A $400 cord of firewood is a con. The woodpile knew it first.
Everything on the Old Maine Firewood channel, written down in one place: the free wood nobody else touches, the drying trick that cuts a year down to six months, and the heating-bill math the utility companies hope you never learn.
What's inside
Nine chapters, written the way I'd explain it standing in your driveway — not a textbook, a working reference you'll actually open again in January.
- 01The Firewood BTU Ranking14+ species, hottest to weakest
- 02How Long Wood Actually Takes to Dryboth methods, by species & climate
- 03Reading Wood: The Five-Test Systemknock, weight, color, bark, meter
- 04The Sun-Trap Lean-To — Full Build Plansmaterials, cost, step-by-step
- 05The Real Cost-Per-BTU Mathplus a calculator for your own house
- 06Three Ways People Ruin a Good Woodpileand how to avoid them
- 07Where to Find Free Firewood, Legallytree services, town crews, exact scripts
- 08Chimney and Creosote Safety Basicsthe #1 cause of chimney fires
- 09Choosing the Right Wood Stove or Insertsizing, EPA ratings, buying used
- 10Your First-Winter Wood Supplythe exact month-by-month plan
- 11Advanced Free-Wood Sourcing & Legal NotesThe Whole Woodpile only
- 12Wood & Bark Identification GuideThe Whole Woodpile only
Pick your copy
Same core manual in all three. The difference is the reference material you keep by the stove.
The Manual
- Full 10-chapter manual, PDF (30 pages)
- Firewood BTU ranking, 14+ species
- The five-test dryness system
- Sun-trap lean-to build plans
- Wood stove buying & sizing guide
- Month-by-month wood supply plan
- 30-day Keep-Everything Guarantee
Manual + Reference Cards
- Everything in The Manual (35 pages)
- 14 printable reference cards
- Species-by-species drying calendar, wall-ready
- Blank firewood log + stove-buying checklist
- Sun-trap build cut-sheet for the workshop
- 30-day Keep-Everything Guarantee
The Whole Woodpile
- Everything in the bundle above (39 pages)
- Chapter 11 — advanced & legal free-wood sourcing
- Chapter 12 — wood & bark identification guide
- Every future update to this manual, free, for life
- 30-day Keep-Everything Guarantee
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EVERYTHING
30 DAYS
The Keep-Everything Guarantee. If this manual isn't useful to you, tell me within thirty days and I'll refund it in full — no questions, no forms. You keep every file you downloaded either way. I'd rather you have the information than feel like you owe something back.
Where the numbers come from
Every figure in this manual is from my own woodpile — the sun-trap lean-to on the cover of Chapter 4 is the one standing in my side yard right now. Nothing here is copied from a university extension PDF and repackaged; it's what happened when I tried it, measured with a four-dollar moisture meter, over real Maine winters.
Questions before you buy
Is this a physical book?
No — it's an instant digital download (PDF) you can read on a phone, tablet, e-reader, or print at home. You'll get a download link immediately after checkout.
I don't have a fireplace, just a wood stove. Does this still apply?
Yes. Everything in the manual — species selection, drying, moisture testing, sourcing — applies the same way whether you're burning in an open fireplace, a wood stove, or an outdoor furnace.
Does the sun-trap lean-to work outside of Maine?
The method relies on sun exposure and airflow, not Maine's specific climate — it works anywhere that gets a normal amount of seasonal sun, though very humid climates may see a smaller improvement than the numbers in Chapter 2.
What if I already bought The Manual and want to upgrade?
Email the address on your receipt and I'll send the difference in price for the bundle or Whole Woodpile tier — no need to buy the whole thing again.