Pine cookwood question?

[braggscowboy]

I know part of the answer before I ask it, but I will anyway. I had to cut several big pine trees from my yard last summer after all the ice storms the previous winters. Used some of it by having it shaved for horse stalls, but have a great deal left. 20" logs or so about 20+ feet long. Now i know pine would not be the best wood to use if you have hardwoods to use, which I do, but I hate to see this wood waste. Pines do not grow naturaly, I planted these trees and now would like to use them. Question is, I know some of you live where you have mostly pine of some sort. Do you use this to cook with or to heat with after it cures out? Would like your input. Thanks!

[tamsam]

Depends on what kind of chimney you have and how hot you burn it.We have a steel chimney that is 6" and about 3/8" thick. We burn whatever we can get but we usually use the wood to get the coal going. While we have a good rain I will burn it hotter than need and try to get a chimney fire to clean it out. If the wood is good dry I see no reason not to burn it, it will just take more of it. We burn a lot of slabs from the sawmill so we get a good mix of different woods. Good luck with your wood. Sam

[Navotifarm]

Most people I know around here refuse to burn pine, saying it's full of creosote which makes it a fire hazard. That said, one of the men who hunts my land burns pine in a stove in his workshop.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I burn tons of pine, white and yellow, and yes it does produce more creosote (especially the yellow), I just clean my chimney a little more often (maybe every 2 months or so) and try not to smolder it overnight, loading it up with hard wood before bed.

Our property had lots of dead pines, and very little hard wood, I couldn't see just burning it in a brush pile, so into the woodstove it goes...

[woodsy]

We burn some white pine, a by product of logging ,usually mix it with other hardwoods. All of our kindling is pine from slabs.
I say get it dry and burn it, these guys do to:

http://www.woodheat.org/contact/faq.htm

[||Downhome||]

bonfire or camp fire or fire starter.

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by ||Downhome||

bonfire or camp fire or fire starter.

Ditto, that's how we use most of our dead and downed pine. I must have three or four full cords of dry pine campfire wood.

If we ever had a lot of large wind-blown pine, I'd be tempted to use the logs for raised bed frames in the garden.

[Navotifarm]

what is being said here about the creosote build-up in the chimney and the importance of cleaning it out is that if you get a fire in the chimney, and the chimney is flawed, you can burn your house down, perhaps with you in it. So be aware and be careful. What about making an outdoor firepit and/or an earth oven like Kiko Denzo's and burning all your pine outside so you're not putting your house at risk?? Invite the Boy Scouts over for a bon fire? Use some of your nice logs for a raised bed garden? (Get the Boy Scouts to help you drag the logs into your Giant Square Foot Garden position and then reward them with the bon fire so you have a double whammy).

[braggscowboy]

Do have the firepit, and will not burn for wood, maybe as kindling. Have plenty of hardwood and the pine is over a year old now. Thanks for all the information!

[bluefish]

All we burn is pine. It's all that is available out here. We've found chimney fires depend more on your chimney and whether or not the wood is cured well. And your stove. When we burned with a Blaze King, we had to clean the chimney more. It's a smokier burning stove. When we burn our Hearthstone, we don't have to clean the chimney all winter. We check every month or so, but it's never needed it. It IS better to have good, dry wood, though. Wet (green) wood will have LOTS more creosote build up. Pine catches fast and easy and burns hot and fast. I do miss having oak for overnight fires.

[ronbre]

season it well and use it only for kindling

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by thermopkt

All we burn is pine. It's all that is available out here. We've found chimney fires depend more on your chimney and whether or not the wood is cured well. And your stove. When we burned with a Blaze King, we had to clean the chimney more. It's a smokier burning stove. When we burn our Hearthstone, we don't have to clean the chimney all winter. We check every month or so, but it's never needed it. It IS better to have good, dry wood, though. Wet (green) wood will have LOTS more creosote build up. Pine catches fast and easy and burns hot and fast. I do miss having oak for overnight fires.

Did the same when I lived in Colorado all I had was Pine and Aspen for wood,I would take and mix some Coal in to get more Heat.

big rockpile

[TNHermit]

WHOA!!! Hold on

Contrary to popular belief. Pine is FINE furniture wood. Anybody that can work pine can work about anything. you don't need a lot of fancy tools either since it is softwood

Looks to me like you got a whole house full of furniture there. Remember you can always burn it. But you can't always make furniture out of it.

Sawmill Jim would know better but if you got about a dozen logs that size you would have close to a 1000 bdft of lumber or better. You should be able to get a 1000 ft cut for 250-300. see how much that is at your local lumber yard.

And except for rot the more color in it the better it is.

[agmantoo]

Pine is the wood of choice for cooking using a wood stove in hot weather. It will heat fast and then be consumed rapidly when using small pieces. Pine was the "microwave" of the past. Knowing how to burn pine is the success behind the effort. Use only a few pieces at a time and burn those pieces very hot. Control the heat by the amount of pine being fired. Never load the stove and attempt to control the heat with the damper or the draft.