Sometimes junk wood is just that!

[AIM]

Wasted a bit of time the other day cutting up a red oak top that has been laying around a WEEEE bit to long. Sap wood was kinda punky but the heart looked decent so I cut up a load. Boy was that a waste. This stuff is horrible. Draft fan runs constantly and I only run my boiler at 130 degrees! Produces a TON of ash. Haven't gotten a good overnight burn yet. I've had to restart a fire twice in 3 days.
I should just load it back up and haul it to the woods but I guess I'll fight it till it's gone. I should be through it by Saturday but that's the last I'll cut on those tops. I'm not certain when the woods was logged but it was definately tooo long ago!

 

[aandabooks]

I had a soft maple that was like that. Took if from a guys front lawn because I was getting other good wood from him. Basically a favor. The trunk had been there for 2 years. Alot of it was punky. Left it out for a couple of week then hauled it in and it burned quick but definately not really worth it.

 

[Deadman]

Maple rots really fast. I know if its down for a year, I often let it. Its amazing how fast it rots. I have access to better stuff, so i don't waste time with rotten stuff.

 

[carvinmark]

I split some Oak that had been laying out back for about 5 years and it was the same way. It is just about all gone now,yeah! I had about 20 Maple poles about 6" x 12' that were there with the Oak for about 4 years, the Maple is great, seems to be plenty seasoned and burns good.

 

[Mike Van]

AiM, if you just now cut that oak up, it's too wet to burn in my opinion - Any oak thats been out in the weather, even standing dead has tons of water still inside it. It's gotta dry for awhile where it can't get rain/snow on it - Just my 2 cents.

 

[ericjeeper]

I agree

AiM, if you just now cut that oak up, it's too wet to burn in my opinion - Any oak thats been out in the weather, even standing dead has tons of water still inside it. It's gotta dry for awhile where it can't get rain/snow on it - Just my 2 cents.

I have some red oak tops that have been laying down for 2 years.. and they are still soaking wet.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Same Problem Snake Bit Me

In September I did the same thing--cut a dead red oak tree that I thought was still good wood--wrong. Carpenter ants and grubs had already eaten 75% of it. Water rot just about did the rest. How the tree still had some green branches on it is a complete mystery. Oaks fight to the death.

 

[wkpoor]

Maple rots quick but if you split it soon after its down it keeps much better. I got a bunch of it this year and its all good and fresh looking but I took it home and processed right away. Got some red oak also this year that had been down about 5yrs. I would guess about 30-40% id bad but some of the bigger rounds still have alot of good in them. I think just about any wood will last if it gets dry soon after it down. Lying wet is the problem. After saying that last Jan. I took down a maple. I processed the big rounds but left the limbs and smaller stuff in a pile. They are already going bad so I'm trying to burn them up in the next few weeks before I loose them altogether this winter.

 

[Jon E]

The Town took down a standing dead sugar maple over the summer and most of it, except for about the first 15' of the trunk and only the heart, was punky and growing some pretty impressive fungus. I put an entire tractor bucket full of that stuff in the OWB yesterday, it was nice and dry. Filled the boiler full to capacity. 24 hours later there were a couple small chunks in the back spitting smoke. If I had done the same thing with a full load of good oak, ash or hickory, I'd still be waiting for it to burn down. I've left full loads of wood in the OWB in late spring and early fall that have taken a full week to burn. This maple wouldn't last a day.

 

[ngzcaz]

Strange isn't it.. I'm actually ashamed of some of the junk I put in mine but it keeps chugging away, haven't lost a fire or burned less than 10 hrs yet, mostly 12 hrs. 70 to 80 percent of the so called wood is rotten so that no more than 30 percent of any given piece is solid wood. Yep, the water runs out the door and steam out the chimney but so far it hasn't stopped.. By the time it gets really cold I should be into the good stuff.. Wouldn't that be a pisser if I have a problem with the good stuff ? ( maple, ash. oaks red and white, cherry and a little locust )


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