By necessary and desperate decree next Winter shall be warmer than usual requiring the starting of wood stoves on a daily basis. Therefore I have started splitting fire starting material early this year for next year. I present for snow-blinded eyes a quarter cord of green pine split as small as I could without making lots of shorts. The biguns have knots that just don't lend themselves to kindling making. 48" x 96" x 16" Hey, it's firewood, it's Friday and I got a head start on the weekend firewood making today. Tell truth I think it splits into kindling easier seasoned , but this was just one tree. ( usually I'm foraging kindling because we needed it yesterday. This year we didn't need a lot of fire starting twigs ......)
I grab small twigs all spring, summer, and fall as kindling. By the time winter rolls around, I've got quite a bit. Small pine splits work well too. I've still got some slabs I need to get worked up.
That's what I've done in the past, but ran out. Used up three fifty pound sunflower seed bags of 2x4 cut-offs and three bags of shingles. Then started splitting pine into kindling. Made the morning starts pretty easily and predictable, three or four small ones, two big chunks, one on each side at 6 AM , eat breakfast, S,S&S, go back throw some oak on the hot pine, turn the air down and get out of the house. I need two more of those though. or more.
Good start on next season. I too will use just about anything for kindling. Broken snow stakes from work are part of the collection now.
Lookin good ! We cut the whole tree up this way..right down to the very last twig !! That stuff comes in handy . Great pics..and good job
I think that's a great idea! I don't have much pine, but use aspen and hemlock split small for kindling also.
It is for getting the stove going again first thing in the morning when there are just [a few] hot coals left. I have good luck with it igniting faster than oak or maple kindling, getting the stove rocking again quicker. I don't end up with smoldering hardwood hardly ever. Plus I have lots and lots of pine unfortunately. The big chunks on the right I could use for heat all day if I wanted to spend a lot of time reloading the stove.
billb3, why would having- "lots and lots of pine" be a bad thing? I get a kick out of these Pine threads. Pine is fine.
you can't even give eastern white pine away around here if you live near a campground you might sell little bundles for a dollar less a bundle than can be got in the campground. I'll burn it exclusively on a saturday or a sunday when I've got nothing better to do than constantly reload the stove.
If I may make a suggestion...... Get a Blaze King- Keep hoarding Pine- Burn it in the BK- You figure out what to do with all your spare time.
Over my way...Pine isnt really abundant by any means . Little groves planted around the old farms...but thats about it . We are all hardwoods BUT........would love to cut and split some pine . I like that saying above..."PINE IS FINE " !!!!!
