Free chestnut -'yay or nay?

[mfglickman]

Guy on freecycle offering chestnut from trees cut down in his yard for free. Cut already just needs splits and I can take as much or little as I want.

Looks like chestnut is not rated high as firewood but if it's well seasoned will it matter? It's free...but will take some work to fetch load and sPlit.

Thanks!

Mary

 

[Woody Stover]

I don't know how it splits, but maybe you could split it very small and use it for starter wood...

 

[ohio woodburner]

I've never burned chestnut, but if it's free and you have the room i think it's worth it. I usually take any wood thats free including willow and cottonwood.

 

[brian89gp]

I've heard it spits a lot, but is easy to split. A middle range wood as far as heat goes.

The best wood is free wood.... I would get it.

 

[Wood Duck]

I would definitely get it - it is free wood. It will be pretty decent firewood after it seasons.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Sounds good to me, I'd at grab at least on pickup load if it were offer to me, and less than 50 miles away. Then if it split well, I might go for more.

I burn White Birch, and some White Pine and some Easter Red Cedar as all grows on my property. So, I am not an only-oak guy.

 

[ScotO]

Take it! It's free, and it will burn fine once it seasons.

 

[madrone]

The only thing I won't take for free is excessively knotty pine, or more than a cord of oak. (too much drying time, not enough space.) Other than those, free wood is free wood.

 

[eclecticcottage]

Free=in my to be split pile, doesn't matter what species including willow and pine. It all burns when seasoned!

 

[gzecc]

I've had it. Its not great. It a good filler wood. I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

 

[joecool85]

Wow, two others in this thread that burn willow and pine. Here I was thinking it was just me. So far 80% or better of what I've burned this year has been willow and pine that I got for free (just my labor), sure beats paying the oil guy. Admittedly, it doesn't coal up like harder woods, but it still heats the house.

 

[firefighterjake]

Wow, two others in this thread that burn willow and pine. Here I was thinking it was just me. So far 80% or better of what I've burned this year has been willow and pine that I got for free (just my labor), sure beats paying the oil guy. Admittedly, it doesn't coal up like harder woods, but it still heats the house.

In the past I burned up some willow and pine . . . well the weeping willow that I took down from my front lawn . . . and every year I get a few large pine branches that come down during the winter (well, not so many this winter) . . . cannot say as though I've burned as much of this as you, but I've burned some and have always been happy with the results -- as you say you may not get the long burns and coaling, but it will make heat and keep the house warm.

 

[joecool85]

In the past I burned up some willow and pine . . . well the weeping willow that I took down from my front lawn . . . and every year I get a few large pine branches that come down during the winter (well, not so many this winter) . . . cannot say as though I've burned as much of this as you, but I've burned some and have always been happy with the results -- as you say you may not get the long burns and coaling, but it will make heat and keep the house warm.

Yeah, I have another 1/2 cord or so of willow that I need to C/S/S for next year. We had a HUGE willow that we had taken down, so it's heating our house now

 

[bogydave]

With your winter so far, you need more shoulder season wood.
If it not a long drive, free $$ is a good price :lol:
It's all BTUs

 

[joecool85]

With your winter so far, you need more shoulder season wood.
If it not a long drive, free $$ is a good price :lol:
It's all BTUs

Actually it's FREE TUs!

 

[artmos]

by all means-grab it. someone else surely will. decent heat and the price is right. seems unanimous to me. art

 

[coolfez]

I'm surprised he's giving it for free. I know Chestnut used to sell for a ton of money at places that make furniture. It is one of the best woods for furniture.

 

[Oregon Bigfoot]

I'd be all over it!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Guy on freecycle offering chestnut from trees cut down in his yard for free. Cut already just needs splits and I can take as much or little as I want.

Looks like chestnut is not rated high as firewood but if it's well seasoned will it matter? It's free...but will take some work to fetch load and sPlit.

Thanks!

Mary

Generally a tree that produces fruit or nuts will make good firewood. Just that some are a little better than others. It is sort of like maple. There is hard maple and soft maple. On our place we are blessed with soft maple. No, it will not hold a fire as long as hard maple but it burns great. Also makes excellent kindling wood because it dries so fast, super easy to split and easy to get a fire started with it.