When I go out walking the dog I often pick up wood that has either dropped off the trees with the wind or been washed in with the tide. I usually bring this home, dry it out and chop it up to use on the fire. This is a real luxury for me as I was brought up in an area that could only use smokeless fuel. That made little difference to us as we didn’t have an open fire anyway. We relied solely on central heating, (how deprived I was).
Some wood I have to drag half a mile across the beach but if the wood is good for burning it is well worth the effort. I find the fast burning wood great for getting the water hot in the tank. Some wood is better than others at keeping the fire going. I remember once a next-door neighbour of mine, who was a gunsmith, gave me a box of old stocks for burning. These were made out of cherry and they didn’t half warm you up on a cold winters day. There are certain woods that need a safety warning attached to them as they have a tendency to spit the fire out onto the living room floor. I have found pine is a main culprit as is the wood from pallets; I don’t bother burning them anymore. Other wood that spits badly are poplar and sweet chestnut, so avoid those unless you have an enclosed fire or wood burning stove.
All wood burns differently, Poplar, for example gives out just half the amount of heat for the same weight of Oak. There are quite a few rhymes around to help us remember which wood to choose. Funnily enough none of them seem to mention old pallets or Christmas trees.
Some wood I have to drag half a mile across the beach but if the wood is good for burning it is well worth the effort. I find the fast burning wood great for getting the water hot in the tank. Some wood is better than others at keeping the fire going. I remember once a next-door neighbour of mine, who was a gunsmith, gave me a box of old stocks for burning. These were made out of cherry and they didn’t half warm you up on a cold winters day. There are certain woods that need a safety warning attached to them as they have a tendency to spit the fire out onto the living room floor. I have found pine is a main culprit as is the wood from pallets; I don’t bother burning them anymore. Other wood that spits badly are poplar and sweet chestnut, so avoid those unless you have an enclosed fire or wood burning stove.
All wood burns differently, Poplar, for example gives out just half the amount of heat for the same weight of Oak. There are quite a few rhymes around to help us remember which wood to choose. Funnily enough none of them seem to mention old pallets or Christmas trees.
Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year.
Oaken logs burn steadily
If the wood is old and dry.
Birch and fir logs burn too fast,
Blaze up bright and do not last.
Chestnut’s only good they say,
If for long is laid away.
But ash new or ash old
Is fit for a Queen with a crown of gold.
It is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your room and makes you choke.
Apple wood will scent your room
With an incense-like perfume.
But ash wet or ash dry
For a King to warm his slippers by.
The biggest hazard that I am faced with when I salvage any old wood is if there are any nails or old barbed wire sticking out from them. I carry a pair of gloves around with me just in case I see a choice piece that looks as though it could be chopped into fire sized pieces. Sometimes the wood is of a good enough quality to be spared the fire and goes into the garden to add to the raised beds that are slowly being built. I found a six-foot section of the base of a telegraph pole one week; I’ll tell you it took a bit of effort to get it into my car. When I got it home I didn’t fancy the prospect of cutting the wood up so I buried the bottom two feet into the lawn and it now stands pride of place in the front garden and is used every day as a very sturdy bird feeder.
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