What's the deal with the tiny stoves they use over the pond?

I watched the show live free or die on Nat Geo I think is where it came on. The couple in NC in the moutains has this tiny stove in their like 500sq ft house. I mean its like the size of 2 shoe boxes. I mean I know were not the north east or Canada but why have a small stove. Bettthey have to put wood in it every hour or two and I bet it won't heat 400 sq feet!!

 

Not really. Most wood I've burned in a given year was ~2 cords last winter. Not a lot of wood to buzz.

As mentioned, my bandsaw is a Grizzly 14", nice serious saw, very solidly made. Over the course of the winter, what with dirt on splits, I wore out a plain-steel, 3 tpi band. $13- big deal. A 3 tpi band cuts pretty ferociously- not going for fancy. Takes minutes to swap to another band, a/r.

For a bunch of reasons, bandsawing to such small lengths is way safer and more efficient than chainsawing or cutting with circular (e.g. table) saw. Over the winter, a shop-vac sucked up sawdust that partly filled a standard desk-side wastebasket. So, extreme little wood waste.

 

Yea a 13$ band is nothing. If it works for you thats great. I agree a band saw is probably safer than a chain saw

 

Yes, Europe and Russia are the kings of Mass heating. It is a different heat though. More radiant than the hot heat of America.

 

How did you make out. Absolutely must charge for the extra time and labor. I'd guess it's just a little stove for looks and a bit of heat. But it is a fascinating question you raise. Maybe your buyer shed light on it.

 

There is more splitting and stacking time and stacking would be hard. But its easier to split 8" wood and can probably do bit one handed while other places it making you faster

 

A lot of the houses over there are hundreds of years old. I suppose if I were building a house without power tools and even the nails had to be hand forged, I'd be looking to build small. Their culture and expectations developed a lot longer ago than ours. The US is for the most part a country that developed after the industrial revolution and our houses and expectations reflect that.

 

Charge lots Nate. Lots! Doubtful they can get anyone else to do for less than whatever you charge. I just did 22 cord tandem load 18" long and cannot even imagine doing them 8" and then ... piling them. OMG! Holy Cow for sure ... cow destined for sainthood!

 

An old Maine proverb went" if your wood pile is as big as your house, you might make it through winter." You can tell the really old original houses in Maine (not the mansions) they are tiny with low ceilings, and small windows.