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Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood?
To help it dry? To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
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Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
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Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 5:37*pm, wrote:
Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb To get it through the door on your stove? That is my only concern. The smaller you split it the faster it drys (and burns) and the less you can get in the stove. |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 12:37*pm, wrote:
Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb "I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why." You really don't know why you're tired of splitting it? That should be pretty easy to figure out! |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
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Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
|
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
|
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 12:40*pm, dpb wrote:
On 5/18/2011 11:37 AM, wrote: Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? ... yes (besides, it warms you twice't) someone had to say it, I guess... nate |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 2:53*pm, N8N wrote:
On May 18, 12:40*pm, dpb wrote: On 5/18/2011 11:37 AM, wrote: Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? ... yes (besides, it warms you twice't) someone had to say it, I guess... nate I have always found that statement to be ridiculous. It's a rare case when someone splits wood just to keep warm. Given the option of splitting wood as a means to keep warm vs. spending time in a heated space to keep warm, I'm pretty sure most people would skip the work. In other words I don't see the "warming you twice" situation as any type of advantage. |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 3:12*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
Given the option of splitting wood as a means to keep warm vs. spending time in a heated space to keep warm, I'm pretty sure most people would skip the work. You are correct. And then they get fat and PAY to go to a gym... (I do too, but I have neither trees nor the need for firewood (Miami)). |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 9:37*am, wrote:
Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb A reason not mentioned: After splitting you have a bigger pile than before :). A rick of wood in the rounds will grow about 10% after splitting. Harry K |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
wrote in message ... Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb Faster drying, easier handling, and sometimes you need smaller pieces to get a fire going. Loading a woodstove takes a bit of practice too. First of all, you need two or more logs. One piece of wood does not burn very well, but two logs feed off of each other for a better, hotter, fire. Just watch two logs side by side and see the flames licking back and forth. It is nearly impossible to light a large log. Building a fire, you need very small wood, then a bit larger, still larger, then the big logs. When the fire is down, you put smaller split pieces in to get it going and to start the larger pieces that will give a longer burn time. I always had a variety of sizes on hand to load up the stove. The problem recently is cost. If you can get free wood, great. Buying cordwood cut and split is getting too expensive and not worth the effort compared to turning a thermostat. Good to have some on hand in case of power outages though. |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 12:37*pm, wrote:
Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb HOW MUCH WOOD, WOULD RB CHUCK IF RB COULD CHUCK WOOD? IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH YOU SPLIT, FOR YOUR PIT;) TGITM PAT ECUM |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 11:37*am, wrote:
Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb I'm a month shy of 75 years old and I enjoy the exercise of splitting firewood. I have to do some splitting because the rounds are 2ft in diameter and just too heavy and big to fit in the fireplace without splitting them. I have free wood and so I can really save some $$ by heating our house with free wood. Our heatolator fireplace can keep the house at 70 unless it is very windy out and/or below 20F. I just turn on the furnace fan to run continuously. I do realize I am paying something extra to run the blower continuously, but it would be on quite a lot if I was using the furnace to heat the house, so the delta is pretty small compared to using natural gas. |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On Wed, 18 May 2011 13:11:38 -0700 (PDT), Larry Fishel
wrote: On May 18, 3:12*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote: Given the option of splitting wood as a means to keep warm vs. spending time in a heated space to keep warm, I'm pretty sure most people would skip the work. You are correct. And then they get fat and PAY to go to a gym... (I do too, but I have neither trees nor the need for firewood (Miami)). Can't you split rocks into sand? |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 19, 12:43*am, mm wrote:
On Wed, 18 May 2011 13:11:38 -0700 (PDT), Larry Fishel wrote: On May 18, 3:12*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote: Given the option of splitting wood as a means to keep warm vs. spending time in a heated space to keep warm, I'm pretty sure most people would skip the work. You are correct. And then they get fat and PAY to go to a gym... (I do too, but I have neither trees nor the need for firewood (Miami)). Can't you split rocks into sand? CAN YOU TURN WATER INTO WINE? PATECUM |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On 05/18/2011 11:40 AM, Han wrote:
wrote in news:pbt7t6tjq0ivbs2j26jaqoba8nvb6bdg0u@ 4ax.com: Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb Burning of wood takes mostly place near the surface, where the heat generates combustible gases. Therefore a larger surface area will burn better & faster. Obviously splitting the wood generates more surface. So a person can use a smaller stove if they split the firewood. Also they have to split the wood if they use a smaller stove. |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
i had a family friend who heated their home with wood, and bragged
about how much money they saved over oil heat:) I then asked how much work does it take? Oh the wood is free from a summer camp they owned:) BUT they had to drive there every weekend for the summer to cut split and haul the wood out of their mini forest. then haul the wood home and stack and let dry for a year. as i pointed out to them oil was cheaper. if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store, and adding in the cost of gasoline to haul the many truckloads of wood home each weekend. one family member admitted it started out fun but became a never ending job he hated the constamt push to be ready for heat, concerned all summer long........... free heat wasnt free at all |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 19, 8:33*am, bob haller wrote:
i had a family friend who heated their home with wood, and bragged about how much money they saved over oil heat:) I then asked how much work does it take? Oh the wood is free from a summer camp they owned:) BUT they had to drive there every weekend for the summer to cut split and haul the wood out of their mini forest. then haul the wood home and stack and let dry for a year. as i pointed out to them oil was cheaper. if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store, and adding in the cost of gasoline to haul the many truckloads of wood home each weekend. one family member admitted it started out fun but became a never ending job he hated the constamt push to be ready for heat, concerned all summer long........... free heat wasnt free at all "if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store" We often hear people say "It's not worth my time to do it myself. My time is worth $X/hour and I can pay someone less than that to do it for me." That logic only works if you actually earn $X/hour during the time that you would have otherwise been working on the project. If you hire a guy to do it and then go sit on your butt shoveling Cheetos into your mouth, then it didn't make economic sense to hire it out. The money left your pocket and wasn't replaced. In other words, unless the 3 of them actually went out and got that minimum wage job, you can't use it as a comparison. If they pay for the oil but don't work to offset the cost, then their cash flow will show an outflow which might be more than the cost of the gas required to get the wood. I don't know that it will, because I don't know the actual numbers, but I do know that you can't factor wages into the equation if the wages don't exist. |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 19, 10:12*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On May 19, 8:33*am, bob haller wrote: i had a family friend who heated their home with wood, and bragged about how much money they saved over oil heat:) I then asked how much work does it take? Oh the wood is free from a summer camp they owned:) BUT they had to drive there every weekend for the summer to cut split and haul the wood out of their mini forest. then haul the wood home and stack and let dry for a year. as i pointed out to them oil was cheaper. if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store, and adding in the cost of gasoline to haul the many truckloads of wood home each weekend. one family member admitted it started out fun but became a never ending job he hated the constamt push to be ready for heat, concerned all summer long........... free heat wasnt free at all "if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store" We often hear people say "It's not worth my time to do it myself. My time is worth $X/hour and I can pay someone less than that to do it for me." That logic only works if you actually earn $X/hour during the time that you would have otherwise been working on the project. If you hire a guy to do it and then go sit on your butt shoveling Cheetos into your mouth, then it didn't make economic sense to hire it out. The money left your pocket and wasn't replaced. In other words, unless the 3 of them actually went out and got that minimum wage job, you can't use it as a comparison. If they pay for the oil but don't work to offset the cost, then their cash flow will show an outflow which might be more than the cost of the gas required to get the wood. I don't know that it will, because I don't know the actual numbers, but I do know that you can't factor wages into the equation if the wages don't exist.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - well at minimum its a comparison of value. to say I save 3 grand a year by heating with wood is fine:) but, it night cst the proud person 500 bucks in gasoline, wear and tear on vehicle. so now theire savings is $2500 bucks:) Now if just one person works minimum wage for a take home after taxes SS and all the rest of 5 bucks per hour.... just 500 hours to be equal, and way more convenient no tending the fire, no emptying ashes, no hauling the wood inside in freezing weather. under 10 hours a week to be equal $500 divided by 50 weeks, allowing 2 weeks for vacation now wether or not the individual choose to work the job isnt really revelant, this still details costs |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 18, 11:32*pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote: On May 18, 11:37*am, wrote: Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb I'm a month shy of 75 years old and I enjoy the exercise of splitting firewood. *I have to do some splitting because the rounds are 2ft in diameter and just too heavy and big to fit in the fireplace without splitting them. *I have free wood and so I can really save some $$ by heating our house with free wood. *Our heatolator fireplace can keep the house at 70 unless it is very windy out and/or below 20F. *I just turn on the furnace fan to run continuously. *I do realize I am paying something extra to run the blower continuously, but it would be on quite a lot if I was using the furnace to heat the house, so the delta is pretty small compared to using natural gas. Ditto. I'm 70 and enjoy the exercise of splitting my own wood with a sledge & wedge. I keep 5 years worth of split firewood under cover just in case I get 'old'. I burn the oldest first, never have to worry if it's dry enough to burn, & refill the shed every spring. Easy to do when it's off your own land. Red |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 19, 11:40*am, bob haller wrote:
On May 19, 10:12*am, DerbyDad03 wrote: On May 19, 8:33*am, bob haller wrote: i had a family friend who heated their home with wood, and bragged about how much money they saved over oil heat:) I then asked how much work does it take? Oh the wood is free from a summer camp they owned:) BUT they had to drive there every weekend for the summer to cut split and haul the wood out of their mini forest. then haul the wood home and stack and let dry for a year. as i pointed out to them oil was cheaper. if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store, and adding in the cost of gasoline to haul the many truckloads of wood home each weekend. one family member admitted it started out fun but became a never ending job he hated the constamt push to be ready for heat, concerned all summer long........... free heat wasnt free at all "if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store" We often hear people say "It's not worth my time to do it myself. My time is worth $X/hour and I can pay someone less than that to do it for me." That logic only works if you actually earn $X/hour during the time that you would have otherwise been working on the project. If you hire a guy to do it and then go sit on your butt shoveling Cheetos into your mouth, then it didn't make economic sense to hire it out. The money left your pocket and wasn't replaced. In other words, unless the 3 of them actually went out and got that minimum wage job, you can't use it as a comparison. If they pay for the oil but don't work to offset the cost, then their cash flow will show an outflow which might be more than the cost of the gas required to get the wood. I don't know that it will, because I don't know the actual numbers, but I do know that you can't factor wages into the equation if the wages don't exist.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - well at minimum its a comparison of value. to say I save 3 grand a year by heating with wood is fine:) but, it night cst the proud person 500 bucks in gasoline, wear and tear on vehicle. so now theire savings is $2500 bucks:) Now if just one person works minimum wage for a take home after taxes SS and all the rest of 5 bucks per hour.... just 500 hours to be equal, and way more convenient no tending the fire, no emptying ashes, no hauling the wood inside in freezing weather. under 10 hours a week to be equal $500 divided by 50 weeks, allowing 2 weeks for vacation now wether or not the individual choose to work the job isnt really revelant, this still details costs- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Sure it details the cost, but it's a fruitless exercise. I think we can be pretty sure that no one in that family is going to take the minimum wage job to offset the cost of changing from wood to oil. If the savings is $3K before gas & maintenance and $2.5K after "operating expenses", it's still a savings of $2.5K. You can't negate that savings by bringing non-existent (and never going to be existent) wages into the equation and claiming that oil would be cheaper. Why not say: "If you won the lottery, the oil would be cheaper." "If Grandma leaves you $5 million, the oil would be cheaper" "If all of the members of usenet chipped in enough to give you $2.5K/ year the oil would be cheaper" Ain't none of those things gonna happen, just like the job at the mini- mart ain't gonna happen, so they aren't relevant to the cost comparison. |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 19, 10:43*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On May 19, 11:40*am, bob haller wrote: On May 19, 10:12*am, DerbyDad03 wrote: On May 19, 8:33*am, bob haller wrote: i had a family friend who heated their home with wood, and bragged about how much money they saved over oil heat:) I then asked how much work does it take? Oh the wood is free from a summer camp they owned:) BUT they had to drive there every weekend for the summer to cut split and haul the wood out of their mini forest. then haul the wood home and stack and let dry for a year. as i pointed out to them oil was cheaper. if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store, and adding in the cost of gasoline to haul the many truckloads of wood home each weekend. one family member admitted it started out fun but became a never ending job he hated the constamt push to be ready for heat, concerned all summer long........... free heat wasnt free at all "if compared to the 3 of them having minimum wage jobs putting the same number of hours in working at the local store" We often hear people say "It's not worth my time to do it myself. My time is worth $X/hour and I can pay someone less than that to do it for me." That logic only works if you actually earn $X/hour during the time that you would have otherwise been working on the project. If you hire a guy to do it and then go sit on your butt shoveling Cheetos into your mouth, then it didn't make economic sense to hire it out. The money left your pocket and wasn't replaced. In other words, unless the 3 of them actually went out and got that minimum wage job, you can't use it as a comparison. If they pay for the oil but don't work to offset the cost, then their cash flow will show an outflow which might be more than the cost of the gas required to get the wood. I don't know that it will, because I don't know the actual numbers, but I do know that you can't factor wages into the equation if the wages don't exist.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - well at minimum its a comparison of value. to say I save 3 grand a year by heating with wood is fine:) but, it night cst the proud person 500 bucks in gasoline, wear and tear on vehicle. so now theire savings is $2500 bucks:) Now if just one person works minimum wage for a take home after taxes SS and all the rest of 5 bucks per hour.... just 500 hours to be equal, and way more convenient no tending the fire, no emptying ashes, no hauling the wood inside in freezing weather. under 10 hours a week to be equal $500 divided by 50 weeks, allowing 2 weeks for vacation now wether or not the individual choose to work the job isnt really revelant, this still details costs- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Sure it details the cost, but it's a fruitless exercise. I think we can be pretty sure that no one in that family is going to take the minimum wage job to offset the cost of changing from wood to oil. If the savings is $3K before gas & maintenance and $2.5K after "operating expenses", it's still a savings of $2.5K. You can't negate that savings by bringing non-existent (and never going to be existent) wages into the equation and claiming that oil would be cheaper. Why not say: "If you won the lottery, the oil would be cheaper." "If Grandma leaves you $5 million, the oil would be cheaper" "If all of the members of usenet chipped in enough to give you $2.5K/ year the oil would be cheaper" Ain't none of those things gonna happen, just like the job at the mini- mart ain't gonna happen, so they aren't relevant to the cost comparison.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - One can also deduct the cost of a gym membership to get the same physical conditioning cutting wood gives one. In my case (I do 10 plus cords/yr) I would probably be grossly overweight or dead without the excercise I get. I can't stand to 'excercise for the sake of excercise' Got a treadmill, stationary bike, tread climber and couldn't stand the boredom of using any of them. Harry K |
Serious Question - Why am I splitting firewood
On May 19, 10:23*am, Red wrote:
On May 18, 11:32*pm, "hr(bob) " wrote: On May 18, 11:37*am, wrote: Besides making it fit, what is the purpose of splitting firewood? To help it dry? *To help it burn? I'm tired of splitting it but not knowing why. Thanks Rb I'm a month shy of 75 years old and I enjoy the exercise of splitting firewood. *I have to do some splitting because the rounds are 2ft in diameter and just too heavy and big to fit in the fireplace without splitting them. *I have free wood and so I can really save some $$ by heating our house with free wood. *Our heatolator fireplace can keep the house at 70 unless it is very windy out and/or below 20F. *I just turn on the furnace fan to run continuously. *I do realize I am paying something extra to run the blower continuously, but it would be on quite a lot if I was using the furnace to heat the house, so the delta is pretty small compared to using natural gas. Ditto. *I'm 70 and enjoy the exercise of splitting my own wood with a sledge & wedge. *I keep 5 years worth of split firewood under cover just in case I get 'old'. *I burn the oldest first, never have to worry if it's dry enough to burn, & refill the shed every spring. Easy to do when it's off your own land. Red- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Same here. 76 heat almost 100% with wood. I have a TroyBilt splitter but it only gets used ont he knotty/tough stuff. Got around 40 cords of Black Locust cut/split/stacked and still cutting B Locust whenever I can. That stuff doesn't rot. This year I am burning stuff I cut back in either 93 or 96 (can't recall which) and even the stuff in direct contact with the ground has only a bit of surface detioration on the 'dirt' side. Current project is 7 big B Locust to be removed from a Farmers farmstead. That should take me a couple months at the speed I work any more. Harry K |
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