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Old 03-28-2022, 02:30 PM   #57
Descant
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This has been a good thread, lots of info and after many posts, nobody has hijacked it. Thinkxingu has been particularly thorough.
Way back, there was talk about splitting wood with an ax and hitting the ax with a mallet. Eventually, that will spread the eye on the ax and the head will fly off. A loose head is mostly good only for cutting off toes. A "camper's ax" is OK for splitting wood for a campfire, but not in quantities for residential heating. Better to use a maul and steel wedges of various sizes. Easier is a wedge fixed to a vertical post that is driven with a sledge hammer.

It sounds like the OP, feeding every 20 minutes, wanted a pretty fire, not a long lasting fire. If the price of oil remains stable, learning to conserve wood and feeding every4 hours will take over.
If wood will be the dominant fuel for 2022-23 winter, better buy now, split and age it yourself. If you like 14" lengths, it should age easily. Given enough time, 14", smaller diameter should age OK without splitting.

I like pine in the fireplace and outdoors, not so much in a wood stove except for kindling. For starting, consider buying an artificial log and cutting off a 1"-2" thick piece. If your wood is dry and split, that should get you started with no fuss.
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