Initially I thought 20 would be ideal , then I worried that between pieces sitting catywampus and my accuracy being low I should go to 17. 16.6 gives me 6 even pieces in a 100 inch log which is how my cord came . The idea of handling less logs has me reconsidering 20” I’m willing to go a little slower to get better accuracy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What's the stove? Can the splits sit on the lip after the ash belly is full of splits or does the door get in the way? I'd prolly go 5 at 20".
The last stove I had wasn’t deep but at a diagonal would fit a 24 inch piece. Not efficient I know but sometimes I only needed a few. The trick is for an inch or so from back and glass so it’ll fill the stove depth. The stove Tetris thread here will be helpful looking at ways you stack it in.
If all the logs are 100, I'd most definitely be doing 5x20 if my stove could take 20" cut a stick 20 inches long and use that to mark with a piece of chalk or grease pen
My stove can take a split 18 inches. It's a side loader. I cut to 16inch. In the event I'm a little off, I have room to get it in. Also, it makes guesstimating how much wood I have stacked.
When you say feeding the stove diagonally is inefficient, so you just mean for extending load times? I would think turbulence and having it packed it less tightly would actually burn more efficiently, but I am going on intuition, not experience.
based on your pic i would cut to 20" Do you mark logs when you buck? I use a folding ruler (which slips perfectly in the back pocket) and a piece of kids sidewalk chalk.
Looks like 20" will fit in there pretty easily. If you take into account the chain kerf, you lose about 1.25 of that 100". Slow down a bit and make 'em all 20". 1 less cut on a 20 cord log load adds up. Arthritis has taken a toll, so I prefer 16", but that's what fits best here. Less weight per split is gooder for me. Lots of things to consider. YMMV
I read a stove recommendation somewhere that the pieces should be at least two inches shorter than max dimension to allow for circulation on the ends. If I can fit em I stuff em in. Even crosswise at times. When going for the long burn I just make sure not to use anything too long that it messes up the load.
jo191145 is right! You should have an air gap on both ends of the wood for best burning. I can get 19" in our stove when it is above the lip but I rarely do it. I try to stick with 16" and it works out fine. In your case you should find that 16" will work out fine for the size of those logs. 16" x 6 cuts = 98" but don't forget the kerf. Also when cutting a certain length it is common to have a few maybe a little short or a little long. 16" should work great.
It’s merely that you want to pack your stove and then you can forget about it for awhile depending on your rate of burn. Most stoves can be packed so that the wood burning inside has an effective system. This is often done in deep winter for when i was burning but diagonally I would have just put a big split in that way and it’s a reduced burn time because of a lone split. The more you can pack the slower the burn. Not all stoves will respond this way and can over-fire but merely this is a learning curve and what I gathered from the wealth of knowledge here is to be dialed in with air control. I had just an EPA REGULATED stove but some others can take higher temps better. Mileage may vary is said here often.
I think the 2" rule is a good one to follow. Make sure there is air circulation all around the wood so it burns hot. A cold fire will dirty up the chimney. I like all my pieces 16" not just for stove size but also for stacking. Keeps the wood pile even and neat.
I use a piece of 3/8th threaded rod marked at 24" 18" & 16" attached to the end of the saw bar. Works well cutting in a pile. I would go in the 16" range as well. A nicely stacked load burns the longest & evenly cut wood makes for a better & quicker loading experience.
Back at the hunting camp we use a WW1 barracks stove. That can take 52” pieces but we stick with between 24-30” My fisher mama bear takes 27” splits but I run between 16-22” pieces mostly because there’s no baffle in my stove.
Cut to whatever, less than about 20 inches, and don't sweat it if you end up with odd sized pieces. It is nice having smaller pieces sometimes.
