Wood--inside or out?

[lilweasel]

For you guys (and gals) that burn firewood, do you store it inside or leave it out for the winter? I have enough space in my basement to put all my wood inside for the winter. It can be a pain, bark, bugs, and a bit messy, but all I have to do is go downstairs and get a nice dry block to throw in! Yesterday, I put about 5 cord in (next winters) and it sure cooled the basement off. I don't like to handle it a whole lot so fill one section up as I bring it in.

[jacktheknife]

lilweasel,

Howdy, I live down here in north Texas.
It doesn't get very cold here at least not for very long.
It actually got 10 degrees last week,
{the coldest temperature I can remember}
But I have 15 acres of woods which are full of dead
and crowded trees which must be cut and burned
in the front or back pasture 'burn pile'.
After getting a new {used} Stihl chain saw
I am really getting into cutting fire wood.

I don't have to split much of it as it is just easier to cut the right size trees.
But a friend bought a log splitter and we are seriously thinking about selling fire wood.
Mine is stored outside, but for enough to last through a cold spell.
I'll keep a stack knee high and about 8' long on the porch
for power outages and freezes and such,
as the electricity goes out for a couple of days every winter.
I love having a fire, although I could use a bigger stove.
My old 'box type' is good enough,
but ashes must be cleaned out before starting another fire
so 'all night' is about it for one fire in the old 'Box'.

I have a Stihl chain saw now,
so I figure I should put a larger stove on my wish list.
The box type could go in the knife shop/fur shed.


It's 6:20 am and I gotta go get me a beer.
{Coyotes howling like crazy outside}


J. Winters von Knife

Sandymay and old Duke dog

[woodsman416]

No basement, so the wood stays outside. A wood shed, with good cross ventilation, is on the to-do list this summer.

[Admin]

For years I kept my firewood under a tarp, mainly because I had no other option. This was in NH when I lived in th snow belt and I cursed the bloody tarps as I fought with them and all the snow we got there. Now I store all my wood in the barn. All kindling is pre split and stacked inside as well. No more hassels and wood is always dry.

[patricimo54]

Man that looks good JC. I have hopes of modifying my hay shed with an extension on the north side for wood.
As it stands now I have a 1/2 cord rack that is in the open and a 1/2 rick rack that is kept under our covered porch.

[jacktheknife]

Patricimo54,

Whats a rick?

And the wood I burn is dead wood.
Dead trees, some of which have fallen over.
I am realizing this is not really marketable fire wood,
as people won't buy two or three year old wood.
Some of my fire wood is much older than that.
I burn fire wood that is so old that 'termites run out of it'
when I put it on in the fire.
And I won't cut live trees off my land.

The fire wood business requires live trees.
My friend who bought the $1200. log splitter
is in the tree business and has access to live wood.
I on the other hand have a certain amount of marketable fire wood and it will go into one stack.
The stuff I burn will go in a seperate stack.
We can search out trees to cut for fire wood
as in crap here and there, but the fire wood business doesn't look so good any more.

I may cut wood and stack it to sell to people
who come out to buy knives or poultry,
and sell it cheap, using the worst myself.
But cutting the dead stuff off my land is beer money at best.


At least it is beer money.


J. Knife

[patricimo54]

Feb 9, 2010 8:33:11 GMT -5 jacktheknife said:

Patricimo54,

Whats a rick?

1/2 a cord

[jacktheknife]

Pat,

A rick is 1/2 a cord.
{this is interesting as I have never heard the term rick}
If a 'cord' is 4' high,
8' long,
{and 4' wide}

It can't be a stack of pieces 4' wide
because a log 4' is cumbersome.
I cut wood for my wood stove 18"...
A 2' log is about as wide as I have ever seen a piece of fire wood cut...
Therefore...
the question is...

What does 4' wide mean?
for a cord of fire wood.
48"... wide

How many rows of fire wood constitutes the width of a cord?


I recon I had better learn this stuff before I die
as it is important.


J. Winters von Knife...♫

[stickbowhntr]

plain and simple a cord is 128 cubic feet no matter how you stack it.

[Admin]

Generally a cord is three 8' stacks of firewood of 16" logs stacked 4' high.

or

two 8' stacks of firewood, stacked 4' high of 24" logs.

As stated above, no matter what length you cut it, a tight stack that measures 4' high x 4' wide and 8' long is a true cord. But up here They call a single stack a cord when it's actually a face cord

[jacktheknife]

Gentlemen,

Thank you


J. Knife

[patricimo54]

Feb 9, 2010 8:33:11 GMT -5 jacktheknife said:

And the wood I burn is dead wood.
Dead trees, some of which have fallen over.
I am realizing this is not really marketable fire wood,
as people won't buy two or three year old wood.
Some of my fire wood is much older than that.
I burn fire wood that is so old that 'termites run out of it'
when I put it on in the fire.

Seasoned wood is always better than green wood.
Using what you can from your place whether to heat your home or help purchase your beer is frugal living. No matter the condition of the wood if it will burn and provide heat, it is fuel.

[jacktheknife]

Gentlemen,

Today is Monday Feburary 15th
and last Thursday it snowed more than I ever remember.
I heard the snow was 12" deep!
Double snow and triple tree damage.
The electricity was out for 72 hours which is normal for a winter storm
but the amount of dead trees and limbs on the ground
is monumental.

Even though anybody with a chain saw can get all the wood they want,
winter is about over and next year there is so much wood down the fire wood business may be poor.
I can look out my window and see trees as big around and I am split down the middle from top to bottom.
Big trees uprooted and down from the weight of the snow.
Dern, snow is unbelievably heavy!

I have enough live wood to spend the rest of the year cutting fire wood
and all from trees which were live a week ago.
All the marketable fire wood I can shake a stick at,
and right here on my own land.

Since I have to cut it anyway I'll stack it in the front pasture
with a sigh on it saying fire wood $$$.
Nobody ever comes out here but to buy poultry or knives I advertise on Craigs list.
The wood can sit there as it isn't going anywhere. If it sells then I can go get me some beer.
If not than I have my wood for next year cut already.


Tschüß


J. Knife

[lilweasel]

We had a big ice storm here in 1998 and there was wood to be cut EVERYWHERE! It didn't sell really good for a couple of years after that