Anyone else heat with wood?

[pa mountain man]

Been cutting,splitting, and stacking wood for 5 hours a day for the last 2 1/2 weeks, I'm about over it, was too hot to do much over the summer, and my cutting permit runs out at the end of the month. I really need to get a log splitter, the old maul seems to get heavier every day. I complain now, but I know I'll be happy when my gas bill isn't $375 a month .

[Bassn Blvd]

Nope, my heat is only one push on the button to the thermostat. It takes about 1/1000 of a second to turn on and it saves on blisters.

[nick76]

I am with you Bassn, my brother in law does all the wood cutting thing and I keep telling him that it is easier to work a little more.  At 5 hours a day for lets say 15 days....that is 75 hours of wood cutting.  I know I make a heck of a lot more than $10 an hour so at a minimum that is 2 months of heating at that rate.  I live in Michigan and the heat doesn't come on until November and is off in March.  That is 4-5 months depending on the year. 

If you got more time than money then it is definitely worth it.  For me......much easier to pay for the propane and spend the time with he kids and wife.  Enjoy. 

[A-Jay]

I do. I moved to the Snow belt in Northern Michigan 3 years ago. I've been heating with wood (from my own property thank you very much) every winter.

I take it down with a Stihl MS 290 and use this Mantis log splitter. Both have been trouble free and suit my needs perfectly.

Here's the link and info on the log splitter. I found a good price at amazon.com

http://mantisdealer.com/swiftsplit.asp

http://www.amazon.com/Mantis-SwiftSplit-Log-Splitter-5005/dp/B000FIV2AE/ref=sr_1_43/105-7205624-6257228?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1187569984&sr=1-43

A-Jay

[SirSnookalot]

When I lived in Michigan I used wood for my fireplace, only for asthetics as that is not a very effeicent way of heating your home.  Having a cozy family room sucks heat out from other rooms causing your thermostat to  turn your furnace on more often resulting in higher energy bills.  That said, I don't care what the heat or A/C costs.  My motto, "work smart, not hard" then simple creature comforts are very affordable.

[Grey Wolf]

I haven't split wood since the early 60's but I don't have a 370.00 gas bill.

[FishingBuds]

I burn wood pmm, since 2004 100%

Don't split it anymore, buy 4 to 5 cords for the winter.

spend about 500 bucks for heat for the winter. when the 2009 ice storm hit we was ok

[pa mountain man]

Thanks for the link A-Jay, I may look further into the mantis. I burn 90% cherry, and its about the knotiest stuff I've ever seen, I've seen it almost stop a 12 ton 5 hp splitter, I wonder how the mantis would handle it. I'm cutting with a husqvarna 55 with a back up husqvarna 240e.

[A-Jay]

I had to take down a cherry tree once - it was unreal just how tough it was. Good luck with that.

I can't say how the Mantis will do on that but it goes right through oak fine.

A-Jay

[fishn hard]

I started burning wood 2 years ago and have used about 25 gallons of fuel Ill keep cutting and splitting my own a little work never hurt any one  hell that's whats wrong with the world today  and i burn locust and elm it seams to put out the best BTUs

[Triton21]

I live in a underground house and heat with wood. I am to old and broke-down to cut my own wood. I buy $200 wood a year and always have some left over. We keep the house 76* year round and largest gas bill in past 6 years was $28.76. Last year we had over 3 months that the temp didn't get over 30*. Now if I could just figure out how to keep the power bill that low I would be happy.

Kelley

[Gatorbassman]

I grew up in a house that was heated by a Buck Stove. My parents still live in that house and they still have the same Buck. Back then the lumber companies here in Georgia didn't have any use for oak so it was easy to find trees to cut. But we never had a log splitter. That was my job. I was 6 when I swung my first maul and 10 when I cut my first tree down. I remember that old McCullough 10/10. It was a beast and didn't have a safety bar. You guys got me thinking again. I might try to talk the wife into switching to wood this winter.

[pa mountain man]

Fishn hard, I've got to agree with you on the hard work thing, I can't stand sitting idle, even carrying wood in in the winter gives me a small feeling of accomplishment, and about the only exercise I get ;D. I love spending time in the garage, even if its just maintaing my saws after a day of cutting.

I have 3 sources of heat at the moment, I have a gas furnace and the wood stove in the house, and my garage has a waste oil furnace. We lose power regularly in the winter, and I like having a source of heat that dosen't need electricity to run, and I can cook on.

My grandfather had one of those saws, it ran good when it ran, but he wasn't big on preventive maintenance. I would imagine being near a paper mill, you can get wood fairly cheap. I'm near the Allegehney national forest, so I can get 4 cords for $20.

[Hookemdown.]

We burn about 5 rick (I think you northerners call that a face cord?) a year here.  It only costs about $250, cut and stacked...and it keeps the house warm all winter.

[fishfordollars]

Well ya'll can cut and stack all you want. If I'm lucky I might burn a half a cord during the winter in the little ole fireplace. One of fall's traditions is going with the wife to buy the firewood. The little old lady that we buy from has ONE tooth in her head, right up front. We expect every year that we'll hear she passed on but so far she is still out there collecting our money.

[1inStripes]

That was the good thing about the big storm we had here at the first of the year.  3 big beech trees were uprooted on the hill just across from my house.  Made for some very good firewood for myself, Dad and uncle just a wheelbarrow trip away from my woodpile. 

[Triton21]

Problem I have with beech is that it throws lots of sparks.

Kelley

[1inStripes]

I could careless about sparks inside a wood stove. 

Also, it doesnt make such a mess in my basement due to the nature of its bark.  I like using oak, hickory, ash, locust well basically any hardwood, but beech is about as clean a wood as you can use when it gets inside the house.