Greetings Fellow Hearthlings,

[Ravenvalor]

I just cut down a dead tree in my yard. It is a nice size tree. it's been dead for a couple of years I believe. I do not know what type it is but I believe it is some sort of Oak. Is there any way of telling whether or not the wood is still fit for burning in a stove with a catalytic combuster?

It is always good talking with fellow woodstove and fireplace enthusiasts.
Thank You,
JB

 

[Ravenvalor]

Here are some more pictures.

 

[Beardog]

Looks like ash to me

 

[SolarAndWood]

nothing wrong with the log in the first pic no matter how long it has been down. Cut out the sections like in the 4th pic of your second post and throw them in the fire pit.

 

[Ravenvalor]

Looks like ash to me

It sure does does'nt it. Any way of telling if it is good enough to burn in a catalytic combustor stove?

Thank You.

 

[Ravenvalor]

nothing wrong with the log in the first pic no matter how long it has been down. Cut out the sections like in the 4th pic of your second post and throw them in the fire pit.

Good deal, thanks for the helpful advice. Hope you have a good day.

JB

 

[rdust]

It sure does does'nt it. Any way of telling if it is good enough to burn in a catalytic combustor stove?

Thank You.

Properly seasoned is the key to burning in any stove CAT or not. Stay away from treated wood/scraps and you shouldn't have any issues.

 

[Wood Duck]

I'd split it to see how good it is. If it feels fairly hard and splits along the grain, it is solid enough to keep. If it falls apart in chunks rather than splits along the grain, it is punky and won't last well in the wood pile. In any case, you can burn it in the cat stove after it is dry. Punky wood won't hurt the cat, it just won't have as many BTUs as solid wood, and it will soak up water so it is harder to season properly - you will want to keep punky wood under cover.

 

[Ravenvalor]

I'd split it to see how good it is. If it feels fairly hard and splits along the grain, it is solid enough to keep. If it falls apart in chunks rather than splits along the grain, it is punky and won't last well in the wood pile. In any case, you can burn it in the cat stove after it is dry. Punky wood won't hurt the cat, it just won't have as many BTUs as solid wood, and it will soak up water so it is harder to season properly - you will want to keep punky wood under cover.

This is rather soft wood I just cut most of it up into 16" lengths and it cut like butter. It exhaled a lot of ants also. I will try your splitting advice and if it looks like punky I will try to store it in a dry location away from any structures that could get infested by all of the ants in the wood.

Thanks

 

[Woody Stover]

I posted in another thread about the Ash that I thought was going to be too far gone. When I bucked it, however, it looked pretty good. I ended up throwing almost none away. It's so dry that I could throw it in the stove now.
The log had the same color markings as yours...black streaks in the end grain. As you can see in the pic, there are some insect holes which turned black, as well. I think that as you buck farther up the log, the wood will become even more solid than it is at the base.
Disregard the Ash with the bark in this pic. It's from a different tree, except the center large split. I think there may be a piece of Dogwood in there, as well.
http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h407/2bnator/Hearth/001-14.jpg

 

[Woody Stover]

Hmmm, just read your update. Sound like that one is a little farther gone than the one I found...

 

[nrford]

It's hickory not ash!

 

[smokinj]

I kow pignut and shag doesnt look like either one of those.

 

[Blue Vomit]

sure looks like Mockernut Hickory to me! I'd bet a beer on it!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

When you choose some of the wood to burn outdoors, make sure you get some from the butt of the log as that is where it will have the most moisture. But from the pictures it appears that thing is ready to burn now.