Cutting Firewood - a price of wood heat

Everything has it's "price" and cutting firewood is one of the prices of wood heat that you may have to pay if your plan for frugal living includes heating with wood. With wood heat, we know we have to get wood, and unless it's cut and split for us, we'll have to do that too.

Logs, poles, and many types of scrap wood will require cutting into pieces of firewood that are conducive to burning in a wood heat appliance. Wood that is long, bulky or nailed together must be cut so it fits.



I've used chainsaws, circular saws, a table saw and a buzz saw for cutting firewood. Each type of wood lends itself to cutting with a different type of saw. You need to match the saw to the type of wood that you want to cut, so you can get the job done efficiently and safely.

For small scrap wood, a table saw or circular saw works well. For plywood, a circular saw is a good choice. Tree limbs and pallets can be cut with a reciprocating saw or a chainsaw. My preference is a chainsaw.

Regardless of which saw you use, be careful when you cut the wood. If the saw can cut through wood, it can slice through your flesh and bones with ease. Treat your saws with the respect they deserve, and stop when you sense that you're getting tired. Also, hearing protection is a must.

Also, remember that pallets and scrap wood often have nails hanging out just waiting to grab you. Be cautious where you walk, how you handle the wood, and use a magnetic sweep to pick up the nails (and portions of nails) that invariably will be dislodged during the cutting process.

For poles, limbs and logs, you'll also have to split the wood. This can be done with a hydraulic ram type splitter, a splitting maul, or an axe. Splitting is necessary to make certain the smallest dimension of the wood will fit through the stove door. Splitting is also necessary to allow wood to season (dry out) and to make more surface area for a good fire.

A lot of firewood is required if your approach to frugal living includes heating with wood. Having the right tools is important to make the job easier and safe.

Done with Cutting Firewood, take me back to Heating with Wood