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Need firewood advice

Started by mf40diesel, August 09, 2017, 03:04:49 PM

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hedgerow

I guess I am spoiled or old and lazy. Any more when cleaning up pastures. I only save hard wood the rest go to the brush piles and get burned. I burn 10 to 15 cord a year of locust and hedge and by the time I get that processed  I sure don't want to process any elm or cotton wood that will that another five more cord to do the same job as hard wood will. The last time I brushed some elm out thinking someone would take it for free it took two years to fine takers and some of it still went to the burn piles.

Al_Smith

Now on that elm first it's a chore to split,doesn't make the best fire .However it makes the best loading planks because it will nearly bend in two before it breaks .As it dries it gets lighter,oak never gets light .Finding an elm large enough to mill into planks might be a chore though .

Gary_C

I have burned a lot of very dry and punky aspen in the fall and noticed one thing to look out for is if there is no other dense hardwood in the mix there will be no coals to restart the fire when you refill the OWB. Aspen does not leave many good coals when it burns.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Al_Smith

Nothing leaves a coal bed like oak ,even hickory falls a little short of that .On the other hand if I toss a gnarly chunk of oak in the last fill up at night it will start right off next morning .
The only poplar around here is cottonwood and tulip .They aren't burned much for firewood .Cut green they are like lifting concrete .2 months later about like balsa.

gspren

 I burn whatever dies in my woods so quite a mix including poplar. I've learned to stack the poplar separate from the oak, locust, hickory, etc. Like Al said burning all poplar the stove won't always relight it's self due to no coals and that's even worse in shoulder season with longer idle times, so in early season I may load one piece of oak and six pieces of poplar gradually changing to mostly oak with a few pieces of poplar in cold weather depending on my supply at the time but I always have a piece or two of the good stuff in there. I treat the soft maples like poplar.
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

LittleJohn

Quote from: barbender on August 09, 2017, 10:10:23 PM
Which poplar is this? Aspen? If it's aspen I'd say burn it on the warmer days, or mixed with the better hardwood to suit depending on temps. Aspen burns great, just not for very long😊

Typically I like to burn the "junkier" wood during the shoulder months, when you only need a minimal amount of heat

ppine

In a cruel twist of fate, people in Alaska only have spruce and aspen to burn and very few hardwoods.  In the coldest state, people stay warm with crummy firewood. 

Be smart.  Use your best wood at night and during cold spells. 
Forester

KEC

Currently, I have a decent supply of mostly high heat value wood, but some years I burned a lot of low value; box elder, cottonwood, pine, etc. I saw a show on TV once about people in an  impoverished area in Africa who took cattle manure, rolled it into what looked like pizza dough and dried it to burn in cook stoves. But, they had so little cash for medicines and other necessities that they had to sell the dried manure to have cash. Made me look at some of that low heat value wood much differently.  

DDW_OR

I saw a documentary on how they build a chamber to put the animal dung into. then let it ferment to produce gas that was piped to heat or cook with.

"let the machines do the work"

1countryboy

Firewood advice/   I was looking at where responders live.   Each of us will use what nature provides is our 'AREA'.  I always have a choice of dead wood in my managed tree farm.   My firewood can not be cut until I have the crops off and have access the my woods. I have a supply of white pine slabs from my mill and lots of seed corn bags from the spring plantings to start early fires.   Then the softer hardwoods are processed before they get punky.  White oak will last for many years and still burn long and hot with lots of coals for a cold morning start.   I do not sort by species--it all burns and makes heat.   JUST different amounts of BTU'S.   Diseased trees always go first.   
Ohio Certified Tree Farm, Ohio Centennial Farms, Ashland County Soil Conservation Award., USDA/ASCS/FSA forest management(TSI) 1963 to present, retired educator, NOT retired farmer and a real farm shop to fix all my old equipment.

mike_belben

Quote from: DDW_OR on November 11, 2018, 02:38:37 AM
I saw a documentary on how they build a chamber to put the animal dung into. then let it ferment to produce gas that was piped to heat or cook with.
Called a biodigester.  Thank the back to the earth hippies that somehow acquired some influence, constantly forcing their green dream on someone else.  They grab breakfast at starbucks and want someone else to cook with farts.  
Praise The Lord

Gearbox

I heat my house and shop with a OWB It's filled with 3 year old stored inside Red Oak at night . During the day its what ever junk wood I have . The only thing I won't put in the wood shed is Balsam . By the time the bugs and worms get done with it there is nothing left but dust .
A bunch of chainsaws a BT6870 processer , TC 5 International track skidder and not near enough time

trapper

I find basswood the worst wood I have.  So far this heating season I have kept the house warm with pine slabs and half rotten box elder. Saving better wood for cold weather.  23 and windy now.
stihl ms241cm ms261cm  echo 310 400 suzuki  log arch made by stepson several logrite tools woodmizer LT30

1countryboy

Interesting topic and I have to smile when I read some of the posts. :)

My BIG farm home built in the 1890's was not insulated and during the blizzards of 77-78 I had a new (uninstalled wood add on in the basement).  Temperatures were so cold that I caught Lp gas in a bucket as I filled farm tractor to feed cows.  Got the furnace installed and I burned anything that went in the door.   Now I (still have) the gas furnace and my wood furnace.   Moral of that story is that u do need a back up and I set the temp to kick in if/when the (now an outdoor boiler for 20 yrs) runs low.   

I would never consider just one source of heat.  Now I still burn what ever comes down in the wind in the woods.   Constant timber stand improvement in our Certified Woodlands.   Now, sadly, ash had to be burned before the other "bugs" get into it after the emerald ash bore kills the tree.   Just feed the furnace more often and if I am not home the gas temp is set to take over.   

My wood ages in the woods.   :D  I am to "mature" to move the same sticks of woods over and over......been there and done that in younger years.   I don t worry quality as much as quantity (as long as I have a supply of wood.)  

Ohio Certified Tree Farm, Ohio Centennial Farms, Ashland County Soil Conservation Award., USDA/ASCS/FSA forest management(TSI) 1963 to present, retired educator, NOT retired farmer and a real farm shop to fix all my old equipment.

Pulphook

Sounds like you got what you wanted. I don't bother with poplar ( "popple" here ). Rather burn softwoods for the shoulder times: spruces, pine, even cedar. We'd die to have beech, oaks Downeast shorelands; have to dance with Soft Maple and Paper Birch.
Up your way there are plenty of tri-axle tree length guys for more economical firewood.
Two wood stoves ( Jotul Rangely ,Jotul Oslo ) heating 99 44/100%
24/7. No central heat. 6-8 cords firewood from the woodlot /year. Low low tech: ATV with trailer, 3 saws, 2 electric splitters, a worn pulphook, peavy, climbing line for skidding, Fiskars 27, an old back getting older.

Al_Smith

I'm kind of amused with the talk of outside burners  .I just have an insert that eats about a face cord a week .It really doesn't belch much smoke and leaves no ash but powder .However during the day it needs tended to do that .A piece or two every 1-2 hours .Loaded up heavy at night .
My neighbor has an outside burner,forced draft and burns wood by the dump truck load and loaded it with a skid loader twice a day .Talk about smoke ,my goodness looks like a fog bank .His house is about 2800 sq feet ,mine is a tad less than 2100 .
At one time I thought those things would be neat but I'm not so certain about that now .I'm curious to find out how much wood he will have gone through this season .Mine will between 4 and 5 cords I'd imagine .

lxskllr

Quote from: Al_Smith on February 17, 2019, 02:25:24 PM
I'm kind of amused with the talk of outside burners  .I just have an insert that eats about a face cord a week .It really doesn't belch much smoke and leaves no ash but powder .However during the day it needs tended to do that .A piece or two every 1-2 hours .Loaded up heavy at night .
My neighbor has an outside burner,forced draft and burns wood by the dump truck load and loaded it with a skid loader twice a day .Talk about smoke ,my goodness looks like a fog bank .His house is about 2800 sq feet ,mine is a tad less than 2100 .
At one time I thought those things would be neat but I'm not so certain about that now .I'm curious to find out how much wood he will have gone through this season .Mine will between 4 and 5 cords I'd imagine .
Just guessing, but perhaps neighbor isn't as particular regarding seasoning since he doesn't have to be. You(and me) get a face full of smoke, and hazardous conditions regarding chimney health if we burn wet wood. An OWB can take anything, and while it may not be optimal, it'll work after a fashion. When you're loading it by the skid loader full, you don't have to be as particular.

barbender

Al, I've got an outdoor unit  it doesn't smoke much and I burn stuff most folks would turn their noses up at (dead standing softwoods). Heating a 2700 sf house, I'm guessing around 5 cords a winter.
Too many irons in the fire

Al_Smith

I think my neighbor is getting cull logs from a local hard wood mill as he has quite a pile of shorties ,6-8 footers . Assuming that they would likely be green cut . He dumps the whole round  in in 2-3 foot lengths thus the skid loader .
He's buddies with the mill owner . Most likely if and when their metal scanner finds metal they cut the log down to be rid of it although they sell firewood by the big dump truck full .If he does pay for it ,knowing him he doesn't pay too much .

thecfarm

If he's using a skid steer to load with,must be a big OWB. Mine will smoke,maybe steam? until it gets the moisture out of the wood. But I am not going through that much wood. Right now I am cutting norway pine and burning it. Not the best way,but I am low on wood. Cut it down in the morning,burn it that night. ::)
I would hate to go back to burning wood inside my house. I have plenty of good hardwood. But I plenty of dead wood too. As I said,fir and dead cedar I burn alot of. The OWB I have smothers the fire out,so it's a controlled burn.
Now I can cut a tree for the sawmill and use the limbs for firewood.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Al_Smith

He stuffs some pretty good size rounds in that thing .I'll have to investigate in a few days .At the moment I'm being held hostage by a lady about 80 miles away from my house but I'll escape in few days and check out things . ;D
That said as far as outside burners I suppose you could burn anything you could stuff in them .A BTU is a BTU doesn't make a difference if it's shag bark hickory or swamp willow  .It just takes more of the later by volume to get the heat
of the former .

barbender

Ray, dead red pine works ok. Green red pine is about the worst thing I have burned. It has such a high moisture content that there's barely enough btus in the wood to push it out. It looks like a steam engine on a -15 morning😊
Too many irons in the fire

thecfarm

Don't have many red pine that is dead. Now white pine I use to have a lot of those. I am burning red pine right off the stump.  ::)  I did that with white pine one year,just as a experiment.  I think I burned 20 cord of green white pine.  :o  But the red pine seems to be doing better,green. When doing the white pine seem like all I did was cut and split and fill the OWB.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

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