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Wood Burning Guys -
KenK/84Bravo
Member Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭
My experience has always been "Ash wet or dry, good to warm a Kings slippers by." (To reference an Old saying.)
I have now come to believe that Black Gum, fits in the same realm.
It burns very nice, somewhat uncured, unlike Oak, Beech, Birch, Poplar, etc. Have been spltting up some large Blackgums dropped off by my Cousin, it burns nice. 12-20" diameter cuts. Split.
I have previously come across this wood with a fair amount dropped on my back property. 1-2 years old, it burns very nice. Have a decent amount.
Thoughts?
Comments
Before cutting it down, I thought it was Black Walnut. (Takes forever to dry before being able to burn.) The bark and the leaves, looked just like it. (Worked at a Sawmill, as a heavy equipment operator.) Very good at identifying species. This one surprised me. Knew as soon as I cut it down, looking at the wood, it was not Black Walnut.
It burns good. No hissing/excess moisture. Give it a year to dry - excuisite.
Doubt it is out West, Jim.
Unfamiliar with "Larch," as you are unfamiliar with Blackgum. A regional thing, I would imagine.
Yes the Black gum seems to be hard to split. If a decent grain structure presents itself, not too bad.
I have a decent amount of Red Oak, White Oak, Birch, Beech, Black Gum, etc. To split.
If cured/dried, obviously the White/Red Oak is superior. If somewhat uncured, the Ash/Blackgum seems to shine.
Lucust is by far #1. Red/White Oak, #2. Ash/Blackgum #3.
Blackgum leaves look identical to Black Walnut, as does the bark. Nothing resembling maple.
I have a few Locusts to drop, but they are hell on your chain. Still need to drop them. Best wood going, to burn.
I let it season for about a year and it split very easily. Good wood, though.
I am fortune to have a lot of dead locust to cut and burn. Lots of wild cherry trees, too.
Were you a pilot?
You know, they saw it and you pile it?
Fast forward about a year and I am at my 2nd home in Va. cutting a Wild Cherry out of my neighbors fence row and a lot of it landed on other side. This huge Black Angus bull on my neighbors side got curious and headed my way looking for a quick meal, I guess. You never seen anyone clean up Wild Cherry branches and throw them on my side so quick.
Ran out of firewood.
Good news is I've found lots of cow chips for the fireplace.
Bad news. wife don't like to use the cow chips in the wood cook stove.
More bad news. Cannot find any Buffalo chips.
There's also an Eastern Larch that's found in the NE U.S. and down into West Virginia.
Wild cherry , among others , has leaves that produce hydrogen cyanide when they wilt .
Just out of curiosity, why would burning Locust before it is fully dry, cause a chimney fire? Excessive Creosote build up?
i have two two wood stoves. One is a Pacific Energy insert in living room.l I burn that when temp is around freezing, it keeps the house warm. When it gets really cold for an extended period I have a Harmon wood furnace hooked into to hot air system, it will heat the whole house and only needs to be tended every 8 hours.
Do you think dead standing Locust would be good then?
Absolutely wilting cheery leaves will kill stock. You have to be on the lookout for falling limbs or trees when cherry trees are close to your pasture.
Do you use firewood to heat your home? Here is a list of the best types of firewood to burn—sorted by high, medium, and low heat value—as well as a few important wood-burning tips.
What makes some types of firewood better for burning than others? It comes down to two factors: density and water content. The denser and drier the firewood, the better it will burn and the more heat it can produce.
Because of this, hardwoods, which tend to be denser, generally make for better firewood than softwoods.
Best Firewood: High Heat Value
1 cord = 200 to 250 gallons of fuel oil
Medium Heat Value
1 cord = 150 to 200 gallons of fuel oil
Low Heat Value
1 cord = 100 to 150 gallons of fuel oil
This was dead standing locust and, the biggest locust tree I have ever cut, and I cut a lot of locust. About 22 inch diameter.
It was rough on the saw. Green wood cuts better than dry wood, and crummy firewood, such as pine, cuts easier than good firewood like locust. However this stuff is worth the trouble this is the best load of firewood I ever have gotten. I use an electric moisture meter, available from Lowes for 30 bucks. You need to split a stick that is at room temp. You want 17 percent or less.
Alphebetic listing. How about the real deal?
I pretty much know what wood, burns at the highest BTU'S.
Bottom line, how much does the wood weigh = BTU's. The more dried wood weighs, the more the BTU's.
The heavier/denser it is, the better it is.
IMHO.
Was just out enjoying the nice weather, (40° out, not spitting rain/snow.) splitting up some Red Oak, and Blackgum. Getting some inside for when it is not so nice out.
Do any of you all stack it around your Woodstove to facilitate drying/burning?
FIREWOOD BTU OF WESTERN HARDWOOD SPECIES
Green
Dry
FIREWOOD BTU OF WESTERN SOFTWOOD SPECIES
Green
Dry
FIREWOOD BTU OF EASTERN HARDWOOD SPECIES
Inconsistency between charts may exist due to different laboratory variables
Their final finding after burning cords of wood and weighing the creosote produced was simple: Creosote production is directly related to the amount of wood burned, not the type of wood burned.
When you think about it it makes sense: You have to burn more green wood to get the same amount of heat as burning dry wood.
They did say some types of wood produce more than others, but the amount of wood burned is the major factor in creosote production.
I'm currently burning whatever species the discarded pallets contain so I'm not worried.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
A lot of those numbers are misleading. For example, Big Leaf Maple burns a hell of a lot hotter than douglas fir. It just burns a bit faster too, so you get fewer total BTUs (I guess). It also leaves a helluvan ash mess.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Had a friend who lived in an old log cabin and he had a chimney fire -- roar and sparks were like you described. Fire dept got there in time.
I knew of many chimneys in Central Va. that had their clay flue pipes shattered from pouring cold water down chimney to put out a chimney fire.