If you have rounds that are really hard to split, set those aside for a nice negative degree temp day. Then have another wack at them. Don’t be afraid to stack your firewood in methods. They all have there pros and cons. What works well for me, not work well for you, and vise versa.
A moister meter is a very valuable tool. It allows you to run experiments, get hard numbers to allow you to figure what works best for you.
You know your wood is ready for the stove when it is 20% moister or less. Learn how to identify the difference tree species in your area can go a long ways when harvesting firewood. It allows you to identify the hardwoods verse the softwoods as well It can help you identify when the safest time to cut a tree is.
But don’t be a wood snob, softer woods are great for spring and fall time burns and also make great kindling. Avoid cutting Oak trees from April to July. these are the highest risk months of spreading oak wilt. If you are looking for the lowest months, or the best months. Cut between November to March.
Work towards a three year wood supply.
You will always have enough wood no matter what winter throws at you. It is never a race and you can take your time on refilling the piles and not have to worry about having dry firewood in the fall. If times really get hard you can always sell some of it. Check out the forms at firewoodhoardersclub.
com for a very friendly and knowledgeable community. Stack your firewood in a sunny and windy location. I find it dries the quickest when it faces the south. $100 pair of chainsaw chaps is a lot cheaper then a trip to the emergency room or the potential of loosing a leg or life. Thanks for the reminder Tom.
Firewood will last a long time if you get it up and off the ground. I find that pallets are a great and stable solution that can often be picked up for free. Wood ashes can be used icy surfaces to provide traction and help melt the ice. Take the time to learn to sharpen your chain by hand. You are not dependent on electricity so you can sharpen it at anytime and place.
Split your firewood in a variety of sizes. Smaller splits are great for getting fires going and the big large splits work great for all night burns. When you are out splitting your firewood. Don’t forget to take the time to make some kindling as well. You want that stuff to be real nice and dry and can save yourself the hassle of going out in the cold winter months to split more.
Be sure to brush your chimney often. polymer wedges are great for helping you fall a tree in a particle direction as well as preventing you from pinching your bar when cutting up rounds. The polymer material will help save your chain if you end up nicking them. Take a few moments to mark your wood splitter at max length your wood stove will take. That way you will catch any splits that are too large before they end up in the wood piles.
In the winter months reverse the direction of your ceiling fans so they blow upward. This will pull the cold air up and push the hot air down.
Helping circulate air in the house. In the cooler areas in the house place a fan blowing towards the direction of the wood stove. Cold air is more dense so it will blow into that room and push the warm air back to fill the room.
(Note: Run fan on low and as low to the ground as possible) Keep some extra spare parts for your stove such as stove pipe and rope gasket. These parts most common to fail, are relatively cheap and by having them on hand you can get things up and going quickly. Wood ashes can hold a lot of moister. So before the humid summer months move in. clean it out thoroughly.
This will help prolong the life of your wood stove. If you don’t have an ash vacuum. You can use your wet vac by simply applying a dust filter bag inside and vacuum up your ashes.
Perfect for end of the season clean up. When out harvesting firewood be sure to slow down and enjoy yourself.
There is nothing that beats getting out in the great outdoors. If you don’t have a wood lot take look at your state or county. A lot of times you can get a permit and cut several cords of firewood at a very reasonable price. Another option is use resources like Craigslist. Specially after storms.
Just put a simple add out saying you are looking for down trees. And finally make sure you click the subscribe button her on this channel for other great wood heating tips.
Read More: How To Collect Firewood