Can you burn
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johnnywarm said:
John,
if you do a quick search, there have been numerous threads on this topic. Bottom line Yes, they are worth while.
Yes. And if they are free, even better.
(You can even burn pine!) And if it's free, even better!
Matt
(You can even burn pine!) And if it's free, even better!
Matt
This sounds great. I did do a little search but thought since its sunday and snowing it would make me and others feel warm talking about burning free wood.
John
John
6 months minimum to get 50 % of the sap out. 1 year to get another 30% out.
Most people will season 1 year if they can & 9 months ,if they can't.
Burning 6 month wood seems to be a desperation measure & it should be mixxed in with some 1 year well seasoned wood.
Many people season 2 or even 3 years, if they can.
The key is to have a couple of wood sheds that keep the wood dry for long term storage.
I have 3 and 1/2 wood sheds. The 1/2 is a shed that is 1/2 wood & 1/2 outdoor power equipment.
Keep wood stacks well away from your car. Wood stacks tend to fall over, all by themselves & will do a job on your car fender. So keep anything nice well away from the wood pile.
I had 3 wood pile colapes, so far ,this year. No damage , but a lot of 200 pick me up.
I think this has a lot 2 do with being stacked over 4 ft high. Its always my 7 foot stacks that fall.
Start cutting & splitting in april, so you can be done with outside drying the wood in sept or oct & get it inside to dry storage.
That will give you 6 or 7 month seasoned wood, when brought inside to dry storage, that will burn nicely in feb & march, being 1 yr old by then.
It is better to have nicly seasoned wood left over from the year before, if you can plan for it
& manage it.
It takes a couple of years to get the hang of managing a wood pile properly & there are several different ways of drying out the wood.
For outside summertime drying ,most people cover the top of the pile while leaving the ends & sides exposed.
Many start the wood pile on pallets, so as to keep the bottom logs out of contact with the grass or dirt , thus stopping mold & mildew and ground water wetness & rot.
The pallet may rot, but your logs won't.
Most people will season 1 year if they can & 9 months ,if they can't.
Burning 6 month wood seems to be a desperation measure & it should be mixxed in with some 1 year well seasoned wood.
Many people season 2 or even 3 years, if they can.
The key is to have a couple of wood sheds that keep the wood dry for long term storage.
I have 3 and 1/2 wood sheds. The 1/2 is a shed that is 1/2 wood & 1/2 outdoor power equipment.
Keep wood stacks well away from your car. Wood stacks tend to fall over, all by themselves & will do a job on your car fender. So keep anything nice well away from the wood pile.
I had 3 wood pile colapes, so far ,this year. No damage , but a lot of 200 pick me up.
I think this has a lot 2 do with being stacked over 4 ft high. Its always my 7 foot stacks that fall.
Start cutting & splitting in april, so you can be done with outside drying the wood in sept or oct & get it inside to dry storage.
That will give you 6 or 7 month seasoned wood, when brought inside to dry storage, that will burn nicely in feb & march, being 1 yr old by then.
It is better to have nicly seasoned wood left over from the year before, if you can plan for it
& manage it.
It takes a couple of years to get the hang of managing a wood pile properly & there are several different ways of drying out the wood.
For outside summertime drying ,most people cover the top of the pile while leaving the ends & sides exposed.
Many start the wood pile on pallets, so as to keep the bottom logs out of contact with the grass or dirt , thus stopping mold & mildew and ground water wetness & rot.
The pallet may rot, but your logs won't.
Our stove downstairs is presently consuming a load of Poplar and Manitoba maple. Our house is a comfy 20 degrees right now, and it's -17 outside right now.
:coolsmile:
:coolsmile:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoba_MapleEatenByLimestone said:
This article doesn't give the BTU's, but gives some info on the tree.
You need to be more specific than "maple." Sugar maple is a nice hardwood, others like silver maple aren't much better than willow or boxelder. Mind you I burn plenty of silver maple, boxelder, and willow, because people are always giving that away. As they say, any kind of wood burns. If it isn't too much trouble, take it. On the plus side, the lighter (fluffier 
) woods are at least very easy to split, and very light to carry when they are dry.
) woods are at least very easy to split, and very light to carry when they are dry.
Some Like It Hot said:You need to be more specific than "maple." Sugar maple is a nice hardwood, others like silver maple aren't much better than willow or boxelder. Mind you I burn plenty of silver maple, boxelder, and willow, because people are always giving that away. As they say, any kind of wood burns. If it isn't too much trouble, take it. On the plus side, the lighter (fluffier
Do the lighter woods burn faster with less heat??
I'm burning 3-yr seasoned maple this year and it's working out great. Heavy wood, burns slow and hot. But it kills me to see the beautiful flamey figure in the splits before I load them. That tree should have been cut for furniture lumber, not firewood.
.[/quote]Do the lighter woods burn faster with less heat??[/quote]
Yes. But that's not always a bad thing. I always keep some for those days you just want to get the damp off yer' bones, without having to open the windows in the house. Or, mix it in with something harder with a higher BTU value.
Yes. But that's not always a bad thing. I always keep some for those days you just want to get the damp off yer' bones, without having to open the windows in the house. Or, mix it in with something harder with a higher BTU value.
Yep, that wood can be just right for fall and spring days. It's warmed up a little here, low 40's, so I'm burning up a batch of hemlock. Not my favorite wood at all. Stuff is slow to burn and comparatively lower heat. But it was free, so burn we will.
Poplar, once it's seasoned (18 months or so) burns very quickly, but very hot. It's great for getting the initial stack temp up the stove will be putting off some serious short term heat. You'll be reloading 30 minutes later, but it's better than nothing.
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