Anyone ever burn Chinese scholar tree?

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Never heard of it. Does it have another name? Do you have any pictures of one? OOPs! it may be good wood! I just found this:

Used to make the strong, springy curved "enju wood" handle used on the traditional Japanese woodworking adze, called the chouna
 
Also called Japanese Pagoda Tree, Sophora japonica. Never burned it, but it's in the pea family and others in that family (e.g. locusts) make good burning.
 
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If it's related to locust, I'd definately be trying it out, and if it turns out to impress me, I'd be getting all I could!
 
I wouldn't say anything with "pea pods" is great firewood
Mimosa has pods and isn't much more than poplar.
 
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I wouldn't say anything with "pea pods" is great firewood
Mimosa has pods and isn't much more than poplar.
very true indeed. Thats why we need a test of this chinese scholar wood.......
 
very true indeed. Thats why we need a test of this chinese scholar wood.......
From the gist of the web searches
It appears to be hard and and possibly smelly and rough on chains so me thinks it is a "good wood"
 
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From the gist of the web searches
It appears to be hard and and possibly smelly and rough on chains so me thinks it is a "good wood"
That's what I'm thinking.....if they use of over in Asia to make adze handles, I'd be guessing its a pretty strong and dense wood.
 
We have a Sophora japonica about 20 metres high which we have just lopped to reduce risk of damage to house should it fall. Lots of its under branches are dead, and I have started burning them - great! They burn with a good flame and throw out heat well (forget breaking long pieces by hand tho - too strong!).The wood is extremely dense, and a small log of fresh wood has burned slowly and thoroughly. The large branch that we took off is nearly a foot across at the base, so we have lots of potential wood for this winter.
 
You should definitely send me some and I will go though the trouble of trying it out for you! ==c
 
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