One of the things we love about our Split-Fire log splitter is the ability to size each firewood piece individually. Long before smaller pieces became popular for bundle firewood, Solo stoves, and recreational campfires, here at PCL we were ahead of the curve.
Now this advice may not work for everyone - so your experience may vary. We heat our home with a Buck Stove, with catalytic combustion burning chamber. More about catalytic combustion in a future blog post. But basically - the system burns dry firewood very efficiently, requiring less firewood (fuel) for more heat than other wood stove types.
Since our wood burner is so efficient, that affords us the luxury of making the pieces of wood any size we like. Here’s a video about the 3 main reasons we split firewood smaller.
Reason 1: It’s easier to handle.
Smaller pieces are not as heavy, and fit easier into your gloved hands (think carrying firewood in the winter). The smaller pieces are easy to pick up, stack into an armload, and carry into the house for use in the wood stove. We store our firewood outside, until about a week or two before it is needed. Then we carry it into our basement to get any surface moisture off the wood before burning it.
Reason 2: It seasons faster.
Smaller pieces allow the wood to season faster. A large piece that is ½ round, will take longer than smaller pieces where the moisture isn’t as deep into the piece. Our Pennsylvania hardwoods (Red and White Oak, Hickory, Cherry, and Maple) take between 1 and 2 years to season fully to a moisture level we are willing to burn. The smaller the pieces, the faster that process. Note: Airflow and dry air are key to drying firewood.
Reason 3: Fits more wood in the burning chamber.
While the “all nighter” log might last in the burn chamber longer in theory - it actually burns slower and slower unless additional air is added as it burns down. Often, in a catalytic stove, the large piece may actually not fully burn without additional air added during the burn. This results in leftover “charcoal” in the stove and less BTU heat. In our experience, the ability to more fully pack the burn chamber of our Buck Stove allows a better all-night heat, with more BTU, than one single large round log. AND - you can fit more pieces in when they nest together easily than you can when they’re big chunks.