Firewood - How to chop, store and light?

Matt_Pug_106

I'm after some advice on using my log burner and everything that goes with it!

I've moved into a property this year that has a log burner fitted in the lounge. The burner itself is fairly small so your average chopped wood is a little big!

I've managed to find a local supplier that'll deliver 1 ton of wood for £50. This will be chopped like normal however I need to half it again. Last weekend I purchased a small axe and found it utterly useless! Should I buy a bigger more expensive one or a log splitter?

Secondly I need to store the wood, I presume it's OK if it gets a little wet as most log stores are open fronted?

Thirdly I can't for the life of me keep the fire going for longer than a couple of hours. I could well be using logs that are too big but the air supply openings confuse me?

Sooo any help is appreciated so I can try and tackle this beast before the harsh winter arrives....

Williwoodburner

Hi Matt_Pug_106
When you say your logs are to big I am guessing you mean they are to long to fit in the stove ?
In that case you will need a chainsaw and saw horse to shorten them.
If splitting logs you need a maul (I recommend a Fiskars X27) and a chopping block, most people use a large stump to split on.
Wood should be bought by volume not weight as wet unseasoned wood is heavier than dry/seasoned wood, so if buying by weight you may be buying water.
Most log sellers sell in small nets or larger builders bags which are approx 0.6 m2
These are often called ton bags (they can hold a ton of sand or gravel).
When storing seasoned wood you need a wood shed, open at the sides with top cover to keep the rain off but open so wind and sun can dry them.
I would suggest a burn time of 2 hours before refueling is about right for a small stove.
The bigger the stove the more wood you can get in the firebox, the longer the burn times.

Hope this helps

Willie.

michaelgordon

hi matt im in the same boat as you, just got a log burner. I had my first proper fire last night and went through about 8 6inch cubed (ish) logs in four hours topping up from three with another two after two hours and then another two an hour after but not sure how normal this is but will see. Also my user manual says to close the bottom vent fully when burning wood and use top to control the air but i found my logs went out with the bottom fully closed so had it about a quarter way open which seemed to keep them burning

When you say a ton of logs is this acutal weight or is it the builders bag full? I have a builders bag full and it has filled my log store 2 crates measuring 1.5M x 600 cm x 400 cm with a roof but no front, i read somwhere to store the logs at the front with bark showing as this is naturally water resistant.

In terms of the axe, i got a small (great fro splitting small logs in half along the grain top to bottom but no through or along an already split log even with the big 7llb maul it just puts a dent or shoots off the only way i have found is to acutally saw it with a bow saw and for the money i spent i went with the bacho with wet blade and also bought a dry blade to get then to size which for me would be about 8x8x6 inches. It is hard work and i probably plan of getting a little electric chainsaw but will see how i get on

The maul was good for plaitting larger parts of the tree i bought to season for next year and used a wood grenade to split difficult bits.

Thats only from my very limited 1 month experience of owning a log burner but it was all worth it last night to be very warm indeed. Ialso plan on trying coal out sometime soon to get used to that

Matt_Pug_106

The log width is just about manageable based on the net bag I got from B&Q. I found that the size of logs was still too big for the burner as they swamped the fire underneath.

I tried (and mostly failed) to cut them in half again length ways with a 1.5lb Spear & Jackson axe.

Should I be investing in a large handled type log maul? or perhaps a log splitting tool?

The £50 price was as you both mentioned for a builders bag full. I've not yet built my log store so I'm not sure on how to store them when the arrive until that's complete?

Ideally I'm hoping I don't have to invest in a chainsaw as they look pricey!

alleycat`

The recommended way to split wood is with a maul as it has a lot more weight.

You can pretty much let it "drop" and it'll do the job for you (onto a decent tree stump).

I, personally, use an Axe but it is decently made wetterling and properly balanced.

It isn't a B&Q special, which are usually hopeless, and require a lot more effort.

If you want to cut it into shorter lengths you'll need a very good bow saw or a chain saw.

O and a saw horse helps a lot too.

You'll probably also need a couple of decent sharpening stones for the axe too.

Matt_Pug_106

What sort of weight maul should I be looking to get? I've seen a 2.7kg Draper for £33 and wondered if that would be OK?

I'm trying to keep equipment to a minimum as I have very limited outdoor space with only a small bike sized shed for storage. I do however want to make this painful process a lot easier

Gloomendoom

They had these in Aldi last week...



https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thursday-5th-september/product-detail/ps/p/foot-operated-log-splitter/

I use a fibreglass handled maul but it needs a bit of space around it because bits can fly off everywhere. Ideally, as already said, you need a tree stump to do the splitting on. You don't want to miss and hit a hard surface with the maul... even a fibreglass handled one.

A log spitter is much more controlled.

Matt_Pug_106

That looks like what I need but not sure how robust it'll be!

michaelgordon

i want one of those

Gloomendoom

Matt_Pug_106 wrote: »

That looks like what I need but not sure how robust it'll be!

It's got a 3 year warranty!

Keep the receipt.

SG27

Gloomendoom wrote: »

It's got a 3 year warranty!

Keep the receipt.

I can't work out how that works I want one too though!