Splitting and Seasoning Oak

[Squaredy]

6 hours ago, Gabriel82 said:

@scbk no worries , it's sunday 😁 free day. 

For splitting I use this "thing" after many many wood handles axes broken and even a fiber glass idiocy of an axe... Got late that year with splitting and stacking wood...

So ,extreme measures had to be taken. 

A forged axe head plus 16 or 18 mm rebar were used plus a very powerfull 3 phase 380AC industrial welder used by an experienced welder who works in a big company,on a saturday. The result is amazing since rebar is flexible and the weld is quality. Nothing stands in this axe's way. This is how it looked when "new" freshly built. Now has some "bruises" 😁

And a photo  in the end with what grows naturally in my garden 

😎

Am curios how hard will oak be to split. So far hornbeam was the hardest,even wet/freshly cut. 

Will post more when I can. I'll be more carefull and show you the oak logs when they are unloaded!  I usually don't take pictures of this. Don't see the reason or have time to. 

I think you will find the oak best to split when fresh.

 

I am worried that you’re metal wood drying store will not have enough ventilation to dry the oak well.  
 

Can we see photos of typical Romanian stoves?  Sounds interesting.

Edited January 14 by Squaredy

[Stere]

Polytunnel  for sale in Romania

 

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Moisture meter

 

4 Pin Wood Tester Sensor Firewood Moisture Meter Digital Damp Detector Timber

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[Stere]

Interesting axe.

 

The one I use  is  a cheap "splitting maul"  type  with  about a 2.5kg head weight with a fibreglass handle.

 

 

 

 

Looks like this^

 

I prefer the fibreglass to a  wood  handle less shock & found the head just the right  weight

 

 

 

Your  axe head shape  looks  to be  one  designed for hewing

 

 

hewing+axe - Recherche Google

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

 

[Gabriel82]

@Squaredy this is how it looks, a ceramic tile stove ,small one,  burning wood briquettes , about to end burning .but still very hot. can't get it to make a better photo... 

[Squaredy]

23 minutes ago, Gabriel82 said:

@Squaredy this is how it looks, a ceramic tile stove ,small one,  burning wood briquettes , about to end burning .but still very hot. can't get it to make a better photo... 

Fascinating, thank you for that.  So different from anything I have ever seen.  This is where cultural differences are so interesting.

 

And I am guessing it does a good job?

[Gabriel82]

@Squaredy ceramic tile stove is an old technology, swedes and russians used them for centuries(I think...). These stoves are simple,are made only of ceramics(the square plates you see outside) and 230x60x32 mm "bricks" wich will be fitted INSIDE the ceramic square plates you see outside, mud+sand ,some steel wires to hold it all together and no need for power(electricity) to run them. They do need good draught,so a good chimney. Never measured or wheighed the wood that is burned on one fire. But a 3-4 hour burn time from cold ,will keep the whole stove hot to warm for the next 10-12 hours. I opted for a blocking plate inbetween the actual stove and chimney. On windy days the draught can be regulated and when all burning is done and the stove is hot enough for the "user's liking" ,the plate can be closed to block all natural draught.wich is always present. A very important condition and test of the stove: it must have a draught always, regardless summer or winter! You get to the good chimney part, tall enough, big enough on the inside diameter, etc... 

I have friends with Wiessman gasification units that can burn anything ,inverted flame, etc... One paid about 7500 Euros just for the unit+fitting,etc... And when we load it up with dry wood and wood briquettes plus some bituminous briquettes from Ukraine(the GOOD STUFF,tried them myself) got it going ,temperature was up at 65-70 Celcius, everything seemed ok ,we went for a coffee, not far from his house. On return the damn thing extinguished itself ,whole neighbourhood smelled like coal... Smelled it from the car...

And it has double wall 316 stainless steel chimney that cost him a lot of cash again... Never figured out what happened then ,or next weeks... Nothing is defective as tehnicians confirmed but fire goes out once in a while(not always) regardless of fuel used... 

Needles to say I wouldn't wake up in the middle of night to relight the 10000 euros stove... 

He installed another central heating unit on natural gas since his house is too big and he "kind of" forgot about the Wiessman "episode"... 

Compare that to a ceramic tile stove that lasts decades built from new, burns almost anything ,doesn't need electricity fans or pumps and when it's broken you can rebuild it with just refractory bricks ,ceramic tiles some mud+sand... 🙄 Shocking to even think about it 😂 

And it stays hot all night ,or at least 10-12 hours. Plus it's a constant not too high "heat" when burning just dry hard wood. 

On my tests it will get a lot hotter on coal briquettes, wood briquettes or straight bituminous coal(no anthracite around to test it).

My opinion a ceramic tile stove is the best heating option if you don't have 500 square meter house or bigger. Even then, I still would live "small " in cold period, who needs 10-15 rooms 4 bathrooms, gigantic living,etc...

Found this video when I burned only hornbeam and birch. Got blue flame in the end from the remaining coals 😁 

That's why I'm curios how oak will perform in the stove when bone dry . 

Maybe I'll add some coal in there too just for fun

 

 

[Dan Maynard]

I think I've heard of them as Scandinavian stoves, don't know where they started but makes sense the idea should spread around if they work so well.

 

I can't remember anyone from Romania on here before, so is really interesting to get other perspectives on logs and fires thank you.

[Stere]

Theres some similar ones for sale in UK & USA mostly called masonary stoves  but they tend to be  expensive versus iron stoves from looking on the websites.

 

Some are ceramic tiled some are just plain fire brick.

 

 

 

I think its a very good design concept could be a DIY kit with  firebricks & plans etc for a more  basic one.

 

 

Masonry heater - Wikipedia

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

 

 

 Good article on them:

 

Sunbathing in the Living Room: Oven Stoves and Heat Walls

SOLAR.LOWTECHMAGAZINE.COM

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Oven stoves are greener, more efficient, healthier, safer and cosier than all modern heating systems. Why are they gone...

 

 

EDIT:

 

I  don't understand  why there  saying masonary stoves produce mainly raidiant  head and iron ones convective heat though.....

 

Not sure that parts right?

Edited January 15 by Stere

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Dan Maynard said:

I think I've heard of them as Scandinavian stoves, don't know where they started but makes sense the idea should spread around if they work so well.

Have a search on masonry stoves which are becoming popular in north  America and Canada. Same principle in that you load them with dry wood  and burn fast and clean but without the ceramic tiles. The flue takes a torturous path through the substantial brickwork which allows the bricks to absorb all the heat and then deliver it into the room over several hours, and at end of burn the air inlet is sealed so air cannot carry the heat out of the chimney.

 

Soapstone is also used instead of tiles as you get into asia as this can stand the heat without cracking.

[dan blocker]

Have come across lots of ceramic tiled stoves in the Alps (Austrian, French, Italian, Swiss) whilst skiing. They come in various forms from what Gabriel shows here to some as big as a Mini car. They’re used as a heat source in bars and cafes a lot and give out a lot of heat and act like a thermal store at the same time. Your able to touch the hot tiles without being burnt and are useful for drying/ warming your jackets and gloves🤔