'burn your wood across the firebox, or straight in?

[Dexter]

I never knew that mnemonic, but it looks like how to figure compass heading from true course, given variation, compass error, etc. 'Was a flight instructor before I became a school teacher. So was my wife. And my brother. We had a pre-takeoff/runup mnemonic which went: Boy Could I Go For A Trim, Prim, Proper, Redheaded Female (Fellow, for the ladies) Late Tonight. See if you can figure it out.

I guess I sort of lost the theme of the thread, huh? (I do burn almost exclusively N/S, though.)

Regards,

Dexter

 

[begreen]

My stove is a glenwood built in 1880, will I need to make an allowance for the change in declination?

Possibly, especially if one of the legs is corroded and it's leaning a little.

 

[Tfin]

As long as you remember what happens above the 45th parallel, stays above the 45th parallel you'll be all set. ;-)

On a more related not, my firebox isn't very deep so I only burn east/west.....unless of course its snowing out, in which case I'll burn west/east. Just makes for a longer burn.

 

[gpcollen1]

I have a problem with all you 'the logs might roll out' guys. For starters the doors is closed when the stove is burning right? Next, I think most of us do not burn round pieces of wood as the norm - mostly split. If you pack the firebox E/W for an overnight burn or an all day burn {this is where I need the firebox completely full} you can certainly pack the wood in so as when the load burns down, logs will not come 'rolling out'.

Nothing wrong with N/S. I often do that for the bottom pieces if I have some that short and then stack a few E/W on top to get the fire blazing in the AM. Most of the time I go E/W with the wood.

 

[begreen]

I think this may be more common with smaller fireboxes, especially those that are not flat floored and not a clean rectangular shape. A fire settles as it burns. If the firebox is jammed full, a top split (even with 2 flat sides) can roll towards the glass as it's foundation (the wood packed under it) burns away. When it rolls against the glass and needs to be poked back into the firebox. This seemed to happen a few times a year with the F400, no matter how I tried to avoid it.

 

[ScottF]

My stove is a 1890 Geneva Oak parlor stove and has only a 12 inch round burning chamber. All of the logs have to go in standing up on end. By your definition of N-S and E-W mine is neither . What would this be called?

 

[d.n.f.]

My stove is a 1890 Geneva Oak parlor stove and has only a 12 inch round burning chamber. All of the logs have to go in standing up on end. By your definition of N-S and E-W mine is neither . What would this be called?

up and down
vs down and up

or you need smaller splits

 

[Joey Jones]

My stove is a 1890 Geneva Oak parlor stove and has only a 12 inch round burning chamber. All of the logs have to go in standing up on end. By your definition of N-S and E-W mine is neither . What would this be called?

up and down
vs down and up

or you need smaller splits

Scott, you have crossed into the 4th dimension and are now in the Twilight Zone.... That is why I always ask for special nails at the Hardware Store... Some have heads on the wrong end depending if you are installing ceiling or floor fixtures...Ha Ha

 

[ScottF]

you have crossed into the 4th dimension and are now in the Twilight Zone.

Thats exactly what I was afraid of Will I get a longer burn going down to up or up to down? And what it they lean on an angle. Does that put me in the 5th dimension?

 

[Joey Jones]

Well Scott, of coarse that depends on what you have for breakfast. Again depending on whether you eat an eastern omlette or a western omlette...as the eastern omlette does contain onoins while the western is just ham and eggs... Tread lightly here because there is always the element that will demand an eastern portion of a western omlette.

I myself do burn East-West as my stove won't take North- South burn configurations, but I do try to cross that line in the lighting of my stove...often with a half measure...It renders my position in a N-N.W. X S-S.E compass bearing. I hope I have made myself clear!

 

[Tfin]

My stove is a 1890 Geneva Oak parlor stove and has only a 12 inch round burning chamber. All of the logs have to go in standing up on end. By your definition of N-S and E-W mine is neither . What would this be called?

Ah HA! Now we bring the infamous "z" int the "x,y" equation.

It will ultimately depend on what coordinate system you're using.

 

[Joey Jones]

Now Todd, come on...there are exceptions to the rule here... Several Exceptions if my memory serves me well (which it doesn't) ... I just forgot for a moment. I'll have to get back to you.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

I burn a Firelight CB. I cut my wood only about 14" long, so I can easily build the fire with the logs straight in. Since it's a "front to back" primary airflow, I don't get the higher logs rolling forward onto the doors/glass when the lower wood collapses. This sometimes happened when building the fire with the wood across the box.

I can shut down a hot-but-waning fire at 10 O'clock, and the coals will be hot enough to light new fuel in the morning -- all with lodgepole pine.

How do you set your fires -- straight in, or across the box?

Our family has (2) F500's and a F600, we lay E/W (20" splits). When we burn chunks/caps/short splits we lay N/S, but we get hotter and shorter burn times that way. (like BaGreen has noted)
If it works for you, then let it rip N/S.

WoodButcher

 

[Cluttermagnet]

First, you'll need a magnetic compass. Then, you'll need to know the declination for your latitude & longitude, which can be found here:

(broken link removed to http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomagmodels/Declination.jsp)

Using that information, you'll correct the reading you get on your magnetic compass to find true north. Then, you'll need to establish some directional references in your stove room to which you can easily refer while loading the stove. These can be windows or doors, or any stationary points. Don't use furniture, because somebody might move it. Alternatively, you can scribe the true N-S line into the paint on the top of your stove. Remember that as the years go by, the declination changes ever-so-slowly. Rick

Steel stoves will attract the needle of a compass if you get it too close. You'll probably get less accurate readings than with a soapstone stove. I recommend standing off at least 10 feet when using the compass. But why not do the job right? Get your stove room professionally surveyed, and lay out a few grid lines using a thin line of spray paint. Make sure to tell the surveyor to use rubber pads under the legs of his transit so those little points don't ruin your good hardwood floors! Then you can align your stove on the celestial doggie, and presto! A perfect north- south burn. You're welcome. ;-)

 

[MaineMike100]

My stove is a glenwood built in 1880, will I need to make an allowance for the change in declination?

Mike, that's got to be a record on this forum for an old stove. Is it for looks or do you still use it?

Both sort of... It is decorative, however I do burn in it occasionally. I liken it to those who have a fireplace just used for ambience on special occasions. Still works great, just doesn't hold a fire overnight of course, it's far from airtight.

 

[InTheRockies]

Even though I can load 22 inch pieces of wood EW, I cut my wood to 2 sizes--18 and 14 inches. At night, for overnight burns, I load 2 small-to-medium diameter rounds EW, I then stack as many small pieces at each end, NS. It been working well for me. During the day, I generally only burn EW. However, in extremely cold weather I may load both directions.

 

[madison]

With all the new found wiggle room in the big box I'm doing both as an experiment. Putting a log or two E/W on top of a bed of N/S logs gets a big fire going quickly and yet keeps burning nicely.

Agree.

Rake all coals front and center to a mound. 2 x N/S on either side of the mound for the base, and 3 E/W on top. Seems to burn well, and handle coal buildup. easily hold 550-650 for a few hrs, 8 hrs later stove top is 300, and the old coal mound is gone as well.

Can add a N/S in the lower middle after 1/2 hr when the coal mound has been reduced....