OAK or HICKORY

[trx680]

If you have a choice of burning seasoned Oak or Hickory which would you choose? Any why?

 

[Hasufel]

If you have a choice of burning seasoned Oak or Hickory which would you choose? Any why?

They're close but, if you're talking about wood that's already seasoned, I'd give the edge to oak because it seems to put out more heat. The bigger difference is in the c/s/s stage. Hickory starts going punky almost immediately whereas I found that oak can stay good on the ground for years. Oak is also much easier to split, which is an important factor if you split 100% manually. The big downside of oak is that it takes soooo long to dry out.

 

[jatoxico]

Do I have to process it or just burn it? Oak is easier for me to split (hand). Hickory I have here is tough and tends to twist making splitting a pain. Hickory seems to dry a tad quicker and more reliably too. I don't get those sizzlers from my hickory the way I do with oak.

In the stacks the bugs seem to love the hickory and it rots a bit quicker esp until its split. I like the way hickory burns though but the oak is plenty good stuff when dry.

 

[jatoxico]

They're close but, if you're talking about wood that's already seasoned, I'd give the edge to oak because it seems to put out more heat. The bigger difference is in the c/s/s stage. Hickory starts going punky almost immediately whereas I found that oak can stay good on the ground for years. Oak is also much easier to split, which is an important factor if you split 100% manually. The big downside of oak is that it takes soooo long to dry out.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Great minds Hasufel, great minds!

 

[FaithfulWoodsman]

I'd give the edge to oak because it seems to put out more heat

Yep, same here. Especially white oak.

 

[Stinkpickle]

I don't want to live in a world where I have to choose between the two.

 

[woodsHAM]

Hickory all day long. Shagbark or pignut are the only two in my area.

 

[jatoxico]

Pignut here too. Tough stuff.

 

[toddnic]

I would definitely favor red oak though I do like burning hickory also. I actually like white oak better than either red oak or hickory.

 

[Mark N MO]

"I don't want to live in a world where I have to choose between the two."

Me either. But I prefer red oak. Seems to put out more heat, longer. Also coals much more than hickory. Takes longer to season, but lasts longer once cut and split. That being said, there's oak, hickory, and hedge in the 91 as I type this.

 

[Woody Stover]

I like White Oak but it seems to put out about the same heat as the Pignut I also have. There's a dead standing Shagbark I need to get, it will be fun to finally burn some of that. Red Oak doesn't put out the heat of White or Hickory but it's easier to get it burning so I sometimes stick a split of it in the bottom/front of a new load to kick it off.

 

[Tar12]

They're close but, if you're talking about wood that's already seasoned, I'd give the edge to oak because it seems to put out more heat. The bigger difference is in the c/s/s stage. Hickory starts going punky almost immediately whereas I found that oak can stay good on the ground for years. Oak is also much easier to split, which is an important factor if you split 100% manually. The big downside of oak is that it takes soooo long to dry out.

This! Hickory here once split gets attacked by some type of boring insect and leaves behind piles of wood dust and they will invade your other stacks so for that reason I avoid Hickory...same thing happens with Hackberry and they are both hard to split...so I stick with White Oak,Hedge and Locust whenever possible.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Oaks for the same reasons others have cited. Easier to process, lasts way longer when exposed to the elements, and burns just as hot.

I have found however that 2 year seasoned hickory burns way better than 2 year seasoned oak. After three years, oak all the way.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I like hickory, but i love my oak. I have a ton of white oak, pin oak and other oaks in the shed. I like the oak more because. Insects tend to avoid it more, and i dont get as much ash in my box. I like the grain of oak as well as the smell of it while splitting and it seasoning in the shed. Oak is plentiful here and its about 80% of what i burn. I have a variety of oaks, hickory, black cherry, and some apple.

 

[Sawset]

We use mostly dead and down trees for firewood here. Lots of oak wilt, and dead oaks. Lots of hickory too but very little down. The hickory that is down rots so fast a lot of it's un-usable. And I have a hard time getting it split. So, I guesse if I had a choice I would stick with the oak. Burning - no preference.

 

[lindnova]

I don't ever get hickory, but have a good amount of oak and am enough ahead for it to dry.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I like to have both in my stacks. If I can only have one, it's oak. Oak is the best all-round firewood there is. Makes great kindling too, whereas hickory is not good kindling.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

Do I have to process it or just burn it? Oak is easier for me to split (hand). Hickory I have here is tough and tends to twist making splitting a pain. Hickory seems to dry a tad quicker and more reliably too. I don't get those sizzlers from my hickory the way I do with oak.

In the stacks the bugs seem to love the hickory and it rots a bit quicker esp until its split. I like the way hickory burns though but the oak is plenty good stuff when dry.

Yes, carpenter ants especially, if I leave it on the driveway. I've learned to stack it on pressure treated four x fours.