I've heard the tales of the almighty Oak and Locust, but never experienced it until last night.
Normally i burn lots of Elm, Ash, and Sugar Maple because those are very abundant where we cut firewood (mostly standing dead). No slouches in their own right...
Well, last fall i got a hold of some Red Oak that had been dead/down for numerous years (maybe 7-10 years). I C/S/S the non-punky stuff (there wasn't much punk) and got about 1/2 cord. I also got about a cord of Black Locust that was cut for power line line clearing that had been down for a few years. Again, I C/S/S right around the same time as the Oak.
Last night i decided to see how they would burn, so I filled the stove about half way with uglies from the Oak and Black Locust score on top of a decent bed of coals from the usual Elm/Ash mix. DAYUM! I am psyched for the dead of winter! The Oak was probably not quite ready, but with the Locust in the mix... got the stove top cruising around 550*F and it stayed there for a solid 2+ hours! And it wasn't even fully loaded or full splits! It messed up my reload timing and I ended up going to bed without reloading (decide to let the NG furnace cover my back as it isn't too cold here yet).
I now believe the hype!
Normally i burn lots of Elm, Ash, and Sugar Maple because those are very abundant where we cut firewood (mostly standing dead). No slouches in their own right...
Well, last fall i got a hold of some Red Oak that had been dead/down for numerous years (maybe 7-10 years). I C/S/S the non-punky stuff (there wasn't much punk) and got about 1/2 cord. I also got about a cord of Black Locust that was cut for power line line clearing that had been down for a few years. Again, I C/S/S right around the same time as the Oak.
Last night i decided to see how they would burn, so I filled the stove about half way with uglies from the Oak and Black Locust score on top of a decent bed of coals from the usual Elm/Ash mix. DAYUM! I am psyched for the dead of winter! The Oak was probably not quite ready, but with the Locust in the mix... got the stove top cruising around 550*F and it stayed there for a solid 2+ hours! And it wasn't even fully loaded or full splits! It messed up my reload timing and I ended up going to bed without reloading (decide to let the NG furnace cover my back as it isn't too cold here yet).
I now believe the hype!