Wood Preference

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Beardog

Member
Jan 13, 2011
219
NW CT
Sitting on 3, maybe 4, years of wood that is cut and stacked right now and am just about out of space. Have the opportunity for some more wood, locust, oak and hickory. Taken out 2 loads of locust, have room for maybe one more. Question is, which would you go for, the oak, hickory or locust? All are in the same location and all will sit outside split and stacked for some time. Need to build a woodshed!
 
Never burned locust, knowingly. Love hickory for the coldest nights. It seems to burn a little longer than oak, but that may be in the (my) seasoning. Oak ultra dry - hickory purtydangdry.
 
Throw a split of each up into the air, which ever bounces higher is the species I'd go with.
 
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locust..season in half the time...and in my opinion best wood to burn when it gets cold
 
If it is Black Locust that is what I'd choose because it rots very little. Second oak, then hickory last because it is the most likely to rot. If you stack them and keep them off the ground any of the three should last a long time, but since you asked, I chose. I am assuming all are equally easy to reach. If there is a difference in how easy they are to reach or if one is straghter than another I'd take the easiest wood first.
 
Okay, I know no one likes a wise guy so my attempt at humor failed. I'd pick the locust 1st, dries faster, straight splits, burns very very hot.
 
Sitting on 3, maybe 4, years of wood that is cut and stacked right now and am just about out of space. Have the opportunity for some more wood, locust, oak and hickory. Taken out 2 loads of locust, have room for maybe one more. Question is, which would you go for, the oak, hickory or locust? All are in the same location and all will sit outside split and stacked for some time. Need to build a woodshed!
If I had a choice between the three, and we were talking about heating, it'd be locust. Hands-down. Now if we was talking about heating AND cooking, then it'd be hickory and locust. don't get me wrong, I love burning oak. It just takes forever to season, and hickory takes almost just as long.
 
I would take locust first because for me that is what seems to throw the most heat and burn the longest. Just be sure to mix it in with other wood. Never fill the stove with just locust or you might melt it:eek:
 
It really depends upon if you will have a future opportunity to get the rest of it. Black locust, post oak and the red oaks tend to last a very long time when in contact with the ground. So I would leave them behind IF you can come back to it.

If this source of wood will permanently dry up I would take the locust and if there is a substantial amount of hickory I would try to market it. It goes for a premium at restaurants. With the money earned I would build a wood shed.
 
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Re-read Scotty's post.
 
Thanks guys. I think I'll keep working on the locust and try to feet some hickory for cooking.
 
Chimney sweep btu chart:
Hickory, SB . . 25.3 Mil BTU/cord
Hickory , Pig. 23.7 " "
Honey locust.... 23.7 Mil BTU/cord
Black locust .....23.2 " "

I go with the Shag Bark Hickory. (2.1 million BTU more per cord)
Multi use heat & cooking, more BTUs :)

PS: "White Oak" is more BTU/cord than locust on the chart. (24.2 MBTU/cord)

Hard to get a true BTU comparison. This was the only chart I found with both woods tested & on the same chart.
Seems different areas have different wood densities. (or different methods to calculate BTU)
http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm

But in Alaska, I have birch & spruce.
So you guys with a big variety can probably answer the question better.
I used math from a known chart. :)

Why is locust so much better than hickory?

wodbtu1.jpg
 
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