what got delivered.

 

That's awesome!

 

First time I've had a full 4 rows in the beast. Mostly oak and locust seasoned 2+ years.

 

Getting a cold front here in the Northeast. Decided to start fire and burn my buggy stuff, that I keep outside. Feels good! On a similar note I called my dad and asked if he still had the chestnut roaster I grew up with as a kid, he did and this Christmas I am gonna try to re-create some of those memories I had growing up, with my twin girls.

 

Right here in that cold snap with you. We've benn running our stove all week.

 

Little man insists on holding the next log while I open the stove door.

 

That is AWESOME!!

 

Three tons of pellets to be delivered on Monday!

 

With a look like that, I don't think I'd turn my back to him and bend over!

 

Anyone ever see one of these axe heads before?

 

Seems I have seen that somewhere.
Wood flies away when I split with my maul, too.
Probably a reason they do not sell anymore.

 

Had one of those Chopper 1's. Not worth it, good thing it was a gift. The springs dissappeared, the action suffered so I stopped using it. Hurray for hydraulics!