Need wood to burn... would you buy this?

[Toomb]

I would buy the slab wood for next year, and then get busy trying to get a year or two ahead

 

[maple1]

If anybody finds cheap wood and they have any kind of place to put it, they should buy it. For future use.

Getting 2 (or ideally 3) years ahead takes all the 'is this wood dry' out of all the equations. Gets you really dry wood that you know is dry when comes time to burn it. And reduces your wood costs - maybe quite significantly - because not only can you buy possibly cheaper green or unseasoned wood, you should also end up burning less wood.

 

[jackatc1]

Jack,

I mostly cut down dead trees, and agree with your first two points. However I am unfamiliar with the term "jackknife" I have searched Google and youtube and have not found any explanation of what that is. Do you perhaps mean the term "barberchair"?

Hi Montana,

What I call a jackknife, is when the tree starts to fall and it catches a nearby branch
and breaks at a weak point and the top comes over backwards.

 

[Elisurfer4]

If anybody finds cheap wood and they have any kind of place to put it, they should buy it. For future use.

Getting 2 (or ideally 3) years ahead takes all the 'is this wood dry' out of all the equations. Gets you really dry wood that you know is dry when comes time to burn it. And reduces your wood costs - maybe quite significantly - because not only can you buy possibly cheaper green or unseasoned wood, you should also end up burning less wood.

Now, when you say that, you're basically saying for those who don't have the ability to cut and process their own wood right now for future use... because that would likely be my most cost effective use of time now, huh?

 

[Nateums]

Hi Montana,

What I call a jackknife, is when the tree starts to fall and it catches a nearby branch
and breaks at a weak point and the top comes over backwards.

Yikes, I'll be honest, I never really thought of that one. The one that scares me is when you drive a wedge sometimes limbs will fall up top.

Now, when you say that, you're basically saying for those who don't have the ability to cut and process their own wood right now for future use... because that would likely be my most cost effective use of time now, huh?

If you can process your own that is probably cheapest. It is a lot of work even on my own land. You really would want a truck or trailer and a way to pull in close if you're taking it from somewhere else.

 

[Montanalocal]

Last summer I had a big tall dead pine come over sideways on me. I cut the hinge a little too close on the far side of the tree, and it snapped and the tree went over completely 90 degrees to the hinge. Turns out there was some rotten wood on that side too. These big old pines have been dead around 6 years, and they are starting to rot off at the base. Not fun to cut. I am putting a line with a snatch block on if there is any question whatsoever.

 

[jetsam]

I dropped a smallish (18", 30') rotten tree one time. I picked my primary and backup escape routes, at 90° to each other. I went to finish the cut, and hit some rotten stuff near the middle. I pulled the saw and was trying to decide if it was time to run or cut when the hinge made a pop noise but the tree stayed upright. I took one step towards the primary route (behind the hinge) and saw it was starting to lean that way- 180° to the way it was supposed to go! Switched to my backup route and really hoofed it, dove behind the larger tree at the end of the route.

I looked back, and that damn homing tree is falling DIRECTLY towards me, 90° from where I thought it was falling a couple seconds ago. I felt like Wil E. Coyote watching the boulder come. I figured if I ran I was going to get the tar clubbed out of me by branches, if I was lucky, so I hunkered down behind my big tree.

Not much more to the story (little tree hit the big tree and snagged; I was able to treat it like hanging deadfall from there. It turned out that a little piece of the hinge had held and the tree spun around on that one tether as it fell.)

I won't soon forget the sight of that tree falling RIGHT on me though. Rotten trees can fall in any direction no matter what you do with the saw. Even forestry professionals use explosives on some very large rotten stuff because it's just too unpredictable to cut (and they can press the boom button from a nice long distance away).

 

[Elisurfer4]

I didn’t have time to do more than skim the thread, so I’m sorry if this is redundant or not helpful.

If you want to buy wood, try buying this season for use in 18 months, not this year.

Also, if you’re going the compressed block route, see if Liberty Bricks in Doswell still does wholesale. They used to be 170 per ton and are a very high quality product.

Hey man, I appreciate the heads up on Liberty... contacted them yesterday at noon and they had an entire ton delivered to my doorstep by 6PM for $250... that's incredible.

BTW, it would have still been $170 if I had picked them up myself but I don't have the means to do so.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

That’s great service. Now go find your driest wood and bring in a couple days’ worth to stage beside the stove (but still outside your clearance requirements). I found that burning a combination of splits and blocks was my favorite. Burning the blocks this season should give you time to fill up your new wood rack and replenish the old one. Is your wife coming to like the stove, or is it too early yet?

 

[Elisurfer4]

That’s great service. Now go find your driest wood and bring in a couple days’ worth to stage beside the stove (but still outside your clearance requirements). I found that burning a combination of splits and blocks was my favorite. Burning the blocks this season should give you time to fill up your new wood rack and replenish the old one. Is your wife coming to like the stove, or is it too early yet?

She has surely come to like the idea of it! lol I am still waiting on dag nab YRC Freight to deliver it like they said they would 2 weeks ago... the chimney guys have already installed the liner and everything

 

[FTG-05]

Now, when you say that, you're basically saying for those who don't have the ability to cut and process their own wood right now for future use... because that would likely be my most cost effective use of time now, huh?

Let's assume for the sake of argument that the difference between burning wet or poorly unseasoned wood vs. well seasoned firewood (i.e. +3 year old CSS firewood) is about 40% in heat efficiency. In other words it takes about 40% more wood for the same heat output.

Apply that figure to the entire processing of firewood womb to tomb:

- 40% less trees (or raw materials if you use an industrial output e.g. railroad ties manufacturing)
- 40% less transporting the raw wood
- 40% less bucking
- 40% less splitting
- 40% less stacking
- 40% less storage space needed
- 40% less transporting the split firewood to the stove/staging area
- 40% less burning
- 40% less pollutants? Don't know.

Now granted, I probably mangled the 40% heat output difference and how that relates to the various reduction in inputs; so pick a number, the concept is the same.

So if you buy firewood, pick the place where you come into the equation (probably the 40% less stacking) and see if it's worth it to you.

Yea, I'd say it's your most effective use of your time.

 

[maple1]

Now, when you say that, you're basically saying for those who don't have the ability to cut and process their own wood right now for future use... because that would likely be my most cost effective use of time now, huh?

Getting ahead benefits everyone whether they are scrounging or buying. Overall it leads to less wood burned, and less of whatever you go through to get to the ready to burn point. But when I posted that I was understanding that you were a buyer - therefore, you would save in multiple ways. Burning less wood, so you wouldn't need to buy as much every year once you are ahead. Plus if you don't have to pay a premium for well seasoned wood you should be able to get it for less cost per cord. And you also take all the wet wood worries away, which equals more peace of mind. Hard to put a price on that last part, but it's worth something.