new favorite wood

[free75degrees]

Oak used to be my favorite - lots of energy and easy to split. Then I got some Ash - just as easy to split, about the same energy, and dries a lot faster, so that was my new favorite. Then I got some Honey Locust. Wow. I got aabout a 1 cord scrounge of part of a 130 year old tree that was 2 1/2 ft diameter at the base. The stuff is as easy to split as Oak and Ash, has 25% more energy than Oak, and dries almost as fast as Ash. I think this is gonna be my new favorite.

Is some other species going to take over the #1 spot? Does anybody know of anything better than Locust?

 

[smokinj]

I like beech for the same reasons you mention....

 

[wood spliter]

I'm on the Locust. I try to get that when ever its available.

 

[Bubbavh]

For cold nights with a warm house------------------ Oak
For a cold morning with a chilly house ------------- Pine
Oak will keep your house warm, Pine will get your house warm!
What I am trying to say is... my favorite wood is...

FFFFFFFFFFFF RRRRRRR EEEEEEEE EEEEEEEE
F R R E E
F R R E E
FFFFFF RRRRRRR EEEEEE EEEEEE
F R R E E
F R R E E
F R R EEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEE

 

[SolarAndWood]

I have a new favorite whenever I come across a cord of free 2 1/2 ft diameter rounds.

 

[smokinj]

Wish a lot of you lived closer. I know where theres enough wood to last 20 life times. (not worth it in this heat to me) 3 years ahead!

 

[SolarAndWood]

I know where theres enough wood to last 20 life times.

Kinda takes the adventure out of scrounging doesn't it?

 

[smokinj]

I know where theres enough wood to last 20 life times.

Kinda takes the adventure out of scrounging doesn't it?

lol yep, I even have a couple of people a week stop and tell me where more wood is, and one was less than a mile and still have not had the chance to get it....sitting on 20 or more cords now 15 stack and one good pile. Starting to manage it a little better hoping to break into the 7-8 cords a year instead of 10-12....Big difference in volume and a lot less work...see how it goes this winter.

 

[SolarAndWood]

You snooze you lose around here. My skills have become a little soft now that I am a couple years ahead.

 

[smokinj]

You snooze you lose around here. My skills have become a little soft now that I am a couple years ahead.

Not around here if they have to work for it, you can count on it still being there! I have often wished some one would come in and steel some off a site "Never Happens"......lol

 

[SolarAndWood]

My tree guy says the same thing. However, if he gets it bucked and to the curb it disappears quick.

 

[btuser]

My favorite tree to burn is the one closest to the stove.

 

[smokinj]

My tree guy says the same thing. However, if he gets it bucked and to the curb it disappears quick.

I have it buck but not to the curb If I cant pull the trailer right next to the splitter, I will not do the job. I have heard people not bucking it so it will not get stolen but I can buck everything much quicker than 2 people can move it so I jump in on that side asap.
Its just moving weight as quick as possible. The good trunks I have been wenching them to be milled nice collection there aswell.

 

[oldspark]

Oak used to be my favorite - lots of energy and easy to split. Then I got some Ash - just as easy to split, about the same energy, and dries a lot faster, so that was my new favorite. Then I got some Honey Locust. Wow. I got aabout a 1 cord scrounge of part of a 130 year old tree that was 2 1/2 ft diameter at the base. The stuff is as easy to split as Oak and Ash, has 25% more energy than Oak, and dries almost as fast as Ash. I think this is gonna be my new favorite.

Is some other species going to take over the #1 spot? Does anybody know of anything better than Locust?

25% more energy than oak, I dont think so, not sure where you got that info, some of the charts are whacked, I have burnt oak and locust and no way is there 25% more energy in locust.

 

[savageactor7]

Ash is an easy take to harvest too.

 

[gzecc]

Black locust is my favorite. Although I like to mix it in with other woods. It has all the best attributes of the best firewoods except for the odor when burning. Dries fast, very high btu's.

 

[free75degrees]

25% more energy than oak, I dont think so, not sure where you got that info, some of the charts are whacked, I have burnt oak and locust and no way is there 25% more energy in locust.

hmm, i guess i got it in my head that oak was about 21 and locust was about 26. Now that i look again, oak is 21 to 24 depending on the species and chart. So I guess you're right. Looks like the difference is somewhere between 10-20%.

 

[oldspark]

25% more energy than oak, I dont think so, not sure where you got that info, some of the charts are whacked, I have burnt oak and locust and no way is there 25% more energy in locust.

hmm, i guess i got it in my head that oak was about 21 and locust was about 26. Now that i look again, oak is 21 to 24 depending on the species and chart. So I guess you're right. Looks like the difference is somewhere between 10-20%.

Some of the carts I trust say 25.7 for white oak and 26.8 for locust so more like 5% difference, I can not tell the difference between oak and locust for energy output, I always thought oak coaled better but would not swear to it, where locust shines is the less moisture content so if you need a great wood that drys quicker Locust wins the race in that respect.

 

[Battenkiller]

You can forget BTU charts when figuring the energy content of wood. They are based on wood at a certain moisture content, and that is determined by using different formulas depending on who did the determining. All you need to know is the average specific gravity when oven-dry. The higher the number, the more heat available.

In hardwoods (from the book "Understanding Wood"):

Basswood - .37
Butternut - .38
Aspen - .39
Cottonwood - .40
Alder - .41
Yellow poplar - .42
American chestnut - .43
Sycamore - .47
American elm - .50
Black cherry - .50
Red maple - .54
Paper birch - .55
Black walnut - .55
White ash - .60
Yellow birch - .62
Red oak - .63
American beech - .63
Sugar (hard) maple - .63
White oak - .67
Black locust - .69
Shagbark hickory - .74

Shagbark hickory is my favorite wood of all... with good reason. ;-) But ash and locust are quite low in MC even when green, so they get the call for me when purchasing wood late in the season.

 

[Archer39]

how is shagbark hickory as far as moisture when cut green? I have three that i can take down and was hoping they would be ready for the end of next year (2011-2012) if i get them cut and split by fall.

 

[LLigetfa]

Hmmmm... nobody mentioned Osage Orange (Hedge), purported to be the highest.

 

[rdust]

how is shagbark hickory as far as moisture when cut green? I have three that i can take down and was hoping they would be ready for the end of next year (2011-2012) if i get them cut and split by fall.

If you give it two full summers it should burn well. I burned almost a cord last year that was cut/split in the spring and I burned it in Dec/Jan. M/C was in the Mid 20's, it burned nice but not perfect.

 

[rdust]

Hmmmm... nobody mentioned Osage Orange (Hedge), purported to be the highest.

We have some around here but I've never had access to it. I made a craigslist ad last year looking for some and I didn't get one reply.

 

[Battenkiller]

Hmmmm... nobody mentioned Osage Orange (Hedge), purported to be the highest.

That's not wood, it's more like coal. ;-)

Never burned it, but it is a whole other league as far as density goes. I have a small board that is probably 20 years old, so is very well dried. It measures 1 11/16" D x 2 7/8" W x 20" L, or 97 cu.in. It weighs 3.6 pounds. That works out to a SG of .97 - nearly the same as water. If I oven-dried it, it would likely get even denser, surpassing the density of water and actually sinking instead of floating. Lots and lots of BTUs/cord.

As far as shagbark goes, the heartwood is right up there with oak when it is green, but the sapwood is much lower, about 50% MC. Most hickory is predominantly sapwood, so total moisture is a lot lower than oak. Plus, it dries faster than oak by a stretch. One year in good drying conditions is fine in my experience. It is a great firewood, my favorite, but I like to mix it with cherry to get a better burn with less coaling. Hickory coals can be more troublesome than oak to get rid of if they are allowed to get too deep.

 

[smokinj]

Hmmmm... nobody mentioned Osage Orange (Hedge), purported to be the highest.

That's not wood, it's more like coal. ;-)

Never burned it, but it is a whole other league as far as density goes. I have a small board that is probably 20 years old, so is very well dried. It measures 1 11/16" D x 2 7/8" W x 20" L, or 97 cu.in. It weighs 3.6 pounds. That works out to a SG of .97 - nearly the same as water. If I oven-dried it, it would likely get even denser, surpassing the density of water and actually sinking instead of floating. Lots and lots of BTUs/cord.

As far as shagbark goes, the heartwood is right up there with oak when it is green, but the sapwood is much lower, about 50% MC. Most hickory is predominantly sapwood, so total moisture is a lot lower than oak. Plus, it dries faster than oak by a stretch. One year in good drying conditions is fine in my experience. It is a great firewood, my favorite, but I like to mix it with cherry to get a better burn with less coaling. Hickory coals can be more troublesome than oak to get rid of if they are allowed to get too deep.

Hedge is Great stuff but hard to deal with in alot of ways.