If it's cold where you live, what are you heating with and what is it costing?

[MossRoad]

It seems a bit odd to me as well, 'most everything is more expensive in Conn. You seem to be getting an exceptionally good deal.

Most game meat is an acquired taste. I've had venison a couple times and didn't particularly care for it.
Then you have to take into account the amount of time you spend traipsing around the woods lugging a gun, the cost of the license and the hassle of getting your catch out. Fine if you enjoy that, but to me it doesn't sound like fun at all.

I'd traipse about 100' from my driveway and there's no license required in Indiana if you hunt deer on your own property.

Ground venison is really good in chili and tacos. We have access to a meat grinder, so no cost there. But again, there is time involved, and that's valuable.

 

[JasperFrank]

I don't understand splitting anymore. I just cut them thinner into chips as starters, midway to after starters and then full length for long, unattended burns. Not sure why anyone "splits" wood any more.

 

[cqaigy2]

I don't understand splitting anymore. I just cut them thinner into chips as starters, midway to after starters and then full length for long, unattended burns. Not sure why anyone "splits" wood any more.

I split so the pieces fit in my stove.

 

[jyoutz]

I split so the pieces fit in my stove.

I don't understand splitting anymore. I just cut them thinner into chips as starters, midway to after starters and then full length for long, unattended burns. Not sure why anyone "splits" wood any more.

Obviously it depends on the diameter of the wood you are splitting. You can cut 14” lengths, but if the log diameter is 24” it will need to be split. Also larger diameter pieces take longer to dry if unsplit.

 

[JasperFrank]

I don't know if this a new way or even a better way, but I don't split wood any more. Even if the diameters are huge. I'll call it the "chip system." Nothing is cut or split longitudinally. Its all done in slices, like cutting a carrot. Why are we still thinking about the grain? We have chainsaws now.
For me, fire wood is divided in to three sets. If you need kindling, you cut very thin slices. Just stepping on these will break them up. Then there is middling wood. These are slightly larger slices, that also can be jumped on to break up, and these are to get the stove to operational temp. Then you have your long burnings, and these are 6 inch thick or so "Chips." Very easy to quarter with a sledge hammer to the center, to fit in any stove.
The nice thing is that these are easily stacked in a compact way out side, and you can control the wood stove burn in how you stack the "Chips" in the stove. They burn like they are a solid on stack.
I should do a video on this method. Though, me thinks most people would think its a prank. I've just found it to be the laziest, and cheapest way of doing things. It doesn't look like a traditional fire in the stove, but it burns all the same, and wood dries out faster if cut this way.
And one may point out that there is a lot of saw dust doing it this way, too many cuts and maybe some waste. That dust gets a bit of wax, from old candles and becomes starters. So there is little to no waste in the extra cuts.

 

[Jstpssng]

I don't know if this a new way or even a better way, but I don't split wood any more. Even if the diameters are huge. I'll call it the "chip system." Nothing is cut or split longitudinally. Its all done in slices, like cutting a carrot. Why are we still thinking about the grain? We have chainsaws now.
For me, fire wood is divided in to three sets. If you need kindling, you cut very thin slices. Just stepping on these will break them up. Then there is middling wood. These are slightly larger slices, that also can be jumped on to break up, and these are to get the stove to operational temp. Then you have your long burnings, and these are 6 inch thick or so "Chips." Very easy to quarter with a sledge hammer to the center, to fit in any stove.
The nice thing is that these are easily stacked in a compact way out side, and you can control the wood stove burn in how you stack the "Chips" in the stove. They burn like they are a solid on stack.
I should do a video on this method. Though, me thinks most people would think its a prank. I've just found it to be the laziest, and cheapest way of doing things. It doesn't look like a traditional fire in the stove, but it burns all the same, and wood dries out faster if cut this way.
And one may point out that there is a lot of saw dust doing it this way, too many cuts and maybe some waste. That dust gets a bit of wax, from old candles and becomes starters. So there is little to no waste in the extra cuts.

I can split wood a lot quicker than I could cut it up into pieces. Plus it needs to fit into my stove... my fire box is only about 12x12x24.

 

[5030]

It's a balmy 18 degrees here presently and the biomass stove is chugging along. It's 71 in the house and the RH is at 55%. I learned a long tome ago that maintaining the RH at at least 50% always makes it 'feel' warmer in the house, why we have 2 large humidifiers. So far this winter, we have not used any propane.

 

[Oaktree]

With those choices, I don't blame you for turning your nose up at maple. Any one of them have more BTUs than our best maple, which is sugar maple. The most common here is red maple, which has about the same amount of heat as white birch. I won't burn either of the last two.

Kind of a moot point, other than oak none of those trees grow in New England (or at least northern).
I don't mind birch, it's good for spring/fall when it's cold enough for a fire but not real cold. Burns fast so it heats the stove quickly. Not always the easiest stuff to split though.

 

[Jstpssng]

Kind of a moot point, other than oak none of those trees grow in New England (or at least northern).
I don't mind birch, it's good for spring/fall when it's cold enough for a fire but not real cold. Burns fast so it heats the stove quickly. Not always the easiest stuff to split though.

It's not a moot point for him, however.

Yellow birch is different than white, and has almost the same BTUs as maple. You also have black birch down there which looks similar to yellow but with darker bark; about the same color as the bark of cherry. It also has the minty scent of yellow birch, but has more heat for some reason. The hottest wood we have here are hornbeam and black locust. Neither are all that common.

 

[Oaktree]

I don't know if this a new way or even a better way, but I don't split wood any more. Even if the diameters are huge. I'll call it the "chip system." Nothing is cut or split longitudinally. Its all done in slices, like cutting a carrot. Why are we still thinking about the grain? We have chainsaws now.
For me, fire wood is divided in to three sets. If you need kindling, you cut very thin slices. Just stepping on these will break them up. Then there is middling wood. These are slightly larger slices, that also can be jumped on to break up, and these are to get the stove to operational temp. Then you have your long burnings, and these are 6 inch thick or so "Chips." Very easy to quarter with a sledge hammer to the center, to fit in any stove.
The nice thing is that these are easily stacked in a compact way out side, and you can control the wood stove burn in how you stack the "Chips" in the stove. They burn like they are a solid on stack.

I'm with Jstpssng on this, seems like a lot more work. How do you stack them to dry so air circulates?