Castanea Sativa

[Big Beech]

Whilst I know wood snobbery exists?

What are your thoughts as fuel generally?

It's been likened to the poor mans oak, has the renowned annoyance of spitting but is a by product of mature coppice and cheap.

I've burnt it in the past myself and currently have some in my wood burner which hasn't spat or exploded once. a few years ago meet an old boy 80+ who worked the woods as did his father before him and he suggested that the only way to avoid spitting chestnut was to use the standing dead trees.

What is your thoughts in mixing in with other better woods. I've never had a problem as I say.

Edited March 1, 2020 by Big Beech

[The avantgardener]

I burn it all the time in my burner, fantastic stuff, burns away leaving minimum ash in the pan. If you look at the sapwood to heartwood ratio on a cross section there is no hardwood comes anywhere close in comparison. Splits easier than any wood I know and dries quickly when stored correctly. I tend to cut out all the standing dead in a compartment and run it to my wood store already seasoned.

[Mick Dempsey]

Standard firewood over here, €35 a cubic mètre iirc.

 

 

[Woodworks]

Fire wood snob here.

 

Its a B to dry but is a doddle to process. Never had any problems with it spitting but its about the only wood I have had a customer complaint about. It just doesn't give off a lot of heat for it volume. When I have some I make sure it well mixed in the loads avoiding anyone getting much of it. Shame as it grows fast and the easiest wood I have ever put through a processor. 

[maybelateron]

I haven't had much of it to process, but one load was from a 4-5ft diameter trunk and it was hard work to split with a Browns tractor mounted 10T splitter. Might have been easier now I have a Rock Machinery 22T.

 

Good enough heat output in my boiler with it.

[Big Beech]

9 minutes ago, maybelateron said:

I haven't had much of it to process, but one load was from a 4-5ft diameter trunk and it was hard work to split with a Browns tractor mounted 10T splitter. Might have been easier now I have a Rock Machinery 22T.

 

Good enough heat output in my boiler with it.

Larger diameter stuff can be tricky, but majority of poles are a dream to split, even with an axe!

[spandit]

I've got some old chestnut fence rails and posts that need cutting up and burning - it's good stuff. Most wood is when dry.

[nepia]

I totally echo Woodworks.  Takes years to dry and gives out very little heat.

 

I burn 99% softwood at home and the wife has actually asked me 'Are you burning chestnut?'  'Er -yes; why?'  'There's no heat coming from the burner'.

[The avantgardener]

I have never encountered chestnut being difficult to dry or giving out poor heat, quite the reverse, the Romans introduced it as a quick growing timber for multiple uses including smelting Iron.

[Luckyeleven]

Tbh for ease of splitting, growth rate and burning i think its hard to beat,
My burner will take 60cm logs and I can easily split chestnut at that length, the pile builds up pretty quick.
I stack on pallets uncovered until a month before use and can almost guarantee that if its stacked before Easter it will be around 20% by October .