Larry Caldwell
Super Member
I prefer to cut my own firewood because I do not like the commercial cut. They cut 14" bolts, then stack it loosely enough that it measures a full cord. Any larger and they start getting complaints from people with small fireboxes. I like a 20" log. They over-split for the same reason. I may use a 4" split to get a fire started, but then I like a 6" round or 12" half split so I don't have to feed the fire so often. There is always a nice bed of coals in the morning to keep the chill off the house and start the next day's fire.$100 a face cord would be $300 a cord. My gas bill is only $135 in winter.
As I've mentioned in the past, burning firewood to save money is a losing proposition if you put a monetary value on your time.
If you do not put a monetary value on your time, need the exercise, enjoy the activity, and get the wood for free, (as I do all of the above), then it's a worthwhile activity. Buy I could make enough money working the same hours spent harvesting firewood at McDonalds and come out ahead VS what it saves us in gas bills.
Then of course there is the exercise. I'm a "use it or lose it" believer. I look 20 years younger than my calendar age. No beer gut. I will probably live longer than a couch potato and enjoy my retirement a lot more. Yeah, I'm a little creaky. If I'm heading out for a solid day's work, I fortify with caffeine, Aleve and kratom, which work great together to keep the aches and pains at bay. If you let the aches and pains stop you, you're done.