black locust: why would you want that?!

[trguitar]

I was calling around to some wood suppliers to supplement my 10 cords. I talked with one guy who would cut to length, split, and deliver it for a pretty good price. He was telling me about all the different types of wood he had access to (oak, sugar maple, etc.). I asked if he had any black locust. He replied, "No. But, why would you want that? That's a terrible wood to burn."

Hmmm....maybe he's trying to keep it all for himself...

 

[NateB]

Tell him if he comes across any to drop it off at your place, and you will get rid of it for him. I am starting to enjoy the many myths I hear about wood burning. I think I should write them down, and make a book. A recent one I was told; "If locust get to dry and old it will not burn well, and eventually burn out."

 

[kennyp2339]

I've got about 1.5 cords of 3 year split stacked dried down to 15% BL for this winter... I'm very excited about this, the way I stacked it in my pile places it to be accessible around January or so. I also have about 2 cords of ultra dry red oak, and a cord of mixed maple and hickory on deck for this year, plus my regular shoulder season wood for the fall (mixture of cherry, ash, and tulip) This is going to be an awesome burning year.

 

[venator260]

Interesting that he would think that. Perhaps it's the sparking. I suppose that could cause problems.

My dad heated our house growing up 100% with black locust for a number of winters. Not that I recommend the approach, but most of that was cut in the woods, loaded on truck and trailer, and stacked in the basement that evening for burning over the next few weeks. Subsequent loads were stacked in the shed, but firewood was never allowed to dry very long.

Now, I think that I've made some headway with him after he burned some too wet oak this winter and complained that it didn't make any heat.

 

[venator260]

"If locust get to dry and old it will not burn well, and eventually burn out."

I've heard similar about ash; it will try out too much and burn too fast and not give any heat.

 

[NateB]

The myth i heard was that it would burn out, and need to be reignited. The odd thing about these myths is I can never change their mind about them no matter how crazy the myth is. Like burning pine will cause a chimney fire, or completely covering green wood with tarp so it can dry.

 

[Woody5506]

I always like when I get advice about burning wood from people who have a fire in their fireplace maybe once every couple winters.

Example - a piece of advice from my neighbor "well if you are able to split the wood then its ready to burn since green wood is pretty much impossible to split" .....oh.....ok....

 

[Prof]

Black locust burns hotter and is easier to split than most woods I deal with--I won't pass it up! I've heard that birch will put a fire out too. I look at wood myths as a gift of easy wood. If I see a big pine down in someone's yard, they almost always let me take it away. Of course they get freaked out when I let them know it is going in the stove and not the fire pit--oh well.

 

[Locust99]

Black locust is top notch firewood, on par or better than white oak on most btu charts. It is going to save me this winter, I found a spot where about a cord of BL is either standing dead or has been down for years with no bark on it and It's in good shape. I cut this stuff yesterday and split it today 20% on a fresh split. Can't get that with most downed wood, it will be rotted before it hits that .

 

[Prof]

Black locust is top notch firewood, on par or better than white oak on most btu charts. It is going to save me this winter, I found a spot where about a cord of BL is either standing dead or has been down for years with no bark on it and It's in good shape. I cut this stuff yesterday and split it today 20% on a fresh split. Can't get that with most downed wood, it will be rotted before it hits that .

Jackpot!

 

[Lakeside]

Can't get that with most downed wood, it will be rotted before it hits that

That's another reason I like BL a-lot , I can let the rounds sit while I take care of splitting & stacking other species of wood. Rot resistance firewood, one quality that's rare for stuff with this many BTU's.

This is my goto firewood for the cold of winter , longer burn times @ higher heat.

 

[Michael Sean]

I have to agree that I love black locust, but I find it incredibly difficult to cut up a nice log into fire wood when it makes such beautiful lumber

 

[jcapler]

Example - a piece of advice from my neighbor "well if you are able to split the wood then its ready to burn since green wood is pretty much impossible to split" .....oh.....ok....

I have always wondered why my 30 ton sitter wouldn't split a log. [emoji848]
Just going to let them sit longer to dry out. [emoji6]


Woodpro WS-TS-2000

 

[kennyp2339]

I have to agree that I love black locust, but I find it incredibly difficult to cut up a nice log into fire wood when it makes such beautiful lumber

I work with a guy who has his own mill and rips BL into boards, he's slowly saving his BL boards to make about 1000sq ft of hard wood floors.
While I like the wood floor idea, I would be more inclined to make outdoor siding for my house since its such a hardy material.

 

[Destructor]

So many people say you can’t burn pine and so many people heat with pine. We heated for years using framing scraps, old cedar fence rails and posts, limbs from our neighbors pines after snow storms as well as hardwood gathered in the area. Some winters we burned mostly evergreens, other winters we burned mostly hardwoods. No difference in the chimney condition come spring.

 

[jatoxico]

The only negative ive ever heard about BL that makes a little sense is the smell when burning. Doesn't bother me, maybe in an open fireplace.
Its tougher than other wood to start a fire with, good, coal bed helps.
People say wacky things. I had sod installed and the guy told me cutting would stimulate growth (prob true) you know, like when you cut your hair.

 

[heavy hammer]

All I pretty much burn is black locust best wood there is lasts forever in the stacks, great heat, and fairly easy to work with cutting splitting stacking etc. I've heard everything from it doesn't light well smells weird, or the thorns make it not worth it. Where I'm at people have been giving it away truck loads at a time to me, has worked out great. I find it all the time on our transmission rightaways lying on the ground very easy picking. If you can get your hands on take every little bit you can it's worth it especially when it gets real cold.