All around, lets say you have to cut, and split, stack and then reap the burning rewards, what's your favorite firewood and why?
What's your favorite firewood?
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wg_bent
Minister of Fire
GotWood?
Member
Beech cuts easy, splits easy, dries fast and burns long and clean. Red oak splits easy and burns long.
Of course the truth of the matter is that red oak burns most around here because the tornado that touched down in the yard blew a bunch of my beautiful red oaks down.
Glad the monster beechs just stood there and took it on.
Of course the truth of the matter is that red oak burns most around here because the tornado that touched down in the yard blew a bunch of my beautiful red oaks down.
Glad the monster beechs just stood there and took it on.
stoveguy2esw
Minister of Fire
red oak, why , cause its all over around here and it splits easy, burns all night , and even when its seasoned out its heavy so you know its gonna stay in the stove for a while
Brother Bart, I know Eric is a beech fan. I don't have access to much so I'm not too familiar with it. Red oak is king here where I live on Oaklands Rd on Oaklands Hill. It does split easy, it burns forever, it last forever stacked, and it smells great when you cut or split it. Warren, love apple too, but its a PITA to cut generally. But man when you burn it it just cooks and it smells so good. I often throw a little in at start up or refuel like its a New England outdoor air freshener just anyone who smells a little smoke says "yum" instead of GD wood burners! 
jpl1nh said:
Having access to acres of Beech that needs to be removed kinda slants Erics preference I would bet. But the bit that I have burned off of this place was great firewood.
hardwood715
Feeling the Heat
Maple, Oak, and the pine from Warren , But I love the smell of the cedar that I score from my brother in law, burns hot, but smells good!
I've got a dead Cedar in the woods that I haven't cut down. Sounds like I should huh? I've heard they smell great when you burn them. I have a lot of hemlock here too. Sometimes I bring in some green wet hemlock and just leave it near enough to the stove that it warms up. It's like a air freshener, makes the whole house smell great. What type of maple are you talkin about hardwood?
hardwood715
Feeling the Heat
I scored a Norwegian Maple from my neighbor 2 years ago, last year I burned some of it, but it was still a little wet, this year it should cook well. We have lots of maple around here, Solid Rock maple I call it, its a real HARD wood! The cedar burns great. My Brother in Law has lots of dead standing small cedars, that have that red core to them. They burn hot so I chuck a couple small rounds on hot coals to get the fire going again.
MrGriz
New Member
As long as it's free it's going in!
My local favorite would be oak, but I do like elm (sorry Warren) also. This year will be a mixed bag of box elder, pine, maple, elm, cherry, walnut and a few that I'm not sure about but they're dry and ready to go.
My local favorite would be oak, but I do like elm (sorry Warren) also. This year will be a mixed bag of box elder, pine, maple, elm, cherry, walnut and a few that I'm not sure about but they're dry and ready to go.
myzamboni
Minister of Fire
I like Almond. Burns almost as long as oak, and is more of a renewable resource around here. The Central Valeey in Cali if full of almond orchards and the trees harvestable lifespan is limited, so new trees have to be planted. Most of the oak around is is gigantic Live Oak, is very majestic, disappearing in numbers, and a shame to cut just for burning.
Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
How does almond smell when you burn it? I would imagine it has a nice fragrance. does it split well? Also you bring up a great point renewable etc. Forester friend of mine made one of those "duh" points once about not cutting trees from your own property if you didn't need to. I use only stuff that dies from the woods around my house and get a lot of my wood from scrounges and a tree service friend of mine. Makes sense to use what's readily available and plentiful. If someones cutting it down it might as well get put to good use.myzamboni said:
ChrisN
Feeling the Heat
1. Ash - spilts easy, naturally dryer than other hardwoods, lots of btu's. 2. Shagbark Hickory: splits pretty good, burns best of any wood I've tried. 3. Oak (red or white, I don't know it makes much diff) Lots of it around, splits okay, after a year of drying burns well. 4. Maple, splits very easily, a bit long to dry, and dries lighter than the previous listed woods.
myzamboni
Minister of Fire
jpl1nh said:
It smells good. It splits just a little easier than oak, but you run into alot more crotch pieces/uglies as the trees are not as tall and lots or branching out equals lots of almonds for the farmers.
Gooserider
Mod Emeritus
1st choice - free
2nd choice - cheap
I get more of #2 than I do of #1, just because I don't think I can get enough scrounge wood on my motorcycle to make it worth while (or the GF's Caravan for that matter) so I pay for log length. So far the log length I've gotten has all been Oak, mostly red.
Of my wood varieties I'd say Oak is the best, not sure I've ever had ash, maple is OK, and so is elm, most of the rest I just mix in w/o worrying that much about the variety as I don't get enough to matter.
Gooserider
2nd choice - cheap
I get more of #2 than I do of #1, just because I don't think I can get enough scrounge wood on my motorcycle to make it worth while (or the GF's Caravan for that matter) so I pay for log length. So far the log length I've gotten has all been Oak, mostly red.
Of my wood varieties I'd say Oak is the best, not sure I've ever had ash, maple is OK, and so is elm, most of the rest I just mix in w/o worrying that much about the variety as I don't get enough to matter.
Gooserider
DiscoInferno
Minister of Fire
Black locust; super dense, easy to split, and seems to be my best overnight wood. Also somewhat hard to come by around here. White oak and hickory are close seconds. For fragrance I like ash.
11 Bravo
New Member
No doubt about it.............Red Oak for me. Love the way it splits all the way through and with a maul or wedge one can shape the splits as they go along.
My favorite overall wood to obtain is Mulberry. It is my favorite smoking wood for beer can chicken and an entertaining firewood to watch in the stove.
Since I get my wood for free my number 2 would be any round that is 3-6" in diameter so I only have to cut haul and stack.
Since I get my wood for free my number 2 would be any round that is 3-6" in diameter so I only have to cut haul and stack.
njtomatoguy
Feeling the Heat
Free Oak
Frre Cherry
Free Elm
Free maple
Oak- lasts in the stove
Cherry- Nice smell
Elm- Solid, heavy, easy to get
Maple- Maple Shade, NJ. Every prpoperty has/or had a maple tree.
Frre Cherry
Free Elm
Free maple
Oak- lasts in the stove
Cherry- Nice smell
Elm- Solid, heavy, easy to get
Maple- Maple Shade, NJ. Every prpoperty has/or had a maple tree.
ourhouse
Minister of Fire
laynes69
Minister of Fire
Black locust, its harder than hell and spilts easily. Burns forever and is my main source of wood. Oak is second, splits easily and burns good. Of course I do like standing dead elm also. Its the easiest to process, cut and throw it in the furnace.
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