RED OAK vs. BLACK LOCUST...

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Ok now, I'm just seeing what you all think is the better wood while burning. Ignoring all the btu charts and all that... Which do you like the most and why?
I enjoy chopping black locust but the red oak is really taking off tonite, so right now I'm voting for red oak...
Thanks all...

 

[JA600L]

Red Oak, I like the Locust but theres no doubt in my mind the Oak performs better.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I love red oak by itself. Burns great, great coaling. I love locust with something else too.
Locust and mulberry are good, locust and red oak very good. Yes splitting red oak is fun.

 

[aansorge]

I have honey locust right now and it is very dense. Also it is slow to light off. I'll take Bur Oak (the most common oak species around here) over honey locust just barely as bur oak splits a smidgen easier and they both take a good while to season. The honey locust may burn a bit longer though.

I know I'm a bit off topic, just a Midwesterners perspective.

 

[clemsonfor]

I like red oak I think you get more heat than the BL I have. The BL with definitely out heat out longer just don't think its as intense, but definitely a hot long burn on the BL

 

[Wood Duck]

Red Oak is great to split and I like the smell. Black Locust doesn't rot, so I don't worry about stacking it for a long time. I think they both burn excellently. Overall, I choose Red Oak because of the splitting and smell.

 

[chiefttt]

Ok now, I'm jusis longer seeing what you all think is the better wood while burning. Ignoring all the btu charts and all that... Which do you like the most and why?
I enjoy chopping black locust but the red oak is really taking off tonite, so right now I'm voting for red oak...
Thanks all...

Both are excellent. Both split easy, oak a little easier. Some say drying time for oak is 2 years min. I disagree, I think 1 year is fine. Oak seems straighter and fits in the stove better. I would say oak has a slight edge.

 

[red oak]

Well it's pretty obvious which one I prefer! Red Oak splits easier and I have more of it around where I live. The charts say BL has more BTUs but I have not noticed a tremendous difference when burning.

 

[n2brk]

my father goes crazy over Locust. He says it burns all night long. I burned two pieces he threw me, and I didn't really note a difference compared to my red oak.

 

[clemsonfor]

Depends on your stove. One year does not get you the goodie out of it in the 2 EPA stoves I have, one a Cat stove the other a tube stove.

 

[Woody Stover]

charts say BL has more BTUs but I have not noticed a tremendous difference when burning.

Well, according to the numbers I see, Red is 6/7 the BTU of BL so that's not all that much. The Red seems to burn at just the right rate in my stove, where I generally set the air. I've got a ton of Red/Black here but no BL, so I'll grab it just to have something different.
Both are brutal for coaling during the cold snaps when I need fresh wood burning and the cat firing. Cherry coals burn down quicker so if I'm gonna be around to feed the stove, I'll toss some of it in. A bit more weatherization on this place, and maybe I can get enough heat, even burning down the big RO and BL coal loads....

 

[clemsonfor]

Yea full oak an BL loads get me massive coal beds. During the cold snap I was having to pull out buckets of coals to get wood in there. I could not wait to burn them down, that just do sent put out enough heat

 

[BillLion]

I'll take the contrarian position; put me down for BL over oak!

No doubt oak is excellent and I'm glad I have it, but when I throw in some BL (mixed with other woods usually) it cranks to an inferno; I love it!

 

[gzecc]

I think there is no comparison. When I use locust for over nights, my house is warmer and there is plenty of heat left in the insert in the morning.

 

[clemsonfor]

Don't get me wrong when its cold I use BL. It heats longer its just to me a longer steady heat than oak which seems to peak hotter then taper off

 

[osagebow]

I have to give BL the nod by a nose ...with a thorn scratch on said nose.

 

[Brewmonster]

They're both excellent firewood but lately, having burned through a stash of BL for the past two-three weeks, I'm coming around to the oak side. BL seems harder for me to manage in the stove; more fooling with the air supply, etc. to keep the flames going nice. And then there's the smell! Like burning asphalt.
Actually, my favorite so far is sugar maple. Hot, easy to manage, no problems with coals or ash, pretty to look at, nice aroma, I could go on and on.

 

[MofoG23]

Red Oak is my favorite, followed closely by some nice cherry. My mixture this year is 20% oak, 20% cherry and 60% maple....

Next year I'll be closer to 50/50 oak and cherry. I'm already looking forward winter next year...2+ years of seasoning on those stacks.

 

[blazincajun]

Like black locust (BL) and southern/northern red oak (RO) for different reasons.
BL grows much faster and fixes nitrogen - is great for coppice or pollarding for stove wood. Could be a valuable wood source as an agroforesty project. Mature BL burns very well and has good coaling properties.
RO on the other had grows slower. Have always loved the smell of fresh cut RO. Burns great and has good coaling poperties. Local RO is more plentiful down here and his easy to obtain from my wood lot. Andrew

 

[red oak]

Like black locust (BL) and southern/northern red oak (RO) for different reasons.
BL grows much faster and fixes nitrogen - is great for coppice or pollarding for stove wood. Could be a valuable wood source as an agroforesty project. Mature BL burns very well and has good coaling properties.
RO on the other had grows slower. Have always loved the smell of fresh cut RO. Burns great and has good coaling poperties. Local RO is more plentiful down here and his easy to obtain from my wood lot. Andrew

Lots of people do not like the smell of red oak when it's freshly cut or split but I have always loved it. Reminds me of fall and days as a kid getting the woodpile ready. Welcome to the forum by the way!

 

[Richie]

Locust by a long shot. Burns, burns, and burns some more. I have been running full loads of locust and find that it burns real well.

 

[clemsonfor]

I hate the way oak smells!!

 

[Craig S.]

I hate the way oak smells!!

Fresh split its quite unpleasant. I had to stack mine downwind.

 

[BillLion]

They're both excellent firewood but lately, having burned through a stash of BL for the past two-three weeks, I'm coming around to the oak side. BL seems harder for me to manage in the stove; more fooling with the air supply, etc. to keep the flames going nice. And then there's the smell! Like burning asphalt.
Actually, my favorite so far is sugar maple. Hot, easy to manage, no problems with coals or ash, pretty to look at, nice aroma, I could go on and on.

But I love the smell of fresh cut BL!

 

[red oak]

But I love the smell of fresh cut BL!

Really? That smell takes some getting used to for me!