Here's a photo of the first load. Paid $500 for this:
![[Hearth.com] Newbie Wood Question](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/126/126000-cb5d708566b1da16094486269c302cef.jpg?hash=T9FNQFlluS "[Hearth.com] Newbie Wood Question")
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Newbie Wood Question
- Thread starter Parallax
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Wow! Nice.
Doug fir is primo firewood around here - my dad only burns fir 24/7 and has to scoop ash about 3-4 times a year.
Alder is definitely more ashy. I've found it gives less heat than fir, but mine is damp so not a fair comparison.
Hemlock - I'll be able to tell you next year. I got some this year but it doesn't burn well at all, however it is wet so I'm giving it a year more seasoning before I pass judgement.
'Alaska spruce' is a funny one. Sitka spruce doesn't start growing well until near me (Campbell river, BC - 50th parallel). Too dry further south. And it's supposed to be a terrible firewood, never mind being a pita to split (almost impossible).
Do you have any arbutus (madrone) near you? That is supposed to be a good firewood - we're just a bit too far north for it.
Doug fir is primo firewood around here - my dad only burns fir 24/7 and has to scoop ash about 3-4 times a year.
Alder is definitely more ashy. I've found it gives less heat than fir, but mine is damp so not a fair comparison.
Hemlock - I'll be able to tell you next year. I got some this year but it doesn't burn well at all, however it is wet so I'm giving it a year more seasoning before I pass judgement.
'Alaska spruce' is a funny one. Sitka spruce doesn't start growing well until near me (Campbell river, BC - 50th parallel). Too dry further south. And it's supposed to be a terrible firewood, never mind being a pita to split (almost impossible).
Do you have any arbutus (madrone) near you? That is supposed to be a good firewood - we're just a bit too far north for it.
Thanks. Haven't heard of arbutus but then what do I know? I'm greener than that load of wood. :0)
When I visited Bellingham everybody called the Georgia Pacific mill the toilet paper plant. Just looked and see it may have been closed.
blacktail
Minister of Fire
That's a nice load of firewood. Looks like you need to get a chainsaw.
All the woods around here have their attributes. Hemlock doesn't coal well but it dries pretty quick. I cut some in May and it's some of the driest wood I've burned this season. Alder leaves a lot of ash but it grows like a weed and splits real easy. Maple and fir both throw alot of heat.
All the woods around here have their attributes. Hemlock doesn't coal well but it dries pretty quick. I cut some in May and it's some of the driest wood I've burned this season. Alder leaves a lot of ash but it grows like a weed and splits real easy. Maple and fir both throw alot of heat.
What they are selling you is loads of logs, not cords of wood. Buying firewood logs from a logger is not the same as buying cordwood from a firewood guy.
Yes, I was trying to save money by buying a log truck of logs to cut, split and stack myself. As it turns out, I have a client who owes me money so he's going to do it as a form of trade.
My thought was this would save a lot of money over buying wood already cut and split. I think it's about half as expensive (and for a better quality of wood too).
For log loads, I'd want a 12" minimum diameter but you'll probably find most are around the 18" size. Perfect size.
Is there a diameter below which there's no need to split the wood? Does burning rounds work alright?
Burning rounds is fine - but of 10 or so splits per load, I don't like more than 3 or so rounds - a full load of larger rounds take a long time to catch IMO. Also, rounds dry slower than splits - so when I save rounds, I stack them separate and let them season for a long time (3+ years). This is a stack of mainly oak/beech rounds that were stacked in Dec 2011 - might burn them next winter, but likely two winters from now. Cheers!
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blacktail
Minister of Fire
Arbutus is Madrone. Supposed to be great firewood but typically only grows very close to saltwater so it's not as available as other species.
Thanks guys. I'm told Douglas Fir dries fast. Does anyone have experience with it? The stuff I bought is freshly cut. I'm guessing it will not be ready to burn next year in a Blaze King catalytic stove. But some folks say it dries really fast. What percentage moisture before it's ready to burn in a cat stove?
blacktail
Minister of Fire
Forget about the numbers. Get next year's wood now and shortly after that get wood for the following year. Stay a year out with our local species and you'll be fine.
jillybeansisme
Member
Parallax -- ALWAYS wear eye and ear protection. I had a severe eye injury about 5 1/2 years ago and lost some of the fluid in my eye. Fortunately the retina didn't detach, but I still have black floaties and have to be careful. I always wear eye protection when I'm making soap and I'll wear it when I wield my hedge trimmer and for SURE wear it when I start using a chain saw.
I just didn't know to wear it when I put my (then) 2 1/2 year old in her car seat and she didn't want to be in it. Got kicked straight in the eye. Trust me when I say, wear eye protection!
I just didn't know to wear it when I put my (then) 2 1/2 year old in her car seat and she didn't want to be in it. Got kicked straight in the eye. Trust me when I say, wear eye protection!
Thank you, my friend. That's a really good reminder and I will definitely follow your advice -- at least with the chain saw. My wife if pregnant (with her first, my third). Raised two kids myself and never got kicked in the eye, thank God. But then I guess we all get our own path to walk. Something like that must be an act of God or fate and so all we can do is bow our hearts and say yes. At least that's my view. Now hopefully my new child won't kick me in the eye, unless that's what God has in store for me, in which case I guess I too will have to say yes and surrender.
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