Rookie mistakes

[wackydeejay]

What was your biggest beginner mistake when you started burning wood? For me, I think it was getting anxious and loading the stove before it was necessary. I had a good hour or two where the coals were hot and producing good heat. Not realizing this was "prime time" I would proceed to load the stove again, which of course cooled down the box as the cycle had to start all over.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

Not showing the wife how to bring wood in the house. And now she has no interest in learning:bang:

 

[beerman6]

not having enough seasoned wood.

always restarting the fire when the OWB was in smolder mode.

 

[darkbyrd]

wet wood, not hot enough

 

[indiansprings]

Starting a fire with 1lbs coffee can of diesel, it only takes a half a can.

 

[Geez]

Today. Who says you have to be brand new at this to make rookie mistakes? I had just raked coals on the grates of the owb. Closed the upper door and proceeded to shovel the ashes out from under the grates via the lower cleanout door. I use a smaller fireplace type shovel for part of this because the bigger one won't get way back in the corner alongside the grate legs. Had my arm way in and my face right in front of the door.
Yep, you guessed it. And the resulting WHOOOSH! blew the whole shovel full of ash straight back in my face. After QUICKLY shedding my hat and sweatshirt in case of any hot embers, and realizing I had no burns or singed hair, I had to laugh at my appearance. Took quite a while to get all that ash and soot out of my face pores and hair.:after_boom:

 

[openloop]

Need moar wood!

 

[trailmaker]

burning unseasoned wood.

 

[Diesel nut]

Getting burned loading the furnace and getting splinters in my hands from shoving the wood in too fast to avoid getting burned. Just wear gloves..... DUH!

 

[wackydeejay]

Today. Who says you have to be brand new at this to make rookie mistakes? I had just raked coals on the grates of the owb. Closed the upper door and proceeded to shovel the ashes out from under the grates via the lower cleanout door. I use a smaller fireplace type shovel for part of this because the bigger one won't get way back in the corner alongside the grate legs. Had my arm way in and my face right in front of the door.
Yep, you guessed it. And the resulting WHOOOSH! blew the whole shovel full of ash straight back in my face. After QUICKLY shedding my hat and sweatshirt in case of any hot embers, and realizing I had no burns or singed hair, I had to laugh at my appearance. Took quite a while to get all that ash and soot out of my face pores and hair.:after_boom:

Glad you didn't get burned!

 

[bore_pig]

Burning my stove too hot. My secondary air tubes are junk after 3 years.

 

[Dalmatian90]

I had to laugh at my appearance.

You think the cartoons are cartoons...

Have a friend who used to keep a cigar in his mouth all day long.

One day he decided to use a house paint mixing machine shaker at a hardware store to shake a spray can.

Can failed. Cigar was lit.

He quit smoking cigars soon afterwards.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

A sharp tool is a joy to use! I'd say not learning to sharpen chains early on and taking chains out to sharpen in the beginning. This past season I've cut about 30 cord with one chain and sharping at the first sign of cutting fade, and giving it three or four strokes at the end of the day to touch it up and start out fresh the next time. I am more careful cutting as well because I'm the one who has spend the time sharpening, cleaning up after the clown (me) running the saw. Now I'm throwing out files, not chains.

 

[Whitespider]

My rookie mistake?

Stove in basement - shovel out ashes into bucket - carry bucket outside to dump ashes -

Rookie Mistake? - Using plastic bucket...

 

[tomsteve]

My rookie mistake?

Stove in basement - shovel out ashes into bucket - carry bucket outside to dump ashes -

Rookie Mistake? - Using plastic bucket...

now this i can relate to. i used wood with gas backu in my old house. both down int he basement. the fire went out and i didnt feel like startin it so ran off of gas for 2 days. went down there to start a fire and wanted to clean out all the ashes. had to pull the ash drawer out and clean out behind it. instead of using my little steel tool i made just for the job, i grabbed the shop vac. cleanid it all out, got a nice fire kickin and ran into town to get some stuff fromt he hardware. got home about 1 1/2 hours later to my house filled with the smell of burning plastic.opened the basement door and the basement had a good haze of smoke. embers stuck to the filter, started it smoldering and melted the filter and plastic cage with the overfolw ball in it. wased my shop vac and took a week to get the smell out of the house. i'll save the costly mistake of getting firewood for another post.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Cutting wood too long to fit into the stove! Once in awhile after all these years I still will get a little "too happy" and cut a piece that is just a wee bit too big to make it in, or just barely fits! DUH....:msp_crying:

 

[danrclem]

Not seasoning wood for at least a year and not keeping it covered. Not keeping a chain sharp and not realizing that there is a time to buy a new one.

Semi-Rookie mistake; Cutting big oak rounds with a 372 and having my truck behind me with the window rolled down. :msp_ohmy:

 

[Ambull]

Biggest rookie mistake is not being properly prepared for winter. All wood that needs to be burned is seasoned and put in its proper place, before the snow falls. I have been heating with wood for 7 years, and this is the first year I got it right. It is also the year I joined AS.

 

[wackydeejay]

A sharp tool is a joy to use! I'd say not learning to sharpen chains early on and taking chains out to sharpen in the beginning. This past season I've cut about 30 cord with one chain and sharping at the first sign of cutting fade, and giving it three or four strokes at the end of the day to touch it up and start out fresh the next time. I am more careful cutting as well because I'm the one who has spend the time sharpening, cleaning up after the clown (me) running the saw. Now I'm throwing out files, not chains.

Come to think of it, I can agree with this one, too. My one and only chain had gotten dull (probably because I hit dirt, etc.), and it became a big chore just to buck a log. After I found out I was supposed to sharpen the chain, I felt pretty dumb...haha

 

[unclemoustache]

Hmm. I'm STILL making some of these mistakes, especially wood that's a bit too long to fit in the stove. If there's a good fire in there to begin with, the end of the log catches fire while I'm trying to stuff it in there, and once I realize it won't fit, I throw it out the door into the yard. If it's the right kind of wood, it smolders itself to ashes by morning. :msp_biggrin: