Apple and pear logs

Annie1960

I've had an old apple and pear tree cut down, and the logs were left for me.


I'm new to wood-burning, and don't know whether I need to split them, or whether they will burn whole. I know I need to leave then a year or two until they are seasoned.


The logs are fairly short, but thick in places.


I had a look at some splitting axes, and really don't fancy having a go at this unless I have to. However, I've also read that, if I am to split them, this needs to be done fairly soon as it's difficult when they are dry.


Can I leave them unsplit, and will they burn like this, or is it vital I split them?

Ralph-y

"The logs are fairly short, but thick in places."

how long is fairly short ? how thin is thick in places

what sort of fire / burner will you use ?

how much is there ?

Ralph:cool:

Annie1960

There is two trees worth, one apple, one pear.

No idea what sort of burner I will use, I haven't got it yet! Is there one you would recommend?

I've just gone down to the bottom of the garden to measure. Length seems to be between 9 - 10 inches. Diameter is about 7 inches on a lot of them. The biggest I could see was oval in shape, with diameters of 6 inches across and 9 inches down.

MX5huggy

The size of the log required depends on the stove you are using, the size of the stove depends on the size of the room, the space for the stove and the insulation levels of the space you are heating. A medium sized stove would take logs 9 to 10 inches. 7 inch diameter is a bit big but you would get away with it in medium to large stoves if you started the fire with smaller logs and put them on once it was going, I would want to split them. They also dry quicker if split.

Do you really want a wood stove? They are expensive to fit, wood is expensive compared with gas unless you have wood which means work chopping and splitting.

SG27

You don't have to split them as long as they will fit in the door of your future stove. That size logs un split would probably need 18 - 24 months. Split should be fine in 12.

tony6403

Annie1960 wrote: »

I've had an old apple and pear tree cut down, and the logs were left for me.


I'm new to wood-burning, and don't know whether I need to split them, or whether they will burn whole. I know I need to leave then a year or two until they are seasoned.


The logs are fairly short, but thick in places.


I had a look at some splitting axes, and really don't fancy having a go at this unless I have to. However, I've also read that, if I am to split them, this needs to be done fairly soon as it's difficult when they are dry.


Can I leave them unsplit, and will they burn like this, or is it vital I split them?

I have a log burner and have split very many logs using a foot operated splitter.
I use a meter to check the moisture content of the wood rather than just leaving for say 12/24 months .
The drier logs split much more easily than those which have a higher moisture content - the fibres in the latter tend to string together and need pulling apart.
I have seen moisture meters on sale this week in Aldi for about £12.
I wouldn't install a log burner just because I had two logged trees; you need a regular supply of wood as it soon goes.
If you go ahead then Stovax are good log burners and can be used in smoke control zones.

Annie1960

tony6403 wrote: »

I have a log burner and have split very many logs using a foot operated splitter.
I use a meter to check the moisture content of the wood rather than just leaving for say 12/24 months .
The drier logs split much more easily than those which have a higher moisture content - the fibres in the latter tend to string together and need pulling apart.
I have seen moisture meters on sale this week in Aldi for about £12.
I wouldn't install a log burner just because I had two logged trees; you need a regular supply of wood as it soon goes.
If you go ahead then Stovax are good log burners and can be used in smoke control zones.

I've read that apple logs are very difficult to split when they are dry, and are best done when they are newly cut. Is this not the case?

What's a foot-operated splitter? Are these easy to use?

tony6403

Apple is a very dense wood which does split a bit more easily when "green".
Example of a foot operated splitter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlbBKLUjk_E

Ralph-y

"No idea what sort of burner I will use, I haven't got it yet!"

just leave the wood in a pile ... out the rain ......

next ......

again what are you going to burn on? an open fire ? a stove ?


Ralph:cool:

Annie1960

Ralph-y wrote: »

"No idea what sort of burner I will use, I haven't got it yet!"

just leave the wood in a pile ... out the rain ......

next ......

again what are you going to burn on? an open fire ? a stove ?


Ralph:cool:

A wood burner, but I don't know which model or brand yet.

Annie1960

tony6403 wrote: »

Apple is a very dense wood which does split a bit more easily when "green".
Example of a foot operated splitter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlbBKLUjk_E

Perfect. This is exactly the sort of thing I could use.


A quick search indicates this was sold last spring in Aldi, so I'm off to Amazon to have a look for what's available now.


Thanks very much for the suggestion, I had no idea such things existed!