panolo
Seldom right...Always opinionated!
I don't know how long one piece of any wood burns because I normally put at least 3-4 in at a time. When I'm burning coals I'll set a piece on top and leave the damper wide open, a nice chunk of hard maple will last an hr like that and then there will be nice coals left from it. Outside temperature will change the duration of a burn in my stove dramatically. On a warmer day(few degrees Celsius) I can leave the house in the morning around 5am with a good fire going and I will have lots of large coals at 5 that evening, when it's down below zero I may get 4-6 hrs before its at the same stage.
Sugar maple has become my favorite woods around here for my OWB. I'm into some red oak now and I forgot how if you don't mix it that it won't coal up well in OWB. Sugar maple on the other hand is nuclear and coals up well. Never had any hickory or locust so I can't comment on that. Birch is probably my second favorite.