Propeties of diffrent wood

[Buzz]

just wondered if someone could right a list on diffrent species of wood and what there like to burn, and the properties and what are good types to sell as firewood i proberly sound stupid saying this just wondering in peoples experience what wood goes down well.

 

Search under users for 'Bob' PM him and ask nicely he sent me a list via email about a year ago which had a lot of info in, wood weights, densities and specifications wet and dry.

[alex_m]

hornbeam is the best, so don't sell it. have it for yourself.

[Saw-sick Steve]

Yup. Wet ash is ****. sits there hissing with the sap bubbling out the end of the log.

 

That old rhyme is nonsense anyway. Most timber has similar calorific values when dried, some better some worse. But they all burn and produce heat.

 

True enough, never got on with green Ash and will tar your chimney up just the same. Hardwood species I usually divide roughly into 2 types -

Fast seasoning, such as Alder, Birch and Sycamore, and

Slower seasoning, like Beech, Holly and Oak. Actually, I find Oak is like 2 species rolled into 1 - the sapwood seasons in no time, but unless split / billeted the heartwood can take an age. Usually find that the faster the wood seasons, the quicker it burns - like Willow!

Incidentally, one wood I never seem to get on with is Rowan. Always seems to start rotting on the outside, while still giving the appearance of being green in the middle - or is it just me?

[felixthelogchopper]

The problem with willow is the light weight when the customer picks the bag up!

[firewoodman]

all wood burns well when seasoned, no wood burns well when fresh

 

in my experience, all these rhymes are wrong, they just rhyme,

 

the wood property tables of 1-5 are not that accurate and most go on hear-say

 

woods burn differntly when placed in a stove as opposed to an open fire, and all stoves perform diffrently.

 

i recommend you burn the diffrent woods and make your own results. but please do tell us what you find, the results may suprise you and others

 

many say dont burn softwoods, i find i get great heat, no tar and quite a good burn time off larch pine and cedar, cant get enough of the stuff.

 

if it ignites, burns and gives off heat then it cant be bad can it!!!

[Mr Ed]

I always hate the way softwood / connifer gets lambasted. A nice dry sappy pine log in a woodburner is a delight to behold.

[skyhuck]

Wood burns, water does not.

 

Remove the water from ANY wood and it will burn just fine.

[firewoodman]

QUOTE=Mr Ed;188326]I always hate the way softwood / connifer gets lambasted. A nice dry sappy pine log in a woodburner is a delight to behold.

 

:congrats:

 

i'm sure all this softwood is bad bull, is all propaganda from the FC to put people off cuttin down the woods when they first planted them (imo)

[Nick B]

Have a look at the thread from yesterday Laburnum as firewood

Rupe posted a very good list of firewood propeties

That is a good starting point

[woodrascal]

I always hate the way softwood / connifer gets lambasted. A nice dry sappy pine log in a woodburner is a delight to behold.

You're quite right Mr Ed - burnt in a hot firebox with plenty of air, the business! Dry softwood is a much better fuel than wet ash or any other wet wood.

 

A lot of people seem to forget that in Scandinavian countries and parts of North America/Cananda, softwood is the only thing that can grow properly and as a consequence is their only source of fuel wood. They survive winters of -25 deg C burning only softwood.

 

So it can't be all that bad...