Oak reigns supreme

[Thistle]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignum_vitae One of the main woods that used to be called Ironwood,Lignum Vitae is the world's densest wood,at 83lbs/cubic foot & specific gravity at 1.32.Its main use until after WW II was bearings for propellors on ships.Also pulleys & blocks used in rigging on wooden ships.Self-lubricating,with a waxy resin that lasts decades underwater.

Nice link, thanks. I once owned a 60' steel workboat. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it had WOOD propeller shaft bearings! They lasted so long that when one finaly did need to be replaced, I used lignum vitae again, only because some of the old hands around the dock knew what it was and the whereabouts of the stock. (Flyer's Shipyard, Provincetown Mass). Flyer supplied the material and shaped the bearing himself, and IIRC was over 80 years old at the time, many years ago.

You're welcome. About 10 yrs ago I replaced the Cool Blocks graphite impregnated phenolic resin aftermarket blade guides on my Delta 14" Band Saw with ones made from a small piece of 2"x2" Lignum turning square from my scrap box.They're 1/2" square,3/4" long on upper,1/2" square & 1" long with 45 degree cut ends on lower.They can be adjusted to literally touch the sides of the blade,unlike other soft steel or other synthetic guides,making your cuts more accurate.

These are the same material that were used in the first massive band saws used in mills over 100 yrs agnly took about 10 minutes & arent even close to being worn out yet.

 

[Battenkiller]

The only difference I've noticed when burning different species of wood is burn times. I don't notice any temp differences.

You are right. Problem for me comes from the fact that I buy the vast majority of my wood. If I buy a cord of shagbark hickory, black locust, or black birch, I'll get more bang for my buck, so that's what I ask for. This year I've been pretty lucky in finding guys willing to hunt down what I am looking for. I am usually willing to pay a premium to get exactly what I want, but this year nobody charged me extra.

I actually prefer lesser woods because I can get instant heat out of them. Black cherry is just about the perfect wood for me when it comes to heat production. Seems I get my highest temps the fastest by using cherry, and it lasts OK in the stove for a lesser BTU wood. A new favorite this year is box elder. Burns fast and hot, but I need to fill the stove every 3-4 hours no matter how big the splits are. It just melts away.

 

[CALJREICH]

I almost burnt one of my end tables the other night thats how cold it was here, but my wife made me go outside for wood.

 

[bioman]

I have a lot of hedge so thats what i prefer. It burns great green or dry,stores good for long periods . most btus per pound , hickory would be my next pic. here's a btu chart.

(broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm)


stay warm!

 

[albertj03]

No Osage or Ironwood around here and very little BL. I did discover two BL trees growing at my mother in-laws house but they are pretty small. Would like to find out where the rest of them are.

We do have plenty of Red, White and Black Oak, Sugar Maple, Beech, Cherry, Birch and the ocassional Elm. I usually just load the stove with whatever fits well and fills up the box but on the coldest days/night I'll fill it right up with the oak. It's not so much that it burns hotter than the other wood because I can always get the stove up to around the same temps but I find that with a stove packed full of oak it will keep the peak temp longer than with a mix of wood.

 

[doelen]

There a whole bunch of BTU charts on line like the one posted by bioman. I often doubt some of the ratings, however.
In my experience, oak and ash are the best for when you really want your unit to kick out serious BTUs. I save it for minus 10 C and below (14 F). White elm burns "cold," an unsatisfying fire. Rock elm burns hot. Red cedar, which I have a ton of, tends to clog up the works with creosote if I burn too much of it. But it's useful for when it's not too cold out and we just want the coziness of a fire, something to take the chill off the living room. It's also aromatic, nice to have stacked next to the stove.
I've had no luck trying to burn any white pine, which I also have a lot of. It doesn't seem to matter how I store it or dry it, the pine doesn't burn hot, or well, or completely. Stay away.

 

[Kenster]

Oak hickory ash mulberry hedge beech.....Doesn't get much better. Beech will bring my water temp.s up the best.

Add Ironwood in that mix.


zap

Zap, I have some three year old, (bucked three years ago from storm downed trees) barkless hickory rounds without the slightest hint of punkiness that I will swear is at least as hard as ironwood. The rounds are only about seven inches diameter but neither my 8 pound maul nor my Fiskars SS will even make a dent in them. Maybe one more year and I'll try burning them whole. They may burn for a few days!

The only wood I have to burn is pignut hickory and various oaks. Hickory, even ugly punky splits, is by far my favorite for long, hot burns but the oak is a close second.

 

[fishingpol]

I am surprised by the btu chart. For the wood we have around here, I felt that elm, locust, cherry, oak and then maple were high. Even apple is low in the range, which really surprised me. I'll save it for the smoker. Elm and locust go almost "nuk-lee-r" (as pronounced by George W. Bush) in my stove.

 

[Kenster]

t "nuk-lee-r" (as pronounced by George W. Bush) in my stove.

Nuclear.... Nuk lee r.... nu klee er...... That IS the correct way of pronouncing it. However... that is NOT the way Bush pronounced the word. Like Jimmy Carter before him, Bush pronounced the word Nuk uh ler or NU kee ler, putting the 'L' sound in the wrong place. Merriam-Webster dictionary has this to say about it:

Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in -kyə-lər have been found in widespread use among educated speakers including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, United States cabinet members, and at least two United States presidents and one vice president. While most common in the United States, these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers.

 

[madrone]

Since we are throwing out our favorite cold weather woods, I will throw a nod towards dogwood. I know it's not a common wood to run across when processing firewood but it is a great firewood, I have a good mix of ash, oak, maple, poplar and brad pear but my got to wood on the cold nights recently has been the dogwood. Burns long and throws a ton of heat and coals like a dream. I was lucky to have a few large dogwoods that were ivy choked and needed to be cut when I moved into my home. I'll be sad when i run out of it.

+1
Dogwood is good stuff. I have a pile of Oak and Dogwood saved up for the next power outage.

 

[doelen]

I dunno how Dubya ended up in this conversation. Let the poor guy enjoy his retirement.
But back to cedar: my friends tell me I'm nuts to burn it, because it's a "soft" wood and full of sap. But to me it almost behaves like a hardwood when it's well aged, even though the BTUs are noticeably less. I notice you western dudes burn it with no ill effects you mention. Why not me? The species can't be too much different.

 

[doelen]

I dunno how Dubya ended up in this conversation. Let the guy enjoy the retirement he earned.
But back to cedar: my friends tell me I'm nuts to burn it, because it's a "soft" wood and full of sap. But to me it almost behaves like a hardwood when it's well aged, even though the BTUs are noticeably less. I notice you western dudes burn it with no ill effects you mention. Why not me? The species can't be too much different.

 

[madrone]

But back to cedar: my friends tell me I'm nuts to burn it, because it's a "soft" wood and full of sap. But to me it almost behaves like a hardwood when it's well aged, even though the BTUs are noticeably less. I notice you western dudes burn it with no ill effects you mention. Why not me? The species can't be too much different.

Eastern and Western Red Cedar are very different trees, Eastern being related to Juniper, and Western related to Arborvitae, (although both part of the same family).
Never burned any Eastern Cedar, but the stuff out here ends up pretty light. Burns great, but not very long.