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Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 5:46 pm
by Readymom
From Plan for Pandemic:

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** Original Forum is no longer active and available to view

:arrow: "tigger2" == As far as a charcoal grill, you can do without charcoal. All you need is a good pile of coals to do the cooking with. You can use chunks of wood for this. Hardwood is best. I cut down a wild cherry tree several years ago. I took my chainsaw and mitre saw and cut up a lot of it into 1-2 inch slices.
These make a good bed of coals. When the coals start dying down, just add some more wood. Whatever you do don't use pressure treated wood.
It will give off poisonous gases. Stick to hardwood.

:arrow: "Westy" == Tig,,,don't start cooking over cherry wood untill ALL the coals have turned ashen. Cherry wood also lets off toxic gasses, but is neglibible once good and hot.

Re: Heat Source: Wood

Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 3:50 am
by Readymom
Wood Heating Tips

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Better Wood Heating
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/lee90.html

By David Lee

Issue 90 Nov/Dec 2004

-snip-

The first step toward better wood heating is more respect for the trees sacrificed for our warmth by getting the most use from each one. The usual harvest method is to down the tree, remove all the limbs, and cut the trunk into lengths that fit in the stove. All those limbs and the treetops have a lot of stored BTUs that could be heating your home rather than decaying into forest fertilizer. --- Continued at link, above ---

Includes:
  • Fire bags for free
    An old truck tire can save labor and your back
    Sensible wood storage saves you labor
    A fresh air inlet makes a fire more efficient
    Heat sinks allow cleaner fires and they store heat
    A low-priced stove for my old Maine cabin
    Making a "Big Daddy" for a bigger house
    Maintenance

Re: Cooking with: Wood

Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:37 am
by Readymom
Wood-Harvesting

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Harvest Your Own Firewood
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/earl83.html

By Pete Earl

Harvesting firewood has many rewards: exercise, satisfaction, saving money, and the security of having your own fuel supply for winter warmth. Here are some pointers in the art of cutting your own with maximum safety and minimal effort.

Instead of just cutting green wood and letting it dry over the summer, consider going after aged hardwood, those dead trees that are losing their bark. I call this"vintage firewood" because it has aged like fine wine. If you love a blazing hot fire, this is your ultimate fuel.
  • Gear to get
    • Chain saw
      Gas.
      Bar oil.
      Gear bag.
      Clothes
    Selecting trees
    Cutting down
    Debranching
    Hauling out
    Splitting

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 4:01 pm
by Readymom
Fire Wood-Uses for Wood Ash

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Never Throw Away Your Wood Ash! Do This Instead
http://www.askaprepper.com/never-throw-away-wood-ash-instead/

Maybe you’ve heard about old timey uses for wood ash. It’s a remarkably useful substance even today, though. There are several uses for wood ash that may not only be applicable in your everyday life, but that could help you and your loved ones survive in a SHTF situation. --- CONTINUED at link, above ---

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:26 pm
by Readymom
Splitting Wood

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How to Split Wood: The Complete Guide
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-split-wood-complete-guide/

As Henry Ford famously said, “Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice.” With all due respect to Mr. Ford, though, you don’t chop logs, you split them.

While you can buy pre-split wood at grocery and hardware stores, your roaring fire will feel more satisfying (and save you some scratch) when the wood has been split by your own hand. You’ll need a maul (more on that below), some wood to split, and just a bit of technique that will make for a smooth and enjoyable process that doubles as a nice workout.

To best enjoy a double dose of warmth, read through the text and illustrations below and watch the video to learn everything you need to split your wood, then study up on how to stack it right. ---CONTINUED, at LINK above---

MORE:

How to Split Firewood
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-split-firewood/

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:29 pm
by Readymom
Cutting Down a Tree

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How to Fell a Tree
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-fell-a-tree/

(Snip): ...where do you get those small logs to split in the first place? You can buy logs, but a man heads into the forest to get them at their source. It’s a manly job that requires you to harness your inner lumberjack as you fell, limb, and buck your own tree.

If you ever need to fell a tree, here’s how it’s done. ---CONTINUED at LINK, above---

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:42 pm
by Readymom
Firewood-Storage

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How to Store and Stack Firewood
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/store-stack-firewood/

After you split firewood, you want to stack it up and store it to begin the seasoning process and prepare it for burning. Firewood should be stored for a minimum of 6 months, and during that time you want to ensure it loses as much moisture as possible by exposing it to ample sunlight and air circulation. As noted above, while both elements are important, sun exposure should be prioritized over wind direction. If your backyard or property has inconsistent wind patterns, the stack should be aligned so that it catches the west-to-east winds which are common in North America.

You’ll know when your wood is ready for stove or fireplace by... ---CONTINUED at LINK, above---

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 6:46 pm
by Readymom
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Firewood Primer: Which Wood Burns Best?
https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/firewood-primer-which-wood-burns-best-21380#best-types-of-firewood

The smoky smell, crackling sound, and tactile ritual of fire building is what gives real wood-burning fireplaces their appeal. But what type of firewood is best? Each species has its own set of burning characteristics, and there are a lot of choices out there. Here’s a quick primer on firewood facts and types.

Even the best firewood will not burn well if it has not been seasoned—aged in a dry area, that is. Many dealers sell "seasoned" wood, but if it’s been split this year, it probably won’t be dry enough. Most experts advise buying wood this year to burn next year. ---CONTINUED---

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 6:56 pm
by Readymom
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Preppers Emergency Heating, Cooking & Lighting
https://isurvivalskills.blogspot.com/2014/06/preppers-emergency-heating-cooking.html

Excerpt from original source:

Wood. Hardwoods such as apple, cherry, and other fruit woods are slow burning and sustain coals. Hardwoods are more difficult to burn than softer woods, thus requiring a supply of kindling. Soft woods such as pine and cedar are light in weight and burn very rapidly, leaving ash and few coals for cooking. If you have a fireplace or a wood/coal burning stove, you will want to store several cords of firewood. Firewood is usually sold by the cord which is a neat pile that totals 128 cubic feet. This pile is four feet wide, four feet high, and eight feet long. Some dealers sell wood by the ton. As a general rule of thumb, a standard cord of air dried dense hardwood weighs about two tons and provides as much heat as one ton of coal. Be suspicious of any alleged cord delivered in a 1/2 or 3/4 ton pickup truck.

Re: How To Make Fuel From Birch Bark

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 6:59 pm
by Readymom
From The Medical Survivalist, over on Facebook: (I think I can share here, because you can share his info, over on Facebook).

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Birch Bark

Wood...... Birch bark is one of the best types of bark you can use to start a fire. It will light when it's damp because its natural oils are highly flammable. White birch and paper birch grow naturally throughout Canada and the northern U.S., as far south as Tennessee and in the west, most of Oregon. Some type of birch grow everywhere in the U.S., but if you want the classic paper birch bark at-hand in the Southwest, you'll have to plant this tree in your yard.

You can peel off handy sections of bark with your knife, or use bark from a fallen tree or branch. If you plant one, be aware these trees are some of the fastest growers, but they're also susceptible to disease from borers and beetles. The bark protects against pests, so don't cut off too much bark at a time. Just take what you need. Once you peel the bark off the tree, you'll see that the outside is white and the inside is a pale beige or brown color. With the inside of the bark facing upward, press the bark as flat as you can. Scrape with the grain of the bark to make the finest shavings you can for your tinder. They should look like pencil shavings. After you get the super-fine shavings, cut up some medium and larger pieces of the bark to make sure your fire has the fuel it needs to get going.

If it's wet outside, chances any matches you might have are wet also. This is where firesteel comes in. Prepare your kindling with the superfine shavings, medium, and larger pieces. Put the superfine shavings on a larger piece of birch bark and put your ferro rod close to these shavings. A few strikes of your striker or the back of your knife should help you get a small, stable matchlike flame.

Once this flame is going, carefully add the medium-sized pieces. Once this stage is burning well, add the larger pieces of bark. Once these are ignited, you can add more fuel and kindling carefully. Just don't smother the flames. Spring is the best time to harvest birch bark because the sap is running. Sometimes bark will pop off the tree on its own due to rapid growth. Be careful about taking bark from a living tree, because you could damage the inner bark, and the tree could die. If you harvest more than a one-time use of the bark, you will want to store it. Roll the bark longwise (the way it curls naturally) and store it in a cool, dry area. Most bark can be split in two layers and sometimes even more. If the bark hardens, you can also soften it with steam or soaking in water to unroll it for scraping and use.

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:26 am
by Readymom
Great chart at this site:

Molotilo LLC

Best Types of Firewood
http://molotilo.com/backyard-design/firewood/free-firewood-the-best-fuel-for-your-fireplace

Practically all kinds of wood are good fuel. Some wood burns better, some burns longer. One of the best fuel-wood is oak firewood. Oak wood has very dense structure. It means that it burn longer than many other types of wood. Also it releases more heat. It’s important to notice that oak logs should be stored not less than for one year to become completely seasoned wood. There are different oak species. ---CONTINUED---

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 4:52 pm
by Readymom
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There are 3 sizes of log splitters here that might be helpful to some for your firewood preps:

Splitz-All Log Splitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpbvIzkjEWk

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 4:04 pm
by Readymom
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Wood Heat: A Heckuva Lot of Work
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/wood-heat-a-heckuva-lot-of-work/

Wow – heating with wood is a heckuva a lot of work! For those of you yearning for an off-grid heat source, let me tell you about it.

If you happen to be independently wealthy, the minutiae of wood heat probably won’t affect you. However, if wood heat is a practical money-saving move, you are in for more work than you might expect. ---CONTINUED---

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:26 pm
by Readymom
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What You Need to Know About Firewood for SHTF Situations
https://www.shtfdad.com/firewood-shtf/

(SNIP) ... There’s one thing you will have to gather when you reach your destination: firewood.

(SNIP) ... Your survival could depend on knowing certain things about firewood. Here are a few. ---CONTINUED---

Re: Fire Wood

Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2019 12:48 am
by Readymom
Image Hat Tip to rick1, over at EHP-D:

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Best Firewood: Heat Values and Wood-Burning Tips
https://www.almanac.com/content/best-firewood-heat-values-wood-burning-tips

Do you use firewood to heat your home? Here is a list of the best types of firewood to burn—sorted by high, medium, and low heat value—as well as a few important wood-burning tips. ---CONTINUED---

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2020 2:19 am
by Readymom
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How To: Split Firewood
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-split-wood/

(SNIP) ... If your stores of wood are lacking, it’s time to get to work: chop-chop! Once you’ve wrangled a steady supply, follow the instructions below to split the logs for better burning. Get ready to channel your inner lumberjack and practice the time-honored tradition of log-splitting to keep the fires burning all winter long. ---CONTINUED---

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:55 pm
by Readymom
family
handyman


9 Kinds of Firewood Not To Burn
https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/firewood-not-to-burn/

Be the fire pit champion instead of that host who smokes everyone out and makes them sick. It's easy — just learn what firewood not to burn. ---CONTINUED---

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:47 pm
by Readymom
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Build a holz hausen to dry firewood
https://www.backwoodshome.com/build-a-holz-hausen-to-dry-firewood/

[(BIG SNIP) ... I came across a traditional Old World method of drying firewood and decided to try it. After all, some of those folks live well up north and probably know a thing or two about stacking wood. It’s a circular woodpile called a holz hausen (German for “round house”). The holz hausen is started with carefully stacked wood ... ---CONTINUED---

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:51 pm
by Readymom
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An easier way to cut firewood
https://www.backwoodshome.com/an-easier-way-to-cut-firewood-by-larry-lavan/

I’ve heated with firewood for nearly 50 years. In doing so, I knew my aging back would need to find a better way to do things, so I started cutting my logs into two-inch slices. Listed below are the major advantages of this: ---CONTINUED---

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:30 pm
by Readymom
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Split Firewood Kindling Easily!
https://rethinksurvival.com/split-firewood-kindling-easily/

I think that once you get the hang of this, it’ll be your favorite wood splitting tool. But you shouldn’t be so ambitious and try to split a huge round like the video shows in the beginning; it’s rather funny watching him try to get the first round through because it looks like something I would do! ---CONTINUED---

Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEyXiqoYNcY

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2022 3:39 pm
by Readymom
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Everything to Know About Firewood for Your Homestead
https://rethinksurvival.com/firewood-for-your-homestead/

(SNIP) ... Using firewood sounds easy, but a lot of work goes into gathering it, storing it and burning it. There are precautions to take during the whole process. It is rewarding, though, to know that the heat for your home is a result of the hard work you put into getting firewood. If you’re considering this heating method, then here’s everything you need to know about firewood for your homestead. ---CONTINUED---

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Sat May 28, 2022 4:27 am
by Readymom
Hat Tip: Image to 'Rick1', over at EHP-D:

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How to Season Firewood
https://www.wikihow.com/Season-Firewood#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20pine%20and%20other,a%20year%20to%202%20years.&text=However%2C%20this%20rule%20of%20thumb,its%20water%20content%20is%20important.

(SNIP) ... Burning unseasoned (green) or even partially seasoned wood in your stove or fireplace will cause creosote build-up in your chimney, which can lead to a chimney fire at the worst, and a lack of fire or a roomful of smoke at best. Every homeowner reliant on wood should know how to season wood. [---CONTINUED---

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 6:25 pm
by Readymom
Hat Tip: Image to 'Rick1', over at EHP-D:

What Moisture Content Firewood Should Be (And How To Check)
https://fireplaceuniverse.com/what-moisture-content-firewood/

An important aspect of having a fire in any type of fireplace, whether it’s an open fireplace or wood burning stove, is to ensure that the firewood is dry enough to use.

For wood to burn efficiently on a fire it needs to have a low enough moisture content, so what moisture level should firewood be?

For firewood to burn efficiently it should have a moisture content of ... ---CONTINUED---

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Comment from Rick:

Here's the meter I bought off of ebay,(even though this picture is from Amazon), not too pricey and works fine:
https://www.amazon.com/Bside-EMT01-Digital-Wood-Handheld/dp/B07DFCJJZP/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=wood+moisture+meter&qid=1655915722&sr=8-19

Re: Wood as a Fuel

Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 4:20 pm
by Readymom
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A Comprehensive Guide to Collecting Wood
https://rethinksurvival.com/comprehensive-guide-collecting-wood/

(SNIP) ... in a survival situation, especially if it’s followed by an infrastructure collapse, wood-fire stoves will be your best bet for cooking food, boiling water, and staying warm during the cold winter months.

Of course, even the best wood-fire stove is only as good as the wood you’re burning. What do you need to know to make sure you’re collecting and storing the best wood for the job? ---CONTINUED---