Does anyone else have wood saved for "special occasions"? Like you might have plenty of your usual go-to stuff for shoulder season, then for everyday winter burning, but you also have smaller quantities of other species for specific occasions? I have plenty of White Ash, Oak and Sugar Maple on hand for days of the week ending in D-A-Y. Then I've got a bit of Apple and Black Cherry that I hope would be great to burn around the holidays when I've got a small crowd of people over. On the subject of special occasions, today I scored my first ever Black Locust! It's a very small start but there's plenty more where it came from. I'm envisioning firing it up on those single digit mornings, or as an all-nighter log when it'll be especially cold. I'd be interested to know if anyone else here thinks along the same lines, or if the wavelength I'm on just confirms my absolute obsession with heating with wood. First super quick grab (kids were in the truck and getting antsy to go home) First log split. I couldn't help but to go back when I had a 5 minutes to spare and grab a couple more on my way to work. These 2 lost their bark years ago but they've got no signs of being past their prime. I'm impressed with how heavy this stuff is! It's definitely got the propensity for the density.
I do, just like you. Pull "special" red maple pieces out for winter camping at state park cabins we go to that has fireplace, short pieces of oak for camping at friend's with small fire ring, regular camping wood oak, and super dry birch for Christmas fire with family......I could go on forever.
I do the same thing. I’ve been saving a full truckload of nice css’d apple for a “special occasion” - for about 3 years. I just can’t bring myself to burn it!
I do sometimes when I get different or unusual wood in, got some dogwood, Bradford pear and cedar to try.
I have some mulberry and walnut i scored last Winter. Never burned either. Mulberry spits a lot and ive been told walnut makes pretty colored flames. I never sorted wood that much until i got a good education from FHC! Sounds like you are coming down with "locust mania" Eric. jo191145 who recognized this and brought it to my attention. I had it and it goes into remission, but the sudden appearance of BL will quickly make it recur. There is no known cure. Its only contagious to a fellow wood hoarding enthusiest!
That's right on point! I know a thing or two about addiction and I most definitely am in Locust MANIA. This is only the beginning for me I fear... I suppose there are worse things to be tangled up in though When I'm ready to stop I will. Maybe when my wife finds me behind the shed, shaking on the ground clutching my splitting maul, beads of sweat rolling down my brow, muttering LOCUST...LOCUST...LOCUST... under my breath. Maybe then I'll reconsider the path I'm on. MAYBE! Until then I've got to keep piling up the Locust! My stockpile isn't going to build itself you know?!?!
Yeah I knew going into this debacle that it would be an exercise in patience for me. I'm alright with that though. It's not like I have to worry about my Locust stacks rotting I have more than enough of my bread and butter wood on hand to carry me through regardless. I *MIGHT* get lucky and get to burn some of the smaller skinny splits in the winter of 2021-2022 but realistically the following season is more likely. Fine by me! It'll all go to good use eventually.
I can imagine... different climate out your way. Wood isn't my primary heat source but my goal is to use the least amount of heating oil during the season as possible. I don't anticipate firing up my stove until the nighttime lows drop below 30, about late October. We shall see though. I know I'm going to be itching to run the stove the moment I start seeing the thermometer drop into the low 40s.
Did this last weekend with a pine round. I have two more, next time I'm gonna make a double stack chimney!
Special occasion is single digits or minus temperature. That requires the "good" wood. Last year it was 2 year maple. This year will be 2 year BL. When I bring the wood up to the house in the fall the "good" wood gets put in a separate pile. My main stay will be Ash cut last fall and this spring. I also have about a cord of 3 year old slab wood to get. Never burnt slab before.
I am with you on trying to use the least amount of fuel oil as possible. I used 102 gallons this past winter.
That's impressive, especially in the upper Midwest! Even with the mild winter this past season I burned well over double that.
I wouldn't say that I save certain species of wood for special occasions, but I DO save different sizes. I burn in the wood stove in my kitchen, and that takes 16" splits. But every once in a while, usually when we have people over in the winter, I'll get a fire going in the living room fireplace, and that can accommodate much longer pieces. So I have a little stash of the big stuff for when the folks come over. I guess that qualifies? I dunno...
Sure, close enough! It's about having the general idea of using certain pieces in specific instances. Being a scrounger, I take what I can get and I will readily admit that not everything I have is 16". It's anything 6"-21" depending on what I come across and how motivated I was when I was processing that day. So for consistency's sake, in the fall when I stack what I intend to burn that season, I'll pile up everything that's close to 16" in one area. Then off to the side I'll put the shorties and various oddball gnarly pieces, which I usually try to burn through first so I don't have to look at them anymore. If I have company over I prefer to have a somewhat tidy stack staged up near the stove and don't want to look like I'm burning stuff I pulled out of someone's yard waste barrel
I also get a fair amount of black locust some years. When it comes time to burn it, I'll wait for below zero.
I haven't burned any Locust yet. Out of curiosity, when you burn your Locust do you mix it with other species or burn it straight? I read somewhere recently if you're not careful you can overheat your stove burning straight Locust.
I’ve always mixed up my hardwoods. When loading the basement I’d toss light/dead/punkier stuff to 9ne side and the primo stuff to the other. Shoulder season and dayum it’s cold out wood. Now that I’m collecting different species I’ll be separating even more. Next winter I’ll try ash for the first time. Hickory, B locust and sugar maple should wait another year. Tree of Heaven will be my first next year but that’s nothing to get excited about.
