why we're here

[Deleted member 116684]

So I sat down i font of my woodstove and watched it burn. I managed to shut the secondaies down last year on the osburn 2200and now have it burning right. Got a new fiskars maul this week and using it was a pleasure Broke up some big oak and holly rounds with a satisfying crack. Then I went out and got an oregon sure sharp and it works better for me than hand filing has, namely because I'm not so good at hand filing. And these tings happening are diectly related from me being on this site.
So that's why I go to arboristsite. I've learned from the collected wisdom of you all. And when you get all stoked about a huge load of wood you get and want to show everyone, I get all stoked too. And jealous, very jealous!!
I work hard to keep my family warm. And I love the work. When my little ones gather around the stove first thing in the morning I am very satisfied with my work,I'm sure you know that feeling.

 

[svk]

You nailed it!

I've spent quite a bit of money upgrading my equipment in the last seven years I've been on here yet I'd say I'm definitely money ahead.

When I stuff my sauna stove full of three year seasoned oak and maple I feel the same way (I used to burn stuff after one summer of drying regardless of what it was).

When I use my Fiskars X27 and my Husky S2800 to split wood (inside a tire) I'm so glad I learned there was a better way than using the old wood handled mauls that don't work that well and break from overstrikes.

When I fire up my ported, muffler moded 550 XP that is very light yet very powerful I cackle as I listen to the beautiful music it makes.

When friends who either don't own a saw or own a tiny HO saw and have a giant yard tree that needs to be cleaned up and I'm able to help them with my larger saws (found on here) with nothing expected but their continued friendship.

When I keep a roving eye while driving and hunting to identify dead or downed trees of high BTU species for later retrieval it sure beats cutting up aspen that fell across the road.

I really do enjoy sharing in the success of all of the firewood scroungers on here. And the large number of (mostly) great people I've met from this site.

 

[unclemoustache]

One of the good things about living in a drafty barn of a house is that it makes the heat from the stove so much more cozy. Still, I wish this thing were better insulated.

 

[Del_]

First I've heard of shutting down secondaries to get a stove to burn right.

I've been burning with secondary air for 26 years now with very good results.

 

[muddstopper]

I only come here because it beats watching TV. I already knew all there is to know about cutting firewood and chainsaws. No wood species can escape my identifcation skills and I am overly skilled in operating every type of equipment. Any question that can be asked, I have a readily prepared answer for. Its hard to be humble when you are as smart as I am, but I try my best.

In case anybody wonders where this reply just came from, I have been peaking into the political forum lately and those folks have me convinced You have to prove how smart you are everyday. You dont necessarly have to be smart, you just have to convince everyone else that you are smarter than they are.

 

[blades]

well ,now ya done it- Ya done let the cat out of the bag. Course there are a few of us that do have a few tidbits up on others and we are capable of applying said tidbits in rational and educational methods. But hey, don't let me burst your bubble.

 

[Deleted member 116684]

You nailed it!

I've spent quite a bit of money upgrading my equipment in the last seven years I've been on here yet I'd say I'm definitely money ahead.

When I stuff my sauna stove full of three year seasoned oak and maple I feel the same way (I used to burn stuff after one summer of drying regardless of what it was).

When I use my Fiskars X27 and my Husky S2800 to split wood (inside a tire) I'm so glad I learned there was a better way than using the old wood handled mauls that don't work that well and break from overstrikes.

When I fire up my ported, muffler moded 550 XP that is very light yet very powerful I cackle as I listen to the beautiful music it makes.

When friends who either don't own a saw or own a tiny HO saw and have a giant yard tree that needs to be cleaned up and I'm able to help them with my larger saws (found on here) with nothing expected but their continued friendship.

When I keep a roving eye while driving and hunting to identify dead or downed trees of high BTU species for later retrieval it sure beats cutting up aspen that fell across the road.

I really do enjoy sharing in the success of all of the firewood scroungers on here. And the large number of (mostly) great people I've met from this site.

First I've heard of shutting down secondaries to get a stove to burn right.

I've been burning with secondary air for 26 years now with very good results.

View attachment 536922

I don't mean completely shutting off, just slowing down. The secondaries on my stove were putting so much air in the stove my fires would burn too fast and my heat would leave the stove too fast. The fire would burn from the top of the wood and the bottom even if there was enough clearance between the wood and the burn tubes. Did some research and found others who had the same experience and learned how to partially block the hole for the secondaries to slow them down. Now when they kick in they are slow flames that still complete combustion but don't cause the stove to draft too strong. The stove has more time to get heat out of the air before I lose it up the chimney. THe glass stays cleaner and I have more control over the stove.

 

[muddstopper]

well ,now ya done it- Ya done let the cat out of the bag. Course there are a few of us that do have a few tidbits up on others and we are capable of applying said tidbits in rational and educational methods. But hey, don't let me burst your bubble.

No bubble to burst here, I learnt a long time ago God gave me two ears and one Mouth for a reason. he intended for me to listen twice as hard as I spoke. While I have been cutting wood for a lot longer than some here, there are plenty here that have been doing it much longer than me. Only a fool wouldnt pay attention to what those folks have to say. Nothing wrong with new ideals either, old dogs can learn new tricks, but we are usually to hard headed to admit it.

 

[aokpops]

From day one over 30 years ago the mission , make this as easy as you can . Do the prep work, is what makes any job go better . Like muddstopper said listen hard an talk less . Were here to find nuggets of gold knowledge . Some will say this or that works or won't work , At some point we all have to decide what works . That's were things get murky .

 

[huntindog1]

Yes if you have a flue that has strong draft closing off the secondary air some is an option. Some put a damper in the exhaust pipe at the top the stove this helps calm the draw or draft of the flue.
You can also do the rake your coals forward in a east/west loading stove or in a north/south loading stove you can rake the hot coals over to one side. Reason is to be able to load half the stove on no hot coals usually your bigger splits. Then the front or the side with the hot coals burns first.

Another aspect of getting a longer burn time is using good seasoned wood so you can get temps up fast in the stove on a reload so you can get the dang thing shut back down for that all important all night burn. If your having to keep the door cracked very long and then keep the input air open all the way for long periods what you doing is watching your main wood load burn up just trying to build heat up in the stove to get to that all important secondary flames in the top of the stove up by the burn tubes or secondary air manifold. Good dry wood 20% Miosture or less as measured by a moisture meter that you can pick up at any lowes store or online, I like 18% moisture or less. But this good dry wood lets the heat build quickly in the stove as there is no moisture to kill your heat or your secondary flames. Moisture also robs your BTU's.
Kindling is also very important but most people dont use it but good dry small split kindling and a good firestarter will build the heat even faster in the stove and lets you keep the door shut during startup as kindling will burn hot and fast even with the door shut and sometimes will burn hot and faster even with the input air shut half ways. This limits the air flow thru the stove and limits the heat flushed up the flue , heat that could be used to build the heat in the fire box. Kindling and firestarters burn easily with less input air thats the key especially on hot coals. All adds to build heat fast in the stove so you can get those secondaries firing off and input air shut down in 1/4 ways increments to get to that all night burn input air setting which is learned over time as you getting more experience with your stove.

 

[muddstopper]

I built my first fire of the season last night. I used small splits to build up a bed of coals. 11pm, I threw in one large round and one large split going to let it burn out during the night. Went down and checked on it at 11am today and still had a bed of coals. I raked the coals to the front of the stove and threw on a couple of small rounds just so i wouldnt have to build a fire tonite. House hasnt gotten to hot, 65*outside with winds. I believe the secret to long burn times is using large size wood and controling the amount of air. Small splits expose more surface area to the flames and burn faster.

 

[dancan]

One of the good things about living in a drafty barn of a house is that it makes the heat from the stove so much more cozy. Still, I wish this thing were better insulated.

But lots of insulation could have made for a smaller family , where's the fun in that ?