- Nov 27, 2012
- 0
Question:
Do you know of any research on the best characteristics of wood for use as kindling in terms of wood species, and piece sizes and shapes.
I note the comment in another Q and A about dense southern pine and high heat burning.
Answer:
Dense southern pine does make good kindling, but it also produces quite a bit of smoke because of the high pitch content.
In practice, just about any wood that is very dry will do just fine. This includes cedar cutoffs and other wood from the lumberyard (no pressure treated). If you can get it free or cheap, do it!
Only exception is when you need kindling to ignite coal. Since coal has a very high ignition temperature, it's best to use wood with a good "ember" quality i.e. one that turns into hot red embers and stays that way for a while. Oak and Hickory are two good woods with this quality.
Do you know of any research on the best characteristics of wood for use as kindling in terms of wood species, and piece sizes and shapes.
I note the comment in another Q and A about dense southern pine and high heat burning.
Answer:
Dense southern pine does make good kindling, but it also produces quite a bit of smoke because of the high pitch content.
In practice, just about any wood that is very dry will do just fine. This includes cedar cutoffs and other wood from the lumberyard (no pressure treated). If you can get it free or cheap, do it!
Only exception is when you need kindling to ignite coal. Since coal has a very high ignition temperature, it's best to use wood with a good "ember" quality i.e. one that turns into hot red embers and stays that way for a while. Oak and Hickory are two good woods with this quality.
