|
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 17,048
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 17,048 |
No bowdark around here. The bowyers would string you up if you're not saving logs with bows hidden inside  Elm and cedar are the nuisance trees around here. I cut 'em down and leave 'em lay. Cottonwood is fairly abundant too but not a nuisance tree. They're dying out in much of the region and new volunteer starts are few and far between for some reason. Locust is great but it needs to lay flat on the ground for a couple years until the needles get soft and start falling off. Then you've got to pick through it to find what isn't getting punky. Excellent wood, high btu. I usually stick with ash and wish more mulberry was laying around. A few oaks and hackberry end up in the pile, too, but mostly just ash. Gotta wade through a lot of elm to find ash and mulberry. (mulberry is a cousin to your hedgeball IIRC)
BAN THE RAINBOW FLAG!
PERVERTS OFFEND ME!
"When is penguin season, daddy? I wanna go kill a penguin!"
---- 4 yr old Archerhuntress
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284 |
We have a fair number of them around here. The the big green "apples" make quite a mess on the road. I helped a neighbor dig up a Hedge Apple stump a few years back. When the ax head hit the roots it would ring like it was hitting a piece of iron. It can dull a chainsaw chain pretty quick too. But it is good firewood.
It does have a reputation for burning hot. I've heard people claim that it burned the grating out of their fireplace/stove. Black Locust is in the same class, and hickory runs a close second. Hickory is some of the dirtiest burning wood I've used though.
I've been burning a fair amount of Wild Cherry that I cut out of my fence rows this year. Its not nearly as good as some other woods, but it runs close to Oak. And in my case its free. I expect that Cherry smells sweet. I'm gonna get some more Hedge in under my porch today, weather permitting. It's been rainin' some about every day here and now the wind has picked up again and it is COLD.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,297
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,297 |
Maple, Oak, Birch and beech are the primary firewood burning this year. I get a 9/10 cord grappler load and cut and split myself, much cheaper and great exercise.
The oak is better if it seasons for a year or two, but will still burn pretty hot after sitting for six months after being split.
It's good to lead - it's better to lead by example.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,190
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,190 |
BTW here is a link to a comparison chart that shows BTU/cord and lb/cord for a wide variety of woods: Firewood Comparson ChartNo real surprises. It pretty much confirms what most everyone else here already knows. It is interesting though.
=====================
Boots were made for walking
Winds were blowing change
Boys fall in the jungle
As I Came of Age
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,539
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,539 |
Hey, Cole, I'll bet that Rattler's cottonwood won't make chainsaw sparks like that old seasoned hedge. A couple of things that I've learned over the years are that buzz saws/chainsaws are easier than crosscuts and that splitters are easier than axes. I turn on a gas valve in my fireplace now. Hedge sparks by far too much for a fireplace. Life is good.
Guys here used to cut firewood and they loaded it in semi's with grain elevators to haul to the Denver area. Hedge posts last 50+ years.
Lots folks burn Ash wood here. It lays straight in fireplaces and burns pretty hot in efficient stoves. You can just about split it with a pocket knife.
Heating with hickory here is about like eating a Black Bass. Catch and release. We eat with our hickory.
Last edited by croldfort; 12/14/09.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,057
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,057 |
That hedge (ironwood, osage orange all the same) is really good for firewood. When I would cut it, I'd drop it green, cut it all up and either leave it to cure or stack it to season out. With ash, oak and walnut, I girdle the base and let them dry standing, before felling them and cutting them up. If that hedge dries, then you try to cut it up, it is terrible hard on chainsaw teeth. Hedge also makes great corner and H posts when your fencing. The fence may not last 50 years, but the posts will.
I think what people forget about cottonwood is that it will work in a pinch, but it has to be totally cured out, because it will hold moisture like a spunge. Splitting it is always interesting too, it's grain always seems to be interwoven. But here again, one hedge log will last all night, where it will take a whole arm full of cottonwood to do the same thing.
Locust is probably as hard as hedge, but when dealing with the threat of 6-8" thorns running you through all over your body, it's probably better to buy a pellet stove.
The only other thing to remember about hedge, is that a little goes a long ways and too much will get hotter then three hells and probably start a chimney fire if it is not good and cleaned out.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284 |
Hedge sparks for sure. I've got the burn spots on my floor in front of the fireplace to prove it...even with the insert.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 59,140
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 59,140 |
Oak and Hard Maple.Yellow birch is decent.Big chunks of Hard Maple go all night.Aspen and white birch are good for a fast hot fire.Cedar makes the best kindeling wood.Been heating with wood for over 30 years now. Don't forget Red Elm also... That stuff is HARD!! Starting burning mostly wood in '75 - still do.. Usually get mostly oak, sugar maple, ironwood and elm...
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69
Pro-Constitution.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 322
Campfire Member
|
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 322 |
I'm stuck with pine or Aspen for wood. The Aspen has to sit a long time to put out any heat and then it burns fast. I miss having Oak. But not that Black oak. That stuff was just nasty to cut split and then it needed to sit for a long time to burn.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337
Campfire Ranger
|
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337 |
good chart. it defines the interplay between tons per cord, and million btu output.
a quick glance at the chart did not show dogwood. maybe too minor a species. and lot's of folks save it for conservation purposes - food for wildlife. but, it's an excellent firewood specie when found in sufficient diameters.
how the wood gets stacked in the heater, and sizes of the split pieces relative to firebox size also enters the picture. a good wood fire is a combination of art & craft, no doubt.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 79
Campfire Greenhorn
|
|
Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 79 |
I live real close to rs308mx and have burned a fire basically all my life. we have all the normal: maple ,oak white and red ,locust black and assorted others , cherry, shag and bitter nut hickory, ash. beach, white birch, yellow up north, iron wood or hop horn beam. have burned others when came across them but for here iron wood is the hottest and shows on the list. we don't have any hedge to cut although I have seen the green balls your talking about in a couple places but never had the pleasure of cutting or burning any. I agree on oak that it needs at least one year split to get it's true heat value. I try to let my oak go at least 1 1/2 years till burn. birch and ash will burn almost instantly and you cannot leave outside cut as starts to decay almost at once. we stack lots of wood and run a tarp or rain brake over it if cannot store inside. this past year has been really nasty for drying as rains every week all summer and fall. I never touch soft wood except for a little cutleaf maple and poplar just cause have some to get rid of.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,835
Campfire Ranger
|
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,835 |
ColeYounger: I too suspect your issue is due to moisture content. Our primary heat for almost 30 years has been wood. I like to stay at least 2 to 3 years ahead of the curve, but with a move a few seasons ago we ended up burning wood that had only been in the stack for 2.5 months. Finally around Christmas we got far enough into the shed to get dry wood, and it made a world of difference.
Early on before we had kids, the wife and I were almost recreational wood cutters. We had about 8 cords split and stacked in our garage clear to the ceiling, and our working stack was on the back porch. Over the year the garage stack dried and settled about a foot simply due to shrinkage. We filled that void next summer, and over the next 3 years it settled about another 6 inches. When we finally got into that garage wood, one could dispense with kindling, and light it off with a kitchen match.
Standing trees that have been dead for years are still low in heat yield if the wood is not seasoned for at least a year. Either of your sources should be fine, but split and stacked wood should dry for at least 12 months or longer to maximize heat yield. Splitting also facilitates drying, so one is ahead if he does not stack up large rounds. Having it under cover is also a benefit. Don't give up on oak, just get well ahead with your supply.
If one is in immediate need for wood, do not break up down trees. Again, they catch and absorb a lot of moisture. Even for our elk camp supplies, we only break up standing dead trees, and get noticably better heat yield.
Out west here, we have about about 6 or 7 species to select from. Western larch or what some call tamarack, Doug fir, white or grand fir, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and western juniper. Juniper, larch, and Doug fir all have excellent heat yields. Doug fir and larch are the cleanest burning, and juniper leaves a ton of ash. The pines are a real pain to split without equipment. Larch is the easiest of all to split, and the old decadent dead tress seldom have any branches at all. Larch is my favorite, because I can run the saw for 20 minutes, and have more than a pickup load bucked up. I have to drive about 40 miles for larch, but save more than the expended driving time with its splitting ease. We have some aspen and cottowood around, but the're low in heat yield.
Last edited by 1minute; 12/14/09.
1Minute
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284 |
I just got done cleaning the chimney. That is an adventure in and of itself. I've swept it out before with one of those "bore bristle" brushes that you could use on a Howitzer. I did that again, then decided to clean the "chamber" for the first time in probably twenty years. The fireplace has an insert that you can't get the crap that falls down off of from the bottom. I priced more sections of the plastic extensions that go on my Craftsman 6.5hp shopvac and they were $9 apiece for two-foot lengths! Went to Lowe's and looked. They were cheaper on theirs but still like $7. I decided to buy some plastic electrical conduit. I bought a ten-foot length for like, $3 and cut it in two right in the store. Then I bought some ends and put them on with pipe-dope to where I could put the two lengths back together when I got up on the roof. I did that and duct-taped my extensions to the conduit and sucked out all that accumulation of creosote flakes and ash out of the bottom of the fireplace or top of the insert, if you will, from the rooftop. Now it's clean.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284 |
ColeYounger: I too suspect your issue is due to moisture content. Our primary heat for almost 30 years has been wood. I like to stay at least 2 to 3 years ahead of the curve, but with a move a few seasons ago we ended up burning wood that had only been in the stack for 2.5 months. Finally around Christmas we got far enough into the shed to get dry wood, and it made a world of difference.
Early on before we had kids, the wife and I were almost recreational wood cutters. We had about 8 cords split and stacked in our garage clear to the ceiling, and our working stack was on the back porch. Over the year the garage stack dried and settled about a foot simply due to shrinkage. We filled that void next summer, and over the next 3 years it settled about another 6 inches. When we finally got into that garage wood, one could dispense with kindling, and light it off with a kitchen match.
Standing trees that have been dead for years are still low in heat yield if the wood is not seasoned for at least a year. Either of your sources should be fine, but split and stacked wood should dry for at least 12 months or longer to maximize heat yield. Splitting also facilitates drying, so one is ahead if he does not stack up large rounds. Having it under cover is also a benefit. Don't give up on oak, just get well ahead with your supply.
If one is in immediate need for wood, do not break up down trees. Again, they catch and absorb a lot of moisture. Even for our elk camp supplies, we only break up standing dead trees, and get noticably better heat yield.
Out west here, we have about about 6 or 7 species to select from. Western larch or what some call tamarack, Doug fir, white or grand fir, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and western juniper. Juniper, larch, and Doug fir all have excellent heat yields. Doug fir and larch are the cleanest burning, and juniper leaves a ton of ash. The pines are a real pain to split without equipment. Larch is the easiest of all to split, and the old decadent dead tress seldom have any branches at all. Larch is my favorite, because I can run the saw for 20 minutes, and have more than a pickup load bucked up. I have to drive about 40 miles for larch, but save more than the expended driving time with its splitting ease. We have some aspen and cottowood around, but the're low in heat yield. I've burned or helped burn wood since I was old enough to stack it in the truck. The oak I'm talking about was at least two years old. It was well-seasoned. Even fresh-cut hedge burns hotter than oak, if you can stand the sparks. We used to burn lots of oak but the Hedge is more plentiful in the uplands around here and better. Oak is the dominant hardwood in the bottoms, but I've got plenty of uplands with brush to cut. Cedar is common but worthless.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284
Campfire Kahuna
|
|
OP
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 54,284 |
"Excellent yields,"? On pine? There's lots of pines south of here but hardly any right around these parts. You got to get halfway to Texas to run into them in-quantity. From what I've heard they're about like some of the junk-wood I was talking about. Rick's chart shows them to be around 1/3 less-hot than Hedge. See for yourself. http://chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,835
Campfire Ranger
|
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,835 |
An afterthought: Likely it is mandated now, but the wife and I switched out our older conventional wood stove to a catalytic equipped Blaze King 18 months ago. In the past we had an AM and a PM fire and let things die between and over night.
Our catalytic unit runs almost 24 seven now, and our wood consumption has declined by about 20%. The gains are coming from almost a complete burn of the gases, smoke, and creosote that used to go up the chimney. One fires it up, gets the top hot, and them damps them almost completely down. The top remains hot as a fire cracker throughout the remaining burn, there is no smoke, and a chunk the size of my PC will go all day or all night. If one is serious about wood as a primary heat source, they are a good investment. The catalytic unit on ours is warranted for 6 years.
Last edited by 1minute; 12/14/09.
1Minute
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,366
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,366 |
Eucalyptus groves were planted here in 1900 for furniture wood and wind breaks.
Thousands of acres.
Folks found that the wrong species was planted, stuff not good for
anything except fire places. It is stingy and can be hard on chains
but makes excellent fire wood with very little ash.
These plantations are being developed and the euc trees cut and sold for fire wood.
Madrone, almond, and white oak are also good.
We used to cut a lot of native red oak and use it for BBQ and fire wood.
We now only use it for cooking.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337
Campfire Ranger
|
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337 |
the applewood in the chart that was posted gave a pretty high btu figure per cord. i would not have thought that.
if i was guessing, i'd have put pears, apples, peaches, cherry, etc. in about the same class.
of course each individual tree has it's own site where it grows, so could be a fast-grower or slow-grower (less or more dense) depending upon it's location, thereby affecting both btu's per pound, and btu's per cubic foot (cord) at a given moisture content.
the only rule of thumb i've ever taken seriously is the drier the better. if there's a second rule of thumb, it's the heavier the better, IF the wood is dry.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,075
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,075 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,773
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,773 |
If you do the math, they all work out to be about the same BTUs per pound of wood. Pine has a slight edge over osage and hickory, pine, and maple are the same BTUs per #. About 156.1 BTU per pound of wood.
Do it by the cord, it's a lot lower for pine because it doesn't take as much pine when measured in volume as opposed to weight as it does for hickory or Osage.
Not many problems you can't fix
With a 1911 and a 30-06
|
|
|
|
|
605 members (12344mag, 007FJ, 1beaver_shooter, 10gaugemag, 02bfishn, 160user, 61 invisible),
2,909
guests, and
1,230
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,191,346
Posts18,468,775
Members73,928
| |
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|
