Cord Wood

[Slickcraft]

My experience has been that a local logger sells grapple loads that he has harvested and loaded at the source and trucks to you. I have never heard of a lumber yard being a middle man. But I suppose that it could happen.

I would ask at the local hardware stores, they know who is doing what locally. Also every timber harvester needs to file an "intent to cut" with the town selectman, normally handled by the accessor as a tax is due. They should have a list of who is harvesting timber in town.

[polarisman14]

My brother in law tells me that you can get a permit to take felled trees out of the white mountain national forest for cheap money--I believe you can take 4 cords per season and the price of the permit is $20, $40, something like that? If you have the manpower and trailer capacity to make a few trips that's easily worth your while.

Another option for those of you getting up in age or just looking for something more convenient and easier to handle than cordwood are bio bricks (or any of the alternative heating sources). They're compressed hardwood and don't use any glue or artificial binders, and go for about $300/ton which is equivalent in BTUs to a cord of hardwood or a tank of oil.

I had good success with these last winter--I use a bunch of different heating sources to keep my costs down and not rely on one over the other and my heating bill throughout the year is about $100/month when you break it down that way. Last winter I wen through 1.5-2 cords of wood, a pallet of bio bricks, 3/4 tank of oil, and used a ceramic electric heater on occasion to take the chill out of some of the rooms that aren't close enough to the wood stove to be effectively heated by that. Over the last several years it was the coldest winter and in normal circumstances each one of those heat sources would be 10-15% lower in use. It's also important to note that the bio bricks have a much lower ash and moisture content when burned which translates to fewer times emptying the ashes and a LOT less creosote. Even when burning the bricks and wood simultaneously it seems to help the wood burn more efficiently and after a full season my chimney is so clean you could eat off of it.

Either that or just find a friend with a bunch of wood on the back of his property and go to town

[upthesaukee]

I contacted my stove manufacturer (Hearthstone) and they emphatically said not to use them in a Hearthstone (soapstone and cast iron) stove.

Reason: They generate too much heat too quickly and can cause the soapstone to crack. I thought I had saved the email from them, but can't find it.

They did not offer any comment on straight cast iron, or cast iron with a glass front. But then again, I only asked about my soapstone stove, and they answered that inquiry directly.

For what it is worth.

[mcdude]

[QUOTE=polarisman14;233634 Either that or just find a friend with a bunch of wood on the back of his property and go to town [/QUOTE]