# Size of firewood splits?



## Boris (Oct 26, 2012)

Have been cutting and maul splitting a few trees. What size do you usually split the logs to?
I have a Regency I3100 insert w/ a 2.9cu FT firebox, so I can fit a lot of stuff in there just not sure what will work best. Obviously smaller splits burn faster but is there a size you try to aim for when splitting?


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## Gasifier (Oct 26, 2012)

A use to go for about 4-6" across when I was burning in my wood stove. I would always have some a little bigger for the overnight burn. But it is easier to move the smaller ones around in the stove. The more surface area you have the hotter the fire will get for you as well. And you can then control that with your draft.


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## red oak (Oct 26, 2012)

Go for a mix.  Larger pieces for longer, overnight burns. Small pieces for quick heat and starting fires.   Some pieces will have knots - leave those for the longer burns.  Some will split easy - split those rather small.  When reloading I like to put a couple of small pieces in to get the fire going and then some large ones on top to keep it going.


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## CT_Sub_Officer (Oct 26, 2012)

red oak said:


> Go for a mix. Larger pieces for longer, overnight burns. Small pieces for quick heat and starting fires. Some pieces will have knots - leave those for the longer burns. Some will split easy - split those rather small. When reloading I like to put a couple of small pieces in to get the fire going and then some large ones on top to keep it going.


 
I am kind of new to this, I used to split some wood 20 years ago for $$ as a teenager, so I am not all that good at anymore, but I enjoy the exercise.  Occasionally (more often than I like to admit) I don't the log where I want to and I end up with a really thin split.  Do you guys save those for kindling?  I mean... if you ever miss the mark.  I have one of those blue recycling bins full from splitting a cord and a half a week ago.


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## Gasifier (Oct 26, 2012)

CT_Sub_Officer said:


> I am kind of new to this, I used to split some wood 20 years ago for $$ as a teenager, so I am not all that good at anymore, but I enjoy the exercise. Occasionally (more often than I like to admit) I don't the log where I want to and I end up with a really thin split. Do you guys save those for kindling? I mean... if you ever miss the mark. I have one of those blue recycling bins full from splitting a cord and a half a week ago.


 
Yup. Burn everything. Those small ones are good for getting things going quickly.


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## schlot (Oct 26, 2012)

CT_Sub_Officer said:


> I am kind of new to this, I used to split some wood 20 years ago for $$ as a teenager, so I am not all that good at anymore, but I enjoy the exercise. Occasionally (more often than I like to admit) I don't the log where I want to and I end up with a really thin split. Do you guys save those for kindling? I mean... if you ever miss the mark. I have one of those blue recycling bins full from splitting a cord and a half a week ago.


 
When I do that I say "good I need some more kindling", makes me feel better anyway. LOL.


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## Agent (Oct 26, 2012)

I never miss the dead center.  Ever.  If I *were* to miss dead center, it would eventually be thrown into the stove so I could dispose of the evidence.

But seriously, having a mix is a great thing.  As a personal rule, I rarely try to split anything to be greater than 1/2 the width of the firebox.  Optimally, I like them to lay 3 wide.  So mine are usually 6-10" with mixed in little guys for filler.


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## TimJ (Oct 26, 2012)

Boris, none of the splits will burn very well if you are just now cutting and splitting the wood you intend to burn. Wood needs to be seasoned and moisture free to burn well.
Read as many posts as you can in regards to properly seasoned wood so that you can be educated in all aspects of wood burning.


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## JOHN BOY (Oct 26, 2012)

Small , medium and large.    Small and medium 2 - 5 inch diameter  = quick ,hot fire.      Large 5 - 8 diameter =  longer burn times.( all-nighter wood )
Also will depend on wood species.  Good luck and happy splitting.. Welcome to hearth . com


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## Wood Duck (Oct 26, 2012)

I split them so at least three or four fit into the stove at once. If you can fit only one or two in at a time then you won't get a good burn. My firewood includes everything from giant rounds to small branches, so I get all sizes of splts and they all burn.


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## CT_Sub_Officer (Oct 26, 2012)

My new stove (coming tomorrow) has a 2.5 CU Ft firebox.  What is the maximum diameter round you would use without splitting?  When you say 6-10" logs where are you measuring that from?  I think I split all my wood to small.


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## bogydave (Oct 26, 2012)

Like said, a good mix of sizes.
If the wood needs to be used before it's stacked & seasoned a year, 
smaller spits season faster.

For me:
8" to 12" rounds get split into 4 splits, smaller are split in half
12" to 16" split in 6 pieces, 16" up into 8 to 10 splits, you get the idea.
Seasoned for 2 years or more before burning .


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## CT_Sub_Officer (Oct 26, 2012)

bogydave said:


> Like said, a good mix of sizes.
> If the wood needs to be used before it's stacked & seasoned a year,
> smaller spits season faster.
> 
> ...


 
Awesome.  That is exactly what I was looking for.  From there, I can figure out what I need to do for  bigger than 16, just based on overall mass of the logs.  Thank you so much.


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## Boris (Oct 26, 2012)

TimJ said:


> Boris, none of the splits will burn very well if you are just now cutting and splitting the wood you intend to burn. Wood needs to be seasoned and moisture free to burn well.
> Read as many posts as you can in regards to properly seasoned wood so that you can be educated in all aspects of wood burning.


 
Tim, I have about 3 cords split from last fall of all random sizes, in preparation of getting this insert. I think here in Southern MD, that should be enough.
The stuff I'm splitting now is for next year. So I figured might as well do it right. See what others have done.


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## Gark (Oct 27, 2012)

IMHO, when splitting, go for the most large splits you can get from that round. Too many times, I reach for biggies to get longer burn but find nothing left but skinnies. The leftovers (rounds never have an exact size divisable  by whole fatties) will be smaller enough for starters or fill-in splits. "Big splits" are barely small enough to fit into the openings of your stove.  You can always split ' em down smaller later if need be, but once split small you can't glue them back together to make a fattie.


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## woodchip (Oct 27, 2012)

Quite a few of my splits look a bit large at the moment (they are 12" by 5" x 4" but I reckon they may well shrink a little by the time they get burned in a few years time.

I recently cut my oldest 15" splits into 6" and 9" lengths with my bowsaw. I can now load some N/S (before I got the stove a couple of years ago, I cut a load of wood and then found it was the wrong size).


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## Standingdead (Oct 27, 2012)

I got a 17 cubic foot firebox in my IWB so I can burn rather large splits. I limit length to 24" (longest my splitter can go). I generally split in half any rounds up to 10". I split into quarters any round up to about 18". The 20"+ rounds I generally chunk up into small wood stove pieces. Only problem with these large splits is it takes more time to dry. In my system I cut and leave in rounds 1 year. I then CSS for one to two years depending on species and if standing dead. I spot check with MM and bring indoors in September.


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## TimJ (Oct 27, 2012)

Boris said:


> Tim, I have about 3 cords split from last fall of all random sizes, in preparation of getting this insert. I think here in Southern MD, that should be enough.
> The stuff I'm splitting now is for next year. So I figured might as well do it right. See what others have done.


 Good Boris


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## firecracker_77 (Oct 27, 2012)

Standingdead said:


> I got a 17 cubic foot firebox in my IWB so I can burn rather large splits. I limit length to 24" (longest my splitter can go). I generally split in half any rounds up to 10". I split into quarters any round up to about 18". The 20"+ rounds I generally chunk up into small wood stove pieces. Only problem with these large splits is it takes more time to dry. In my system I cut and leave in rounds 1 year. I then CSS for one to two years depending on species and if standing dead. I spot check with MM and bring indoors in September.


 
17 CUBIC FEET!

I'm drooling a little bit.  That's great.  I often times curse under my breath a little when trying to fenagle another log into my smaller firebox, but I can see it theoretically should fit.

I try and split small.  They take off faster and I have less smoke issues and get my secondaries faster, which is when the temps really take off for me. 

The big knotty pieces give those longer burn times.  If they're too big and can't be split, I chain saw 'em if need be to get them small enough that I can work with.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 27, 2012)

Boris said:


> Have been cutting and maul splitting a few trees. What size do you usually split the logs to?
> I have a Regency I3100 insert w/ a 2.9cu FT firebox, so I can fit a lot of stuff in there just not sure what will work best. Obviously smaller splits burn faster but is there a size you try to aim for when splitting?


 
Welcome to the forum Boris.

Red Oak and many others have answered very well. As for size, it is great to have a good mix. We tend to have most splits in the 5-6" range but also have some larger along with some rounds but the rounds usually are not over 6" for sure and most closer to 5".

The reason we do it this way is that it is the key to long burning fires which we need when the real cold does get here. We save the best long burning wood (oak) for mid winter nights. But we rarely burn all oak except for the extreme cold nights. Most nights we like to put a large split or a round in the bottom rear of the stove after pushing the coals forward. Then depending upon how much we have for coals we will put either a soft maple in bottom front and then fill with ash or else it will be all ash if we have a decent coal bed. It is that bottom rear piece that tend to be the big key for longer burns so use your best wood there.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 27, 2012)

CT_Sub_Officer said:


> My new stove (coming tomorrow) has a 2.5 CU Ft firebox. What is the maximum diameter round you would use without splitting? When you say 6-10" logs where are you measuring that from? I think I split all my wood to small.


 
I'd stick with no larger than 6-7" for a round for that size firebox. You probably did not split your wood too small and you will find that it might make it easier to pack the stove especially if you have a mix of sizes.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 27, 2012)

woodchip said:


> Quite a few of my splits look a bit large at the moment (they are 12" by 5" x 4" but I reckon they may well shrink a little by the time they get burned in a few years time.
> 
> I recently cut my oldest 15" splits into 6" and 9" lengths with my bowsaw. I can now load some N/S (before I got the stove a couple of years ago, I cut a load of wood and then found it was the wrong size).


 
They will shrink a bit but not big time. I'd just put in one large split per load rather than resplitting.


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## firecracker_77 (Oct 27, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Welcome to the forum Boris.
> 
> Red Oak and many others have answered very well. As for size, it is great to have a good mix. We tend to have most splits in the 5-6" range but also have some larger along with some rounds but the rounds usually are not over 6" for sure and most closer to 5".
> 
> The reason we do it this way is that it is the key to long burning fires which we need when the real cold does get here. We save the best long burning wood (oak) for mid winter nights. But we rarely burn all oak except for the extreme cold nights. Most nights we like to put a large split or a round in the bottom rear of the stove after pushing the coals forward. Then depending upon how much we have for coals we will put either a soft maple in bottom front and then fill with ash or else it will be all ash if we have a decent coal bed. It is that bottom rear piece that tend to be the big key for longer burns so use your best wood there.


 
Here's an example of learning something new from these forums.  I did not know that the back of the stove log placement was what determined burn times.  I guess it makes sense to put a hefty oak split back there.


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## timusp40 (Oct 27, 2012)

red oak said:


> Go for a mix. Larger pieces for longer, overnight burns. Small pieces for quick heat and starting fires. Some pieces will have knots - leave those for the longer burns. Some will split easy - split those rather small. When reloading I like to put a couple of small pieces in to get the fire going and then some large ones on top to keep it going.


 Makes perfect sense!


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 28, 2012)

Ya, it seems to work really nice. Of course this is after moving the coals forward too.


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## Wood Duck (Oct 28, 2012)

Somebody once posted here that he splits anything too large to palm (pick up) with one hand by grasping the end of the split. I thought that made a pretty easy rule when you're out splitting. I take it to mean that I have to fit my hand over the end and also pick it up and toss it with that same one handed grip. If I can't toss it I split it again, but I have a small stove so I want smaller splits.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 28, 2012)

Wood Duck said:


> Somebody once posted here that he splits anything too large to palm (pick up) with one hand by grasping the end of the split. I thought that made a pretty easy rule when you're out splitting. I take it to mean that I have to fit my hand over the end and also pick it up and toss it with that same one handed grip. If I can't toss it I split it again, but I have a small stove so I want smaller splits.


 
That's my general rule of thumb == if I can palm it, I keep it in the round.

As for size of the splits . . . a variety. Small to get things going, medium sized for regular stuff and a few big 'uns for the overnights and overdays.

Generally too I find that the longer I am splitting the larger the splits become as I start thinking "Good enough . . . it will fit in the stove."


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## Isaac Carlson (Aug 25, 2015)

I normally split down to 3-6", but I like to leave some bigger pieces for overnight burns.  The biggest piece we like to put through the door is 13" and we can get at least a few of those in there or a wheelbarrow load of normal splits.  Pack it tight and light the top so it burns the top first, that lasts the longest.  The tighter you pack it the longer it will burn.  If I am low on firewood like I am this year, I split the wetter stuff a bit smaller and the dry stuff stays bigger.  We save the high btu and drier stuff for the dead of winter.  The bigger the stove, the bigger your splits can or maybe should be, depending on the stove.


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## BigCountryNY (Aug 25, 2015)

firefighterjake said:


> Generally too I find that the longer I am splitting the larger the splits become as I start thinking "Good enough . . . it will fit in the stove."



I can also attest to this. The more time I spend splitting in a given session, the larger the splits tend to be...


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## Woody Stover (Aug 26, 2015)

I have cat stoves so I can cut the air and get a low burn, I don't necessarily need larger splits to do that. I find that if I have the air cut way back, output will slow down further if I have a big split in the back/bottom of the box and I'll have to open the air a bit. I mostly split to 4-5".


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