I'd Like to Learn a Little As I Go

[Wawa Coffee]

Today I filled the truck bed with some wood that a buddy had cut down maybe 18 months ago and stacked in his yard. Even though it wasn't split it seemed like it was extremely light weight. When I got home and started stacking I wanted to see how easy they'd split, and they just popped apart with the maul with zero effort.

Having said that - I have no idea what type of wood this is and I'd like to learn a bit about the type of wood I'm splitting and burning as I go. It's got a beautiful vein of burgundy running through it - almost the color of red wine.



The bark is stringy and peels off easily - in fact most of the rounds had no bark on them at all from being cut almost 2 years ago.

Here's the same split - just the bark side up:



Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[billb3]

looks like red cedar

should have a distinct smell when freshly split if it is

 

[Slimjim]

Plus 1 red cedar. Smells nice, resists rot. Burns hot and fast.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

Good stuff - thanks Gents. So easy to split this stuff. I need to get my hands on more.

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[woodhog73]

Never came across red ceder. But I have some box elder that has red like that and also is stringy and splits easy.

I'm in the midwest and our box elder looks a lot like your pictures

 

[Slimjim]

Never came across red ceder. But I have some box elder that has red like that and also is stringy and splits easy.

I'm in the midwest and our box elder looks a lot like your pictures

I am not familiar with box elder but the bark pictured here looks like a dead ringer for cedar. How easy does box elder split woodhog? I find even gnarly pieces of red cedar splits easy with the fiskars.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

I am not familiar with box elder but the bark pictured here looks like a dead ringer for cedar. How easy does box elder split woodhog? I find even gnarly pieces of red cedar splits easy with the fiskars.

I spoke to the guy I got it from. He confirms cedar. I used a Stihl Pro Splitting Maul. The wood simply exploded.

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[woodhog73]

I am not familiar with box elder but the bark pictured here looks like a dead ringer for cedar. How easy does box elder split woodhog? I find even gnarly pieces of red cedar splits easy with the fiskars.

My box elder splits very easy. I've got 12 to 14 inch diameter rounds that I can easily split with my lighter splitting axe instead of my heavier maul.

It's very stringy and white inside with red in the center. Bark looks a little lighter though

 

[baseroom]

Box elder has a red streak that goes through it. It is usually gnarled. Straight pieces don't split too badly. But joints stink! The cedar tends to be straight with the reddish color more uniform

 

[4fire]

I wouldn't use cedar as a primary wood. It burns too fast and throws tons of sparks.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

I wouldn't use cedar as a primary wood. It burns too fast and throws tons of sparks.

Yeah that's what I've read. Oak and White Ash are gonna be my primary source. Thinking I'll just use the Cedar to get it started.

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[red oak]

I like to burn cedar outside - I like the smell of it. Good for shoulder seasons or starting fires inside. As others have mentioned, burns hot and fast.

 

[peakbagger]

Burn what you got but red cedar is not a long burn wood. Great for getting the fire started but you need some real hardwood for long burns.

 

[Dobish]

Box elder has a red streak that goes through it. It is usually gnarled. Straight pieces don't split too badly. But joints stink! The cedar tends to be straight with the reddish color more uniform

All i have is boxelder, and some pieces just pop apart, others are so stringy that I want to scream. Most of mine are really a giant pain to split, but that is most likely because they are all pretty gnarled... that is why I am renting a splitter

 

[Wawa Coffee]

Burn what you got but red cedar is not a long burn wood. Great for getting the fire started but you need some real hardwood for long burns.

Next summer my backyard is getting remodeled and we're putting in a fire pit on a patio and a fireplace in an outdoor living room. Maybe I use the cedar then, outside of lighting the stove this winter.

 

[Dobish]

Next summer my backyard is getting remodeled and we're putting in a fire pit on a patio and a fireplace in an outdoor living room. Maybe I use the cedar then, outside of lighting the stove this winter.

or use it during shoulder season, or to get things going before you go for the long burn....

 

[Wawa Coffee]

or use it during shoulder season, or to get things going before you go for the long burn....

Yeah - probably what I'll end up doing. I never really put much thought into what I burned before - sort of just burned what I had split and seasoned, but I like the idea of using the wood that I do have in the most efficient way. I don't depend on wood heat - I just prefer it when I have the ability to light the stove vs. using the heater.

 

[red oak]

Yeah - probably what I'll end up doing. I never really put much thought into what I burned before - sort of just burned what I had split and seasoned, but I like the idea of using the wood that I do have in the most efficient way. I don't depend on wood heat - I just prefer it when I have the ability to light the stove vs. using the heater.

You're in SE PA so your climate probably isn't different from mine. I heat totally with wood so our needs will be a bit different. But, soft wood like pine and cedar is something I really like to have around. Sometimes in October it's all you need and you can save good hardwood like oak for when you need all that heat. When I'm cutting if I have some softwood or wood that may be going a bit punky I'll set it aside for campfires or firepit. I like the idea of being efficient too, I remember growing up and having to open the windows when the stove got too hot!

 

[Wawa Coffee]

You're in SE PA so your climate probably isn't different from mine. I heat totally with wood so our needs will be a bit different. But, soft wood like pine and cedar is something I really like to have around. Sometimes in October it's all you need and you can save good hardwood like oak for when you need all that heat. When I'm cutting if I have some softwood or wood that may be going a bit punky I'll set it aside for campfires or firepit. I like the idea of being efficient too, I remember growing up and having to open the windows when the stove got too hot!

How many cords do you go through in a winter in VA using only wood heat?

You're right - its the same climate for the most part - maybe I get a little more snow, but temperature/heating needs would probably be extremely similar.

 

[red oak]

How many cords do you go through in a winter in VA using only wood heat?

You're right - its the same climate for the most part - maybe I get a little more snow, but temperature/heating needs would probably be extremely similar.

I go through about 4-5 cords per winter but that is with an old Fisher stove that is nowhere near as efficient as the modern stoves. About a cord of that would be soft wood like pine, cedar or poplar.