New owner help with wood for this season.

[infinitymike]

Eddie, where on the island do you live?

I live in Ronkonkoma/Nesconset border.

Any help would be appreciated

Eddie

Eddie,
I live in northport, not to far.

I'm new at burning, but new to wood and the likes.

I wouldn't mind going with you. I have a moisture meter.

This my first year burning and I bought 2 cords from a guy that I really felt like he was honest and fair.
That was based only on several conversation over the phone and comparing it the the other guys I spoke to over the phone.
Most guys had no time to talk strickly business.
This guy took to time talk and build trust, needless to say I got wood that must have been cut and split that day.
It was wet to the touch!

Live and learn.

However most of it is locust and maple. they dry pretty quick.

Any way let me know if you want me go look with ya.

Tell ya the truth, all the places that I know you go look at are getting it from one of about 4 big processing yards.
And all they are doing is giving out this years stuff. Its bright in color, the bark is still on and its heavy for its size.

So go on Craigslist and hope for the best.

Bottom line its still wood and will burn. Maybe not so good but it will still burn. It make take some work but it will still burn.

 

[Dix]

Eddie, welcome to the forums !!


Try John/ Island Hardwoods in Manorville. (I'm PMing his #). Explain your situation (he's a wood burner, too), and I'm sure he will help if he can. He's the $100 a cord guy we've been talking about.

 

[Beer Belly]

Cherry is another type of wood that is very dry in 6 months, I cut some green and had it split and stacked by April 1st and have been starting fires with it from scratch.

Cherry can be ready to roll that quick ???....I scored 3 pick up truck loads last month....thought if I split now, still be 2 years till it's ready....I have a nice sunny part of the yard for it.

 

[red oak]

Eddie - welcome to the forum! You have come to the right place - I've learned a lot on here as well! What's been posted ahead of me is really good advice, so I can't add much to it. I would emphasize though that if you wind up buying wood, think of it as an investment to buy for future years. Get a couple of years ahead and then you won't need to worry about seasoning at all. This of course depends on your available space and money. But once you are ahead your heating bill may be next to nothing!

Also, with the saw, if you know someone who works with chainsaws you may want to ask their advice, maybe even borrow one to try out. Ditto on figuring out what size wood you'll be cutting before getting a saw.

And as far as splitting, all you really need is a maul, sledge hammer, and 2 wedges. Splitting is great exercise and I find it very enjoyable.

Good luck with everything and again, welcome!

 

[Dix]

Cherry is another type of wood that is very dry in 6 months, I cut some green and had it split and stacked by April 1st and have been starting fires with it from scratch.

Cherry can be ready to roll that quick ???....I scored 3 pick up truck loads last month....thought if I split now, still be 2 years till it's ready....I have a nice sunny part of the yard for it.

I've burned it at 3 months, and it was pretty good. 6 months, and it's primo, usually.

IMHO.

 

[BlankBlankBlank]

Eddie, you've gotten responses from many of the best minds here at Hearth.com. So, ditto, on all the good stuff offered. You said that you want to burn 24/7. My take on it is that you'll want at least 4 full cords (4'x4'x8') of well seasoned hardwoods to even think about making wood heat primary. You'll also want to stockpile wood for 2-3 years if you want to heat primarily with wood.

How much wood you need depends on the energy efficiency of your home - how well insulated, air sealed, etc. In the past you've spent thousands of dollars each year on fuel oil. I recommend spending some bucks on getting an energy audit of your home. In my area a blower test can cost between $300-$500 and usually consists of two tests, one before the energy improvements and one after to see how much benefit was gained. Your state might offer incentives to have your home tested. This usually consists of a blower test and infrared scan to find the biggest energy suckers. I can tell you now that air sealing the attic from the rest of your home and then insulating and venting the attic will offer the biggest energy savings in most homes.

As for getting good wood, once you have purchased some (hopefully) seasoned wood for this year and some for next year too, start scrounging for as much wood as you can possibly get your hands on. You could run your own add on Craigslist, offering to pick up downed trees for free. You'd be surprised how many calls you get. Also, talk to your tree service friend about getting him to dump wood in your driveway, or at least letting you pick it up. If he isn't a firewood guy, he'll probably love to have you taking it. Where I live tree guys who do not do firewood pay to have the cut wood taken to the landfill because they make their money on the removal of the tree, not firewood.

Lastly, I'd recommend finding several good sources for pallets, especially for this year. They burn hot but fast. This would help you get through your first season.