I'm debating buying a log splitter or going the old manual way, the way
that has served me well for many years, but thats the problem, many
years. So I'm considering getting one but have no expertise in them at
all. Any suggestions on brands, important features, gotchas etc would
be most appreciated. From there I'll decide if I need to get another
maul and wedge (axe is still good) - Grrrrr....<sigh>. BTW, most of my
pieces are 18" long, and between 12" & 24" in dia, and mmost are pine
with lots of pitch and branch knots. About 50/50 semi green vs dry.
That looks like something that Red Green would come up with.
"Charlie Spitzer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> http://www.thestickler.com/
>
> "Grandpa" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm debating buying a log splitter or going the old manual way, the way
> > that has served me well for many years, but thats the problem, many
> > years. So I'm considering getting one but have no expertise in them at
> > all. Any suggestions on brands, important features, gotchas etc would
> > be most appreciated. From there I'll decide if I need to get another
> > maul and wedge (axe is still good) - Grrrrr....<sigh>. BTW, most of my
> > pieces are 18" long, and between 12" & 24" in dia, and mmost are pine
> > with lots of pitch and branch knots. About 50/50 semi green vs dry.
> >
>
>
In article <[email protected]>, Charlie Spitzer
<[email protected]> wrote:
> http://www.thestickler.com/
Lordy, is that thing still around?
I saw it for the first (and last) time at the Polk County (Arkansas)
fair around 1976. The demonstrator had his Dodge truck up on a jack
stand and was idling his way through a substantial pile of wood.
While ingenious, it struck me as not the safest system in the world.
Kevin
In article <[email protected]>, Silvan
<[email protected]> wrote:
> You could do what Dad did. Get a pellet stove. "Volunteer" at the
> fireplace store enough weekends to pay for the fuel. :)
Aside from the fuel being expensive, they also require electricity (at
least the ones I've seen do).
I never saw the sense in a wood stove that requires electricity to
operate. I always liked having an electric blower for circulation, but
at least it kept on heating if the lights went out (a frequent
occurence in rural Arkansas).
Kevin
In article <[email protected]>, Silvan
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Kruppt wrote:
>
> > down that you knew of, had these older chimneys with no
> > liners? I don't know why a chimney fire would burn a house
> > down, unless heat/sparks escaped through some hole or crack
>
> I've never experienced a chimney fire, but I always heard that what gets
> your house is when the heat reaches a point where the mortar melts and the
> extremely hot chimney collapses, destroying by weight, and igniting
> everything in the hot bricks' path along the way to boot.
I've experienced lots of chimney fires. (A 32 foot chimney, moderate
temperatures, high humidity... worst possible conditions to cause lots
of cooling, condensation, and creosote buildup.)
With a damper-controlled wood stove, they were easy to stop... just
close the intake damper, and the fire smothered.
The mortar isn't going to "melt" under the heat of a flue fire. It
might crack and break, allowing an exit path for hot gas. Even if the
house burns down, the chimney is likely to remain standing. The real
danger from a chimney fire is the shower of gooey burning tar-like
creosote showering down on the roof.
Kevin
Kevin Craig wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, Charlie Spitzer
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > http://www.thestickler.com/
>
> Lordy, is that thing still around?
>
> I saw it for the first (and last) time at the Polk County (Arkansas)
> fair around 1976. The demonstrator had his Dodge truck up on a jack
> stand and was idling his way through a substantial pile of wood.
>
> While ingenious, it struck me as not the safest system in the world.
>
> Kevin
I agree, if you fell against that thing I'm pretty sure you'd be
screwed.
ARM
Kevin Craig wrote:
> The mortar isn't going to "melt" under the heat of a flue fire. It
Thinking back on this, I'm visualizing a pink, badly photocopied brochure
from a chimney sweeping service fishing for business. They probably
painted a bizarre worst-case scenerio and made it sound like it was going
to happen to you tomorrow.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
Confirmed post number: 17473 Approximate word count: 524190
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Grandpa,
My only comment would be to get one that "converts" or stands the
splitter part upright. That way all you have to do is roll the wood to it,
stand the chunk on end and slide it in place, rather than have to lift it up
anywhere from 12 to 16" to put it on the splitter rail.
Nahmie
"Grandpa" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm debating buying a log splitter or going the old manual way, the way
> that has served me well for many years, but thats the problem, many
> years. So I'm considering getting one but have no expertise in them at
> all. Any suggestions on brands, important features, gotchas etc would
> be most appreciated. From there I'll decide if I need to get another
> maul and wedge (axe is still good) - Grrrrr....<sigh>. BTW, most of my
> pieces are 18" long, and between 12" & 24" in dia, and mmost are pine
> with lots of pitch and branch knots. About 50/50 semi green vs dry.
>
Kruppt wrote:
> LMAO! Yeah, that's a pretty funny "stupid city boy story"
> <wink>
I'm not sure if the story is true or not. I think it probably has at least
a grain of truth to it though.
> Yeah, there is a bit more work involved in burning pine.
> I kind of like that part of it though, If I lived in an earlier era,
> I could easily see myself, doing this as a living. The Woodsman
> trade, while being very hard physical work, is a very
> healthy, enjoyable one. (if you work safely)
> Just something about it that goes with my grain, so to speak.
I'd have real trouble cutting trees for firewood unless I was very cold. I
have problems cutting trees for lumber too. Hard to reconcile being a
treehugger with being a woodworker. :)
My boss would surely agree with you though. He has 90 wooded acres. Owns a
knuckle boom and various other equipment, much of which he cobbled together
himself out of scrap metal and salvaged hydraulics. His idea of relaxation
is spending the weekend cutting down trees. Some for lumber, some for
firewood.
Can't say that I would enjoy that. I wouldn't enjoy butchering my own
cattle either. I guess hypocrisy can be a coping mechanism.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
Confirmed post number: 17469 Approximate word count: 524070
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Once again, I believe that Newton gives the equation as mass times the
_square_ of velocity, so for each person there's a crossover point, I'm
sure. The Goldilocks in me has settled on 8# as the standard in both maul
and sledge, though I have to say that not all maul shapes are equal either.
I've gone through a handle perhaps every two-three years on mine, but after
using others', I'm not going to part with him.
BTW, I burn about 7 full cords a year, so I'm not just clumsy!
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
.
>
> How much does that ax weigh? I remember beating my self to death
> trying to split some wood while my uncle was having a merry time.
> Only difference was that my maul as 6# and his was 8#. Seems like
> mass makes a huge difference.
[email protected] wrote:
> Grandpa <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>> BTW, most of my
>>pieces are 18" long, and between 12" & 24" in dia, and mmost are pine
>>with lots of pitch and branch knots. About 50/50 semi green vs dry.
>
>
> You burning that? Just wondering. I have a lot of red pine but never
> thought of burning it due to creosote worries and such.
The green stuff will sit for the winter & next summer to dry. The other
I'll burn. I've an old free standing round metal fireplace in our
unheated den (17x22) & when I do the fire I turn on a ceiling fan to low
and it blows the heat & warms the rest of the house nicely - 1500sqft.
I do need to look at the build-up though this year to ensure its not much.
Makes perfect sense to me - thanks for the tip!
Norman D. Crow wrote:
> Grandpa,
> My only comment would be to get one that "converts" or stands the
> splitter part upright. That way all you have to do is roll the wood to it,
> stand the chunk on end and slide it in place, rather than have to lift it up
> anywhere from 12 to 16" to put it on the splitter rail.
"Kruppt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Silvan <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
> <snip>
> > I'd have real trouble cutting trees for firewood unless I was very
> > cold. I have problems cutting trees for lumber too. Hard to
> > reconcile being a treehugger with being a woodworker. :)
>
> I don't, as a matter a fact, if we had been thinning and clearing out the
> forests all along, we wouldn't be having these multi million acre fires
> all over the place now, and we would have plenty of wood to enjoy.
> True Woodsman, care for the land, they don't just go in and start
> cutting any, and every tree down. They manage the natural resource,
> making sure that the forest stay strong and healthy, so others can enjoy
> them into the future. This bullshit, that every Woodsman is a tree
> butcher, is pure BULLSHIT.
>
> > My boss would surely agree with you though. He has 90 wooded acres.
> > Owns a knuckle boom and various other equipment, much of which he
> > cobbled together himself out of scrap metal and salvaged hydraulics.
> > His idea of relaxation is spending the weekend cutting down trees.
> > Some for lumber, some for firewood.
> >
> > Can't say that I would enjoy that. I wouldn't enjoy butchering my own
> > cattle either. I guess hypocrisy can be a coping mechanism.
>
> There is a "key note" in there some where, and most people don't get the
> clue, and humility of it. To stay alive YOUR KILLING SOMETHING, wither it
> be green things, blood filled things, or bugs, we survive at the cost of
> another living thing. To bad more of this yippee generation and their
> siblings, didn't have the opportunity to grow up on a farm, so that
concept
> would be drilled home into their brilliant minds.
> Then I wouldn't have to listen to their self edified bullshit in these
> regards. Saving this and Saving that, I care just as much or more than
they
> do. The difference is they don't get it, To Live something Dies!
> Funny thing is, most live in homes, built with lumber, but they want to
> stop others from doing likewise, Yeah I'd say there is a bit of
> hypocrisy in this type of mind set.
>
> I have no shame, I have humility in the face of this reality.
> If I really "cared" more for the -other- living things, (than myself)
> I would kill *myself*, so the -other- living things could live,
> and not I upon them. ( then I would not be a hypocrite )
>
>
> Kruppt
>
>
>
I'm about to go pricing them at Lowes and at Home Depot, along with a
couple wedges and a maul. Saw spliters on the 'net @ Harbor Freight &
Lowes ($1099). Caca monster - for that kind of money I'll do it by
hand. Everything I saved by cutting my own wood would be reinvested
into a splitter. Unless I find one real cheap (probably poor quality
too) I'll trim down my splitting round and me, the axe & wedges will
have a meeting of the minds - over and over. I'm just too damned cheap
and ornery to spend the $ for one - Grrrrr........
Silvan wrote:
>
> How tired are you these days? IME pine is almost as bad as gum when it's
> green. If you were looking at a bunch of oak, this would be a no brainer.
> I used to love oak.
I'm tired but not $1100 worth of tired - yet<G>! I've got about 3 cords
to split so far but probably won't burn but maybe half that this winter
at best. Hell, me & the axe need to 'warm up' to each other anyway so I
can really appreciate the fire, cup of hot chocolate & a good book this
winter!
[email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
> You burning that? Just wondering. I have a lot of red pine but never
> thought of burning it due to creosote worries and such.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Wes
>
>
If you dry the pine well, there is no problems. Stove adjustment is
a key also, the pine should not be smoldering while burning.
(I use a woodstove these days)
I have burned cords and cords of pine as I have it in abundance,
and have never had any problems. The key thing is to split the pine
into small enough splits, that it can dry, and dry it good in
a covered shed, or cover it with a tarp or such. It should be VERY
dry before using it. If you try burning it while it is still
green, you will have the problem of creosote building up in the
chimney/stove pipes. Once upon a time a friend brought me loads of
pine that I decided to burn while it was yet fairly green.
After several months of burning this stuff in my fireplace,
A great rushing, roaring sound, likened unto a jet engine
filled the living room, I did not at first have a clue as to what it
was. I walked outside to see this pretty blue tapered flame about
10 ft long coming from my chimney. It lasted about 5 minutes or so
and all was well. I had never burned wood before, I was a green young
punk and did not know anything of such things. But since that time, I
have learned the way of the Woodsman, and have found if you split the
pine in small enough splits and dry it well before use, you will have no
problems. Another thing I do to prevent this from happening, is when I
load the stove first thing in the morning, is to burn a load of pine full
bore for several minutes, to burn up the creosote that builds upon the
chimney/stove pipes walls, turning it to ash. The only down fall of
using pine in a woodstove, is the fact that you have to load it quite
often. On the upside, you do not have to clean the stove of ash so
often.LOL! There is an art to burning each and every species of wood,
you have to set your stove dampners and draft control
differently for each, if you want the best efficiency
from each. That said, pine burns nicely, you have to "burn it" as
it does not develop nice coals as the hardwoods do.(it should always be
flaming good another words in the stove, not just smoldering along)
I burn pine in the day, and hardwoods by night, unless I have things
I need to get done, then I burn hardwoods, so I do not have to be tending
the stove every hour or so, as you have to do when using pine.
Most people dislike burning pine mainly for this reason that you have to
tend to the stove more often.
Kruppt
Ramsey <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> All woods when burned green (wet) will produce creosote. Sweetgum is
> also one of the worst offenders. I would shy away from pine high in
> resin (heart). I have seem many houses down south burn down from the
> chimney catching on fire. At one time, someone made a deal like a huge
> candle that you threw in the fireplace when it caught on fire to put
> it out. Anone know if this is a worthwhile product and if it is still
> made?
>
Yes all green woods produce creosote when burned.
I split and stack my wood four years in advance.(these days)
What I split and stack this year will not be burned for
4 or 5 years. The wood I will burn this winter
will be 5 years in drying. That said, I never burn
nothing but seasoned wood. The only reason I burn
pine at all here, is that it is from slabs and such
from pine timber that I have milled into lumber,
and instead of wasting it, I burn it for heat,
I just can not stand waste, so I burn it.
I purchased a house in the south myself, and the chimney
was made of flagstone and mortar. There were cracks/gaps
and such in the chimney. I installed a interlocking
clay liner in the chimney and filled in around the liner with
mortar. I do not use a fireplace, but two air-tight woodstoves,
at each end of the house. I wonder if the homes that burned
down that you knew of, had these older chimneys with no
liners? I don't know why a chimney fire would burn a house
down, unless heat/sparks escaped through some hole or crack
in the chimney. The chimney fire I had many years ago in
another house was quite uneventual, other than the sound,
and the visual effect of the blue flame licking at the night sky.LOL!
Even the sparks from the ash coming from the chimney were
sparse and went out quickly, long before they landed on anything like
the roof or such. I looked into the chimney of that house and it had a
steel liner in the chimney though. All my neighbors have cautioned me
against burning pine, they all told of horrors of houses burning down also.
In some places all you have to burn, is pine. I'm just curious if it
has more to do with holes or cracks in the chimney that caused
the fires. I have heard of techniques and such as you mentioned in putting
out chimney fires but can not remember nothing of it. One fella was telling
me they get atop the house and drop sand down the chimney. I'm sure there
are a lot of inventive ways people deal with such. I was surprised to hear
burning pine in the south had such horror stories attached to it.
There is pleanty of hardwood here, and someone that burns pine has to have
a screw loose in their head to be burning it. So they tell me. LOL!
Kruppt
[email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
> Thanks for the reply. I take it that your stove can be *VERY* air
> tight? My experience in burning branches from downed trees is if the
> wood is dry the fire is intense and short. I'd love to use some of my
> pine to hit my gara ^B^B^B^B shop. In a few weeks, I will have our
> band mill out on my property which should generate some waste useful
> for burning.
>
> Wes
> -
Yes the stoves are *VERY* air tight.
I would not have it any other way.
If they are not, they are a danger,
waste fuel, and useless in being able to have
fine control over the burning process.
You control the intensity of the fire by controlling the
draft, and dampner controls.(the chimney has to be proper length also)
If you have the dampner and draft controls set right the "fumes" burn
inside the stove, and just heat escapes up the chimney. Yes, pine burns
faster, but you can control the rate of burn very precisely once you
have toyed and balanced the relationship between the draft and dampner
controls. It is a balance act between the two, and the proper generation
of the fire itself. Another words once you have the fire alive, you tame
it. If you have a "limp" fire to start with you can not control it's
outcome well. The problem with some stoves is, they do not have a "true"
dampner, you install one of them flimsy stove pipe types.(horror) You
should be able to shut down a real stove in the middle of a raving fire,
by shuting off the drafts, and then the dampner, and have the fire start
choking on itself without any smoke bellowing from the stove. That is an
air tight stove, when you can do that.<G>
Kruppt
Kevin Craig <[email protected]> wrote in
news:310820032209482577%[email protected]:
> I've experienced lots of chimney fires. (A 32 foot chimney, moderate
> temperatures, high humidity... worst possible conditions to cause lots
> of cooling, condensation, and creosote buildup.)
>
> With a damper-controlled wood stove, they were easy to stop... just
> close the intake damper, and the fire smothered.
>
> The mortar isn't going to "melt" under the heat of a flue fire. It
> might crack and break, allowing an exit path for hot gas. Even if the
> house burns down, the chimney is likely to remain standing. The real
> danger from a chimney fire is the shower of gooey burning tar-like
> creosote showering down on the roof.
>
> Kevin
>
Now that's a pretty good pull!(32' chimney/draft)
Thanks for clearification Kevin.
Silvan had me goin' on that one!
I have heard a lot of "stories" on
this chimney fire/pine deal.
I pictured the fire reaching some amazing temps,
that exceeded a iron smelting furnace or sumptin'! LOL!
Once I started burning pine, all the "nay-sayers"
came and told their stories of horrors.
I see you have one of the basics down,
just shut off the freakin' oxygen source! LOL!
Not having a good shut down source on a stove/fireplace
is like driving a car with no brakes!
The showering sparks from the gooey burning tar-like
creosote does sound like a more plausible cause.
Another thing I could see being a problem is if
someone had a chimney fire in a chimney made of regular
stove pipe, that was not replaced on a regular basis,
and had been corroded thin from creosote,
and then they have a chimney
fire in one of them flimsy, tin stove pipes.
That would burn down a house real quick.
Kruppt
Silvan <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
<snip>
> I'd have real trouble cutting trees for firewood unless I was very
> cold. I have problems cutting trees for lumber too. Hard to
> reconcile being a treehugger with being a woodworker. :)
I don't, as a matter a fact, if we had been thinning and clearing out the
forests all along, we wouldn't be having these multi million acre fires
all over the place now, and we would have plenty of wood to enjoy.
True Woodsman, care for the land, they don't just go in and start
cutting any, and every tree down. They manage the natural resource,
making sure that the forest stay strong and healthy, so others can enjoy
them into the future. This bullshit, that every Woodsman is a tree
butcher, is pure BULLSHIT.
> My boss would surely agree with you though. He has 90 wooded acres.
> Owns a knuckle boom and various other equipment, much of which he
> cobbled together himself out of scrap metal and salvaged hydraulics.
> His idea of relaxation is spending the weekend cutting down trees.
> Some for lumber, some for firewood.
>
> Can't say that I would enjoy that. I wouldn't enjoy butchering my own
> cattle either. I guess hypocrisy can be a coping mechanism.
There is a "key note" in there some where, and most people don't get the
clue, and humility of it. To stay alive YOUR KILLING SOMETHING, wither it
be green things, blood filled things, or bugs, we survive at the cost of
another living thing. To bad more of this yippee generation and their
siblings, didn't have the opportunity to grow up on a farm, so that concept
would be drilled home into their brilliant minds.
Then I wouldn't have to listen to their self edified bullshit in these
regards. Saving this and Saving that, I care just as much or more than they
do. The difference is they don't get it, To Live something Dies!
Funny thing is, most live in homes, built with lumber, but they want to
stop others from doing likewise, Yeah I'd say there is a bit of
hypocrisy in this type of mind set.
I have no shame, I have humility in the face of this reality.
If I really "cared" more for the -other- living things, (than myself)
I would kill *myself*, so the -other- living things could live,
and not I upon them. ( then I would not be a hypocrite )
Kruppt
http://www.thestickler.com/
"Grandpa" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm debating buying a log splitter or going the old manual way, the way
> that has served me well for many years, but thats the problem, many
> years. So I'm considering getting one but have no expertise in them at
> all. Any suggestions on brands, important features, gotchas etc would
> be most appreciated. From there I'll decide if I need to get another
> maul and wedge (axe is still good) - Grrrrr....<sigh>. BTW, most of my
> pieces are 18" long, and between 12" & 24" in dia, and mmost are pine
> with lots of pitch and branch knots. About 50/50 semi green vs dry.
>
Getting old, eh? I'm still splitting the old way too. Mine is normally 50"
hardwood, as my furnace will accommodate that length.
But - my neighbor still used an axe until age 80. He could split yellow
birch or even elm with that axe. He reminded me of a bit of elementary
physics, as he used a 10" tall splitting stump, not, as many of us do,
another of the 16-18" long pieces we're splitting. That way the axe made
contact at a point just below the waist, so it didn't load through his arms
back to his spinal column. Your inseam may vary, but having the point of
impact too high or too low is one reason why the task is so fatiguing, and
one way to maintain the speed of manual splitting later into your life.
With one kid spotting and me splitting, we easily outwork a hydraulic.
"Grandpa" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm debating buying a log splitter or going the old manual way, the way
> that has served me well for many years, but thats the problem, many
> years. So I'm considering getting one but have no expertise in them at
> all. Any suggestions on brands, important features, gotchas etc would
> be most appreciated. From there I'll decide if I need to get another
> maul and wedge (axe is still good) - Grrrrr....<sigh>. BTW, most of my
> pieces are 18" long, and between 12" & 24" in dia, and mmost are pine
> with lots of pitch and branch knots. About 50/50 semi green vs dry.
>
UPDATE: I went, I saw, I got a cramp in my lungs ($899 to $1099) - so I
bought 2 wedges for $8 and an 8# sledge for $13. Will locate a maul
tomorrow and start the manual process. Thanks to all for their advice.
Grandpa wrote:
> I'm about to go pricing them at Lowes and at Home Depot, along with a
> couple wedges and a maul. Saw spliters on the 'net @ Harbor Freight &
> Lowes ($1099). Caca monster - for that kind of money I'll do it by
> hand. Everything I saved by cutting my own wood would be reinvested
> into a splitter. Unless I find one real cheap (probably poor quality
> too) I'll trim down my splitting round and me, the axe & wedges will
> have a meeting of the minds - over and over. I'm just too damned cheap
> and ornery to spend the $ for one - Grrrrr........
>
> Silvan wrote:
>
>>
>> How tired are you these days? IME pine is almost as bad as gum when it's
>> green. If you were looking at a bunch of oak, this would be a no
>> brainer. I used to love oak.
>
>
> I'm tired but not $1100 worth of tired - yet<G>! I've got about 3 cords
> to split so far but probably won't burn but maybe half that this winter
> at best. Hell, me & the axe need to 'warm up' to each other anyway so I
> can really appreciate the fire, cup of hot chocolate & a good book this
> winter!
>
>
Kruppt wrote:
> down that you knew of, had these older chimneys with no
> liners? I don't know why a chimney fire would burn a house
> down, unless heat/sparks escaped through some hole or crack
I've never experienced a chimney fire, but I always heard that what gets
your house is when the heat reaches a point where the mortar melts and the
extremely hot chimney collapses, destroying by weight, and igniting
everything in the hot bricks' path along the way to boot.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
Confirmed post number: 17455 Approximate word count: 523650
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Wilson Lamb wrote:
> The splitter also does the ones that are unsplittable by hand. I do
> hickory, oak, maple, gum, all of em. I do crooks, interlocks, crotches,
> and
They're all spilttable by hand. We had a gigant gum crotch. It was our pet
project. Go out every day and whack on it, Dad and I.
At some point after we first realized it wasn't going to go easy, we started
keeping count. I can no longer remember the number, but it was somewhere
north of 2,000 whacks, two wedges lost (eventually recovered), three mauls
broken (Craftsman mauls... :) but we split that son of a bitch.
After it had stood around for about three years... ;)
Yeah baby, gimmie power splitting any day.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
Confirmed post number: 17439 Approximate word count: 523170
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
All woods when burned green (wet) will produce creosote. Sweetgum is
also one of the worst offenders. I would shy away from pine high in
resin (heart). I have seem many houses down south burn down from the
chimney catching on fire. At one time, someone made a deal like a huge
candle that you threw in the fireplace when it caught on fire to put
it out. Anone know if this is a worthwhile product and if it is still
made?
On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 17:58:31 GMT, Kruppt <[email protected]>
wrote:
>[email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>> You burning that? Just wondering. I have a lot of red pine but never
>> thought of burning it due to creosote worries and such.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Wes
>>
>>
>
>If you dry the pine well, there is no problems. Stove adjustment is
>a key also, the pine should not be smoldering while burning.
>(I use a woodstove these days)
>I have burned cords and cords of pine as I have it in abundance,
>and have never had any problems. The key thing is to split the pine
>into small enough splits, that it can dry, and dry it good in
>a covered shed, or cover it with a tarp or such. It should be VERY
>dry before using it. If you try burning it while it is still
>green, you will have the problem of creosote building up in the
>chimney/stove pipes. Once upon a time a friend brought me loads of
>pine that I decided to burn while it was yet fairly green.
>After several months of burning this stuff in my fireplace,
>A great rushing, roaring sound, likened unto a jet engine
>filled the living room, I did not at first have a clue as to what it
>was. I walked outside to see this pretty blue tapered flame about
>10 ft long coming from my chimney. It lasted about 5 minutes or so
>and all was well. I had never burned wood before, I was a green young
>punk and did not know anything of such things. But since that time, I
>have learned the way of the Woodsman, and have found if you split the
>pine in small enough splits and dry it well before use, you will have no
>problems. Another thing I do to prevent this from happening, is when I
>load the stove first thing in the morning, is to burn a load of pine full
>bore for several minutes, to burn up the creosote that builds upon the
>chimney/stove pipes walls, turning it to ash. The only down fall of
>using pine in a woodstove, is the fact that you have to load it quite
>often. On the upside, you do not have to clean the stove of ash so
>often.LOL! There is an art to burning each and every species of wood,
>you have to set your stove dampners and draft control
>differently for each, if you want the best efficiency
>from each. That said, pine burns nicely, you have to "burn it" as
>it does not develop nice coals as the hardwoods do.(it should always be
>flaming good another words in the stove, not just smoldering along)
>I burn pine in the day, and hardwoods by night, unless I have things
>I need to get done, then I burn hardwoods, so I do not have to be tending
>the stove every hour or so, as you have to do when using pine.
>Most people dislike burning pine mainly for this reason that you have to
>tend to the stove more often.
>
>
>Kruppt
Greetings ...
"Grandpa" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm debating buying a log splitter or going the old manual way, the way
> that has served me well for many years, but thats the problem, many
> years.
We have an MTD / Yard Machines 31 ton splitter and love it. Can't seem to
find the mall or wedge :)
Scott
"George" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Getting old, eh? I'm still splitting the old way too. Mine is normally 50"
>hardwood, as my furnace will accommodate that length.
>
>But - my neighbor still used an axe until age 80. He could split yellow
>birch or even elm with that axe. He reminded me of a bit of elementary
>physics, as he used a 10" tall splitting stump, not, as many of us do,
>another of the 16-18" long pieces we're splitting. That way the axe made
>contact at a point just below the waist, so it didn't load through his arms
>back to his spinal column.
How much does that ax weigh? I remember beating my self to death
trying to split some wood while my uncle was having a merry time.
Only difference was that my maul as 6# and his was 8#. Seems like
mass makes a huge difference.
Wes
--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Gee Tee EYE EYE dot COM
Lycos address is a spam trap.
Grandpa <[email protected]> wrote:
> BTW, most of my
>pieces are 18" long, and between 12" & 24" in dia, and mmost are pine
>with lots of pitch and branch knots. About 50/50 semi green vs dry.
You burning that? Just wondering. I have a lot of red pine but never
thought of burning it due to creosote worries and such.
Thanks,
Wes
--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Gee Tee EYE EYE dot COM
Lycos address is a spam trap.
"George" <[email protected]> wrote:
[snip]
>Once again, I believe that Newton gives the equation as mass times the
>_square_ of velocity, so for each person there's a crossover point, I'm
>sure. The Goldilocks in me has settled on 8# as the standard in both maul
>and sledge...
[snip]
Thanks for the confirm on 8# being a sweet spot. That old 6# maul is
still laying out in the woods against a tree after I compared it to
uncles 8#. Some tools don't get lost, they get abandoned.
I'll wave at it this November when I am out deer hunting.
Wes
--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Gee Tee EYE EYE dot COM
Lycos address is a spam trap.
Kruppt <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>If you dry the pine well, there is no problems. Stove adjustment is
>a key also, the pine should not be smoldering while burning.
>(I use a woodstove these days)
>I have burned cords and cords of pine as I have it in abundance,
>and have never had any problems. The key thing is to split the pine
>into small enough splits, that it can dry, and dry it good in
>a covered shed, or cover it with a tarp or such. It should be VERY
>dry before using it
Thanks for the reply. I take it that your stove can be *VERY* air
tight? My experience in burning branches from downed trees is if the
wood is dry the fire is intense and short. I'd love to use some of my
pine to hit my gara ^B^B^B^B shop. In a few weeks, I will have our
band mill out on my property which should generate some waste useful
for burning.
Wes
--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Gee Tee EYE EYE dot COM
Lycos address is a spam trap.