Eastern guys

[skinnykid]

I know this has been kicked to death so I just want an opinion.

I have a chance to get a Butt Load of Hemlock for very cheap/free.

Would you grab it and burn it winter of 2009-10?

 

[fossil]

Are you sure it's a full buttload, or is it just a buttface? Rick

 

[Adios Pantalones]

It can have a lot of moisture, but should be dry for then. More BTU's than white pine, to be sure. I would take it if I was you!

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Are you sure it's a full buttload, or is it just a buttface? Rick

Would that be a "full butt-face? of a "face-butt face"??
Are those 4X4X8 too? (Sorry, couldnt resist)

Now, go get that free wood!

 

[Tfin]

Why would anyone NOT take free wood?

 

[skinnykid]

Why would anyone NOT take free wood?

Well, you know what some say, if softwood is burned it could cause problems...

 

[skinnykid]

It can have a lot of moisture, but should be dry for then. More BTU's than white pine, to be sure. I would take it if I was you!

Thanks A.P. I can count on you for good advice. People from Londonderry are not ALL bad! heehee

 

[RedRanger]

Why would anyone NOT take free wood?

Well, you know what some say, if softwood is burned it could cause problems...

Guess I better quit burning then-cause softwood is all we have to burn in these parts :down:

 

[skinnykid]

Why would anyone NOT take free wood?

Well, you know what some say, if softwood is burned it could cause problems...

Guess I better quit burning then-cause softwood is all we have to burn in these parts :down:

You will DIE!!


ok thanks guys

 

[Tfin]

Why would anyone NOT take free wood?

Well, you know what some say, if softwood is burned it could cause problems...

Pish posh.....if its fully seasoned and you have a properly setup stove and chimney you're not going to have any problems. Just ask Rick, I believe he burns pine almost exclusively.

At the very least you could mix it in with your hardwood to make that last longer. Your choice, but if you don't want it I'll come down there and snatch it right up. ;-)

 

[skinnykid]

actually the guy who has it is coming your way in a couple weeks, he is heading to B.C. for a Deer and Bear hunt.

I will tell him to drop some off! ;-)

 

[fossil]

...Well, you know what some say, if softwood is burned it could cause problems...

I will readily admit to having my full complement of "problems"...but none of them are casused by the fact that I burn nothing but softwoods. Rick

 

[d.n.f.]

Request to the moderator.

Could you put a big freaking "Yes you can burn pine/softwoods as long as it is dry" in 200 point Times font on the Forums page so these easterners can stop asking these questions?

Rant over.

Pine/fir/hemlock/cottonwood/etc. is all good to burn as long as it is dry.
We actually pay for loads of pine/fir out here. Weird but true. We laugh at your hardwoods. Hardwoods for hardheads. We just wish we could get some for more btuage.

 

[Joey Jones]

Rule #1 for wood burrners....always accept free wood...it can be used for kindling or mixed with hardwood.....But never turn down free fire wood

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Free BTU's are free BTUs. I'd take it in a moment.

Matt

 

[BrotherBart]

Request to the moderator.

Could you put a big freaking "Yes you can burn pine/softwoods as long as it is dry" in 200 point Times font on the Forums page so these easterners can stop asking these questions?

Rant over.

Pine/fir/hemlock/cottonwood/etc. is all good to burn as long as it is dry.
We actually pay for loads of pine/fir out here. Weird but true. We laugh at your hardwoods. Hardwoods for hardheads. We just wish we could get some for more btuage.

This "Easterner" is just sorry that he only has two more pine trees left to cut and burn after the stacks this year. I am going to put an ad on craigslist telling people to drop their dangerous, creosote laden pine off at the end of my driveway for only half the fee that the landfill charges them. :cheese: VISA and MasterCard accepted.

 

[savageactor7]

Once it's seasoned it's probably no different that Poplar so yeah I'd take it. You can burn that during the time you're in and about the house and save the hardwoods for when you leave the house or overnight burns. Free is always good.

 

[branchburner]

I had the typical east coast bias against burning softwood until I started reading this forum. It's not just that many people consider it "junk wood" because it has fewer BTUs per pound. There seems to be a common misconception that creosote deposits are "caused" by the pitch in softwood. I imagine this idea might come from seeing chimney fires occurring after a load of pitch-laden pine was thrown on the fire, causing a hot flare up to ignite some creosote (and not knowing all that creosote came from burning green hardwood).

You can find cragslist ads almost daily in the northeast for free pine, usually labeled "camp wood" or "bonfire wood" - sometimes it's already seasoned and cut to length. Scroungers take note!

 

[Jclout]

This north eastern scrounger guy says thanks for the note!

 

[skinnykid]

ya, thanks!

 

[Joey Jones]

I burn any free wood I can get...It is BTU'S period... I don't know why poplar is so maligned. It is a deciduous hardwood and much harder than mahogany. Mahogany is as soft as pine. I carve the stuff into sea shells or other intricate furniture designs, and it carves the best out of all the hardwoods. One thing to remember if i may quote Dr. R. Bruce Hoadley, Emertis of U-Mass and sometimes Yale " One pound of pine is equal to one pound of oak for their BTU output... Its just that a cord of pine is much lighter in weight than a cord of seasoned oak....Don't look a gift tree in the mouth.

With this post I am making the assumption (probably wrongly) that if you own a wood stove than you know it's dangers as far a low burning, wet wood burning..etc. I hope you have the tools and know how to clean your chimney...That is what makes or breaks a wood burner... Get up there every 2 weeks until you know the burn deposits and the effect it does deposit on your chimney, with your burn habits.. After you are satisfied that your chimney is OK ...then maybe go up there one a month. You will needs ladders and 3/8" fiberglass rods and brushes for this simple exercise. These brushes are either poly or steel and I have one of each at $8-9 apiece.

Just because you have mastered your stove burning do not forget the hardest part of stove maintenance is chimney cleaning. Chimney fires can kill you and your family and burn down your house...so if you cannot do it yourself, buy all means hire a pro... Just a happy reminder to all the new wood burners this year...Remember your take care of your stove and it will take care of you.

 

[branchburner]

One pound of pine is equal to one pound of oak for their BTU output... Its just that a cord of pine is much lighter in weight than a cord of seasoned oak.

Right, that's what I meant to say in my earlier post - I was thinking fewer BTUs per volume, but I said fewer BTUs per weight. Pine may even have slightly more BTUs due to the pitch content.

I agree that your chimney must be top priority. The stove is what you look at, and you show off, and you feed, and you tell "thanks for keeping me warm." The chimney is sometimes what you don't see, and you don't think about, but you need to treat it like a baby tell it "thanks for keeping me alive."

 

[skinnykid]

Well it looks like I will indeed hook up with that Hemlock. Thanks to all that gave opinions. Now I have a bunch of white and black birch and hemlock to start the 2009-10 season. My G/F is pleased with the wood stove so far and how it heats.

But the coldest it has been is 37, we will see in the dead of winter how it keeps up

 

[DiscoInferno]

It can have a lot of moisture, but should be dry for then. More BTU's than white pine, to be sure. I would take it if I was you!

The hemlock I burn in MI is definitely denser than white pine. But I picked up some hemlock in MD this year, and now that it's dry it's like balsa wood. Huge growth rings. I'd say the white pine I picked up a few years ago (and still have a couple logs of) is denser. But no matter - burn, it will.

 

[Joey Jones]

If it is wood, it will burn....you just may want to keep an eye on your chimney