What is the best type of wood you have used with your stove?

[neiln]

I must have had some different Eucalyptus to you then. It's not uncommon to find it as a tree in South London gardens so I pick it up from time to time, but it's not particularly dense even when wet and is much lighter than oak once seasoned..

[Darrin Turnbull]

Black locust.

Here in Germany seems to be the best

[neiln]

Yes the Americans rave about locust/false acacia.  I've had it and it's easy to split and pretty dense but I didn't notice anything special. I'd put it a little below oak.

 

Holly is worth a mention I think, so long as someone else has dealt with the prickles

[Guest Gimlet]

2 hours ago, neiln said:

I must have had some different Eucalyptus to you then. It's not uncommon to find it as a tree in South London gardens so I pick it up from time to time, but it's not particularly dense even when wet and is much lighter than oak once seasoned..

I think Eucalypts are like sombreros and sangria. They're great when you see them in their native environment when you're on holiday, but somehow they don't have quite the same effect back in the UK.

I don't know which Eucalyptus species is prevalent in the UK but they always look scruffy, peeling, gangling and a bit sad. And they have a nightmare root system. A bedraggled Eucalypt shedding its bark all over a rainy suburban garden in Britain doesn't quite have the impact of a white ghost gum against against blue skies and red earth in the Australian outback. Firewood is probably the best thing to do with them.

[neiln]

I couldn't agree more!  (With the description of UK Eucalyptus.  I've yet to be able to travel to see them in Aus)

[Guest Gimlet]

A ghost gum is a truly beautiful thing but as will so much else - location, location, location...

[Mr. Squirrel]

I only use my stove through autumn/winter really. I spend spring and summer taking home any decent dead wood from jobs and it seems to last me pretty well.

Your old oak deadwood is by far my favourite. When all the sap wood had rotted away from big old branches and you've just got the nicely dried rock hard heart wood left. Yes please.

Edited September 30, 2019 by Mr. Squirrel

[wrsni]

Quite happy burning anything well seasoned, have even burnt well-seasoned elderberry and it was grand.

 

I think hawthorn might have a wee edge over the rest if you want to name preferences, loads of heat of-course but just seems to burn so, so nice. Have a bit of beech to burn this winter, trimmed off a couple of our own trees about three years ago, looking forward to seeing how it does as we've never burnt much beech despite it being all around us!

Edited September 30, 2019 by wrsni

[Stubby]

I like the blue flame you get with Hawthorn .

[Peasgood]

If I had to choose just one it would be leylandii

Lights easy, burns very hot and sod all ash. 

Only downside is the sap but 3 years outside before processing and it has gone away.