Oak. Overrated or incredibly overrated?

[Big J]

Now your pulling my leg J

 

Honestly not!

 

I know that there are a lot of different sub species of poplar, but I had some hybrid poplar from Tom D which milled up OK (bit stringy) but split easily for firewood and dried to below 20% MC in less than 5 months (big bits too). Very easy to light from newspaper (no kindling ever required) and would just last overnight in my large stove.

 

The hardwood mix from the field is a pain by itself due to the colossal ember buildup. As ever, a mix is ideal, but the Oak really does seem to be poor.

[peatff]

Fire never goes out unless we're away for two or more days. Had it on for 6 weeks solidly over Christmas

 

Your Christmas lasts a lot longer than ours I've got some oak on the pile and it burns alright if you split it smaller, it doesn't flame much though.

[Big J]

Your Christmas lasts a lot longer than ours I've got some oak on the pile and it burns alright if you split it smaller, it doesn't flame much though.

 

I wish!

 

The only reason we didn't go away anywhere over that 6 week period was constant bloody work. I think 3 days off in 7 weeks!

[Woodworks]

I put ember build up down to bark content ie small diameter stuff.

 

As to oak not burning as well as poplar you got me stumped.

 

I work by these simple rules. If it's dry it will burn and a dry heavy one beats a dry light one. Never found any exceptions to date.

[PeakOakFrames]

I burn my workshop oak framing offcuts once they have had at least 8 months in the woodshed and they burn lovely. The 41mm air dried stock we use for glazing boards also burns lovely and both leave a good coal that stays in all night. I do mix it with doug fir and larch that we do a few frames in every year. Hell it all burns if it's dry eh?

[Dan Curtis]

Curious to see what people's thoughts towards oak are.

 

I bought a standing dead oak the other day, felled it and processed the firewood for the store at home. Very dead on top, very dry.

 

After just one barrow full of exclusively oak, I'm back to mixing it with my other stuff (general sycamore, hawthorn, cherry, ash, willow and birch mix - small diameter, mostly unsplit circa 60cm lengths).

 

I found that I got little heat out of the oak, no embers, not much flame and it burnt almost twice as quickly as the normal hardwood (a very, very full barrow does us two days, but just one with oak).

 

Why on earth do customers love it? I'd rather burn sitka!

 

I borrowed a load of oak over Christmas and can agree with your distaste of it. I'm usually burning Beech, Elm, Horse Chestnut, lots of Leyland's cypress but the Oak was by miles the fastest burning, lowest output wood I've had. I normally get through a small basket a night in my burner, with the Oak I was getting on for two, sometimes a little more. No lasting embers either.

 

I guess the poem must be wrong.

[Two Acres]

I borrowed a load of oak over Christmas and can agree with your distaste of it. I'm usually burning Beech, Elm, Horse Chestnut, lots of Leyland's cypress but the Oak was by miles the fastest burning, lowest output wood I've had. I normally get through a small basket a night in my burner, with the Oak I was getting on for two, sometimes a little more. No lasting embers either.

 

I guess the poem must be wrong.

 

Hey Dan,

 

If you have any more crappy oak you can dump it all at my place

[Dan Curtis]

Hey Dan,

 

If you have any more crappy oak you can dump it all at my place

 

Ha. It was my dad's. He lives next door and he was looking after my fire while I was laid up on the sofa. He thought it would be easier to bring his own logs round (from a well lit shed) than try to load a basket out of my covered (unlit) ibc's.

[Two Acres]

Ha. It was my dad's. He lives next door and he was looking after my fire while I was laid up on the sofa. He thought it would be easier to bring his own logs round (from a well lit shed) than try to load a basket out of my covered (unlit) ibc's.

 

Ah... oh well, worth a try

[Mark Bolam]

Dan, how can you borrow a load of firewood?

What sort of condition do you return it in?

 

 

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