anyone ever burned locust? I tried to look it up in the heat index's of burning wood but it wasent listed in the one I have?
Locust
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yes, i have burned honey locust. excellent wood to burn and will burn a long time. give it at least a year to season before burning.
It's lovely wood...if you don't mind being perforated by 3 inch spikes from carying the stuff (and those are the short ones!). I've got a load of the stuff right now that only cost me gas and a blood transfusion to get. I guess that is what I get for being a good woodsman - This half dead locust tree was blocking access to a prized hedge tree! So I thought if I have to cut the locust out of the way, might as well burn it.
Seriously, though - if you can find the locust trees w/o the thorns it is good wood. Pretty far up the BTU scale and smells decent burning, too.
Corey
Seriously, though - if you can find the locust trees w/o the thorns it is good wood. Pretty far up the BTU scale and smells decent burning, too.
Corey
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- This half dead locust tree
Corey[/quote]
corey, the locust in your pic looks very much alive. i've found that when they are dead, most of the thorns will have fallen off. if possible, ring the tree with your saw and let it stand a year before attemping to cut it up.
Corey[/quote]
corey, the locust in your pic looks very much alive. i've found that when they are dead, most of the thorns will have fallen off. if possible, ring the tree with your saw and let it stand a year before attemping to cut it up.
The black locust I'm familiar with has spikes up in the tops, but nothing like THAT on the trunk.
Cozy's Locust: "What part of 'keep your cotton-picking hands off me' don't you understand?"
Cozy's Locust: "What part of 'keep your cotton-picking hands off me' don't you understand?"
When we first got our stove we were burning 7 year old (cut/split) black locust and had the stove almost run away b/c of the heat. Black locust has very high btu output - especially when it's that old. (Maybe anything would at that age.) Wish we still lived in the neck of the woods where it's plentiful, I'd start rotating it and use it exclusively if I could.
I've burnt locust that has stood dead for probably 10 years. Harder than hell, and burns like coal. If its locust it goes into the overnight pile. Black locust doesn't have thorns like that. Nothing is better.
bruce56bb said:
I guess a definition of "half dead" is needed.
Admittedly, I think this wood was from the live side of the tree - I think it took a lightning strike or something - one side of the crown was dead and had some burn marks while the other still had some green although it looked pretty sickly.
It might be possible to ring the tree and come back in a year, but this was kind of at the entry way to a path I wanted to cut through the woods. The only way to go around was to go through some elm trees, so I chose the spikes!
(Tells ya how much I hate elm!) I guess the spikes may eventually fall off, but even the ones on the dead side of the tree seemed to be still attached pretty well. Although they are definitely more brittle...but all that usually means is that they puncture your skin 1/2" deep, then break off a little below the surface. At least with the green ones, they can (sometimes) be pulled back out intact. You also have to watch where you drive after felling one of these, I've seen the spikes run through tractor and truck tires like butter.The thornless trees are the ones to go after - I have one of those in the yard as a shade tree. Really nice, except for the 50 kazillion tiny leaves every fall.
Corey
One thing about locust is ants love the trees. I have never cut a locust that didn't contain any ants. But the way I see it is if they stay in the tree they stay away from the home.
That looks like the meanest tree I've seen. We have pricker bushes with thorns like that but trees.
Now I am confused. I looked up the Black Locust and it says that it makes poor firewood. Huh...interesting..
I just bicked up 3 cord of it that was given to me. Took me all day..I hopethat it wasent a waste of time?
I just bicked up 3 cord of it that was given to me. Took me all day..I hopethat it wasent a waste of time?
Well of course it would say that! It doesn't want you to split it up and toss it in the fire!
:coolsmirk:
I've burned very little locust so far (although I just picked up a load; see the pictures forum), but any wood that heavy has to be decent firewood once it dries.
:coolsmirk:
I've burned very little locust so far (although I just picked up a load; see the pictures forum), but any wood that heavy has to be decent firewood once it dries.
man, that is totally confusing now..I know that this tree is locust but it is not heavy. Compared to the hard maple it was like pine!...
All the locust species (honey and black) I'm aware of are very dense wet or dry, and all the discussions about locust I've seen on here agree with that. Perhaps post some pictures of what you picked up? I assume the wood isn't all rotten/punky? Locust is supposed to be rot resistant, although both times I've hauled some it was rotted in places, mostly in the middle.
well, dont have any pics but its definatley blacklocust..I looked it up on the net. Still though, compared to the hard maple it was light
I burn a lot of locust. It throws very good heat and does burn long. I've burned honeylocust and black locust with tthe same results. Also I cut a large struck by lightning honey locust that was down for about 6 mos. The spines fell off with the bark. It takes a hot fire to get it burning good but once it does you can leave the stove alone for 4-5 hours.
now would you say that the locust is a heavy wood or about average compared to hard maple?? This locust doesnt have spines at all from what I can tell and the bark is really thick with a creamy wood overall.
I've cut, split, and burned a lot of hard maple. It's hard and dense, but definitely seemed somewhat less so that the locust I just picked up. I've found various online tables, all seem to agree that seasoned locust is heavier, although this one suggests that green maple is very slightly heavier than green locust.
Did you identify by leaves, or bark? The bark is very similar to walnut and both have darkish wood, but the leaves are quite different. I have a pile of what I thought (based on the bark) was walnut that just didn't seem to be drying (still heavy); now I realize it is probably locust.
Did you identify by leaves, or bark? The bark is very similar to walnut and both have darkish wood, but the leaves are quite different. I have a pile of what I thought (based on the bark) was walnut that just didn't seem to be drying (still heavy); now I realize it is probably locust.
huh, now I will have to get some pics of it. The guy told me locust and I thought it looked like it too. Really tall and one was rather large in the 24" range. Heavy thick bark, I would say in the 1" range at least
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