Another month, another entry

I know it's been forever since I've posted anything here. It might have to do with my utter lack of progress on the house and my lack of desire to work in the cold weather.

It's cold. It's really cold. Did I mention that it's cold? We just used up the last of our firewood from last winter. We've been having fires quite frequently. The fireplace warms up the room quickly.

I ordered three bundles of slabwood, mostly cherry and hickory. This batch, unlike last winter, was debarked, so it should burn better and leave less creosote on the chimney.



Now, I just have to cut it up and avoid saving too much of it for craft/woodworking projects.

Photographs courtesy of the always lovely A.

Slab Wood

Today, the three bundles of slab wood were delivered. Slab wood is essentially the leftovers from the sawmill. It's considerably cheaper than regular firewood, and because it is not cut to length, one can cut to fit one's own fireplace. Each of the three bundles is about 12 feet long. Two of them are primarily oak, with some maple. The other seems to be mostly pine and other softwoods, with some poplar. The hardwood bundles are a combination of pieces cut to a great size for burning (about 2.5" square) with some pieces that are truly massive.

I was told that this would be about 1.5-2 cords. At the current rate, I think it will be closer to 2.5, though that is partially due to my less than perfect stacking skills. It should burn well, I think. Anyway, it seems to me an excellent value - it was $175 for the three bundles, delivered. Around here, a cord, delivered, costs about $225-$250.

I've begun cutting the wood to fit our fireplace. This evening, I was able to get through about 2/3 of the first bundle. The other two bundles, the hardwoods, should be easier to cut, due to their relatively consistent size. Hopefully, I'll be able to get it all cut and stacked by the end of the day on Wednesday.

Our First Fire

The day before yesterday, we had our first fire in the fireplace. During the day, I opened the damper and looked up the chimney. Everything looked to be in good order. I cut up some of the horribly warped lumber in my workshop and made a nice fire.

The fireplace draws very well. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it reflects heat out into the room, too. We're now considering a serious firewood purchase. I'm seriously considering slab wood - that is, the parts of a log that are cut off by the sawmill - which presents a much better value than normal split firewood. I've found someone who will deliver 3 bundles of slab wood, 8-12 feet long, which should represent 1.5-2 cords, for $175. The additional advantage of this is that because I will be cutting the wood to length, I can cut it to fit my fireplace, which is wider than average.