Choosing and finding wood

[jwnorris]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

jw - I posted a quote from a website that is contradictory to your creosote information. Urban legend. Wet or unseasoned hard wood will create more creosote that wet or dry soft woods. Once it's been cured two or more years, you're correct, or at least they are similar.
<snip>

Good catch. And I hate getting my thumb caught in the urban legend pie - I should have checked my source before blindly quoting them.

In a WFO, it is a non-issue. Creosote burns off at high temps - especially pizza temps. The chimney should stay clean with hot burns.

I agree completely. High heat is good.

J W

[gjbingham]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

jw - I posted a quote from a website that is contradictory to your creosote information. Urban legend. Wet or unseasoned hard wood will create more creosote that wet or dry soft woods. Once it's been cured two or more years, you're correct, or at least they are similar.

If not completely dry, hard and soft woods seasoned the same amount of time are not comparable. Soft woods burn cleaner. The moisture in the wood cools the heat of the burn, which creates the creosote. Less BTU's per mass means less heat produced though. The more cured the wood, the less creosote and less problems.

In a WFO, it is a non-issue. Creosote burns off at high temps - especially pizza temps. The chimney should stay clean with hot burns.

[jwnorris]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

This is a post of mine that bears repeating. Here is some information that I picked up from one of my wood sources.

Hardwoods burn hotter and cleaner which means you actually burn fewer hardwood logs than softwood to obtain the type of fire you want. Hardwoods leave less creosote, a sap residue that can clog chimney flue and even cause fires in extreme cases.

Oak is a long-burning hardwood that is typically used in pizza ovens, wood-burning grills and barbecues. Oak is usually seasoned for four to six months.

Mesquite is typically used in pizza ovens or wood-burning grills and it is a favorite for barbecues. It is a slow-burning wood that creates a hot fire. It produces a great aroma and gives barbecued meat or poultry a Southwestern flavor!

Almond is usually dark in color and is seasoned for nine months. It produces about 20% more heat per cord than Oak, making it a good value, and it burns clean for an easy clean-up.

Walnut is usually light in color and produces much more heat than typical warehouse or grocery store bundles, making it a good value. It burns clean for an easy clean-up and is typically smaller and easier to carry than some other woods.

Citrus is another good choice.

Approximate Heat Content Per Cord of Woods Used for Firewood in California (Dry Basis)1

Type of Wood Heat Value/Cord (million BTU)


Alder 15.7
Almond 32.9
Apple 27.5
Apricot 28.3
Avocado 20.7
Cedar, Incense 16.0
Cedar, Port Oxford 17.6
Cherry 27.0
Chinkapin 18.9
Citrus 33.8
Cottonwood 14.0
Cypress, Monterey 19.3
Douglas Fir 21.5
Elm 20.7
Eucalyptus, Blue Gum 28.0
Eucalyptus, Lemon Scented Gum 30.6
Eucalyptus, Mountain Gum 24.3
Eucalyptus, Red Gum 30.6
Eucalyptus, Rose Gum 27.5
Fig 23.3
Fir, Grand 15.2
Fir, Red 16.1
Fir, White 15.7
Laurel, Bay 23.3
Laurel, California 23.3
Laurel, Myrtle (Oregon) 23.3
Laurel, Pepperwood 23.3
Madrone 24.8
Mahogany, mountain 39.8
Manzanita 32.0
Maple 19.6
Oak, Black 22.6
Oak, Blue 38.2
Oak, Coast Live 28.5
Oak, Canyon Live 31.7
Oak, Tanoak 26.1
Oak, White 28.2
Olive 37.3
Peach 32.5
Pear 32.0
Pine, Digger 20.5
Pine, Knobcone 17.2
Pine, Lodgepole 17.3
Pine, Monterey * 22.0
Pine, Ponderosa 18.3
Pine, Sugar 16.2
Plum 25.6
Redwood 18.5
Walnut, English 22.5
Walnut, Black 23.5

1Wood specific gravity and heat value are both necessary for calculation of fuel value. Both have been determined for most woods but data were estimated for a few uncommon species, based on local laboratory experience.
* Pinyon is very close to Monterey Pine in heat value.

I typically burn oak, hickory [when I can find it], mesquite, and citrus. I was fortunate to find olive recently.


J W

[egalecki]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I don't know about pecan's BTU capability, but my mom and dad lost one several years ago in a hurricane and after it seasoned, it was some of the best smoking wood I've ever used. It added a really nice flavor to my rib recipe! It's all gone now and I'm stuck with shagbark off the hickory trees for now.... (I know, that's not really a hardship at all!)

[gjbingham]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I think Pecan would be excellent in a WFO. Google "Pecan as firewood". I think you'll find something worthwhile.

[Archena]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I have a really old oak in my yard that keeps dropping limbs. You're welcome to it - but ya might wanna rent a semi to haul it home....



Anyone have an opinion of pecan? I have a bigger (think gigantic) pecan in the back yard and I need to do something with all the limbs (pecans are notorious for dropping limbs).

[Ryan]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I have done a lot of research the past few days and here is what I found so far in Colorado. Oak is hard to find! most sell a cord anywhere from $550 to $600 plus $65 delivery. Apple, pear, almond are the same or more in price. As we have a forest of pine that is abundant but not an option. I tried it last week and now have a mess to clean up! I can get White Ash for about $350 a cord and Maple for about $200 a cord (unsplit, 3 months seasoned...) A local firewood/tree removal company swears by silver maple and that runs $250 a cord. In looking at the BTU ratings of wood I think I will get some Ash and some fruit woods to blend. I never thought firewood would be so expensive. Growing up in Southern California people would give or pay you to take orange wood and other woods off of their property. I think $625 just for wood that I am going to burn is way too much.

Thanks,

Ryan

[CanuckJim]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Readie,

Good on you. My ex-father-in-law is from Camden Town, Bow Bells territory, and I've spent quite a bit of time there, though my rhyming slang isn't quite up to snuff/nuff.

Jim

[readie]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

For any UK/ London based readers: kiln dried hardwood is available from:

Firewood, kindling, log stores, Heat logs, Chimenea mini-logs and wood pellets - Certainly Wood in large quantities: 1 palate of either 50 or 80 bags of hardwood (approx 500-800kg) and kindling/ firelighters. They are very helpful and source all their wood from sustainable woodland. There are several other suppliers in the uk (google Kiln Dried Hardwood Fuel) which all seem to be similarly priced (around ?300 per 80 bags). This is what the London Pizza restaurants are using and it is fantastic. I got a small delivery of hardwood today from the company "Big K" and fired the oven up tonight: it is totally different from the soft wood I had been trying with before: the oven got right up to temperature within 1 hour 15mins and now has burnt off all of the soot and looks wonderful.

Simon

[dalucca2003]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Has anyone used Hickory in thier ovens? I just purchased and installed a
Toscana 90 and will be done with the curing tonight....
I purchased some seasoned Hickory and it seems to be firing well. I have some regular oak "fireplace" firewood as well....
thanks,
Mike

I was at Macaroni Grill this past week and noticed they had a wood fired oven. I asked the General Manager what type of wood they use and he informed me they use hickory.

[readie]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I have the pizza restaurant supplier getting back to me tomorrow to see if they would be willing/able to supply me with a large quantity of dried hardwood even though I'm not a restaurant, so fingers crossed. The Aga I have is gas (cheapest running cost in London) but yes they can also be solid fuel or oil or even electricity now: the logs seem to be drying nicely in there so I think that may work. Thanks for your advice.

[Inishta]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

dmun...........agas were originally solid fuel but are available in electric, gas and oil-fired as well.

[dmun]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Smoke is only an issue until the oven gets to pizza temperatures. Once the oven gets to 700 or 800 degrees a new log on the fire bursts into flame with no visible smoke. Maybe you could start your fire with charcoal (which is ruinously expensive in the US compared to firewood) or smokeless fuel, and then switch to wood for your cooking flames. In any event, don't start the charcoal fire with liquid starters or other solvents. That's not what you want on your cooking floor.

For hardwood, look into hardwood flooring installers, and cabinetmakers, they would no doubt have lots of hardwood scraps.

Aren't AGA's in the UK solid fuel heaters? I thought they ran on anthracite.

[readie]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

Thanks i have given them a ring: they have never been asked the question before ! but said that they did not think it would be a good idea to use the smokeless fuel. They did suggest using charcoal ? any thoughts on the use of charcoal?

I have also phoned some of the wood oven pizza restaurants in London and they seem to use a kiln dried hardwood, which presumably reduces smoke, although their supplier is "trade only" unfortunately. I have an Aga cooker and last night filled it with logs to try to dry them out further, so I will try again tonight when hopefully the neighbors are in bed..

Simon

[dmun]

Re: Choosing and finding wood

I think what they sell in the UK as smokeless fuel is chunks of hard coal or anthracite. The news is that that may be all you are allowed to burn in a no-smoke zone in the UK.

Here in New Jersey, we're 50 miles from the biggest deposits of anthracite in the US, in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm across the street from the former Central Railroad of NJ, who's sole reason for being was to bring Pennsylvania anthracite to New York City, and you can't even buy the stuff here. Around here, it's way easier to get firewood, and it's even local since it's mostly a by-product of the tree removal business.

The short answer is that I don't know. We're often asked about burning coal in brick ovens, since there is a long NYC tradition of coal fired pizza. We've tended to discourage it because of the by-products of coal combustion.

You could perhaps get some more information from the UK solid fuel trade association:

Solid Fuel Association - coal, coke and smokeless fuels