Peeler cores?

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MTDave

Member
Feb 23, 2019
13
NW Montana
Anyone use peeler cores for firewood? I bought about a cord's worth. They burn with some real intensity, though will put off black smoke. Thinking I may need to clean the chimney once every couple of months if I stick with them.
 
I haven't, but I don't see why they wouldn't make good firewood. Do you know what species they are? If they are pine they could produce some soot, especially if they aren't completely dry.

As long as you're not referring to pressure treated peeler cores that are used as fence posts, those should never be used as firewood.
 
I haven't, but I don't see why they wouldn't make good firewood. Do you know what species they are? If they are pine they could produce some soot, especially if they aren't completely dry.

As long as you're not referring to pressure treated peeler cores that are used as fence posts, those should never be used as firewood.

Not pressure treated, they are pine: the heart of the tree left over from manufacturing plywood. Dry and burn like the dickens. Pretty much have to choke off air supply or stove gets crazy hot.
 
My uncle up in Northern Quebec had a veneer mill in his town. Veneer cores was all he burnt. In order to slice veneer the wood has to be steamed so the wood would be wet but I expect it would dry quicker with no bark. This was long before my family burned wood so I didnt go into the details of his wood supply but remember his boiler was an automatic stoker fed design. It had a slanted horizontal chute that was about 8' long off to the side of the boiler. He would load the cores up in the chute in the AM and then when the boiler needed more wood, a flap would open on the firebox and a log would advance in the chute and drop in the firebox and then the flap would close.
 
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