Yankee firewood question

[Draco]

I have heated my house or lived in houses heated with wood my entire life so have quite a bit of experience with it. At 75, I still cut a cord to cord and a half every year. I get every thing from the twigs up to 13" diameter logs, the opening in my stove door. It doesn't get split unless it's over 13" and then usually only once. I want to have twigs for starting new fires, small to medium logs for standard burning and the thick ones where only one log is needed to burn all night long or all day long if we're going to be gone. I've watched or seen many videos of yankees as well as europeans splitting wood. It seems they split it until it is very small. maybe only 2 to 3" thick, all of it. The wood itself is poor wood for heating any way. Why do they do this?

[Tejas Wildlife]

This is strictly conjecture on my part but I believe the answer to your question lies in the FIRST WORD in your post title.

[BTLowry]

Just to clarify

You don't split anything 13" or less in diameter?



I split most of mine down to where I can easily pick it up with one hand and if I was splitting for old folks, even smaller

And pretty much anything 5" or more gets split once

I do make sure I have some big split stuff (usually something with a big knot) or some bigger round sieces to throw on for an all night burn

[Killer]

It makes good video!

[Playa]

They are burning softwoods like pine and spruce because it’s most prevalent, a lot easier to split than our hardwoods

[RiverRat1]

I have heated my house or lived in houses heated with wood my entire life so have quite a bit of experience with it. At 75, I still cut a cord to cord and a half every year. I get every thing from the twigs up to 13" diameter logs, the opening in my stove door. It doesn't get split unless it's over 13" and then usually only once. I want to have twigs for starting new fires, small to medium logs for standard burning and the thick ones where only one log is needed to burn all night long or all day long if we're going to be gone. I've watched or seen many videos of yankees as well as europeans splitting wood. It seems they split it until it is very small. maybe only 2 to 3" thick, all of it. The wood itself is poor wood for heating any way. Why do they do this?

I do the same as you Draco.
I also have wondered why people split wood all the way smaller. In for an answer maybe.

[60 Deluxe]

I split it small enough to fit through the top door of our wood stove. A thirteen inch by sixteen inch mesquite log is rather heavy and cumbersome to handle for an old man with arthritic hands. I dropped a log last night and thought that I had ruined a piece of furniture. I suppose eight inch is my ideal log for our stove. A couple of them with the draft turned down will last for as long as I sleep. I use a maul to split so the less splitting the easier it is on my back.

[dbaio1]

This is strictly conjecture on my part but I believe the answer to your question lies in the FIRST WORD in your post title.

Winner 🏆

[dbaio1]

Always had around 15% smaller split for starting fires. The rest I want split big but enough to season. Length varies by burn device.

[Dale Moser]

It seasons quicker and more consistently when split. That pine and other softer woods has a lot of sap that needs to dry out before burning it, so it doesn't form creosote in the chimney.

[Draco]

That makes a little sense. I just thought it was because yankees wake up multiple times during the night and figure they might as well add wood and they wouldn't have to with big logs.

[Playa]

It seasons quicker and more consistently when split. That pine and other softer woods has a lot of sap that needs to dry out before burning it, so it doesn't form creosote in the chimney.

That’s a better explanation than I offered.

also, in the words of Mike Rowe’s grandfather, “chopping wood warms you twice”

[PYBUCK]

I would think splitting would render a more consistent cord than stacking 13" logs with lots of air space between them

[Drycreek3189]

That’s a better explanation than I offered.

also, in the words of Mike Rowe’s grandfather, “chopping wood warms you twice”

I used to say “by the time I get through splitting it, I don’t need any **** firewood” !

[Dale Moser]

There's also the possibility that they're burning it in an open fireplace, in which case 13" rounds are useless.

we cut all dead standing timber for firewood, unless a tree just needs taken down...but I still prefer it all be split if over 5" or so.