Really Odd Question

[drakave]

New to woodburning. Had my setup for a week now and I cant believe I never thought of doing this before! My dad used to have a wood burner in his cabin in the mountains when I was younger and I remembered how hot it got in there at night when we were sleeping. Opening a window was actually comfortable in the winter time!

I have a 2100 sq ft home (plus 1400 sq ft basement) ad my stove is keeping my home at 75 degrees. Super comfortable. Been burning dry Ash, maple and oak all of which are local to me.


We recently installed 4" x 3/4" prefinished patagonian rosewood on the entire first story of my home. We have about a box and a half left that I could not take back to the store (clearance item) that I have no use for... Super hard dense wood.... Someone in this board once said that in the cold months even the furniture starts looking like firewood and that got me thinking! Any thoughts? Im conserned about the finish on the floors since its a poly finish, but i figured with the high heat of the stove it would insinerate it anyways.... told you.... really odd question!


BTW this forum rocks!
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Setup : Napoleon 1101 fireplace insert (wife wanted something pretty and flush)
25 ft external fireplace chimney and SS liner w cap

 

[RIJEEP]

My understanding is that burning wood with a finish on it releases nasty chemicals into the smoke. It is frowned upon from a pollution / health standpoint.

Sounds like a nice floor!

 

[begreen]

Unfinished floor scraps are great for starting fires. Finished scraps are not. When the finish burns it can convert into some nasty toxins depending on the finish. Build a neat fire wood storage box with the rosewood instead. That would look great.

 

[fossil]

I wouldn't burn it in either of my stoves. I won't burn anything with any sort of finish on it. I'd think about making picture frames or something out of it, but if you're not into woodworking you might offer it up to someone you know who's into that sort of thing. Shame for such nice wood to just go to waste. My thoughts. Rick

 

[drakave]

Thats what I thought. Wanted to get some opinions. Love the idea of making a firebox out of it for the inside of my home though! I am handy with woodworking so thats definitely practical.

 

[begreen]

Great, please post some pictures if you decide to make one. It could look stunning.

 

[fossil]

If it were in my shop, I'd start by planing about 1/32" off the finished side of all the wood to get rid of the factory finish. That would accomplish a couple of things, I think. My finished project would then finish out consistently with whatever I chose to use (oil, polyurethane, whatever)...and then the scraps from the project could go into the stove. By all means, let us know what you decide to use it for...we love seeing pics of stuff our members do, they're a talented bunch of folks! Rick

 

[firefighterjake]

I burn lots of different stuff -- regular wood, dimensional lumber scraps, slabs, pallet pieces . . . pretty much anything . . . softwood, hardwood . . . it makes no difference. The one thing I will not burn however in my stove is painted or finished wood (well that and pressure treated . . . and wood that has glue in it like plywood, OSB) . . . OK, so maybe there is more than just "one thing" I would not burn. The reason: bad stuff in the smoke . . . I figure if I start to do that I'm just one step away from being like some of those OWB guys who are throwing anything and everything into the stove.

Plus . . . I know how my woodstove "behaves" with regular wood . . . I don't know how much hotter it could potentially get if I put in wood covered with paint or finish . . . and I'm not a betting man so I'm not willing to experiment.

 

[littlesmokey]

I'll go one step further. What is Patagonian Rosewood? It is not a Rosewood, and if from Patagonia, it had to cost in the hundreds per square foot. With that in mind, it's something else, made to look like something else, and may be a not so nice tropical hardwood. These are themselves often toxic when burned, that's what keeps the bugs away. I would not burn it for that reason.

Here's an example closer to home. Had a neighbor a few years back, burn a bunch of trash trees and brush when clearing a place to park his motorized toys. He was conscientious and tended his fire well. That night, he started having a little congestion, by Midnight he was in the emergency room of the hospital with severe alergic reactions to his breathing and the worst rash the doctor had ever seen on his face, head, hands and throat. The only exposed surfaces during the confligration. The paramedic, a local boy was the only one to catch it right off. He had cleaned a huge patch of poison ivy and other noxious weeds and burned them and stood in the smoke. The shots got him fixed up generally, but the cough lasted a few months. Had that been me, I probably would not have made it, but I would have realized what was in the brush and not burned it. Lesson learned?

Besides the poly prefinish, if done out of the country, it may contain melamene(sp) which is highly toxic and very dangerous when heated.