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Living With Woodfires
Registrace 12. 05. 2012
I have lived and worked in woodlands and forest all of my life - and always with wood fires. The cottage I live in now is 100% wood fire heated. I harvest my firewood locally and sustainably, and aim to burn my logs efficiently. But it is more than this - I love the lifestyle. Getting timber and kindling with friends, splitting and stacking wood for the log store and then the fires. The skill needed to season logs and light a fire quickly, and how to get the most heat from the fewest logs - it can take a lifetime to master. And the joy of campfires and cooking on them. This channel shares what I have learned, and am still learning.
It was a huge pleasure to write, 'The Wood Fire Handbook' in 2012.
It was a huge pleasure to write, 'The Wood Fire Handbook' in 2012.
Choosing a Splitting Axe
This video looks at different axe designs and highlights the four main factors that will help you choose a good splitting axe. To be safe and easy to use it needs to 'fit' you - to be just right for you. Almost any axe can split wood, but that doesn't we should be casual about the axe we use for our firewood logs. Choose the right splitting axe, that is a good fit for you and enjoy the work for many happy years.
zhlédnutí: 3 108
Video
Choosing a Kindling Axe
zhlédnutí 3,8KPřed 8 měsíci
Splitting kindling is a lovely way to pass the time - choose the right axe and it is easy and safe. The axe is one of our oldest tools. We have a quick look at some stone age axes and a beautiful bronze axe, then compare four different modern hand axes and the best technique for using each one to split kindling.
Free Firelighters
zhlédnutí 4,7KPřed 8 měsíci
We look at making my favourite firelighters. Being able to light a fire quickly and easily is one of the most important skills when living with wood fires - it's nice if they are free too. I enjoy making these firelighters, saving and gathering the bits I need. For a wood stove, cooking range or campfire - the message is. 'waste not - want not'. The 'fat wood' came from an old window frame.
Love your Stove
zhlédnutí 2,8KPřed 9 měsíci
Trees are the wood burning stove's power station. A forest has trillions of small green solar panels capturing energy from the sun, to be released in our homes through the winter. Of all forms of renewable heat energy, I believe that sustainably harvested wood-fuel is up with the best. I look at why this all matters to me, and enjoy a day out with the trees.
How to Check Firewood - Moisture Meters
zhlédnutí 8KPřed rokem
Dry logs make good fires. Never assume your logs are ready to burn - know they are! On the open hearth or in a wood burning stove, it has never been more important to use properly dried firewood. Bought-in delivered logs, bagged firewood and those you've harvested and stored yourself should be checked. For me, wood is the most beautiful renewable heating fuel and my responsibility is to make su...
Split Kindling Safely!
zhlédnutí 141KPřed rokem
Good kindling is the secret to starting a wood fire quickly. But whether you are using an axe, hatchet or froe - you must work safely. In this video I show the tips and techniques that work for me. Also the importance of enjoying it all - quietly working at your own pace, with a good set up and system.
Why Dry Firewood?
zhlédnutí 5KPřed rokem
Most people who live with woodfires know that their firewood needs to be dry. But it is more than that - I was shocked when I calculated how much heat is lost boiling off the sap, even from a normal seasoned ready-to-burn log. The physics of latent heat is almost magical - and knowing this opens up a new world of understanding for those of us who live with wood heating. Dry logs burn hotter and...
How to Dry Firewood
zhlédnutí 38KPřed rokem
Probably the most important thing when living with woodfires, is to have dry logs. Our firewood must be dry, or it causes problems and wastes time, effort and money. This video shares all I have learned about seasoning wood fuel - and keeps it fun. Love your woodshed and the larder of winter warmth it stores. Dry logs burn hotter and cleaner, this is becoming more important as attention on emis...
Living with Woodfires, an Introduction
zhlédnutí 3KPřed rokem
This channel is for all those who love wood fires. I have lived and worked in woodlands all of my life, and this is what I have learned about log fires. I believe passionately that sustainably harvested and efficient burned wood fuel is the best of all rural heating options. So that is my aim with this channel - to offer tips, tricks and best practice. Whether on an open fire or in a wood stove...
The Log Splitting Contest!
zhlédnutí 1,9KPřed rokem
My village has had a traditional spring fair for over 750 years. It is the big event of the year, and this year it has a log splitting contest! I enjoy everything about the woodlands and harvesting logs carefully for my fires - but I have never had so much fun with an axe before!
A New Woodstack
zhlédnutí 4KPřed rokem
A good woodstack to season your firewood is essential. And so is preparing the place and the logs. This video follows me as I start building a big one, it will hold over a full winter's logs for my home. There are tips and tricks to making is practical and beautiful - after all, I will look at it every day!
Choosing a Book on Wood Fires
zhlédnutí 2KPřed 3 lety
Books make great presents - Christmas, Birthdays or just as a treat. This video is a quick look my favourite wood fire books - for home heating, campfires, cooking and the amazing story of how fire shaped our evolution!
Top Down Wood Fires, the new normal?
zhlédnutí 52KPřed 3 lety
I live in a totally wood-heated new cottage. I'm in a village with good neighbours and have adopted Top-Down fires as my 'new normal'. It still feels odd after a lifetime of traditional wood fires - but this new fire starting technique really works. As someone who lives with wood fires, I feel a responsibility to burn as cleanly and efficiently as possible. I want us wood-fire people to feel go...
How to Make a Pine Cone Fire Starter
zhlédnutí 21KPřed 3 lety
I have used pine cones to start my wood fires for years. But now I am wanting to use the top-down fire technique in my wood-burning stove and cooking range. So I needed a 'super-cone', hot enough to light my kindling from above. In this video I try four ways of improving my pine cones - and then find the best combination for a super- cone firelighter!
Visiting the Christmas tree field - a walk, and some spruce logs
zhlédnutí 1,5KPřed 3 lety
I earn a part of my living from selling Christmas trees, and I grow them almost organically - the field is bursting with wildlife. This makes it a really beautiful place to work, play and sleep! The video is a visit to this re-wilded plantation, on the last day of summer . . . . . I didn't get out gold prospecting this year, but for a glimpse of the gold and treasure hunting - here's a link to ...
Those beautiful wood stacks.
Thanks, but mainly as I have to look at them for two years! All best Vince
Do you measure the handle length by holding the axe out, and having the end just reach your arm pit? I'm 5"10 and looking at a spliting axe with either a 28" or 36" handle. Cheers.
I am not at home at the moment so can't check that. Although I have never measured that way. I like the splitting axe handle to reach my waist, around my belt, when the head is resting on the ground. Then I will get a good splitting speed when I swing the axe and the head will not hit my legs if I mis-hit a log. I am 5'11" and the Fiskars X27 handle is perfect for me. I will check the lengths and let you know when I get home. All best, Vince
Hi, I am finally back home and done the measurement. My axe has a full length of 36" - and I am 5' 11" and it feels just right - for my swing and safety. I hope you get an axe sorted out that suits you. All best. Vince
Also got a 36", fes safer.
Great video. You have a very good teaching style.
Thank you - it is a really important subject. All best, Vince
Thanks old timer. Love the education although should be common sense, but often overlooked.
Agreed - but one slip and you're missing a finger - so good to remind ourselves! Vince
Been log time sins last video are still doing
Yes sorry about that, I will do more videos, but I have a book writing deadline that I am trying to meet and it is taking priority. All best, Vince
CZcams’s algorithm recommended this video. There was something about this video that seemed familiar, so I went to find the book I read last year! The Wood Fire Handbook! It’s great to put a face to the author. Glad to have found your channel
Thank you - I hope there were some bits in the book that were helpful!? All best wishes, Vince
Large wood lasts longer all that little stuff you have burns very quickly if yo need your home 80 F and hotter theres something wrong with you? 12 " and up sugar maple / oak off the stump in summer is DRY for the the winter AFTER it gets to 40 F below here burn little stuff like that you will be up 4 times a night sleeping at 60 /65 F is common sense if your wood heater wont keep youwarm yiu need a bigger heater/ better insulation/ common sense people selling firewood dont want you to use LESS wood lol
It is interesting and perhaps the most important thing that we all need to find what suits our own home and climate. I have gone for massive insulation and small fires and it's good to hear that you too have a system that works for you. All best, Vince
Thanks for some great videos. Would love to see/learn a bit about gold from you.
Morning, thanks for that comment. I have attached a link to a bit I did with the BBC about some gold we got off of a shipwreck - it was a wonderful adventure. All best. Vince www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06nntdn
Cornelius Whitehouse and sons.
Such a beautiful axe! Thank you.
I dropped an elm last autumn and yesterday tried to split it with my Fiskars axe. The axe either bounced off or got stuck. I've never known anything like it. Just bought a maul online, but I may have to cut the logs even smaller. Tough stuff.
I had the same - cut some elm to about 10 inches, my Fiskars X27 wouldn't even touch it. So I halved the logs to about 5 inches and it still wouldn't split them. The best I could do was to 'peel' them smaller by taking chunks from around the outside. Amazing wood. All best Vince
You forgot one important factor... the SIZE of your wood stove. My wood stove takes 2ft. logs... that's 24 inches. If I burned small crap like yours it would burn up in less than 2 hours With big logs It can burn 4-5 hours, and the stored heat in my house lasts another 2-3 hours.
The principals of drying are the same, and dry logs are more efficient - even with the big crap! All you say is fine and true, the logs will just take longer to season.
@@WoodFiresWithVince Wrong: That's because I can store my entire years supply of firewood in the room where my woodstove is. I like to call it the furnace room. The wood stove acts as a kiln and dries out the wood in no time while at the same time humidifying the rest of my 2-story house.
@@indrekkpringi Good for you
Great channel. I have just spilt a 10-15ton OAK tree that fell over my drive with the Fiskars X25 (I also have the X27 but not used it yet) - brilliant. I also have a splitting maul but it is just too heavy to use for any length of time. At first I thought I would cut it with my own chainsaws but realised it was too high (25ft in places) so called in a professional tree specialist to cut it into manageable lengths, £600 well spent as the danger would have been significant for me trying to cut it at height.
Absolutely right - I would not have climbed the oak either! That is a totally professional job and I read a while back that most throats cut with a chainsaw happen to people working at height. And apart from the safety angle - with the price of firewood now you will have easily got your money back in logs!? I would say give your X27 a good go too - they are really good - although just a tiny bit heavier would have been perfect for most British firewood species. All best. Vince
I found a December 2014 one page article from Real Simple magazine titled "Build a Better Fire" and googled the author.......so glad you have a yt.
It's good to hear that the piece is still circulating, and you are very welcome - enjoy the channel! Vince
great vid, new to wood stove heating . i bought a moisture meter, i noticed logs already split are fairly dry inside, but the bark is attached and very high moisture 30% - 40% measuring on the bark on the logs on the bark . i see these videos, people don't measure the bark? i assume that's not ok to use?
Interesting observations! The logs will dry faster on the split face and I would say that your logs are probably not yet fully seasoned. The bark itself usually has more heat energy per kilo/pound than the actual wood - so once dry it is good to burn. Mastering you logs is probably the secret to enjoying good wood fires - I hope it all goes well for you. Best wishes, Vince
♥️
Thank you!
I do a bit of camping in the summer and like to stock up on my firewood for my trips away. I do chop the wood up into similar piece's you have . I store them in the garage, is that okay to do ?
The big thing is to have some airflow, particularly if the wood is damp when first stored. I would say only gather dry wood or store it under cover outside until it is dry - and then it is fine to store in a dry garage for as long as you like. There is the consideration of bringing insects into your garage. I find elm to be so full of woodworm I do not bring it to the house until I am going to burn it. Also of course, firewood for camping does not need to be as dry as 'house wood' as there is no issue with damaging a chimney or flue. Enjoy your trips away - all best wishes. Vince
Thank you very much. The glasses of water was a great use of video medium to make the point. Cheers d
Yes thanks - everybody knows the logs need to be dry/seasoned, but many don't really appreciate the staggering waste of heat energy needed to boil away the remaining moisture - every 1% moisture reduced is a real bonus! Thanks for your comment. Vince
Ancient peoples would not have waste energy/time with splitting fire wood, right? Just gather piles of various sizes of wood...
Yes I would think that is right. Gathering sticks would work best if you only had stone or bronze tools. Plus they had peat and dried animal dung as options. Even now, if you have the time to go out and get sticks, and the space to store them, they are a good option. Thanks for the interesting question. All best, Vince
in Italy win the Alps we use also wooden fruit crates composed by very thin wooden foils. Thanks ! ( maybe in uk you'e only plastic fruit crates!)
That sounds good. Yes most fruit is in plastic here now - sometimes strawberries come in wooden 'punnets'. I do also save my ice cream sticks - and by the end of summer there are loads! All best wishes, Vince
Hi, I have recently found your videos as I am in the process of have 2 trees felled. A eucalyptus and a conifer both around 65ft. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how we can use the logs? Do we chop them down and leave to dry for firewood? Or if there other ways you would use them? Many thanks for any advice
Hi Peter, Unless there is a small mobile bandsaw operator, or someone who could use those trees, it might well be that firewood is your best option. If that is the case, then get the trees crosscut into logs and split them - then probably best to get them stacked under cover but with plenty of air-flow through them. In general eucalyptus is a good firewood, conifers less so - but all are fine if dried out well - 'seasoned'. If you are in the northern hemisphere, then you now have all summer to season the firewood! Good luck with it all. Vince
@@WoodFiresWithVince Thtas great, thanks for your advice Vince. I think a DIY log store this weekend is in order! 👍🏾
Good luck with all that - I did have another thought, some eucalyptus species are cross-grained making them difficult to split. So maybe cut those logs a bit shorter and have a good splitting axe ready! Enjoy it all! Best wishes, Vince
Hi Vince, great to see you after all these years. Sue x
You did so well to recognise me - it has been a very long time! I hope life is good. V x
Sorry but that is a back log fml. Wtf 😂
I am a long time wood burner and firewood enthusiast. Great video sir. ❤
Thank you, it seems there are a lot of us out there - nice that CZcams allows us to meet and share ideas. All best, Vince
If the wood and kindling are bone dry then starting is really easy. I have a rolling three year wood store and just use the small bits of wood that chip off when I’m splitting as kindling. Like you I but a quarter log in the back, but then drop a small sugar cube sized bit of fire lighter in the front and light it. Then prop the small bit of wood vertically in the flame and put two or three logs horizontally across the small bits. Then shut the door and fully open the front vents at the bottom. It draws air up from the bottom, forcing the flames up the kindling and through the upper logs. Within half a minute the whole thing is roaring. The whole process takes about as long as boiling a kettle.
All good thoughts - it is a fine thing to have really mastered the fire and the stove - and three years of logs in store is the icing on the cake! All best, Vince
Hands down my new favourite Chanel 🪵🔥🪓
Thanks again - I wish I had more time to make the videos, I have loads of ideas! All best, Vince
Really good video, very good information, thanks for taking the time to make this. And another subscriber!!🪵🔥
Thank you - I really do love all of this stuff and I am glad it shows and has some useful bits. All best, Vince
Very good advices! I almost chopped off my pointer finger once while I was chopping kindling wood. Very dangerous!
Glad you kept your finger ok! Maybe a sissy stick from now on - that is what I do now. All best, Vince
Glad to see you using that old cedar fencing! At one time I had quite a lot of it and it all got made into kindling! HA HA I would use my band saw to cut it to the right length and then it would split so easily!
It is fast and lights well - I spent an hour or so splitting kindling at the weekend, it's so relaxing. All best, Vince
G'day mate, great video. Just found your channel from the big gum trees in Victoria, Australia. Hope that I might be able to initiate something like this one day. I also really appreciate your other videos, especially the gentle and generous tips, as well as the love of old axes and belief in getting the best out of a long forgotten tool. Cheers mate.
If I didn't live in Old England I would want to live in your part of the world - I have been over to gold prospect three times and loved Victoria. Have a good winter. All best. Vince
Thank you! You made my day! Now I will be able to split my wood pieces into small chunks, for decoration purposes. Sometimes one does not think of the obvious things in the first place, so I am glad that I found your video.
I split a load of kindling today - it is so relaxing! All best. Vince
I'm another statistic, I cut myself quite badly with a shaving sharp hatchet while making kindling. Luckily the hand surgeons are really good and after a year my hand is about 90% of what it was before the accident. Lessons to be learned is that you never are as precise with an axe as you think you are and never for any reason have a body part in front of a sharp edge. There are always another way of doing things and if you can't think of it leave the task for another day.
Really glad they were able to fix you up - I guess it is worth remembering that axes were a main battle weapon for much of our history! Thanks for adding your story. All best. Vince
@@WoodFiresWithVinceThank you. Using a froe seems like an excellent idea and seems easier and quicker than using a hatchet unless the grain is perfectly straight. I will look to see if I can find one.
Get a good heavy beetle too - mine is too light and it makes it all harder than it should be. Again, all best wishes, Vince
@@WoodFiresWithVinceI'm thinking about making a mallet from oak, that will probably be heavy enough. If not I can make it as a dead blow mallet and fill it with lead pellets. All the best!
That should work!
I was shown this in the boy scouts in the 70s can't see why anyone thinks its new.
I guess many good things are forgotten and have to be relearned, this is new to most people with wood stoves. The scouts were great back then - I was taught to light fires up in trees to prepare for a flood event - a skill I have never yet needed! All best. Vince
Any idea on Sycamore. Just had tree felled and is now axed up. Great content. Thanks.
A good middling firewood, nice and clean and should dry out fairly quickly. My main logs have been sycamore for the last month - mixed with a little oak. All best. Vince
Thanks so much, really appreciate your quick answer.
Fantastic channel and great advice! I would be interested to know how you rate seasoning firewood out in the open (uncovered) compared to the more traditional (in the UK) covered stacks. It seems to be far more common on the continent and elsewhere to just stack firewood out in the open and fully exposed to the elements so why wouldn't it work in the UK, is our climate too damp? I am considering trying it but being in Yorkshire I am a little sceptical😂
Morning Jon, yes I have noticed in France, Greece and central Europe that split firewood can be left out, often still in the woodland between trees. But, we don't have their summer - not yet anyway. So I would always leave the sides completely open, but put a basic roof on, which does need to be slightly above the logs for airflow. I would stay with the rule, air through- rain off. All best. Vince
고수님이시네요 ㅋ 칼로 야채 써는 느낌 ㅋㅋㅋ
The translate has not worked! But thank you anyway! All best Vince
Can damp-rid dry firewood?
I don't know, dehumidifiers in a closed space certainly work.
How do I recognise the difference in species?? 👍
That is a fairly difficult thing to do, I am thinking to make a video on log identification one day. But the most important thing is that a log is as dry as you can get it, whatever the species. All best wishes, Vince
@@WoodFiresWithVince thanks buddy 👍
Amazing, best cone starters I found on the web ❤
They are great - pine or spruce resin is hard to beat and birch bark is a joy! Thanks for your comment. All best. Vince
What us the plate under the kettle?
It is a trivet. My first stove, a small Jotel, had a crack across the top that I think was from putting a cold kettle on it. I am told that you can put kettles and pans directly onto the wood burner - but they are so expensive I am not going to risk it! I bought mine online from a stove company. All best, Vince
@@WoodFiresWithVince Thanks
When are you doing more video
I am away from home at the moment travelling, the joy of retirement is the freedom! I am back in early March and am hoping to make a video on overnight burning - it is so bad for the home if it is done badly. I have more ideas than I ever seem to have the time to film - sorry I am not more productive as I do really love everything to do with wood fires. All best, Vince
Thank You for this video. I couldn't agree more with Your words: One needs firelighters that really work. Every time I use frying pan I wipe any leftover fat, be it lard, butter, vegetable oils or olive oil, with a tissue and store it in a jar. I even wipe empty sardines tins or butter wrapping paper. It never let me down. Wast not want not. Cheers.
Well, that is interesting and very practical. In the old days nothing was wasted. I do sometimes pour a little leftover fat onto the cardboard firelighters - I don't remember if I said that in the video! Thanks for your thoughts, All best, Vince
Great vid but multifuel stoves are much easier than traditional wood stoves for lighting the fire I have found in my experience
Interesting point - something I will ask people about. Many thanks, yours, Vince
Thanks, do you burn day and night or just wait for the evening to light up?
That is such a good question and so important. I only burn during the day and evening. Overnight burning is the cause of most problems in stoves and chimneys and takes real skill to get right. For me the big question is why. If you live in a really cold place ok, if your home is not well-insulated ok. But it is so easy to light a fire, I just set a new one in the morning. Plus I have a large brick chimney which acts as a massive storage heater. I think my next video will be about this question, All best with what you choose to do, Vince
@@WoodFiresWithVince thanks,I will look out for the new episode!.
Fantastic instruction 💯👍
Thanks Steve, I love all this stuff as you do. Have a good winter. All best, Vince
Love your videos. I use a moisture meter.
Thank you - the MM is such an important piece of kit, dry logs are key to efficiency and clean burning. All best. Vince
What kind of stove is that at the end looks like the ash can fall through to the tray I’ve been looking for a model like that if so
Yes it does have a grate above an ash pan. It is a Clearview Vision 500. I have chosen a multi-fuel stove to have the flexibility to use other fuel - for if I got injured, or really ill or something. I believe they are a slightly less efficient burn than a true modern woodburning-only stove, but I try and make up for that by drying my logs well and maintaining a careful air flow in the stove. They are great stoves and I have used them for over 20 years now. I hope that is helpful, all best wishes. Vince
Vince, I suppose I should post this on the kindling vid but after watching your froe use i tinkered with the idea. £50 or thereabouts was pricey (for what the item actually is). I then looked into the forest master (stump mounted) splitter. Got myself one and i am very impressed. Still need a beetle or club but very quick nonetheless. Still looking for an old froe though🙂
Yes froes do seem to be more expensive than a simple blade on a stick actually warrants! But a good one lasts for ever I guess. I have seen but never used a chopping block mounted blade - I do hear that they are very good. All best. Vince
There's a reason why nobody talks about this: people just don't understand it enough to see its importance. I know, that sounds mean and cynical. But it also happens to the case: simply put, we're just naturally bad at interpreting statistical information. That's why there are such things as casinos, adjustable-rate loans, and the lottery. The idea that small amounts gather seems intuitively obvious to us, yet, in practice, it somehow still remains ever beyond our conceptual grasp. My neighbor, smart as he is (and old enough to be my Dad), throws uncovered, unseasoned logs into the burner to fuel his boiler. He does this all winter long. I've mentioned to him the considerable numerical disadvantage of doing so, to which he snaps, "It'll still burn." Understanding efficiency is tough. The ability to think at scale is just not natural equipment for us human beings. We have to _learn_ to appreciate, well, appreciation. Hopefully we start to do this sooner than later!
Now that is a thoughtful reply! Thank you. And you are right - plus most humans feel instinctively lucky I believe - hence happily gambling where the odds are 14 million to one . . . I like the statistic that a person is much more likely to die while watching the lottery results than win it! I was once told a quotation you might not know and is apposite. Apparently Einstein once noted something like, "Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world. Those that understand it earn it, and those that don't pay it." Tragic that your neighbour burns wet wood - such a waste. All best, Vince
Interesting video, and no irritating muzak. 👍
Thank you - yes no music as it is a distraction and I don't want any copyright issues! All best, Vince
Where did you find this « froe ». I be never seen this tool and it looks very interesting
Froes - sometimes spelt 'frow' - are great. They seem fairly easy to buy on the internet, and I have known people to ask a blacksmith to make them one. Although that seems the expensive option! The beetle in the video is beech and too light, I need roughly the same shape but about 30% heavier. Good luck locating one. Vince
@@WoodFiresWithVince thanks a lot. I’m French and actually it s named « departoir » here. I didn’t know this name either! And yes I can buy online … from Germany… crazy world! Thanks a lot for great video and tips. Looking forward to try this new tool!
Really glad you have found one, a nice new skill to have. All best wishes, Vince
@@WoodFiresWithVince in the meantime I ordered a splitting base blade for 18€ and comes from GB 👍. The froe is around 100€. Will see how this little thing works for kindling
I think the base blades are good - but I have not used one. Certainly a cheaper option!
This was a great video thank you for posting and sharing your knowledge and views
You are very welcome - thanks for your comment. All best, Vince