Private Stock ?

[clemsonfor]

I don't smell any wood that I burn in my insert??

 

[Augie]

I don't smell any wood that I burn in my insert??

I have willow in currently, smells fine in the house

Just wanted to add, I got about 6 hrs out of a load of willow with Secondaries for 2 solid hrs and stove top at 500-600 during that time. So private Stock be damned, burn what ya got...

 

[basswidow]

I can tell you that Aged Oak was my greatest heat output and was my private stock. It was significantly better than any other wood type I tried, so I'd save the oak for the night time feed on only the coldest days. I loved finding an old dead standing oak - perhaps one struck by lightning - because I knew I could cut and buck it up and burn it in a year. Otherwise, Green oak would take 2 years, if I made my splits small. But well worth the score for me.

Otherwise, Cherry, Ash, and mulberry were great too. I had black locust and shagbark hickory too, they were good. I had some other wood I scrounged that was great - but I didn't know what it was. When you scrounge, sometimes you just don't know what you have. It might have been Osage.

Reading these posts are torture since I no longer have a stove. It's killing me. If I get a tax refund, I'm gonna rip out the gas FP and put in a stove! It's not cold in GA - but I need a stove ! I really miss everything about it.

 

[PDXpyro]

I'm nearing my goal of hoarding two cords-plus of prime black locust -- "prime" meaning wood that's all clean, sound, and "pretty," and all straight, easily stackable pieces.

With this wood, I then build extra-carefully made stacks in functional locations: that is, where they'll serve a useful purpose as fencing, screening, or whatnot. Also make the stacks as attractive as possible, with painted cover panels of 1/4" plywood. Because of BL's durability, these strategically located stacks can then remain in place practically indefinitely -- and I'll always have at least a two-cord emergency stash of superbly seasoned, high density firewood on hand. (With our relatively mild winters, two fat cords of locust would just about get us through one winter with a little supplementation.)

In practice, I won't leave these stacks sitting as they are indefinitely; I'll probably end up burning and rebuilding them with fresh BL on about a five-year rotation. Sure, I'd like to have four or five cords long-term hoarded like this rather than just two -- but we have limited space, and much of that is needed to actively season wood for more immediate burning.

 

[NH_Wood]

All the red oak I can get is my private stock - all season for at least 4 years and I try to have 3 cord / year for the cold months - gets a special area in the barn - love a full load of oak on cold days. Cheers!

 

[Bret Chase]

I never burned locust. My guess is it stinks?

well it's certainly not hickory or apple..... the heat is definitely worth it... I've got cords upon cords of it... with more felled to buck...

 

[Bret Chase]

I don't smell any wood that I burn in my insert??

I generally don't... but even though my chimney is 3' above my ridge... the way my house is oriented to the prevailing winds... I do get puffbacks every now and again. most of the smelling comes from being outside... to me, BL smells like burning gym socks... burning hickory smells like BBQ :D

 

[JoeyD]

I've never had the luxury of having private stock before but I just happen to into a mix of cherry, oaks, and black locust right now and I am setting the BL aside to use when it starts getting colder. I usually just burn what is next but I can't see using the high btu stuff now and cherry in January. Being almost four years ahead allows me to be a little choosey for the first time since I started burning.

 

[BillLion]

I generally don't... but even though my chimney is 3' above my ridge... the way my house is oriented to the prevailing winds... I do get puffbacks every now and again. most of the smelling comes from being outside... to me, BL smells like burning gym socks... burning hickory smells like BBQ :D

I don't smell anything inside either. I do love the smell of fresh BL though...