I've just been given a whole truckload of old beams and boards from the demolition of a barn. Not sure what it is, but the contractor said it might be chestnut. It sure is nice and dry, and fairly lightweight. Wondering if it will make good firewood or if I should just get rid of it.
Yeah you don't want that stuff. Drop it off at my place and I'll take care of it... Not sure how good it will be for firewood, since chestnut is extinct and not listed on any BTU charts I'm aware of. But it could be very valuable as antique lumber for the right buyer.
Just be aware of nails/steel pins that might be waiting for your chainsaw in those beams. They'll burn a lot like dry pine logs. Fast n hot.
I knew folks that use to burn mostly just broken down pallets that were cut up properly. That was back in the smoke dragon days... ... but I'm thinking with the newer phase II stoves that dimension lumber you have could be sandwiched together and air control fine tuned to burn just the way you want it to.
Not exactly. Chestnut still grows in the wild. Most of it grows up in the form of stump sprouts from the previous monsters in the forest. Once it gets to a certain size, it usually succumbs to the blight and dies. I have one in my backyard that is about 3 inches in diameter, 30 feet tall and now standing dead. Planning to cut it down this spring. Will take some pics before I do. http://www.forestpathology.org/dis_chestnut.html If you could custom design the ideal tree species, you couldn't come up with a better one than American chestnut. It was a huge, majestic tree, with a very straight stem. The wood was nearly ideal. As George Hepting (®) has written, "Not only was baby's crib likely made of chestnut, but chances were, so was the old man's coffin." One of its good qualities was high durability. The heartwood could be used in situations where decay was a hazard. The tree was common. It made up about 50% of most eastern hardwood forests. It grew fast, and would regenerate itself by root sprouts vigorously. The nuts were edible, not only by wildlife but also by humans. It was an important food source for all. "The farmer's hogs were fattened on chestnuts, and, to no small degree, his children were also" (®). Chestnut was also prized as a landscape tree.
Very good info. I should have said, "nearly extinct". In fact there are some mature trees around, sometimes in large stands, especially where they were planted outside it's natural range. But for all practical purposes, the only way you're going to get your hands on any timbers is from old barns and other buildings. The remaining mature trees are much too important for research to be harvested for lumber or firewood. I see the same thing with American Elm in my woods. It's become an "understory tree". There's plenty of them around, but they die once they reach about 6" diameter or so. Field edge ones can get larger.
You want a good read on the Chestnut tree read American Chestnut by Susan Freinkel. Tells the whole history of the tree. Good read, gets a little scientific in parts but still good. As long as the wood is clean and has no treated chemicals in it I say burn it, but watch out for medal.
Don't burn it. If you can't use it, find someone who can. There must be many, many people who would love to have it, and give it a second (third) life.
Too late, it's already cut up into little pieces. Some of the beams were 16" x 20"..... LOL. OK so it was a lame April Fool's joke. I'll have to do better next year.
