I always end up with a bunch of very slender wood from branches and tops. When I drop a tree I take EVERYTHING burnable out of the woods with me. I split everything "hotdog thick" and up, and mix the slim stuff int the wood piles. It's great for filling in between larger pieces in the stove, as well as for having smaller fires when it's warmer. You can get a surprising amount of heat from a stove full of 1inch thick limb wood split, and it dries incredibly fast.
What Do You Think About Splitting Real Small?
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The only reason I ever split small is faster drying. Nature provides all the smaller-sized wood I could ever need: it's called branch-wood, and comes already "split" into smaller diameters without the additional energy input of splitting. (Although after using and enjoying my brand-new Fiskars for the first time today, I may find myself splitting logs down to an inch for the pure pleasure of it!)
Nah, whatever smalls, are residuals from mostly large and mediums. Don't need em much, cept to top off a full load here and there. And shoulder season fires here and there.
Stella
Burning Hunk
If all you have available for burning is wood from the olive trees then the size of the branches cut during pruning governs the size, i.e. thickness of the logs or sticks, you will end up with. Olive trees are by their nature small but the wood burns exceeding hot and long. We cut to the length of our stove capacity which is 50 cms but for the most part the wood is the thickness of my wrist.
50 cm = 19.6 inches. You cut your wood a bit longer than most of European wood burning videos and images I've seen. Olive sounds like good dense wood. Does it have a specific smell like fruit trees have a sweet smell?
Stella
Burning Hunk
Actually and rather to my surprise no it has no specific smell while burning. I too had thought it might be aromatic. My stove is a Supra Mulhouse with a wide firebox if that is the right word.
At least Central Europe is not so cold as Canada and nearly every house has a central heating driven by gas or more usually with coal or wood.
The wood stoves are usually as stylish addition and not mentioned to be as the only (or main) heat supply to the house. According this needs are here made stoves. For example see here:
(broken link removed to http://www.haassohn-rukov.cz/en/products-and-services/our-products/chimney-stoves/)
a standard time between loads 3-4 hours, log size max. 35 cm (14inch) and absolutely NO secondary funny flames. But they are quite cheap.
When you are not satisfied with this, you have 2 choices here - Jotul or some stoves from Canada imported here (PE, Regency).
The wood stoves are usually as stylish addition and not mentioned to be as the only (or main) heat supply to the house. According this needs are here made stoves. For example see here:
(broken link removed to http://www.haassohn-rukov.cz/en/products-and-services/our-products/chimney-stoves/)
a standard time between loads 3-4 hours, log size max. 35 cm (14inch) and absolutely NO secondary funny flames. But they are quite cheap.
When you are not satisfied with this, you have 2 choices here - Jotul or some stoves from Canada imported here (PE, Regency).
Stella
Burning Hunk
Interesting to see different styles of stove especially the decorative tile stoves but I could not see the prices on the website. Am I missing something? Here in Southern Peloponnese my wood stove is my only source of heat but the air temperature is never below freezing outside and a house built with stone does stay fairly warm. More and more people here are installing wood stoves now that the price of heating oil has doubled in the last three years so that many with central heating do not actually use it.
I split logs smaller than my friends. When the ask my why I tell them because I have a small stove and I have a small wife. If they are too big she won't carry them in the house or put them in the stove.
I usually split smaller and larger pieces. I do like using the smaller pieces to get the fire going in the morning and the larger pieces when I am home and can put them in the stove.
I usually split smaller and larger pieces. I do like using the smaller pieces to get the fire going in the morning and the larger pieces when I am home and can put them in the stove.
From woodheat.org
"Split the logs to a variety of sizes, from 3" to 6" at the largest cross sectional dimension. Most commercial firewood is not split small enough for convenient fire management.
![[Hearth.com] What Do You Think About Splitting Real Small?](/talk/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwoodheat.org%2Fimages%2Fstories%2FTips%2FHugeListOfTips%2FImg2-split.gif&hash=1d79a618928b40607fc3d8bb94a36bf6 "[Hearth.com] What Do You Think About Splitting Real Small?")
7. The larger the stove or furnace, the larger the pieces can be, but never larger than 8" diameter."
"Split the logs to a variety of sizes, from 3" to 6" at the largest cross sectional dimension. Most commercial firewood is not split small enough for convenient fire management.
Paulywalnut
Minister of Fire
I'll bet she was glad to marry you and get that last name.
I split relatively small becuse I like to load my Lopi Freedom Bay North South. There are several benefits to the smaller splits.
1. faster drying time
2. hand splitting the short rounds is much easier
3. loading my ground level insert with lighter splits is much easier on the back
4. I can get more wood in the stove
5. starting fires seems easier, no kindling needed
1. faster drying time
2. hand splitting the short rounds is much easier
3. loading my ground level insert with lighter splits is much easier on the back
4. I can get more wood in the stove
5. starting fires seems easier, no kindling needed
colin.p
Burning Hunk
I have to buy my wood and of course all the caveats that go along with it. I find that the soft maple burns very well and I don't have to re-split it smaller, but the harder stuff I do to make it easier to burn. All of that is because the wood is not dry ( I buy it cut/split), at least as good as it needs to be so I have to make do.
This year, however, the guy I get my wood from thought he was doing me a favor and brought more than the usual amount of oak. As he splits large, I have to re-split the hard woods especially the oak for it to burn. It's a buggar to get going but burns long and hot when it does. If I was able to better handle the finances to get a couple years wood ahead, I can only imagine what truly dry oak would burn like. But until then, I get a work out with my x27 and re-split 3-4 cords every year.
The joys of being a pauper and burning in a small stove.
This year, however, the guy I get my wood from thought he was doing me a favor and brought more than the usual amount of oak. As he splits large, I have to re-split the hard woods especially the oak for it to burn. It's a buggar to get going but burns long and hot when it does. If I was able to better handle the finances to get a couple years wood ahead, I can only imagine what truly dry oak would burn like. But until then, I get a work out with my x27 and re-split 3-4 cords every year.
The joys of being a pauper and burning in a small stove.
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If you borrowed money at interest, I wouldn't be surprised if the extra BTU output of well-seasoned wood fully covered the debt service.
But admit it... you WANT to keep re-splitting all that wood because you love your X27!
Hi Stella,
prices are for example here:
(broken link removed to http://kamna.astranet.cz/store/default.asp?strName=&lngDepartmentID=343&lngPage=1&strCreatorName=&lngOrderingItemID=4&curPriceFrom=&curPriceTo=)
stoves are produced mostly by two large companies - ABX and Haas+Sohn.
Exchange rate is about 1000 CZK = 50 USD
I have experience with two of them - you have to reload them very often with small splits, no chance to get overnight burn etc... I'm happy with PE now
Jan.
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