anyone else heat with wood?

[wackmaster]

I cut 20 truck laods.(long bed stacked above the cab) I own a husky 55 and a 460. My furnace never turns on. I heat my house and my machine shop with wood only. My shop doesn,t even have a back up system. I also buy 1 1/2 ton of coal every winter.
To all of you heating with wood my advice is eather buy or do as I did build your own log splitter!!!!
The $400.00 I paid for the parts (including the gas moter) saves my life every year.

[Hodr]

My brother in law has an auto parts and repair up in the hills.  Times get hard he does what he can to help.  Mostly he takes firewood in trade, lets it sit and dry till winter and then gives most of it away when it starts snowing.  Good man and a good friend.

blindhari

[Echo4Lima]

Against the law in California.  Unless they say you can on certain days!

[gypsyman]

Rereading some of these posts, and one caught my eye, from jimster.You mentioned in your post, you had a fireplace insert installed. When I put mine in, many years ago, I just slide it in place. I would pull it out every year and clean behind it, and run a brush down the chimney. For some unknown reason, I skipped a year, maybe I thought I had done it in the spring, and let it go. Well, on a cold January night, I put some logs in for the night, and was just about to hit the sack, around midnight. When I heard what sounded like a jet engine roar. I had heard that sound years ago. I had a chimney fire going. In my slippers and shorts, at around 5 degrees outside, I seen blue flames coming out of the top of my chimney. I imediatley went back in, and shut down the dampers all the way. Took about 5-8 minute's, and it settled down. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well that night, wondering if any flames made it between the cracks and maybe caught any rafters or beams on fire. I was lucky, in that when my dad built the house, he had double bricked the chimney, and the joints didn't overlap.
Anyway, to bring this story to an end, after I had cleaned out the flue and got back to good shape, I had an insert installed down the chimney. It's made out of stainless steel, looks like a 15' acordian pipe, with a fire resistant covering. It's alot easier to run a chimney brush down it, and I sleep alot better now in the winter time. If you don't have one of these installed, which they are kinda expensive, make sure you brush the chimney, pull the insert and clean behind it. The only time I want to hear that noise again, is when I'm at the airport. gypsyman

[Swampman]

I heated with wood for many years.  I tried to cut my wood in Feb. so it would be dry enough by winter.  I used mostly Live oak, Black Jack, and some pine.  With a good air tight stove it was all I ever needed.

[WD45]

We have heated with wood most of my life. It takes a lot more wood than most people think to heat an entire house all winter unless they are in florida . I burn about the same as what I see you all do. Anyone that tells me they heat thier whole house all winter on 1 cord of wood does not have what I would call a real winter or are out of thier mind.  A good airtight stove / furnace with an external air source sure does help though. We cut 40 or more truck loads a year and thank God for the man that invented the hydraulic log splitter !!! How many of you all have beat your brains out trying to split elm or a nice twisted section of sycamore . My grandad used to say you make more heat trying to split sycamore than burning it One of the best saws we had was a big old david bradly gear drive. I like stihl and husky saws but like anything else they have pro grade and consumer grades. The only thing I don't like about stihl are the expensive simple parts like air filters and drive sprockets. 18 bucks for a air filter... give me a break

[masterdave]

I have burned wood since 1975
we measure firewood by FACE CORDS in northern Michigan  4ft.X8 ft. X 18in.
Depending on the winter temp. and wind direction I need 40  cords to be safe.
at 61 years I dont know how much longer I will be able to produce that much
although I sold wood for years as it was all there was to do in the winter
If the economey makes a come back I want to sell the wood 80 and turn the dial on the wall to keep warm 
I use a home made splitter , a Johnsered 2171 saw and a dozer to skid . All this is done after the snow comes . I cut and split  it for the following winter .
Last year out of pocket cost per cord was just over $24 per cord not counting my time
but 1 cord supplies the heat of 70 gallons of propane @ 2.15 a gallon this year so I guess im saveing some

[45-70.gov]

i  paid the bills on the birth  of 3 kids selling fire wood

had a splitter with 5 inch ram
you could cross cut pine  and lighter knot stumps
got $5 for a bucke of splintered lighter knot
$45 a cord

you  saw up  the twisted  ones

i  also  had 3 bar-b-q  restarant customers  so i    could sell in the summer
had a friend down the street in the land clearing business
dumped  his trucks  of wood in my yard

i now split  with  a 17 pound monster  maul
saves a trip to the gym

[JASmith]

We go through about 1 and half face cords each year -- mild climate in central California.  One of the posts described the saw blade turning to the side as the cut progresses.  I had the same problem -- discovered that the bar wears unevenly so the the teeth are pointed toward the side.  Naturally that's where the cut goes.  Dressing the bar fixed the problem.

Love my Dremel for sharpening -- will admit that it's not a lot faster than the file, but I have fun with the Dremel!

[45-70.gov]

use lots of oil

sharpen your blade EVERY TIME  you fill the gas tank

blade  hits  somethin and dulls on  one side
then  the bar starts to ware un even

did  i say use  lots of oil on the blade/ bar

[WD45]

An incorrectly sharpened chain can cause uneven bar wear and cutting curves so to speak. If the right cutters are not takeing out the same chunk as the left cutters then the cut will not be straight which also puts more pressure on one side of the bar and the condition just keeps getting worse. Also be carefull where you by bar and chain. The oregon stuff you buy at home depot and the like is junk and made to cut about a truck load of wood in about 5 years. Oregon makes good pro grade stuff but you will not buy it in the big box stores.

[vacek]

We have two wood burning stoves.  ONe is a small Vermont Casting and another a large potbelly.  We live on 4 acres outside of Ft. Collins.  Anyway most of the wood used is junk wood.  A neighbor tore down an old house and I took a large pile of shingles for kindling.  The interior framing I have been cutting up on a Harbor Freight Chop Saw.  Along with that my son hauled in part of a huge cottonwood that was cut down at his girlfriends.    Anyway, very little cost if you are willing to cut and keep the homefires burning.

[The Poet]

                    Gentlemen,

       I too, use wood as much as I can.
I live in north Texas on 'My 25 Acres' and have 15 acres of 'woods'.
It doesn't get very cold here
but as long as my 'box type' wood stove is burning
the central never comes on,
 till about 3:00 am when the fire goes out.

       Mostly I 'cut and burn' small dead cedar trees
which do not need splitting anyway.
 Till about bedtime, then I throw in a few good sized elm, hackberry, or oak logs.
But I, and my father, have been 'working in these woods'
 since he bought this land 27 years ago.

And when my Dad first bought the land...
I tried to get through the thickest part of the land
 just to see how thick it really was,
so I could tell about it later, like now.

       I got down on my knees and crawled through a rabbit run.
Crawled and crawled untill I couldn't go any further.
It was too thick, and 'I had to back out'!
Now, thats pretty thick.

       Now, it looks like 'a park'.
I love my land,
 and will be cutting wood today.
I am amazed by the stories of B.C. and up north.
18 degrees one night and below freezing for a few days,
scares me to death!
There are multiple car crashes and hundred car pile ups
 if it freezes bad one night in Texas.

       I love a fire.
Now, I also love to cook...
and let me 'cut and paste' an article I wrote
 about cooking 'with wood' rather than charcoal.


                     Thank you...


                           J. Winters von Knife
                                  {the Poet}


Home made 'charcoal'

Gentlemen,

I live on disability but love good food
and have learned how to make cooking outside cheaper.
Store bought charcoal costs $8. a bag.
but I can buy a ham for $8.
Cooking inside costs propane and the kitchen needs cleaning afterwards.
I much prefer cooking over a fire.
I have used wood but it takes too long to burn down to coals.
And doesn't last long enough to finish the meat.

I took left over fire wood and split it
and sawed it into 3" long pieces but the shorter pieces are hard to cut.
I have to hold the pieces down with my foot and the last piece is 10" long.
Today I had a better idea.

I found a hardwood limb about wrist size or smaller.
And took the skill saw and cut short pieces off of it,
as short and I could make them.
About as short as the limb is wide.
Then took a hatchet and split them till I had a bucket full of wood.
The larger pieces split two or three times
and smaller pieces not split at all.
I use it as readily as charcoal.
And today cooked chicken and it was great.
I prefer 'BBQ'ed' to 'fried' chicken.
And now don't have to buy charcoal.


You can add firewood as the fire burns down.
And this firewood doesn't produce much flame.
I would hardily recommend 'home made charcoal'.
Except it isn't charcoal.


J. Winters von Knife



Home made 'charcoal'
Given a few hours study on the internet, one can find working examples of retorts that converts unburned wood to usable charcoal. The main approach is to heat the wood to the point of burning but in a gas-tight container where the moisture and vapors extracted from the wood are allowed to exit.
Commercial charcoal is an aggregated material rather than simple charred wood, containing filler and extender materials.

Considering how easy it would be to build a personal retort for making charcoal, and the amount of free wood given away in one's region off www.craigslist.com, I'd venture to say it would be a very economical energy source with long-term prospects.
__________________

Captain Wetbeard's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Washington State
Posts: 157
Captain Wetbeard will become famous soon enough

Default Re: Home made 'charcoal'
Here in WA we have Alder trees growing wild everywhere. I usually cut this up into small chunks like you are saying and BBQ with them. Alder smoked meat is like "meat candy". The key to making it last is to let it dry thouroughly, then just before you use it soak it with water. This makes a cooler burn, and more smokey, which consequently makes more flavor. Make sure your chunks are no bigger than 3X3 inches. In BBQ terms this is called "natural chunk charcol", and it is actually what many "pro" BBQ cooks prefer.

Yer Cap'n
__r


Location: My 25 Acres, Texas
Posts: 238
J. Knife will become famous soon enough

Default Re: Home made 'charcoal'
Captain Wetbeard,

Thank you for the 'valuable new idea.'
I remember seeing 'wood chips soaked in water' for BBQing with.
But I have never used the technique
but now, using natural wood
'wood chunks'
rather than store bought charcoal,
'water soaked wood' would be a critical element to BBQing.
The 'water soaked' chunks would obviously burn slower,
not be too hot
and add the essential 'smokeyness too'.
This is really big!

Thank you Captain sir,
for this essential piece of BBQing knowlege.
'Lets git drunk and eat BBQ.'
'Then go coon hunting."


J. Winters von Knife


Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: My 25 Acres, Texas
Posts: 238
J. Knife will become famous soon enough

Default Re: Home made 'charcoal'
Captain Wetbeard,

The 'water soaked wood chip' idea,
'at first hearing', was obviously a profoundly good idea and the critical 'missing link' to my BBQ'ing knowledge, overlooked for 50 years,
and like all of the greatest things I have ever learned,

simple

I realized it instantly and thanked you before I even tried it.
But now I have tried it!
Water!
Is the means to control the fire.
It's so simple, so obvious.
And I so excited about it I have to go get me a beer,
hold on........
.............Alright, it may not seem so brilliant to you,
or anyone else reading this,
but it is brilliant to me.
I never thought of it and I don't know why.
Being an amature gourmet chef anyway,
{I have been making pizza from scratch for 40 years}
{Caramelizing bbq chicken and onions on a hibatche for 40 years}
{Brewing homebrew for 15...}

What could be more obvious than water?
{I can't believe I missed it}
What could be more basic and so simple?
A fire can be controlled within a degree ot two
simply by the use of water soaked wood chips
and a little water out of the wood chip bucket too,
to 'throw, sprinkle, or drip' on the fire
with your 'hand, or a stick to cool it down.
Or to put out a flame up on one paticular wood chip...

It is perfect.

Thank you again!


I sure appreciate it...
and now I'm off 'to cook chicken'



J. Winters von Knife
and his vicious coon hound Sandymay
http://jacksknifeshop.tripod.com/

Captain Wetbear



Home made 'charcoal'
Water is overlooked in many things in cooking. While I BBQ I keep a spray bottle right next to the grill, and if the fire gets too dry, and starts to heat up too much, I spray the coals down.

Another trick to keeping your meat moist is to create a steam environment in the grill. I place a pie pan in the middle of the coal rack, and fill it half way with water for beef, or applejuice for chicken/fish. This steam keeps the meat moist, and can be a great avenue for adding unique flavors. When cooking Salmon on the BBQ I use white wine, the flavor of the wine steamed into the fish expands any herbs and seasonings I add to the fish, and gives it a unique twang, as well as keeping the fish moist, the hardest thing to do with fish on the grill.

When baking bread in the oven, I place a pie pan half filled with water on the lowest rung of racks. I put this in while the oven is preheating, then just prior to placing the raised bread in the oven, I spray the sides and top with hot water, and quickly place the bread in the oven. This makes for a crisp, and flaky crust on the bread.

The key to cooking,,,,,it's in the water.

Yer Cap'n
____________
Given a few hours study on the internet, one can find working examples of retorts that converts unburned wood to usable charcoal. The main approach is to heat the wood to the point of burning but in a gas-tight container where the moisture and vapors extracted from the wood are allowed to exit.
Commercial charcoal is an aggregated material rather than simple charred wood, containing filler and extender materials.

Considering how easy it would be to build a personal retort for making charcoal, and the amount of free wood given away in one's region off www.craigslist.com, I'd venture to say it would be a very economical energy source with long-term prospects.
Yes, Kingsford is junk. There is a brand - Duraflame (the same people that make the fake firelogs) that make 100% natural charcoal briquettes (pulverized charcoal binded together with vegetable starch). This stuff is amazing. I cooked a 12 pound turkey with 50 briquettes, never having to add more. I tried with Kingsford and it simply didn't work. That crap burns up too fast and has all kinds of additives in it.
If I had the space and the time I would love to make my own but until then the Duraflame is a staple at my place.


Thank you


J. Winters von Knife

              






      

[Basicguy]

We have a farm house that is heated with wood. We use a boxwood cast iron stove that we cook on as well. Our wood comes from our property. Lots of red oak. My wife loads while I cut, then we unload and I split. We don't have electricity on our farm but do have a generator that we run few hours in the evening.

We both work in a modern office and only get to our farm on weekends. Not a full time lifestyle yet.

[1sourdough]

 We are about 80%+ wood heat & usually the house is 75 dgrees or more. It can be work but I like it, & like the warmth. It's funny how the dog,kids, & wife all stand & lay by the large Vermont Castings stove when it's going.

[vacek]

Fort Collins had its 4th big snowstorm of this winter/fall.  We are now at greater than 60 inches of snow in the last 3 months.  My two stoves have been going through my junk lumber and old cottwood at a fast rate.  It sure keeps things warm.  Yep, the dogs and the wife tend to hang out near the Vermont Stove.

[just-an-illusion]

I have a question for Vacek and 1sourdough. How do you guys like your Vermont castings stoves? Which models do yall have? We looked at them last week and will probably get one in the spring. I like the Dutch West series. Do yall have the catalitic or non cat? We have an open fireplace at the time plus our central unit, so volume of wood burnt to amount of heat produced if not real good. Here in north Alabama winters are pretty mild and we usually burn 1 - 1 1/2 cord a year with the central unit. This year is unusually COLD and we have already burnt a cord. Thanks for all of your help.

[jlchucker]

I have a question for Vacek and 1sourdough. How do you guys like your Vermont castings stoves? Which models do yall have? We looked at them last week and will probably get one in the spring. I like the Dutch West series. Do yall have the catalitic or non cat? We have an open fireplace at the time plus our central unit, so volume of wood burnt to amount of heat produced if not real good. Here in north Alabama winters are pretty mild and we usually burn 1 - 1 1/2 cord a year with the central unit. This year is unusually COLD and we have already burnt a cord. Thanks for all of your help.

I've heated with wood all my life (so far).  So did my parents and grandparents.  A couple of years ago when I did some remodelling prior to retirement, I replaced an older Dovre cast iron stove (catalytic) with a Dutch West, non-catalytic.  As I'm sitting here typing, in a 3-bedroom cape about 1600 sq ft, it's 23 degrees outside, the snow's piled up to a depth of around 2 feet, and my Dutch West is all that's heating the house.  I've used both cast stoves and stell plate ones. My DW is plate.  The biggest difference I can see is that plate stoves start throwing out heat quicker, and Iron ones hold heat a little better once the fire burns itself down.  The stove that impressed me the most was an older model called "Papa Bear" (no longer made).  A friend has one in his hunting camp.  It's really a heating stove, but he was able to set an iron dutch oven (flat-bottomed) on it and roast a turkey.  Today, I wish I lived in N. Alabama like you do.  I'd probably still have a non-catalytic Dutchwest steel plate stove.

[kctibs]

just curious guys, what are you paying a ton for coal.how do you store it?how much do yu use a winter?coal has always interested me as a heat source but i dont think id have any economical source of it here in southwest missouri.

Here in Colorado I drive into northern NM and pay 140.00 a ton for lump coal.  It can sell for about 190.00 to 210.00 in Colorado about the same distance for me to NM. I have gone to the mine direct and paid 90.00 but it is a long drive with a 5 ton limit.I go through about 2 -2 1/2 ton a winter. I store my coal in an old corn crib silo that was given to me.

[deadrabbit]

I live in Minnesota and use wood about 95% with a wood pellet backup. Now I use an older 1960's or 70's Humble wood burner that has a bottom grate (and I use an old wood cookstove on occasion).  I like about any stove that has a bottom grate that isn't full of holes/cracks/leaky seams.  Modern efficient stoves may "supposedly" use less wood, but I can warm my arse up in a jiffy when my house is cold because of the bottom draft.  And I think it lets less smoke in my house than any of the modern efficient ones Ive seen would that have the circulating air/smoke inside.  But you do have to know how to use the older stoves or they can be overheated with the drafts open.  Your insurance company may not allow them either.  Oh, Ive used about any kind of wood including slab and have no trouble holding coals for 10 hours.  Maybe burned wood for about 25 years of my life.  4-6 cords a year but I think this year will be a little more than that.  I live in flat open country.

I think the Papa Bear stoves were made by Fischer but could be wrong.  They were real good stoves too.

[jlchucker]

I live in Minnesota and use wood about 95% with a wood pellet backup. Now I use an older 1960's or 70's Humble wood burner that has a bottom grate (and I use an old wood cookstove on occasion).  I like about any stove that has a bottom grate that isn't full of holes/cracks/leaky seams.  Modern efficient stoves may "supposedly" use less wood, but I can warm my arse up in a jiffy when my house is cold because of the bottom draft.  And I think it lets less smoke in my house than any of the modern efficient ones Ive seen would that have the circulating air/smoke inside.  But you do have to know how to use the older stoves or they can be overheated with the drafts open.  Your insurance company may not allow them either.  Oh, Ive used about any kind of wood including slab and have no trouble holding coals for 10 hours.  Maybe burned wood for about 25 years of my life.  4-6 cords a year but I think this year will be a little more than that.  I live in flat open country.

I think the Papa Bear stoves were made by Fischer but could be wrong.  They were real good stoves too.

Deadrabbit, you're right about the Fischer making Papa Bear stoves.  If memory serves, they had 3 models--Papa Bear, Mama Bear (a little smaller) and another that didn't have a "bear" name to it.  Good stoves is right.  They take up some space, but really throw heat.  Too bad they're no longer made. I go through about 3-4 cords a year myself.  Even with trees nearby, I still get the "benefit of the breeze" all winter. 

[45-70.gov]

I  HAVE A FISHER  TOO

28  in   wide
23 in  deep

18 in  high  in  front 
24  in  high in  back

i  moved  the  smoke hole form the  back  to the  top
approx  12 foot  X 8 inch stainless steel heavy flue pipe

[vacek]

Just an Illusion

My Vermont is a little Intrepid 2.  Yes it has catalytic.  It is a little small so doesn't really burn all night without relstocking.  The main reason though is that I am burning kiln lumber, junk wood and, pine and cottonwood.  I hate paying for firewood.  I also have a big potbelly in the sunroom.  I burn really big cottonwood in that baby.  It has snowed so much in the Front Range of Colorado that I have used up my fall cutting of junk lumber and the rest is under snow.  I have had to resort to my emergency stash.  When it dries up and the snow melts (that can happen anytime in Colorado) I will cut up a bunch more.

I really like Vermont Casting.  I just wish this stove were a little larger capacity.

[mrbigtexan]

ours in the house is a lopi stove, cast iron box stove out in the garage.

[1sourdough]

 To the question above, if still looking. I have a Vermont Castsings 'DutchWest' wood stove. They used to have an 'extra large' size, now I think they just call the biggest 'large'. It does not have the honey comb 'catalyst' like the last one did. We heat out 2000 SF house with this stove fine. You have to work a little more when it's -15 & blowing out. I like this stove very much. The only other I may get is on of those soap stone stoves. They do cost much more though.

 I got a great angle on some wood recently. I've been getting some monster loads of red & white oak & just a touch of hickory. Some was along the roadside where the co. cut & landowner allowed & the spot now is inside a private golf course community. They cut a bunch of great firewood trees down.  I'm cutting for the Winter of 11/12 since I have enough for next year already.

[scootrd]

Against the law in California.  Unless they say you can on certain days!

What isn't against the Law in California ?         

Sorry couldn't resist..

[Mnswede]

Got a small cast iron antique stove for the family room.  It takes 18 inch wood or you can use coal also.  Wood is free on my land or the neighbors, so I use approx 3 cord of wood each year.  I also heat the house with fuel oil furnance and use 2 1/2 tanks of oil per year on average with wood stove running also.

This year started out with 1/2 tank of fuel oil and have bought 2 loads more of fuel oil.  Just got the last load of fuel oil last Monday.  The way the weather has been in the 40's and 50's, I wont be using much of this last fuel oil fillup.  Still have 1/3 of the woodpile left also.  The wood we have available in the swamp is mostly poplar, tammarak, balsam, birch, swamp maple, black spruce, and white pine.

[Jane308]

We've been heating completely with wood for about 3 years now.

Living in the woods and having quite a few good wind storms here in lower michigan gives us plenty of fallen trees and people in cities close by that just want the dead/fallen trees out of their nicely landscaped yards.

We have a wood outside burner stove. Length of pieces is usually over 30+ inches in length. We live in a 16x80 trailer and piped it into the duct work into the furnace. We regulate the temp in house with relay outside on blower. When hot air comes into furnace it will kick on. Kinda a pain in the butt cause most of the time, it's hot in the house. We can turn off furnace and regulate with draft outside on stove.

A friend of Ron's just sold him 3 cords of wood, split and cut, for $100 because his home owners insurance would have doubled, also got a splitter and new stove (for pole barn) cheap.

With the price of natural gas 3 years ago, we decided to switch everything in the house over. Kept the furnace to use the blower and thermostat. It's a blessing not having that huge bill every month. Plus we have a weekend a month over the summer to stock pile wood. Go through 2 cords on a normal winter.