Took the day off today to get the final amount of wood that was cut and split last weekend up into the backyard. Unfortunately it's apparent that I will not have enough wood for the season. As I mentioned in my other thread, I've reached out to my friend and will be getting two semi-seasoned cords of wood. Hopefully by Feb or Mar that wood will be ready to burn. In the meantime, I have 4 cherry trees I am going to take down to supplement and start drying. The on deck rack I built and posted a picture of in another thread works great. It rained hard the other day and the wood is fine and ready to come in the house. The depth of the rack is 40". Two 18" logs in two rows would give me a few inches to spare. Unfortunately some of my splits are as long as 21". My stove can take up to a 22" log sideways. Straight in it will take a 19" log. I prefer the strait in load as you get more logs in. Plus you have less of a chance for a burning log to roll out of the stove. For this stack of the rack, I was able to get one row in the back and the front row had to run the opposite way. Less wood in the rack. Ugh. Might make the next one 44" inches. Another consideration is to make my splits 16" rather 18". Onward and upward. I've heard wood warms you twice. Once when you cut/split it, and once when you burn it. I'd argue that wood warms me more than that. Let's see, there is the cutting, the splitting, the moving, the stacking, the bringing it into the house and then finally burning it. I count 6 times. Once I have my full operation in place, there will be phases of moving the wood adding to the number of times wood warms me. Jason from RI
Some of us have counted at least double that number for how many times we handle firewood. There's at least one thread about it too. The stuff we think about, eh?
Nice to have good dry wood I wouldn't worry if a few longer pieces stuck out from the rack, I think you'd be fine to just stack two normal rows
Jason, that cherry very well might stand a chance to burn decently. If you could get soft maple, there would perhaps be even a greater chance. Then, of course, there is the pallet route. It is a lot of work cutting them up and you have to be careful to not overheat the stove, but it can help get you through. Good luck.
Don't feel bad. A lot of us have run short of good wood the first year. Nothing makes you want to get better prepared for the next few years like burning too wet wood! Watch for creosote build up my friend.
You have it figured out, you just needed more time. Fight thru this year, next year will be amazingly better ! Keep the stacks growing ! "You burn what you got, seasoned or not." My 14 time I handle wood went to 16 this year . LOL Link : here
Yea Trying to find someone to deliver oak to my driveway for free like a few here get. No luck so far . LOL I look forward to Oct & firewood season, when the weather cooperates. This year I could've moved slower, just had our first snow a week ago. but you just never know. Next year, I might only get a few loads before it snows the trail in.
