When I was young we had to scrounge. Dad even did an apple orchard.....once! Mother nature has been knocking out so much, either by wind or bugs, that we're way ahead. Having our own land now was a big reason but word of mouth got around on how we did others property and we turn down jobs now. All good problems to have though compared to the alternative.
My dear ol' dad was slinging a saw almost up to his passing at 87. I always remember having a fire going when I was a boy...wouldn't buy wood if I hit the lottery, just love the whole process to much. Happy that there are so many others that enjoy it as well. I will say that well seasoned wood is a whole different ballgame, I am working on getting as much into that 3 year sweet spot as I can. We've had some brutal winters and the dragon has been very hungry so it's not easy.
This is easy to answer, when I signed up to be a member of the "firewood hoarders club" having a large stash of firewood was in the bylaws. I always try to follow the rules, don't you know.
Well ever since I was about 10 years old my folks burned wood And it was always a race to out run winter Now that I own my own land house and shop ( both house and shop have wood heat ) I got Maybe 3-3.5 years worth and want 4 or 5
I think all of my reasons have been mentioned: like chainsaws and cutting wood, like being self-sufficient as much as possible, like to be warm, like to save money, and wanted to burn quality wood and not worry about difficulties starting and maintaining fires. Four years ahead is where I try to stay - been there for about 5 years - becomes cruise control at this point - just replace what you burn and no need to rush and worry. Cheers!
When I was much younger and first started burning wood in my new little family's home, I always admired the "old timer's" wood stacks, put up a year ahead (at least) and for years, wanted to have all my wood put up just waiting for stove season. Well I, am slowly turning into an "old timer" myself.
We always burned wood when we were kids, so its ingrained in me. We were never ahead, but we always had wood and I dont remember it being a problem. Some of my favorite memories are getting wood together in the fall as a kid. When I bought my own house, the first thing I did was buy a woodstove. It was September, so that didnt give me a lot of time to get wood together. Luckily several trees had to come down in my yard when I bought the house. As you can imagine, the wood did not dry well. It was the worst and shortest wood supply I have ever had that year. I started scrounging hard and finally bought a load of tree length. It was all oak. A large supply of oak was an eye opener. So many BTU's. I always felt like there was no such thing as having too much wood, but until I came here I couldnt embrace the idea as much as I wanted. Now its game on all the time. If wood is available, Im on it. I have the equipment and the skills to make it happen too, which is good. I drop everything if there is a good scrounge available. I imagine this is what Junkies feel like when they get their "fix"
I moved into the house I rent with no wood available for the wood stove in the middle of February, working part time I couldn't afford to fill our oil burner, so we froze while we burnt not seasoned wood. Ever since that harrowing experience I've decided never again and haven't stopped cutting since.
Backwoods Savage am I starting to see a pattern here. Started out cold trying to stay warm at night, now it's hot so less clothes worn. I think it's all about something else and not the wood. Err the tree kind that is.
Have you been spying on me? Needless to say all of us are probably far warmer our second year into firewood rather than our first.
I did not know any different, but lucky enough to marry a man that did. He has provided 20+ years of seasoned dry wood til we moved to a different state and had to leave the rotation behind, (even stacks older than 3 year rotation!). I had no idea how difficult wet wood was til late last spring when we had to buy an extra couple cords that were not seasoned. Good thread!
With 5 generations of loggers/sawmillers before me,,,,,,, I'da been shuned if I didn't!!!! The last few years the arthritic benefits are really noticeable.
Honestly, it was mostly this crowd here, which is why I place such a high value on this place and the members here. I've been burning here for 12 years now, but used to buy log truck loads and process them the summer before they burned. Man, did I struggle, without really knowing how to fix it. You guys showed me not only the value of seasoned wood, but more importantly that you just need to put your head down and get it done, no matter what else is going on. And that there can be great joy in it, going out and working hard I've always loved, but making it fun to keep building those stacks, and feeling pride in them, and all that...you guys did that. Thanks all!
