Question about mechanics of wood burning

I've been making my splits really small these days prior to going into the stove. I'll take any log over 4 inches in diameter and split it at least once. Now, does this burn better because it's able to more easily offgas since you broke open the wood? I'm splitting shortly before feeding into the stove, so it has little or no impact on moisture level. Just curious. This wood probably is not as dry as it could be.

 

I have no intelligent answer, but it feels like it burns quicker because there is more surface to volume ratio with a smaller split and it loses moisture quicker. My wood this year has not been stellar and I needed to split small just to keep from steaming water. I did finally get some really dead oak lately that was bigger and it burned great but lasted because it "took more licks to get to the center of that tootsie pop".
I hope this helped, but it probably didn't.

 

With many small splits vs. fewer larger splits, I would expect over firing. The burn would be 'peaky' that is, a really intense hot but short-lived fire. Maybe your stove has good enough control to prevent going nuclear?

 

This wood isn't seasoned enough to go nuclear. It's around 20%

 

I like burning the small splits. Just makes for a cleaner fire. Nice flames and less smoke.

 

In chemistry, to increase reaction speeds (chemical and physical) by heating, stirring, and increasing surface area. Combustion is a chemical reaction. Smaller splits have more surface area. Hot fires, stirring the fire, and small splits (or kindling) all help a fire burn faster.

 

+1, more surface area & like kindling, it off gasses faster when smaller.

I split everything at least once for seasoning, & a variety of sizes.
If you are going to split smaller, I'd think it better to do it when splitting for seasoning so it is drier .

 

Yeah...I'm usually trying to split as fast as possible to get through it. Would be better as you said.

 

The only advantage to splitting smaller is it dries faster. You can't get as much wood in the stove with smaller splits which means you are going to put out less heat with that load. In my ideal world every load would look like this: 125 lbs of the dry good stuff that fills every reasonable inch of the firebox

 

Wow. That would have to be started over some coals???

 

I couldn't fit 125 lbs into my stove unless it was lead or gold.

 

Yep, I start very few fires from scratch...two so far this season. The rest just keep the eternal flame going.