Call me crazy, but I'm still not that impressed with Black Locust

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PA. Woodsman

Minister of Fire
Feb 26, 2007
2,257
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Awhile ago on here I posted about not being that crazy with Black Locust, although most of you guys are. Well, we had some really cold nights the last few here in PA., and the stove was really rocking, coals so hot I think concrete would've burned, and I threw some Black Locust on and while yes it did burn it was noticeable to me that it burned slower and threw less heat than the Oak and Hickory and other woods that I was using. I know some of you guys like it for the overnight burns because it burns slower, but I'm just not that "giddy" over it. And yes, it is dry 2 years in my garage which is like a kiln.

And no, I WON'T send it your way ha ha! :) Maybe it's just me, but while I wouldn't turn down getting it if it's available I won't go gaga over it either.....
 
I think you are missing the reason that it is so well liked...Its like the energizer bunny...it just keeps going and going and going......
 
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As a guy with a modest sized firebox I don't dismiss long burn time too quickly. I have a love/hate relationship with locust. If its your only wood it can be a pain. Tough to start up with as the stuff is like coal. Needs lots of air and surface area relative to other species. OTOH as a mix in wood I like it a lot. By the time my oak is coaling and losing flame and heat, the locust is just hitting its stride. It picks up the slack with those blue/white flames and carries the day.
 
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Jags said:
I think you are missing the reason that it is so well liked...Its like the energizer bunny...it just keeps going and going and going......
Click to expand...


I think you are right; I seem to like livelier fires, and they seem to work better for me and my situation with a winding Cape Cod house.
 
I burn a lot of BL. I find it really burns nice feeding it with some maple or oak. A stove full of all locust has got to be dry. I mean hitting it together and hear a high pitched ping dry
 
PA. Woodsman said:
Awhile ago on here I posted about not being that crazy with Black Locust, although most of you guys are. Well, we had some really cold nights the last few here in PA., and the stove was really rocking, coals so hot I think concrete would've burned, and I threw some Black Locust on and while yes it did burn it was noticeable to me that it burned slower and threw less heat than the Oak and Hickory and other woods that I was using. I know some of you guys like it for the overnight burns because it burns slower, but I'm just not that "giddy" over it. And yes, it is dry 2 years in my garage which is like a kiln.

And no, I WON'T send it your way ha ha! :) Maybe it's just me, but while I wouldn't turn down getting it if it's available I won't go gaga over it either.....
Click to expand...
You don't have to send it, just gimme your address, and I'll come take that nasty, stubborn stuff off your hands.
 
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Try throwing it on a hot bed of coals, or mix with other wood, if these don't work, save it for next year.....
 
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If you are watching it burn with a glass woodstove, it might not be the nicest to look at, I don't know, I never watched it burn. I can load some in the woodboiler at night and the top logs are still logs to some extent. Oak is about the same, real hard elm is too. I get some elm from northern WIs. that grows in the woods. A 60 yr old elm might be a 12" log. Red Elm , I think. Stuff is like oak. I never much cared about the difference in wood as long as it is freee.
 
I notice a greater heat with hickory but BL lasts for awhile that's for sure
 
BL was the best "ROI" wood for me as I was getting the 3.year plan knocked out.Burned a lot at 1 year CSS out of necessity. I always bring in some sass or soft maple with it to get it going, but my current 18 mo. Stash is fine.
 
No problem getting tons of heat out of my BL. I've never burned hickory, and the little bit of oak I've burned hasn't been as dry so its hard for me to compare to those two, but if I pack my firebox full of BL for an overnight run its almost guaranteed to hit 800º with all the secondary tubes a blaze. My problem is it seems to take a little more to get going. If I back the air down under 400-450 it tends to die back and smoke. But by 450º its going to eventually skyrocket. Timing is critical with my stove and BL, and 750-800º is normal for a full load.
 
When I came home this morning from the fire department my house was 66*. I put three splits of locust and a split of black walnut and black cherry. The cherry and walnut took off and coaled. Now the black locust is taking over. House temps rising nicely.

Don't give up on it. It does need to be hot to get the locust going and it isn't impressive to look at.
 
My experiences have been similar to what has been posted.

A full load of black locust needs just a bit more air than the other hardwoods for it to burn effectively.

No doubt that this stuff will burn hot and for a long time. My stove top temp is always hotter in the morning after a 8-10 hour burn when I have it packed with BL.
 
BL creates a great coal bed with a low amount of ash. If I don't have a hot fire going and load up BL you might have to keep the air open a bit more to keep it going. That is why is it good to mix it with Maple or Ash. The softer wood will keep the temp up for the locust to burn smoother.
 
Try mixing it, you'll get the best of both worlds. Right now I'm mixing what I have left of my BL with hard maple. Then I'm mixing the maple with white oak. Yep, I have a lot of hard maple.
 
In my wood stove I can typical get about 4-5 hours before there's nothing left but ashes when burning typical maple etc.
Just the other night I was warmly reminded of why I like locust.
I put two splits in (seasoned less than 12 months) around midnight and by 8AM there was still a orange glow from a 5inch chunk and the stove was still warm (probably 150-180F).
It was enough to not use a match to get the new splits going.
Getting 8 hours out of a typical 2006 era epa exempt Century wood stove is the best I can hope for.
 
I've been mixing my BL with Osage Orange. What a combo! I agree it can give you trouble if it is the only wood in your stove, but mixed with something else on a hot bed of coals it's hard to beat.
 
You are crazy. BL is great. I have about 3 cord of the stuff, it doesn't rot and will burn long and hot. Just needs more air at the beginning.
 
I know what you're saying, but I like Black Locust. Nothing gives a longer burn in my stove than Black Locust.
 
Black locust is my go to wood for overnight burns.
 
Thanks for the replies fellas. I have been burning some Black Locust the last few nights and I make sure that it is on a good bed of coals. I see what you mean about it burning a long time and being a "helper" wood to get/keep others going. I guess I'm just more fond of a lively fire, but I know what you're talking about.

And, yes, you can STILL call me crazy...what's new lol ! ;lol
 
PA. Woodsman said:
Thanks for the replies fellas. I have been burning some Black Locust the last few nights and I make sure that it is on a good bed of coals. I see what you mean about it burning a long time and being a "helper" wood to get/keep others going. I guess I'm just more fond of a lively fire, but I know what you're talking about.

And, yes, you can STILL call me crazy...what's new lol ! ;lol
Click to expand...

So you want lively do ya'? My first year was 100% locust and to get it started reliably I needed a coal bed (lotta cold starts). So I would re-split down to 1.5" or so pcs and build a crib (alternate E/W N/S). Locust cubes up like oak so I would get these perfectly formed sticks. Took a little while to set the whole thing up but if you want lively :ZZZ;lol. Now that I've got a variety of dry wood I don't have to play that game anymore but those were definitely "lively".
 
You are crazy!
I have been burning almost all Red Oak for the first time ever this winter instead of my usual mostly Black Locust and some Oak, Ash, or other stuff. I do like the heat and easier starting of the Red Oak but I'm not getting the burn time that I became used to with BL.
 
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