Anybody burning this that can report on burning characteristics? I can scarf some up some close to me that have fallen dead. But I've heard that I shouldn't bother. Heard also that splitting it is nightmarish. Any thoughts welcomed. Kevin
Sycamore
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I burn quite a lot of sycamore and have no problem with it at all. It seasons quite quickly and burns well. It does not burn as long as oak of course. Splitting straight bits is no problem but like any wood it is tough to split when there are forks. I believe It is a member of the maple family. I would never turn away free sycamore. Why don't you try burning some?
Edit to add:
It seems the American Sycamore may be a completely different tree to the European Sycamore so my comments may be misleading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_occidentalis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_pseudoplatanus
European Sycamore: "The wood is used for fuel, being easy to saw and to split with an axe, producing a hot flame and good embers when burnt."
Edit to add:
It seems the American Sycamore may be a completely different tree to the European Sycamore so my comments may be misleading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_occidentalis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_pseudoplatanus
European Sycamore: "The wood is used for fuel, being easy to saw and to split with an axe, producing a hot flame and good embers when burnt."
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I burn it occasionally. It's OK for the fireplace. It's brittle as all get-out so it splits pretty well and dries quickly. I think of it as a quick heater. Throw some in, get 'em burnin and then throw on the long burning stuff. Or if you're leaving and just want a quick fire use only sycamore.
The thing I really like it for is making coffee. You can use a sycamore stick about the size of your middle finger thrown in as you're roasting the beans and it'll give it a nice woody flavor. I use it when grilling too sometimes. Deeee-licious!
The thing I really like it for is making coffee. You can use a sycamore stick about the size of your middle finger thrown in as you're roasting the beans and it'll give it a nice woody flavor. I use it when grilling too sometimes. Deeee-licious!
I actually like Sycamore, burns nice, not the greatest heat thrower but okay. When green it is HEAVY, when dry it is very light, a buddy of mine always says "it smells like wet cut grass" when splitting, and yes splitting can be a WAR!
Woody5506
Minister of Fire
I don't know anything about mopeds, but sycamore and fat chicks are just fine with me. Tends to be wet but splits easily, dries quickly and heats ok. I grab it whenever I can, as long as I'm not paying for it. Same for the sycamore. Manly
I agree. Sucks to split with a hydraulic splitter. “Mash” is an excellent description. Would never try to split by hand. Splits like butter with my kinetic splitter! Otherwise I see it as a mid-grade maple.
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Woody5506
Minister of Fire
I guess everybody's situation is different. Around these parts, you take whatever you can get. Wet, big and round, ugly, it doesn't matter. Even if it smells, you air it out then split it. As I get older, I am finding I have to take whatever and wherever I can get it. I don't what to get to a point where I have to pay for it. At that point I would probably hang it up. Just my thoughts.
I've never noticed any real odors and I've been around 60 years now. Have always heard that if you have to split it, for the value of the heat, it's not worth it. I got a bigger stove now that I can put 6" rounds in with now problem so don't care about the splitting now. So only time spent is cutting it strait down with the Husky 445 into 18" pieces. WTH I'll give it a shot. I'll report back on that. Any laying around is now covered with a foot of compacted snow.
Woody5506
Minister of Fire
I can afford to be picky, firewood isn't a hot commodity in my area since natural gas is so prevalent and many people have phased out wood burning. That's not to say there aren't scroungers like myself but often times "junk" wood will continually be reposted on Craigslist week after week. The more desirable woods don't last more than a few days, typically.
As far as smell, it's kind of a dank dumpy smell but nothing awful.
As far as smell, it's kind of a dank dumpy smell but nothing awful.
Now that I see Manly is in CT like me, his POV makes perfect sense. There are definitely still plenty of rural and beautiful parts of the state left; but if you’re in the suburbs, like me, you take what you can get!
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CentralVAWoodHeat
Minister of Fire
I burn it often and it burns very well. It needs to season as long as any hardwood for maximum BTU output.
Processing is very challenging. If you have a high tonnage splitter, that's the way I would handle it. I don't think it could be effectively/efficiently split by hand.
Processing is very challenging. If you have a high tonnage splitter, that's the way I would handle it. I don't think it could be effectively/efficiently split by hand.
Have a 28 ton Husky from TSC. It should pop it open but any that I would use wouldn't be big enough to need splitting. Just cut up. Would be dead branches falling off so also already dry for the most part. Kevin
ValleyCottageSplitter
Feeling the Heat
I had to take a big sycamore monster as "payment" for the rest of the nice ash I picked up from a tree service. Never again.
I ended up sawing most of it. Occasionally I could split off a piece if smaller than 4x4 size. I split the rest of the ash about twice as fast as the one sycamore log.
I ended up sawing most of it. Occasionally I could split off a piece if smaller than 4x4 size. I split the rest of the ash about twice as fast as the one sycamore log.
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Slocum
Member
I would burn it. I have some in the barn now. Don't wait long to split. The longer you wait the harder it will be to split. I've heard stories of dry sycamore destroying splitters. It's good shoulder wood
Thanks for the replies! Looks like I'll be burning some of it. Hopefully the ash content isn't too bad.
Well, I burned some of the Sycamore for a few nights and was pleasantly surprised. Of course didn't last as long as a lot of other firewood's, but the ash content wasn't that bad and btu's seemed okay too. Would say burn time was about 60% of oak. Not too bad in my book. Kevin
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