Gotta love locust!!

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lopiliberty

lopiliberty

Minister of Fire
Oct 7, 2011
961
WV
Since the beginning of the season I've been burning mostly locust with some oak mixed in here and there. Everyone I know says "my god don't fill the stove up with locust you're going to melt it" Well I've found a full load of locust is a lot easier to control than a load of oak or oak and locust mixed. The locust is fairly large 3 to 5 pieces usually fill the stove up. With a full load of locust it takes a little longer to get rolling but once it gets going it burns forever. It doesn't give the light show other wood does but burn times are better than any light show. I'm getting 12+ hours on a full stove loaded N/S. Should have gotten the nerve to do full locust load long ago.
 
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I actually like the light show of locust. I get little blue whispy flames that last a few hours. I have about 2 cords of it that I only burn on occasion.
 
I burn a lot of locust and I'm with u lopiliberty, it is a great wood lasts forever in the stove. the last few years that is about the only wood I have been processing and burning. I have loaded up both my Summit and Kuma wth no issues and at my old house my Oslo 500 all he time. It does burn hot but easy to control, best firewood to get in my opinion.
 
Black or Honeylocust? As long as you have good air control on your stove, Locust isn't a problem. Might be a little harder to control in a tube stove where more air is allowed into the box, I don't know.
I have cords of BL, and a couple more BL and Honey trees to get from neighbors, but I haven't really burned much of it yet. Red Oak and Cherry have been my mainstays, with White Oak, Pignut Hickory and Dogwood in the on-deck circle in case it gets cold and windy. I've had some Hedge rounds sitting out there for years that I never split and stacked, maybe 1/3 cord. One day I will check it out..if I can even split it after all these years! ;lol
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Woody Stover said:
Might be a little harder to control in a tube stove where more air is allowed into the box..
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Not really a problem. Burns a bit hotter than doug fir, but that is part of why I like it. I save this stash for the very cold days.
 
That stuff is like the biblical burning bush...it is aflame but is not consumed. >>
 
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All this hot-stove talk made me realize that it has dropped to 69 in here..fire in the hole! :)
HotLoad.JPG
 
I have 39 acres here in the North Carolina mountains and I burn a lot of locust. Best firewood available.
The blight hit 15 years ago and killed all the locust trees. I have got dozens of them, that died ten years ago but are still standing.
Even the ones that fell over, usually when you cut 'em up they run about 17 percent moisture. The standing ones run less than that, I have seen dead standing at 11 percent.
Locust runs about 29 million BTU/cord, there is hardly a better firewood available in the US, certainly nothing near here.
I mostly burn black walnut with some oak, I save the locust for the last logs at 11 pm and for the 4 am reload.
 
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Quite honestly I wasn't aware black locust ranked above oak in the BTU charts. Not to mention it seasons twice as fast. Maybe I'll hold my stash that I've yet to burn a bit more dear.
 
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My dad burned locust exclusively a few years when I lived at home.

I remember lots of shooting sparks on reloads. Is that a problem for everyone here? I remember it being bad enough that I would hesitate to burn it in my living room insert.
 
venator260 said:
My dad burned locust exclusively a few years when I lived at home.

I remember lots of shooting sparks on reloads. Is that a problem for everyone here? I remember it being bad enough that I would hesitate to burn it in my living room insert.
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I get a lot of sparks when a stir up a coal bed from an all locust load. After the stove is loaded and the door shut I get a ton of sparks as the wood starts to char. Sometimes is enough that if I go outside I can see them coming from the flue
 
Riddlefiddle said:
I'm burning maple now and have a ton of cherry seasoning for next year. What size splits are best for burning?
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My experience with maple is it seems to always result in a run away stove. I had 2 large maple splits in with the locust the other night and with the flue damper closed and the air control all the way closed and the fan on medium low the stove was setting at 780 and I know darn well it was the maple. I think it off gas more quickly. Can't comment on the cherry because I never get my hands on any of that.
 
Locust can spark pretty good, you have to watch when reloading or stirring coals around. But if you know what is coming it's no big deal. The little blue flame you get from it when burning is pretty cool to.
 
lopiliberty said:
My experience with maple is it seems to always result in a run away stove.
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Riddlefiddle said:
Good info. Seems like no matter what size split I use orthe stove seems to run hotter than I want it too with maple. Guess i will try loading with less wood.
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You guys talking about soft Maple or Sugar? Soft Maple will gas faster.
 
Riddlefiddle said:
I'm burning maple now and have a ton of cherry seasoning for next year. What size splits are best for burning?
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I keep my splits small (3-6") but I have a small stove. I love cherry and the coaling stages of the fruit trees. They crumble down into a nice flat bed of coals to re-load on. Locust has the strangest coals of any wood I have ever burned. Maple and cherry both smell awesome too.
 
lopiliberty said:
I get a lot of sparks when a stir up a coal bed from an all locust load. After the stove is loaded and the door shut I get a ton of sparks as the wood starts to char. Sometimes is enough that if I go outside I can see them coming from the flue
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heavy hammer said:
Locust can spark pretty good, you have to watch when reloading or stirring coals around. But if you know what is coming it's no big deal. The little blue flame you get from it when burning is pretty cool to.
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Interesting. Good information.

I've been burning ash for so long and so exclusively due to the EAB and owning acreage that includes a creek bottom, that I almost forget what it's like to burn anything else. I certainly haven't burned but a few loads of anything but ash in any EPA stove. Currently though, there's not a whole lot left that's worth anything outside of what I already have stashed.
 
venator260 said:
I've been burning ash for so long and so exclusively due to the EAB..there's not a whole lot left that's worth anything outside of what I already have stashed.
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We are just getting rolling here with the EAB. All I've seen here is White Ash..not sure if we have Green or not. If yours has been White, how long can you leave 'em standing before they go to hell? I've been watching a couple dead ones, and they have each dropped one limb. Is the rest of the wood in those still OK do you think?
 
LocustPocust said:
The newer more efficient stoves seem to handle Locust better than the older stoves.
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How is it in the mighty 91? You getting some looooong burns?
Why not proudly put the 91 in your signature? ==c
 
According to Chimneysweeponline.com: Hedge is King of BTU's. Locust is below White Oak but better than Red Oak.



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