Is cottonwood a decent firewood? A friend is removing a tree, and it is free. The tree is pretty big, as I hear. I can see it has 15.something million btus per cord, pretty low when compared to anything. Anyone know anything about its creosote output?
Steve
It's worth less than that by far...cottonwood is terrible for firewood (and just about anything else, either--while they make a good shade tree if the cotton-fall isn't a killer--the wood is essentially worthless for anything.
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worthless, way too soft. you're going to end up having to scoop the ashes pretty often.
termites loved it though
"Steve B" wrote in news:kes6ch$cpt$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
Cottonwood isn't good for *anything* except making paper. The moisture content is so high that it takes forever to dry it enough to burn, and it's so lightweight when dry that the heat content is, as you've seen, very very low.
Don't bother. It's not worth the time to split and stack it.
Hi, If you don't have any thing else. Very soft wood and not worth the sweat.
Lousy firewood-- but good for turning in a lathe. Makes decent heavy planks for machinery ramps and such. Some folk like it for furniture because it takes a stain nicely.
Jim
Check it on the firewood listing:
The real story after all the people who have never used cottonwood for firewood:
It is down near the bottom of the ratings for firewood BUT - it is wood, it burns and thererfor puts out heat. Fact regularly ignored: ALL wood contains approximately the same amount of BTU pound for pound, thus the only difference as far as heat goes is "how often you need to load the stove".
For free why turn it down?
I processed a big one year before last and gave it away. Part of the deal. I had to take it out iin order to get 6 Black Locust. Guy I gave it too was happy to get it.
Harry K
I forgot about the creosote question. No worse than any other hardwood (yes it is a hardwood). Propersly seasoned you dont' need to be concerned. Properly seasoned =3D split, pile and one season will do it.
Harry K
Looks like you got your answer, but of it's a dead tree and dry, and if he cut it into pieces that will fit your stove, it's better than nothing. For free, the price is right. If all you got to do is haul it home, and need firewood, I'd take it as long as it's not to far of a drive. I burn anything that will burn if it makes heat and it's free. Of course if the tree was still live dont burn it this year, bcause it has a lot of moisture.
Probably better if you season it, and soak it in used crankcase oil.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
Check it on the firewood listing:
So another person who has neveer burned it, never knew anyone who had but is willing to pass on "old wives tales".
Clue: It is _IN_ the firewood charts and that chart says nothing at all about "don't burn it". There are people out in the midwest that are happy to get it.
PS Quit top positing, it screws up the thread but then you, "Stormin moron". have been told that repeatedly.
Harry K
I have never used the cottonwood, but from the chart it seems similar to Popular wood. That I have used in a wood stove. I used it because I needed to cut a few trees down in the yard and needed to get rid of the wood.
Sometimes when the weather is like it is now, cold and warms up later in the day wood like tht comes in handy. Build a fire to get the basement warm so I can play in the shop down there, then the fire will go out in a short time and the sun warms up enough that I do not need the fire for the rest of the day.
For free and maybe a small ammount of work that is fine. I would not buy any of the popular or go very far to get any.
Creosote forms from condensation of the unburned gases emitted by the heated wood.
The formation is a function of several things, one of the more important being wet wood; the steam cools the flue encouraging condensation. If your wood is dry I wouldn't worry about it anymore than any other wood.
It's worthless, but that doesn't stop the tree-huggers from getting all bent out of shape when one is cut down.
??? I think you have some attributes confused. I never called you dumb, in fact I basicallyi called everybody who had answered you up to my first post dumb.
Your attitude about it 'it is free, why not use it, win win for both friend and you' is corect.
As a matter of fact, the post you quote above _was_ my first post.
Harry K
listing:
See the bottom for my reply. That is where educated and socially responsible people place their replies.
.??? You don't find top posting to be an excellent way to screw up a thread? Odd.
??? So noone should ever reply to a post after the first two? Even odder.
PS: Quit top posting, it screws up the thread. See this one for a good example. Harry K
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