hauled a load of sycamore this morning

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

steeltowninwv

Minister of Fire
Nov 16, 2010
768
west virginia
this is wood i cut last winter..to be burned next winter...been in a big pile since last winter pretty dry but ill finish off by stacking for another year...there is lots of this to get , ill probably haul another cord or so maybe 2 cord of it this year...
IMG_0034.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Backwoods Savage
I wonder why you are the only person here who seems to be cutting Sycamore. It isn't as though Sycamore is a rare tree. Two years of seasoning and it should burn pretty well.
 
I wonder why you are the only person here who seems to be cutting Sycamore. It isn't as though Sycamore is a rare tree. Two years of seasoning and it should burn pretty well.
I've got some sycamores on my place that are 6 feet across at the base I never burned any,but have about 50 splits from a huge windfall branch,how does it burn,Thanks,
 
I burned a little several years ago.About the same density as Silver Maple,maybe a bit more if I remember.Pretty decent for Spring/Fall burning,larger rounds are a bear to split because of the interlocked grain though.

Some here locally I just noticed - would be great for butcher blocks,that's one of its traditional uses.


http://desmoines.craigslist.org/zip/3312414707.html
 
i've got a big one that part blew out during the duricho (sp?) earlier this summer. that reminds me, i need to go cut up the parts that fell. thanks for the reminder.

cass
 
wood duck i cut it because there is tons on the farm where i cut....not the best wood but fair...but i have enuf of it to burn 10 shoulder seasons i bet....im gonna burn it shoulder season and when im sitting around the house during the day when i can feed the fire..and truthfully after one year of seasoning i wouldnt be scared to burn it...and it wasnt even stacked just in a big pile...its the pile u see in my avatar to the left...got a few small sycamores down from the storm in the summer......but the good news is several nice oaks..locust..cherry...sugar maple.....ive got enuf on the ground from that storm to last me a long time..
 
I remember the pic of the big pile of sycamore you made last fall along the creek.
Getting it stacked is gonna take a few trips.
It's BTUs, :)
 
I like sycamore but like thistle stated, I hate splitting it most times. It dries a little faster than you might think. Well all mine is single row.
 
I hauled home a large sycamore this summer (there's a thread about it somewhere in the bowels of this forum). The work to reward ratio on sycamore seems to be low. PITA to split, for only moderate heat value. I think I'll avoid it in the future, unless I'm short on other woods from which to choose.
 
It's been years since I processed any, but I remember it being hard to split, even with a splitter. I didn't burn any of that. I recently had a branch tear off of one at the edge of the yard so I've got about half a load to try sometime.
 
I split some Sycamore last December by hand it is a very tough wood to split burns well though.
 
I've got some Sycamore in rounds in a heap in my back yard. I took it from my next door neighbor who had a good sized one taken out & saved cash on the removal. I saw it as kind of a favor, but he even helped my transport it, and I also got some Honey Locust with it, so win-win. Think I'll be renting a splitter for the Sycamor though
 
it never ceases to amaze me at all the different choices people have for wood to burn, when your not burning the sycamore what is your primary burning wood, you mentioned oak, locust and cherry, but what is most plentiful in your c/s/s for 2012?
 
good question Cage
In reality for most it is whatever they can get when they can get it. They don't have a choice
Fortunately, I have a choice. My choice is that I will manage all the dead BTU's in my woods and burn it. I don't care what it is
To FirefighterJakes point...............there is a purpose and a time for all the species.
As long as the wood is dry match the wood you have to the temps outside.
I gots me some poplar going on right now and I kinda like it
 
I have a sycamore job to look at this winter, I hear from the owner its a monster, growing right along the river. Never burned it before, was waiting o see what others thought of it. Sounds like its going to be a bear to split!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Backwoods Savage
I have a sycamore job to look at this winter, I hear from the owner its a monster, growing right along the river. Never burned it before, was waiting o see what others thought of it. Sounds like its going to be a bear to split!

It burns good.
 
it never ceases to amaze me at all the different choices people have for wood to burn, when your not burning the sycamore what is your primary burning wood, you mentioned oak, locust and cherry, but what is most plentiful in your c/s/s for 2012?

Mostly walnut and oak, with good amounts of maple and ash sprinkled in for flavor. I even brought home some dogwood last spring... talk about dense! That dogwood makes oak feel like balsa.
 
I like burning sycamore here, mainly because nobody else really burns it much so if a tree falls over, it's all mine, no competition. I usually burn it in the shoulder seasons as it is not the hottest burning wood I have burned. I think that is why it has a bad reputation over here, but as there is plenty around I may as well use it and save the oak and hawthorn until it's really cold :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Backwoods Savage
amazes me the amount of people here that will burn willow and poplar.....ive burnt poplar and will do again..but sycamore is superior to both of these woods..and as far as whats superior in my wood shed is probably locust..have more of it than anything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Backwoods Savage
I agree steeltowninwv. If we had some here I too would burn it. The closest sycamore to us is about 7 miles. There just is not many around this area.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tfdchief
Cut 2 truck loads of Sycamore 2 winters ago. I will be burning some of it this winter probably, along with some ash, mulberry, cherry, hackberry, oak and hickory. Frankly, I cut split and stack just about anything. I don't separate it. I just burn it. I will carry in wood for the day and maybe save the good stuff for the over night burn, but other than that, it doesn't really matter that much to me. It all burns. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Backwoods Savage
thats what i do...mix it all in....i have 2 wood racks in my sun room though...one gets all the mixed in stuff...and the other gets large locust rounds or splits for overnight burns
 
Dont like ta cut them down , excellent shade tree with those big leaves.:cool:
 
brought home some dogwood last spring... talk about dense! That dogwood makes oak feel like balsa.
::-)
I burned some last year, but I'm not sure if it was real dry. Didn't seem like it flamed up much. Could just be the nature of the dense wood, though. I've got some for this year and though I haven't tested it yet, I think it will be pretty dry. Most of the Dogwood I take is dead but, man, they don't like to die. The entire center can be hollow at the base, with only one little strip of bark feeding the top of the tree, and it will still be growing well and flowering. A lot of people don't mess with Dogwood because they don't get real big, and they feel it's too much work for a small amount of wood. I, however, will grab any and all high-BTU wood. Looking forward to burning the Dogwood this year and getting a better idea of its nature in the stove...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.