Oct. 9--Dr. Ken Shane has a simple reason for wanting a wood- burning stove in his family room.

"I like having those cheap gas bills," he said during a break from installing the stove at his Bath Township home.

He figures his natural gas bills would be about $400 a month this winter without help from the stove. He believes he can cut that bill by about 70 percent with the $1,299 stove he bought at Lehman's hardware store in Wooster.

Glenda Lehman Ervin, spokeswoman for Lehman's, said demand for stoves is up considerably this year with reports that natural gas prices will be at record highs. Lehman's specializes in nonelectric and old-fashioned products.

However, sales have not been up across the board. Representatives for Home Depot said the company has seen no change in demand for wood-burning stoves this year. Lowe's officials described a slight increase.

To get through the winter, Shane plans to burn about three cords of wood at a price of about $175 a cord.

Prices for firewood can vary. Area stores quote $135 to $270 per cord for cured and split hardwood. Prices from rural merchants can be as low as $50 a cord. Delivery charges are extra.

Firewood must be "cured," which means it has been cut and left in a dry place for at least a year so that the wood is dried out. Burning green wood is dangerous because it leads to creosote buildup in the chimney, a fire hazard.

The kind of wood makes a difference, too. For example, birch produces more heat than poplar. Most of the merchants described their wood as from "mixed" species.

When checking stove prices, also consider the cost of adding a chimney. That can increase the total bill from $200 to as much as $1,000.

Shane likes that his new stove has a catalytic converter to make the wood burn cleaner. And it can stay lit for 12 hours on one load.