My Oslo heats my home said:Slow1 said:My wood has a complex journey from the winter woodpile to the stove... it is a long trip.
From the woodpile I load the wood into plastic recycling bins that I set into the wheelbarrow. Two fit nicely in there, this I wheel to the base of my deck, then I carry the plastic bins up to the rack by the back door (22 steps) to unload and fill the rack - about once a week during peak burning season, less often rest of the time (rack holds 1/4 cord). When I need wood inside, I wheel my baker's rack over to the back door and leave the door open as I fill it up, then wheel it next to the stove where it can sit until burning time.
I have three shelves on this rack and another (without wheels) that also has three shelves next to it by the stove. I burn from the stationary rack, then refill from the wheeled one before refilling it. This rotation of wood gives me nice dry wood and enough supply by the stove that I can go 2-3 days minimum between filling from the back door/deck. This way I decide when to hold the door open and don't have to do it when it is raining, snowing, or blowing bitter cold wind into the house. Generally this is an afternoon task so I don't cool the house down too much.
My plan is to pass much of these tasks over to the child labor crew as they get strong enough to do so. Last year the oldest (now 9 and 8) were proving quite capable of stacking on the rack as well as loading the boxes at the pile. May be a while before they carry the full boxes up the deck stairs, but I expect they will be filling the baker's rack this winter. With four kids growing up I look forward to lots of help![]()
Out of all the posts to this thread I think your wood trip from pile to the stove is the most labor intense, I feel for you.
Well, I could make it simpler - Just fill up tubs from the woodpile and hump them directly up the deck stairs and across the house to the stove when I need them, but it is a bit of a trek. I don't like the idea of tracking in snow/ice/whatever that far into the house and having to clean up the mess all that often. So I make it a two step process.
It really isn't all that bad. I fill up the deck rack about twice a month or less during shoulder season, then once a week (and it isn't totally empty many times) during peak season for about 6 weeks. This is a weekend job - generally takes an hour or so at worst when there is ice and snow to deal with. Filling the inside rack every few days (or once a week during should season) takes all of 15 minutes and is not hard work since I just have to roll the rack across the floor, load (moving the wood about 5' or so), then roll it back across to the stove. Any shifting of wood from the rolling rack to the stationary one happens throughout the burning days gradually as I 'pick my splits' to burn.
However, I do envy those who don't have to carry their wood up stairs in the winter - that must be nice
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