Kentucky firewood

[Creekheat]

Anyone in central Kentucky (lexington, Frankfort, lawrenceburg, versailles, harrodsburg) know a reputable firewood supplier?

 

[Ralphie Boy]

Sorry I'm in Rabbit Hash, Boone County, too far north for you. The few sellers here all ran out of wood this winter! There was a lot of green wood making very little heat while fouling chimneys and the air here this winter. I saw a neighbor drop a smaller black locust on his property, buck and split it and right into the stove it went! I bet he's still waiting for it to light off and burn! Good luck I hope you find a good dealer.

 

[Creekheat]

Sorry I'm in Rabbit Hash, Boone County, too far north for you. The few sellers here all ran out of wood this winter! There was a lot of green wood making very little heat while fouling chimneys and the air here this winter. I saw a neighbor drop a smaller black locust on his property, buck and split it and right into the stove it went! I bet he's still waiting for it to light off and burn! Good luck I hope you find a good dealer.

Im actually in the process of hearth/chimney construction. Havent got the stove yet. Just trying to stay ahead of the game and get wood when i can. Trying to build up a two year supply...

 

[ewdudley]

saw a neighbor drop a smaller black locust on his property, buck and split it and right into the stove it went! I bet he's still waiting for it to light off and bur

Actually locust is one species that can be burnt green correctly in the middle of winter. It starts out much lower in moisture content than most any hardwood, and it builds a bed of coals that will dry out the subsequent splits as they're added. Need to start with a small fire of very thin splits, then add thicker stuff as the coal bed builds.

It does require good draft, plenty of air, and frequent small loadings, plus a lot of the heat goes up the chimney as water vapor, but it is easy enough to get good heat with no smoke.

 

[Jon1270]

Actually locust is one species that can be burnt green correctly in the middle of winter.

Got to disagree with that. It's true that locust has quite low green moisture content compared to most species, but it's still way, way over 20%. Less bad is still bad.

 

[ewdudley]

Not bad at all, just less net heat than waiting a year. You can't argue with success. When burned correctly, going from 100 parts wood to 20 parts water to 100 parts wood to 40 parts water only costs 3.5% more wood on a dry matter basis. Not 100% more, not 50%, not even 10%.


(Stack temperature 175 degC = 350 degF.)

 

[Jon1270]

When burned correctly, going from 100 parts wood to 20 parts water to 100 parts wood to 40 parts water only costs 3.5% more wood on a dry matter basis.

I don't know what this means. Could you clarify?

 

[ewdudley]

I don't know what this means. Could you clarify?

20% MC wood, wet basis, is 10 parts wood, 2 parts water. 40% MC wood (for example, green winter locust) is 10 parts wood 4 parts water. The energy required to convert the extra two parts of water to water vapor and send it up the chimney only amounts to 3.5% of the energy produced by burning the 10 parts of wood. This assumes complete combustion with no smoke, as in the photo.

It can be done, maybe not in a wood stove or [see below] an OWB, but it is fairly easy to burn green winter locust correctly with reasonable efficiency.

 

[Jon1270]

I was guessing something like that. Unfortunately such complete combustion of wood at 40% MC is well nigh impossible in many woodstoves, which makes blanket assertions problematic.

 

[ewdudley]

Unfortunately such complete combustion of wood at 40% MC is well nigh impossible

Behold, the well nigh impossible, 25 March 2014:



"Kentucky firewood": Whatever keeps you warm?

The cat: You know it's time to add more fuel when she's in halfway underneath, headfirst on her belly.

 

[Creekheat]

I dont know about the locust, but i like the shot of Trace...

 

[Woody Stover]

I dont know about the locust, but i like the shot of Trace...

The cat is cool as well, and the Fireview. Fortunately, the scrounge where I get my BL had/has plenty of dead ones on the ground that are already <18%, so I don't have to work that hard to get heat. You gotta do whatcha gotta do, though....

Creekheat, do you scrounge at all? Got a saw? Or are you strictly buying your wood, for now and for the future? How about getting a tree service to drop wood that is cut to your length, and you could split it? Yep, it's a bit of work, I know, but it's kinda fun and addictive....

 

[firefighterjake]

Loving the cat pic.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

We just toured Buffalo Trace Distillery last weekend! Good stuff, especially the Bourbon Cream! $600 for a new white oak barrel, empty that is! Maybe I should be selling my white oak to the barrel makers rather than burning it!

 

[Creekheat]

The cat is cool as well, and the Fireview. Fortunately, the scrounge where I get my BL had/has plenty of dead ones on the ground that are already <18%, so I don't have to work that hard to get heat. You gotta do whatcha gotta do, though....

Creekheat, do you scrounge at all? Got a saw? Or are you strictly buying your wood, for now and for the future? How about getting a tree service to drop wood that is cut to your length, and you could split it? Yep, it's a bit of work, I know, but it's kinda fun and addictive....

Yeah ive got saws and stuff, no splitter yet, first couple years ill buy mostly but plan to cut and split some...