Thoughts on burning sycamore

[kallaste]

I have a friend that says that although sycamore is a hardwood that it doesnt put out any heat and is not worth burning. I have cut about a cord and am hopeing i havent wasted my time. What do you think?

 

[ray benson]

Sycamore is listed on this chart(page 2). Show your friend.
http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1554/build/g1554.pdf

 

[danrclem]

I have used sycamore before and it's not that bad. I just got quite a bit of it a few weeks ago. When I have it I use it during the day and use my hardwoods at night. The worst thing about it is if you don't have a splitter it is a killer to do by hand. If I had to split it by hand it would be a last resort. I'd rather have oak, hickory or some other hard wood but sometimes you have to take what you can get.

Danny

 

[Minn-Pax]

I'm a little dubious about that Nebraska chart, at least the splitting part.

I think box elder splits easy- not that I want any of it anyway. It is a weed around here.

Bitternut hickory splits very easily.

Red elm splits medium at best, but it is worth the effort.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Sycamore is very heavy when wet and green, but is pretty light when it is seasoned. It burns nicely, and is about a medium BTU producer. Most people that I know don't like it, but I enjoy it-it has a different kind of aroma when freshly split-someone once referred to it as smelling like "wet grass"!

 

[nittany_tim]

This winter, I burned about a half cord of sycamore that I had gotten from a neighbor's felled tree and split myself. It had seasoned for about a year and a half. Its performance was so-so.... it burned a little too quickly and didn't burn as hot as other wood I burned with it this winter (maple, black locust, oak, sweet gum). Given the opportunity again to get it for free, I would of course take it, but only in smaller quantities, as I was overall disappointed with it.

I agree with danrclem -- it was a pain to split, with a difficulty on par with splitting black locust and sweet gum.