Burning Hedge

[walhondingnashua]

I have a buddy with a bunch of hedge (osage orange) all over his farm. Some of it is already cut down, but many, and I mean many, trees still standing. Basically I can cut as much of it as I want for several years to come. I know it is super hard and my grandpa always said it was like locust... but better at everything locust is good for.

Does anyone have any experience with burning it? I already know its hell to split but what about things like seasoning time and btus? Google has information but nothing as good as hearing from people with experience. Any information would be appreciated.

 

[begreen]

It is considered the premium firewood with the highest btu content. You are lucky to have it available.

 

[tigeroak]

I cut and keep about 2 cord on hand and only use when below 0. It will eat a chain ,dry wood, make you think you ran it through gravel after just one tank- so check after each fill up. About 12 - 18 months after it is split and will be ready. Cut all you can get and store it. Around here the fence post made out of it will wear out 2 holes. I split all mine by hand and splits good green. BTU you will not find anything hotter and lasts in stove. Do not fill stove up with it unless you have a newer stove. I just use about 1/2 load hedge and 1/2 something else. The only bad thing about it if you poke it, it will fight back. You will think the whole states 4th of July went off in your house. They will throw sparks about 10-12 feet, ask me how I know . Burn a couple splits outside so you can see what I say about the sparks.

 

[walhondingnashua]

I cut and keep about 2 cord on hand and only use when below 0. It will eat a chain ,dry wood, make you think you ran it through gravel after just one tank- so check after each fill up. About 12 - 18 months after it is split and will be ready. Cut all you can get and store it. Around here the fence post made out of it will wear out 2 holes. I split all mine by hand and splits good green. BTU you will not find anything hotter and lasts in stove. Do not fill stove up with it unless you have a newer stove. I just use about 1/2 load hedge and 1/2 something else. The only bad thing about it if you poke it, it will fight back. You will think the whole states 4th of July went off in your house. They will throw sparks about 10-12 feet, ask me how I know . Burn a couple splits outside so you can see what I say about the sparks.

Great advise to burn some outside first...

 

[Woody5506]

Never burned it, but I've had plenty of experience (good and bad) with locusts of all sort and have come to the conclusion I won't burn any more without seasoning at least 3 years. I assume Hedge would require about the same, if you want the moisture content 20% or less.

 

[David.Ervin]

Everything @tigeroak said is accurate. It heats like a beast, but eats chains and explosively throws sparks, even from coals. I burned a full load of it exactly once and won't make that mistake again. The stove survived, but I was opening windows to vent some heat in the dead of winter.

 

[walhondingnashua]

I think I will be keeping this in its own stack and make sure I supplement loads with it.

 

[tigeroak]

I think I will be keeping this in its own stack and make sure I supplement loads with it.

That is what I do is put it in a rack my itself. Again get it split and the dry time chart I go by says 12 months but I like it better 18 months. If you find any dead get it and it will be ready this fall. I have top covered racks for all my wood. I have some at least 5 years old. When ever I need hedge I go to a buddy that has miles of hedge and I get what I need. He has one 40 acre field that has it on 3 sides.

 

[tigeroak]

Everything @tigeroak said is accurate. It heats like a beast, but eats chains and explosively throws sparks, even from coals. I burned a full load of it exactly once and won't make that mistake again. The stove survived, but I was opening windows to vent some heat in the dead of winter.

I did that with a barrel stove one time a few years ago. When it cooled the stove looked as if someone beat it in, had wrinkles all over. Never made that mistake again.

 

[Woody Stover]

I split all mine by hand and splits good green.

I already know its hell to split

Uh-oh. I've got about a third cord that has been sitting in rounds for years. Is it still going to be tough splitting, even with a power splitter?
Never burned any yet, but I will mix it.

 

[JimBear]

Uh-oh. I've got about a third cord that has been sitting in rounds for years. Is it still going to be tough splitting, even with a power splitter?
Never burned any yet, but I will mix it.

It will split fine, especially if you are using a powered splitter. I have some hedge posts that vary from 5 yr - 40yr old. I split the straight grained ones with my Fiskars & use my splitter on the knotty ones.

 

[Soundchasm]

I didn't have any trouble splitting it with a 5-ton electric. HOWEVER, for some reason I was compelled to split a 2" branch. That thing began to bend like a long bow, and then kapow, without warning, shot out of the splitter and into the next county, missing my noggin' by a few inches!! I think I heard a sonic boom...

I have a small stack where I add a few pieces around zero degrees.

HOWEVER, I would not want a steady diet of it. That stuff will do anything when you open the door, with a small chance it will be uneventful. Splits will burn like a 4th of July fountain cone. And if you open the door and the air hits it, look out.

Opening the stove door is like staring across a chess board looking across at Bobby Fisher or Deep Blue, or better yet, you're getting ready to draw on Wyatt Earp. Something is going to happen, but you don't know what! ;-) I recall staring the stove down for a while, and when I open the door, there went sparks EVERYWHERE. To the left, right and behind me. How'd they get behind me??

I refer to that event as what the big bang must have looked when the universe was created.

I'm plenty happy with oak, sugar maple, honey locust, black locust and some hickory. Use it in good health, but it's a hornet and not a honeybee.

 

[Soundchasm]

This is not the best it can do. Go to 45 seconds and watch to 1:15. This is just one split on coals.

NEVER, EVER in a fireplace.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[heavy hammer]

Save it for cold over night burns. I burn a lot of locust and osage orange, season it and wait for a cold night. I usually keep some larger rounds for night burns and for long days being away from the house. It does spark a lot wait for the stove to be burned down before opening the door or be ready for the sparks. Where in Ohio are you locate?

 

[osagebow]

If you have a ton to choose from, look at the bark pattern for grain clues for straightish grain trees. Osage often twists or snakes back and forth, this can make it entertaining to split and stack. Your buddy might look into selling some fenceposts or bow staves. Staves with snakey character are highly coveted. I like to cear branches up with a machete or hatchet before going in for the kill. Those thorns'll getcha.
Not one of mine, but this gives you the idea

 

[walhondingnashua]

I am in Southeastern Ohio in the Cambridge area. There really is hedge all over the place here. It is not hard to come by if you are looking for it.

I have researched the bow making qualities and actually have plans of making a bow or two once my garage/ shop is built.

 

[heavy hammer]

I'm up in north east Ohio, about a half hour east from Cleveland by the lake. Locust and hedge seem to be a pretty popular tree in the state. Most people want nothing to do with it unless they burn. If it were me I would take everything i could. They will take a long time to rot. Split them and stack it and let it dry for years to come. I have four and five year old locust in my stacks I use for the real long cold nights and I still have locust, and hedge logs off the ground that are three to fours year old. Hard as a rock. I get a lot of mine from farmers clearing old fence rows that don't want it. They get their lot cleared and I get free wood. It is better than watching them cut it down into piles and just burning it.

 

[heavy hammer]

I have a truck load of this in my woods still in these giant rounds three plus years old. You can always mix it in with other stuff during the burn season if worried about getting to much heat.

 

[Kevin Weis]

Mulberry, another "hedge" will spark worse that Osage Orange. Let a little air get to it after it's well ignited and your off to the races. Sometimes even in a slow burn through the cat you'll get some of that.

 

[walhondingnashua]

My buddy hates it all over his farm. It grows like brush all over the place and is happy to see it all go. Going to get a load this weekend even though it will be raining.

 

[Soundchasm]

My buddy hates it all over his farm. It grows like brush all over the place and is happy to see it all go. Going to get a load this weekend even though it will be raining.

Hey, I just noticed your handle. Do you own a Nashua? I've got one from 1979. It's a beast. I can't possibly run it the way it was designed to be run. I'd be cooked. ;-)

 

[walhondingnashua]

Mine is from '79 as well. It was my grandfathers and he took good care of it. I have it in my finished (well intended to be) basement. Gives me good axillary heat for the upstairs but I cook people out of the basement regardless of the temperature outside.

 

[Soundchasm]

Mine is from '79 as well. It was my grandfathers and he took good care of it. I have it in my finished (well intended to be) basement. Gives me good auxiliary heat for the upstairs but I cook people out of the basement regardless of the temperature outside.

NO KIDDING!! Above four splits and here comes 90 degrees unless it's below 10 degrees.

Quick story. Had a carpet cleaning appt. Temp dropped below 0 overnight. It was 4 degrees when he showed up. His truck was frozen. He went back to get his other truck, came back and it worked. With the walkout basement door wide open to the outside I put 5-6 splits in the stove and opened the air.

It was absolutely comfortable down there. ;-) That was a walk in the park for that thing.

I'd probably seen pot belly stoves on TV when I moved in, but never a real stove. What somebody before did was attach venting to both air outlets and run it upstairs to a floor vent. I took it off before I ever realized how smart that was, years later.

Last tidbit. I remember watching a commercial where somebody put a 1/4 of dynamite into a stove, fuse lit, blows up, and nothing happened. Turns out it was our Nashuas!!

And the original fan is just fine. My Jotul had fan problems after five years. If it ain't broke, eh???

 

[heavy hammer]

this was yesterday's score 5 truck loads with one more waiting at the bottom of this hill I just need it to dry out enough to get the truck there. The 660 got put to some use as well.

 

[walhondingnashua]

I have heard of that commercial. I have no idea where my grandpa got it from. Might have even bought it new. It has the glass window and it has been turned into a functional show-piece in the basement. I wish the fire box was a little bigger but it makes really good heat for its size and with the right wood, I have plenty of coals in the morning after 8 hours.

I am going to get a load of hedge this week. I will post pictures.