Wood Combustion Basics

[ABMax24]

I found this Powerpoint presentation online and it details the basics of wood burning from a scientific view.

https://is.muni.cz/el/fss/podzim2013/MEB423/um/Wood_Lesson_02.pdf

 

[SidecarFlip]

Good article. I see they caption a Delmhorst moisture meter. I have one and they aren't cheap. Expect to pay around 300 bucks for one. Good meter and very accurate too.

 

[begreen]

Thanks for posting. Most of the information is good, but there are a couple misleading statement. One is that wood is easier to split when dry than when green. That depends on the species. Madrona for example is much easier to split green. Once it is dry it is like rock. They also say that wood split and stacked in April will be ready to burn in October. That may be true for doug fir in the west but not so for oak in the more humid east.

 

[carg3]

Add black locust to the list of woods best split green. Rock hard after a few months. A middling wood at best, but still serviceable here in the east.

 

[Woody Stover]

Add black locust to the list of woods best split green.

Most woods split easier when green. I've only harvested dead BL so far, though, and dead stuff is generally what I grab. White Oak is one that gets more stringy if you let the rounds sit before getting around to splitting 'em.

black locust...A middling wood at best,

Not at all; It's one of my go-to woods when it gets cold and windy, along with other high-output stuff like Hickory and White Oak.
It's going to the mid-teens here tonight with a little breeze, and I'm getting ready to stuff it with BL and Pignut Hickory. That will crank good heat for eight hrs. or more, even though it's just 1.5 cu.ft. firebox.
I agree with most of the BTU values here, except White Oak, which I've seen on several other lists at 25.7 mBTU/cord. Sugar Maple might be a point higher, but I haven't burned enough yet to say for sure. A point ain't much, anyway. I've seen BL at 28+ on a couple lists, and it does seem a bit heavier that White Oak..
Every list you look at will have a couple that seem screwy.. https://www.environmentalchimneyservice.com/firewood-burns-hottest/

 

[bholler]

Add black locust to the list of woods best split green. Rock hard after a few months. A middling wood at best, but still serviceable here in the east.

I agree with Woody. Black locust is top of the heap stuff. Not to much around that's better