[hr(bob) [email protected]]

I have a lot of wood to split for firewood sometime this winter. It
is currently frozen. Is it easier to split frozen or thawed wood,
assuming that moisture content is the same in either case?

[Jim Elbrecht]

"hr(bob) " wrote:

I have a lot of wood to split for firewood sometime this winter. It
is currently frozen. Is it easier to split frozen or thawed wood,
assuming that moisture content is the same in either case?

IMO- if it is a splittable wood- ash, oak, maple, etc- then the frost
helps. If it is elm, knotty, or punky then frost hurts.

Most of my splitting was done with a slitting axe. [not a maul!] On
occasion I would resort to a sledge and wedges. For the worst of the
worst I liked the grenade style wedges with a couple hickory wedges to
help once it started.

Jim
[enjoying propane heat these days. It is about the same cost as
firewood and no cleanup or splitting]

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

On Dec 16, 1:27*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"hr(bob) " wrote:
I have a lot of wood to split for firewood sometime this winter. *It
is currently frozen. *Is it easier to split frozen or thawed wood,
assuming that moisture content is the same in either case?

IMO- if it is a splittable wood- ash, oak, maple, etc- then the frost
helps. * * *If it is elm, knotty, or punky then frost hurts.

Most of my splitting was done with a slitting axe. [not a maul!] *On
occasion I would resort to a sledge and wedges. *For the worst of the
worst I liked the grenade style wedges with a couple hickory wedges to
help once it started.

Jim
[enjoying propane heat these days. *It is about the same cost as
firewood and no cleanup or splitting]

Thanx. I took down one 48-yr-old Maple and one 47-year-old Ash tree
this year, loads of free firewood. Will leave the wood outside in the
below 32F environment until I get to splitting it. I have 2 or three
days of already split wood to burn up first, then will take on the
mostly Ash wood next as that is closest to the house.

[Bob F]

hr(bob) wrote:
On Dec 16, 1:27 pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"hr(bob) " wrote:
I have a lot of wood to split for firewood sometime this winter. It
is currently frozen. Is it easier to split frozen or thawed wood,
assuming that moisture content is the same in either case?

IMO- if it is a splittable wood- ash, oak, maple, etc- then the frost
helps. If it is elm, knotty, or punky then frost hurts.

Most of my splitting was done with a slitting axe. [not a maul!] On
occasion I would resort to a sledge and wedges. For the worst of the
worst I liked the grenade style wedges with a couple hickory wedges
to help once it started.

Jim
[enjoying propane heat these days. It is about the same cost as
firewood and no cleanup or splitting]

Thanx. I took down one 48-yr-old Maple and one 47-year-old Ash tree
this year, loads of free firewood. Will leave the wood outside in the
below 32F environment until I get to splitting it. I have 2 or three
days of already split wood to burn up first, then will take on the
mostly Ash wood next as that is closest to the house.

If it hasn't been split, and was just taken down this year, it is unlikely to be
dry enough for clean burning this year.

[Jim Elbrecht]

"Bob F" wrote:

hr(bob) wrote:

-snip-

Thanx. I took down one 48-yr-old Maple and one 47-year-old Ash tree
this year, loads of free firewood. Will leave the wood outside in the
below 32F environment until I get to splitting it. I have 2 or three
days of already split wood to burn up first, then will take on the
mostly Ash wood next as that is closest to the house.

If it hasn't been split, and was just taken down this year, it is unlikely to be
dry enough for clean burning this year.


Depends on the stove- but if hr(bob) has an airtight I agree with you.
Older, less efficient stoves burn hotter and handle wettish wood
easier. Either way- keep an eye on that chimney for creosote
build-up.

The splitting will hasten drying- but I wouldn't burn a lot of it this
year anyway if it is an airtight stove.

Jim

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

On Dec 16, 2:59*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"Bob F" wrote:
hr(bob) wrote:

-snip-



Thanx. *I took down one 48-yr-old Maple and one 47-year-old Ash tree
this year, loads of free firewood. *Will leave the wood outside in the
below 32F environment until I get to splitting it. *I have 2 or three
days of already split wood to burn up first, then will take on the
mostly Ash wood next as that is closest to the house.

If it hasn't been split, and was just taken down this year, it is unlikely to be
dry enough for clean burning this year.

Depends on the stove- but if hr(bob) has an airtight I agree with you.
Older, less efficient stoves burn hotter and handle wettish wood
easier. * * Either way- keep an eye on that chimney for creosote
build-up.

The splitting will hasten drying- but I wouldn't burn a lot of it this
year anyway if it is an airtight stove.

Jim

It's a 25 year-old Sears heatolator type of fireplace. Glass doors
and outside air pipeline for make-up combustion air, 3 layer of metal
chimney pipe where outside air flows down thru the outer layer and
then just above the fireplace makes a u-turn and mixes with the
combustion output air and goes back up to the top which is several
feet above the roof line. The outer layer of the pipe just gets
barely warm as the outside air goes down. The combustion air comes in
thru a 4" pipe that looks like a metal clothes dryer pipe, has a
screen on the input on the side of the house that looks like a dryer
vent hood to keep critters out. The roof cap also is screened. I
keep things pretty well cleaned out before starting up the fireplace
each fall. I can heat the entire house to 71F as long as it is above
10F outside. I use the "On" furnace blower setting if the house
becomes too stratified, but since the fireplace is on the next to
lowest level of a 4-level split-level house, the heat pretty much
rises naturally, only the basement is chilly, and my wife and I don't
spend all that much time down there except for laundry or when I have
a project to do. The wood is pretty dry as it was cut down early this
year and the trees were not very healthy to start with and the wood
has been out of the rain, but in sunshine for 6 months now.

[[email protected]]

On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:14:40 -0800 (PST), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

I have a lot of wood to split for firewood sometime this winter. It
is currently frozen. Is it easier to split frozen or thawed wood,
assuming that moisture content is the same in either case?

Well, speaking from experience with rock elm, most definitely frozen.
Split like glass. Thawed you REALLY worked up a sweat!!

[[email protected]]

On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:17:02 -0800 (PST), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

On Dec 16, 1:27Â*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"hr(bob) " wrote:
I have a lot of wood to split for firewood sometime this winter. Â*It
is currently frozen. Â*Is it easier to split frozen or thawed wood,
assuming that moisture content is the same in either case?

IMO- if it is a splittable wood- ash, oak, maple, etc- then the frost
helps. Â* Â* Â*If it is elm, knotty, or punky then frost hurts.

Most of my splitting was done with a slitting axe. [not a maul!] Â*On
occasion I would resort to a sledge and wedges. Â*For the worst of the
worst I liked the grenade style wedges with a couple hickory wedges to
help once it started.

Jim
[enjoying propane heat these days. Â*It is about the same cost as
firewood and no cleanup or splitting]

Thanx. I took down one 48-yr-old Maple and one 47-year-old Ash tree
this year, loads of free firewood. Will leave the wood outside in the
below 32F environment until I get to splitting it. I have 2 or three
days of already split wood to burn up first, then will take on the
mostly Ash wood next as that is closest to the house.


It's not ready to burn this year!!!!!!
Ash and maple need to sit, split, for a year before burning to be at
their best.

[[email protected]]

On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:29:57 -0800 (PST), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

On Dec 16, 2:59Â*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"Bob F" wrote:
hr(bob) wrote:

-snip-



Thanx. Â*I took down one 48-yr-old Maple and one 47-year-old Ash tree
this year, loads of free firewood. Â*Will leave the wood outside in the
below 32F environment until I get to splitting it. Â*I have 2 or three
days of already split wood to burn up first, then will take on the
mostly Ash wood next as that is closest to the house.

If it hasn't been split, and was just taken down this year, it is unlikely to be
dry enough for clean burning this year.

Depends on the stove- but if hr(bob) has an airtight I agree with you.
Older, less efficient stoves burn hotter and handle wettish wood
easier. Â* Â* Either way- keep an eye on that chimney for creosote
build-up.

The splitting will hasten drying- but I wouldn't burn a lot of it this
year anyway if it is an airtight stove.

Jim

It's a 25 year-old Sears heatolator type of fireplace. Glass doors
and outside air pipeline for make-up combustion air, 3 layer of metal
chimney pipe where outside air flows down thru the outer layer and
then just above the fireplace makes a u-turn and mixes with the
combustion output air and goes back up to the top which is several
feet above the roof line. The outer layer of the pipe just gets
barely warm as the outside air goes down. The combustion air comes in
thru a 4" pipe that looks like a metal clothes dryer pipe, has a
screen on the input on the side of the house that looks like a dryer
vent hood to keep critters out. The roof cap also is screened. I
keep things pretty well cleaned out before starting up the fireplace
each fall. I can heat the entire house to 71F as long as it is above
10F outside. I use the "On" furnace blower setting if the house
becomes too stratified, but since the fireplace is on the next to
lowest level of a 4-level split-level house, the heat pretty much
rises naturally, only the basement is chilly, and my wife and I don't
spend all that much time down there except for laundry or when I have
a project to do. The wood is pretty dry as it was cut down early this
year and the trees were not very healthy to start with and the wood
has been out of the rain, but in sunshine for 6 months now.
Still not ready to burn this year. Split it and stack it for next
year. A chimney fire waiting to happen.

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

On Dec 16, 9:05*pm, wrote:
On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:29:57 -0800 (PST), "hr(bob) "





wrote:
On Dec 16, 2:59*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"Bob F" wrote:
hr(bob) wrote:

-snip-

Thanx. *I took down one 48-yr-old Maple and one 47-year-old Ash tree
this year, loads of free firewood. *Will leave the wood outside in the
below 32F environment until I get to splitting it. *I have 2 or three
days of already split wood to burn up first, then will take on the
mostly Ash wood next as that is closest to the house.

If it hasn't been split, and was just taken down this year, it is unlikely to be
dry enough for clean burning this year.

Depends on the stove- but if hr(bob) has an airtight I agree with you.
Older, less efficient stoves burn hotter and handle wettish wood
easier. * * Either way- keep an eye on that chimney for creosote
build-up.

The splitting will hasten drying- but I wouldn't burn a lot of it this
year anyway if it is an airtight stove.

Jim

It's a 25 year-old Sears heatolator type of fireplace. *Glass doors
and outside air pipeline for make-up combustion air, 3 layer of metal
chimney pipe where outside air flows down thru the outer layer and
then just above the fireplace makes a u-turn and mixes with the
combustion output air and goes back up to the top which is several
feet above the roof line. *The outer layer of the pipe just gets
barely warm as the outside air goes down. *The combustion air comes in
thru a 4" pipe that looks like a metal clothes dryer pipe, has a
screen on the input on the side of the house that looks like a dryer
vent hood to keep critters out. *The roof cap also is screened. *I
keep things pretty well cleaned out before starting up the fireplace
each fall. *I can heat the entire house to 71F as long as it is above
10F outside. *I use the "On" furnace blower setting if the house
becomes too stratified, but since the fireplace is on the next to
lowest level of a 4-level split-level house, the heat pretty much
rises naturally, only the basement is chilly, and my wife and I don't
spend all that much time down there except for laundry or when I have
a project to do. *The wood is pretty dry as it was cut down early this
year and the trees were not very healthy to start with and the wood
has been out of the rain, but in sunshine for 6 months now.

*Still not ready to burn this year. Split it and stack it for next
year. A chimney fire waiting to happen.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Well, wood from both types of tree have been burning for a month now
with what I would consider very good heat output and no smoking.

[Harry K]

On Dec 16, 7:02*pm, wrote:
On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:14:40 -0800 (PST), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
I have a lot of wood to split for firewood sometime this winter. *It
is currently frozen. *Is it easier to split frozen or thawed wood,
assuming that moisture content is the same in either case?

Well, speaking from experience with rock elm, most definitely frozen.
Split like glass. Thawed you REALLY worked up a sweat!!

My only experience with frozen goes way back into the 40s and 50s. We
heated then with pine and fir. Frozen pine 2' rounds would split just
by dropping an ax blade twice in the same spot - didn't even have to
swing it. Easiest splitting I have ever doen.

Harry K

[Jim Elbrecht]

wrote:

On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:29:57 -0800 (PST), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

-snip-

It's a 25 year-old Sears heatolator type of fireplace. Glass doors
and outside air pipeline for make-up combustion air, 3 layer of metal
chimney pipe where outside air flows down thru the outer layer and
then just above the fireplace makes a u-turn and mixes with the
combustion output air and goes back up to the top which is several
feet above the roof line.

-snip-
a project to do. The wood is pretty dry as it was cut down early this
year and the trees were not very healthy to start with and the wood
has been out of the rain, but in sunshine for 6 months now.

Still not ready to burn this year. Split it and stack it for next
year. A chimney fire waiting to happen.

I'd certainly keep a close eye on it-- but I used to burn fresh ash,
beech & maple in a Franklin style fireplace/stove. They burn hot
and not all that efficiently--- but I never had a bit of creosote in
my chimney.

Lived there 6 years. Checked the chimney every fall & could always
see the liner all the way up. The only seasoned wood I ever burned
was old, untreated, telephone poles of red cedar & locust.

Jim