Split Size

[Kyle LI]

Well first off, my name is Kyle and I have a problem with wood. I have about 5 cords of wood c/s/s. Once solid cord of white oak and the rest red, I had gotten all of that from Sandy. Seven trees had come down in my property and I found a nice landscaper who wanted to get rid of some wood so he dropped it off. Well the other day I had two sixty foot red oaks taken down in my front yard and now all of the logs are in my backyard. I was splitting the wood and I started to think about if there is a proper size to make the splits.

I guess I am looking to see what the best size to try and keep the splits. I have included a few pictures of what i have split and the trees that were taken down.

And I guess I should also include that I am not planing on putting in a new insert till next summer. So the Ms. is not real happy about all this wood sitting around in the yard.I am trying to get about 15 cords of wood figuring that I will burn about 5 cords a year.


.

 

[billb3]

Bigger than the opening /door of the stove will be a problem for sure.

Most like a variation in size and it does depend on the stove somewhat.
I like 4 to 8 with a propensity towards 4.

 

[mass_burner]

depends on your stove size. I like at least 1" from each end, east/west. I used to use a sharpee to draw the size of both my stoves from the end of my splitting axe, and lay the axe on the ground under my bucking horse for a visual. Now I just eye it.

 

[Paulywalnut]

When I have a choice on size I like 2 inches shorter than my width of the opening which is 16 inches.
So if you want the red oak to season in less than 5 years( lol )split them in 4 or 5 inch thick splits.
Building a five year arsenal you could split some bigger than you normally would that will be sitting
longer time in the stacks. Nice to have all that red oak for sure but you'll eventually have to get some
faster seasoning wood also, maple, ash for example. Good luck and welcome to the hearth forum.

 

[velvetfoot]

I would say 16" length. The width you split looks good to me. I would split the round limbs in the picture because they'll dry better.

 

[Craig S.]

Im in Smithtown as well, and am jealous that you have the room for that amount of wood. I've got just enough room for the 2.5 cords I need in my yard (I keep the rounds and start chopping as the racks go empty over the winter). When I have wood dropped off here, by the end of the day, I make sure everything is neat, even if I'm not done processing, just to make the Mrs. happy.

 

[Kyle LI]

Im in Smithtown as well, and am jealous that you have the room for that amount of wood. I've got just enough room for the 2.5 cords I need in my yard (I keep the rounds and start chopping as the racks go empty over the winter). When I have wood dropped off here, by the end of the day, I make sure everything is neat, even if I'm not done processing, just to make the Mrs. happy.

I can probably get about 30 cords on my property but nothing good would happen to me. I need to finish processing this wood before I get more dropped off here

 

[Craig S.]

I can probably get about 30 cords on my property but nothing good would happen to me.

 

[Kyle LI]

LOL where in Smithtown are you. The only reason I am stocking up now is because I feel like oil will be $5 a gal soon. The cost of an insert will pay for its self in a year

 

[Kyle LI]

So besides the length because I am looking at a few inserts that will take either 20-22 in long splits between 4 and 8 inch in dia is a good size?

 

[billb3]

So besides the length because I am looking at a few inserts that will take either 20-22 in long splits between 4 and 8 inch in dia is a good size?

Kinda depends on your firebox size

For a 0.6 cubic inch stove 8 inches is gonna be a bit on the large side


For a three cubic foot stove too many 4 inchers might be like loading toothpicks.


For a stove you don't even have yet a good mix/range of sizes should cover all the bases. Too big you can always split again. Too small you can still use but you can avoid on the next go rounds.

 

[Dix]

Welcome to the Forums, Kyle. Nice to see another LI'er here

How long have those 5 cords been CSS?

 

[Kyle LI]

Welcome to the Forums, Kyle. Nice to see another LI'er here

How long have those 5 cords been CSS?

they have been sitting about 1 year.

 

[Dix]

they have been sitting about 1 year.

I'd ponder putting that insert in now.

CSS since Sandy gives you 15 - 16 months seasoned in January / February. That's a damned good gamble, in my book.

Plus, it will give you more room for stacking what's coming in, although it sounds like you have plenty of room

 

[Kyle LI]

I'd ponder putting that insert in now.

CSS since Sandy gives you 15 - 16 months seasoned in January / February. That's a damned good gamble, in my book.

Plus, it will give you more room for stacking what's coming in, although it sounds like you have plenty of room

Well I am hoping that 5 cords will be enough per year

 

[Dix]

Well I am hoping that 5 cords will be enough per year

Let's git 'er all dun in one thread

House size, layout, FP dimensions, etc. .

I'm at 200SF, but the layout needs 2 stoves long, split, offset ranch) . If it were more normal, the PE would suffice.

 

[red oak]

I agree that most stoves would take around 16" long and 4-8" in diameter. With oak, tend toward smaller splits if you can because it will dry faster. Also, oak tends to split pretty easily, so it won't be as much work as some other wood. And yes you can always split again if it's too big. I came across a number of splits that I moved this weekend that were split two years ago. I was wondering what the heck I was thinking when I split them because some of the pieces are absolute monsters. Then I remembered the day I was splitting up that tree it was 95 degrees - that explains it! I'll have to resplit some of those for sure!

And I agree that 5 cords should be enough for one winter for you - I think you'll find you have a good bit left over during most winters as well.

 

[PSYS]

You guys are makin' me jealous.

 

[Craig S.]

You guys are makin' me jealous.

5 cords, me too ... maybe I need to rent some storage space from Kyle.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Well first off, my name is Kyle and I have a problem with wood. I have about 5 cords of wood c/s/s. Once solid cord of white oak and the rest red, I had gotten all of that from Sandy. Seven trees had come down in my property and I found a nice landscaper who wanted to get rid of some wood so he dropped it off. Well the other day I had two sixty foot red oaks taken down in my front yard and now all of the logs are in my backyard. I was splitting the wood and I started to think about if there is a proper size to make the splits.

I guess I am looking to see what the best size to try and keep the splits. I have included a few pictures of what i have split and the trees that were taken down.

And I guess I should also include that I am not planing on putting in a new insert till next summer. So the Ms. is not real happy about all this wood sitting around in the yard.I am trying to get about 15 cords of wood figuring that I will burn about 5 cords a year.

Welcome to the forum Kyle.

First off, I don't see any problem at all except time. You have about 5 cord of some great wood and it appears you are splitting at a decent size. It can be nice to have a few large splits for those long overnight burns. Remember too that the smaller you split, the better the chances of it drying in time for you to burn it.

Still, it will only be 2 years before you intend to burn it and 2 years is about minimum time for oak to dry. Hopefully you have this wood outdoors and hopefully you have good air circulation; especially some wind. Sun will help too but for sure you need wind. That is the big key to drying wood. Just to let you know, we won't burn oak until it has been in the stack for 3 years as then it burns much better and no creosote.

One thing I have never understood is when folks say their wives don't like wood sitting around in the yard. Maybe it is just me and the fact that I grew up with this but having wood stacked does not distract from the rest of the place so long as it is stacked neat. If it is helter skelter, then for sure there can be a problem. If you look at some of the guys on this forum and how they have their wood stacked, I think it adds to the beauty of their homes and that is how it should be.

Look, for instance at the stacks of one Dexter Day. Look at the stacks of one called the woodlands. How about Tim's stacks. Well, I could go on and on because some of these guys really have their stacking down to an art and you can do the same. But if you get really good, then maybe you could do some like this:


Of course there are many more examples. This just gives you some food for thought.

 

[Maple man]

You can allways make the splits smaller but can never put small splits together again

 

[pen]

When I had a pre-epa (80's or older) wood stove, I like having a good % of my stockpile being some pretty large splits to help extend the burn. For that stove, larger splits let me give the stove a bit more air which gave me a cleaner burn w/out overheating the stove and also gave a longer burn.

With my modern stove, having larger splits really doesn't gain me anything. So I do them smaller than I used to (no problem palming them by the end of the split).

As I bring wood into the house to burn, from time to time I have to laugh as I can tell when I get into wood I must have been in a hurry to split up and get home as it's larger (not length wise, but split size wise) than I normally do. If you are on a 2 or 3 year rotation for burning wood, then even the bigger splits are well seasoned and can just be whacked down smaller before coming into the house.

If one is burning wood that's had less than 1 year to season, I'd err on the side of smaller splits for faster drying.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

Sounds like you have a good problem with too much wood.

5 cords should be good for most folks for each winter . . . but it's always nice to have more than less since I have yet to hear anyone complain in early March that they still have too much wood left over and heating season is just about over . . . whereas I have heard many a person lament the fact that they are nearly out of wood and the heating season is still going.

For some reason my wife didn't like me stacking my wood out front . . . she suggested a spot out back and honestly it has worked out much better as it is almost unseen from the road (which is nice in case there are some less than ambitious woodburners out there who might prefer to let other folks do their work for them) . . . perhaps your wife might have some suggested spots to put your wood. You can also try a holz miete . . . I find these rather attractive and unique.

Split size . . . it's nice to have a nice sampling of small, medium and large. Small are nice when you are getting the fire going or when you are trying to squeeze in that last piece . . . large are good for those overnight fires and medium sizes just are nice in general.