new guy here...looking to get into the wood game.

[DieselSteve]

Id get a new saw, a fiskars x 27 or 25 depending on which handle length you want, and a maul in case you need the extra weight.

 

[zogger]

any words of wisdom for my first fire in the new wood stove?

i was going to use a few pieces of very dry oak (from a pallet)

Ya, don't over fill it, just a few pieces. See how it goes at first.

hey good luck! always some nice saws in the auctions/classifieds here, several nice dandy ones right now in fact

http://www.arboristsite.com/tradin-post/

I am 61, previous history of severe back injury (not firewood related), not even 120 lbs and "basketball challenged" and I hand split a lot. Keeps ya in shape.

If I didn't do physical labor 7 days a week and back stretching and so on, I'd be a crippled up cranky old guy in a wheelchair.

As it is, I am a quite happy mobile semi crippled up up cranky old guy who still walks around and does stuff!!

I did around ten cords last year, just putzing at it.

HAHAHAHAH Cranky I tell yas...curmudgeon....you kids get off my lawn....

With the fiskars, it is speed and technique (aim, reading the wood, muscle memory, etc) over brute force. Keep it sharp, out of the dirt. I spray mine down with some snakeoil inna can lube every once in awhile because the teflon coating wore off, and it certainly helps. Split on a low flat block, inside a tire if possible. Straight up over head, then down, bend knees and squat just a scosh at moment of impact, get a little more gravity and ergo into the picture. I slab off the outsides and work around and around a round, unless they are smallish of course. Sometimes a wrist flick at the last milisecond, depends on the wood.

And don't waste time trying to force it, get up a go/no go habit when using the fiskars, throw hard to split junk off to the side, come back to them later with a maul and sledge and wedges, etc or noodle them. I find I can do roughly around 90% of my wood with the fiskars easy (sport-fun!), the rest is assorted work drudgery.

 

[Festus]

As far as the first fire in a new stove, I would just stick with the stoves directions. I just started burning wood 2 years ago. It's been hard getting 3 years ahead on the wood supply, but at least I'll be good for this year. You will naturally develop a routine for all your wood burning activities. I agree that a splitter is not an immediate necessity, but would be a good goal for the future. You can work at splitting wood all day without beating up your muscles and joints. The old Homelites are good saws, but a modern 60-70cc saw are very productive, especially for bucking wood. Although kick back is a real concern, using a non-safety type chain will cut faster than the safety chain sold in the box stores. Get as good as you can at sharpening chain.

Have some kind of cart, wagon, or trailer for getting wood from your wood pile to your house. It's a chore that has to be done every day or two for the whole burning season. Should be simple enough that anyone in you household can help. I started using a small trailer, but last year bought one of those heavy duty, wire mesh, wagons from Northern Tools. It's very simple, and anyone can use it. I agree you don't really need a shed, but digging your wood out of the snow isn't good either. Some kind of shelter may be nice in the future.

 

[rygar]

As far as the first fire in a new stove, I would just stick with the stoves directions. I just started burning wood 2 years ago. It's been hard getting 3 years ahead on the wood supply, but at least I'll be good for this year. You will naturally develop a routine for all your wood burning activities. I agree that a splitter is not an immediate necessity, but would be a good goal for the future. You can work at splitting wood all day without beating up your muscles and joints. The old Homelites are good saws, but a modern 60-70cc saw are very productive, especially for bucking wood. Although kick back is a real concern, using a non-safety type chain will cut faster than the safety chain sold in the box stores. Get as good as you can at sharpening chain.

Have some kind of cart, wagon, or trailer for getting wood from your wood pile to your house. It's a chore that has to be done every day or two for the whole burning season. Should be simple enough that anyone in you household can help. I started using a small trailer, but last year bought one of those heavy duty, wire mesh, wagons from Northern Tools. It's very simple, and anyone can use it. I agree you don't really need a shed, but digging your wood out of the snow isn't good either. Some kind of shelter may be nice in the future.

when it comes to the log splitter and wood shed i think i will wait for good opportunities. a well priced log splitter and hopefully i can find some good cheap lumber/corrugated roof panels to build the shed.

 

[Fred Wright]

any words of wisdom for my first fire in the new wood stove?

i was going to use a few pieces of very dry oak (from a pallet)

Oak pallet wood can get very hot very quickly, so use just a little. Your stove instructions will probably say to build smallish fires at first in order to cure the metal. When we started burning with a new steel stove, we built little bonfires of pallet scraps to start. Take care your first fires don't get too hot. The new stove should be warm but not roaring hot.

Ask local woodlot owners for the OK to cut firewood on their property. The worst that can happen is they'll say no. If you get the OK, get it all in writing and have the landowner sign.

Agreed with the mention of PPE. It's life and limb protection. Better to wreck a pair of chaps than your leg.

Since you have access to a splitter, use that until you can afford to invest in one of your own. The money you'll save by heating with wood will add up quickly.

 

[Cheesecutter]

It looks to me like you're getting into wood heating with the right attitude. Buying seasoned wood for this year, using the tools you have available to you in the short term, but looking ahead to see which upgrades make the most sense in your situation. It's overwhelming to think about getting a 2 or 3 years ahead when it's hard to get the first year done. Experience and the right tools can make your time more productive each stack.
I would start out with a very small (8x8x3 inch) kindling and twig fire for the initial fire. As stated above as the paint cures it can produce smelly smoke inside the house. If all goes well for the first 20 minutes you can add a little pallet wood at that point.

 

[rygar]

It looks to me like you're getting into wood heating with the right attitude. Buying seasoned wood for this year, using the tools you have available to you in the short term, but looking ahead to see which upgrades make the most sense in your situation. It's overwhelming to think about getting a 2 or 3 years ahead when it's hard to get the first year done. Experience and the right tools can make your time more productive each stack.
I would start out with a very small (8x8x3 inch) kindling and twig fire for the initial fire. As stated above as the paint cures it can produce smelly smoke inside the house. If all goes well for the first 20 minutes you can add a little pallet wood at that point.

slow and steady. i like it. its supposed to dip down to 60 tonight in CT so I might give it a try.

 

[captjack]

I would get a timberwolf tw 5 or bigger- then a bunch of saws (several you will never use) then a big tractor with a loader bucket and forks - then get a 1 ton pick up 4x4 diesel - then a big dump trailer

you should be good to go after that hahah

once you get the bug its hard to stop

best of luck to you !

 

[rygar]

I would get a timberwolf tw 5 or bigger- then a bunch of saws (several you will never use) then a big tractor with a loader bucket and forks - then get a 1 ton pick up 4x4 diesel - then a big dump trailer

you should be good to go after that hahah

once you get the bug its hard to stop

best of luck to you !

the wife will NOT allow any of that.

 

[biglogging]

That old Super 2 is a decent enough saw and will certainly cut some wood. Are you planning to heat solely with wood or just as a helper/ambiance? If your plans are to heat your entire house with nothing but wood, invest in a bigger saw first. Stihl and Husqvarna are both great brands but will cost you some coin. I bleed orange all the way but I've seen some Poulan Pros in action and for the money, they are a good saw. You can split a lot of wood with an X27 but a decent splitter will certainly speed the process. All aforementioned comments about PPE are also must haves.

Don't waste your money on a new saw if you already have one. If you don't have a a splitter get one. Why waste your money on a backup saw?

 

[rygar]

Don't waste your money on a new saw if you already have one. If you don't have a a splitter get one. Why waste your money on a backup saw?

once my parents sell their house my dad is giving me his ECHO 14" so i figured that would be good for a back up.

 

[biglogging]

once my parents sell their house my dad is giving me his ECHO 14" so i figured that would be good for a back up.

I'm sure a backup saw is needed if your logging on a jobsite or logging in Alaska. But if your working in your back yard they are a waste of time and money. Unless you live in a remote place hours away from a store.

 

[rygar]

I'm sure a backup saw is needed if your logging on a jobsite or logging in Alaska. But if your working in your back yard they are a waste of time and money. Unless you live in a remote place hours away from a store.

local lawn care shop is like 5min away and home depot is 10min away.

i need to really focus on a trailer first, log splitter and shelter.

that the most important. WIth the curretn wood im set for about 3 years so everyone i want to stock up on 3-4 cords or so.

 

[biglogging]

local lawn care shop is like 5min away and home depot is 10min away.

i need to really focus on a trailer first, log splitter and shelter.

that the most important. WIth the curretn wood im set for about 3 years so everyone i want to stock up on 3-4 cords or so.

The trailer and splitter make sense. But the shelter doesn't make sense to me.

 

[rygar]

The trailer and splitter make sense. But the shelter doesn't make sense to me.

From what ive been told, you want to have dry wood as it burns best, most heat and least amount of creosote.

I am sure that leaving the wood stacked outside will season it, but the wood i want to use that season id prefer it to have some kind of roof as to not get wet from rain or snow.

 

[biglogging]

If you want the wood to season best leave it outside. Building a shed is a waste of resources. Unless you live in a rainforest. The wood will season better and faster outside. If your concerned about rain put a tarp over your the top of your stack a month or two before you sell.

 

[TreePointer]

...but the wood i want to use that season id prefer it to have some kind of roof as to not get wet from rain or snow.

I'm not against a wood shed. In fact, I really like the look and convenience; however, a tarp and bungee cords will do the same for this season's wood if you have other priorities.

 

[zogger]

I'm sure a backup saw is needed if your logging on a jobsite or logging in Alaska. But if your working in your back yard they are a waste of time and money. Unless you live in a remote place hours away from a store.

Depends on what you are cutting really. For instance, I cut from one inch to near 4 foot diameter stuff, with 3 foot being common now. It would be silly for me to try and make one saw do all that different cutting.

I would use my largest saw for felling and bucking the trunk, then a couple smaller saws for the real small wood and medium wood.

Now if someone was only cutting from small up to say 16" diameter, sure, you could get by with one moderate saw.

I *used* to go out with a one saw plan, a few big trees then the tornado hitting made me see the light.

And used saws for what they do just aren't that expensive either, you can pick barely running or non running saws for cheap, then make them work.

 

[biglogging]

Depends on what you are cutting really. For instance, I cut from one inch to near 4 foot diameter stuff, with 3 foot being common now. It would be silly for me to try and make one saw do all that different cutting.

I would use my largest saw for felling and bucking the trunk, then a couple smaller saws for the real small wood and medium wood.

Now if someone was only cutting from small up to say 16" diameter, sure, you could get by with one moderate saw.

I *used* to go out with a one saw plan, a few big trees then the tornado hitting made me see the light.

And used saws for what they do just aren't that expensive either, you can pick barely running or non running saws for cheap, then make them work.

If you have a business, IDE say sure spend thousands of dollars on chainsaws. I use a saw with a 20 inch bar and cut everything from the small up to 40 inches. This is the firewood forum not the arborist forum. So most firewood is going to be 5 inches up to probably 30 inches. This kid doesn't have skid steer to move bigger stuff anyhow. If you can carry a 20'' saw you shouldn't cut wood. He doesn't need a saw bigger than 20 inches because he is starting out and doesn't have equipment for big wood

 

[biglogging]

If you have a business, IDE say sure spend thousands of dollars on chainsaws. I use a saw with a 20 inch bar and cut everything from the small up to 40 inches. This is the firewood forum not the arborist forum. So most firewood is going to be 5 inches up to probably 30 inches. This kid doesn't have skid steer to move bigger stuff anyhow. If you can carry a 20'' saw you shouldn't cut wood. He doesn't need a saw bigger than 20 inches because he is starting out and doesn't have equipment for big wood

I'm sorry if you can't carry a 20 inch saw you shouldn't be cutting wood.