Splitting,Seasoning and Burning Sycamore and London Planetree, anyone using it?

[GlennG]

Anyone who has ever spent more than a minute with either London Planetree(Platunus Xacerifolia) or Sycamore(Platunus occidentalis) and an axe knows God has a big sense of humor. I can`t give it away, I can`t pay guys to take it. Even the obsesive firewood scrounger guys who call weekly for free wood do not want it. Well since this wood is piling up and my new splitter can split it, is it worth burning? I had an old-timer tell me it burns well if seasoned long enough but I`ve heard contradictions to that too. Anyone have experience processing and burning Sycky????

Glenn

 

[day52]

Not an expert, but I've burned some limbs off London Planetree and have cut and split some Sycamore. I think it is worth burning, but my experience was that it took a while to season and it is middle to low in heat value as hardwoods go. I agree that without the splitter, it would be close to impossible to work--but you have one! Good luck!

 

[Butch(OH)]

I always had heard that for heat sycamore was not worth the fuel to cut it up but last winter I had one that need to be removed so the boy and I blocked it up and stacked it just for giggles. I have been burning some of it in our OWB the last couple weeks and have found it will burn and produce some BTUs but it doesn't produce hardly any coals so I have to mix it with other woods so the fire reignites when the draft blower kicks on. And wow talk about ashes, I think you get about half what you throw in back out in ash. I wouldn't drive across the street to get free sycamore for firewood but when I run into others that I must remove Ill block it instead of wasting it as long as I have an OWB to burn it in.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

These guys hit most of the good/bad points about Sycamore. It's heavy as all get out when it's green, and very light when seasoned. It ignites easily, burns nicely, but like they mentioned it's a "medium" wood as far as throwing heat goes. Myself, I like it. But you'd need a lot of it for real cold weather. And it's a MONSTER to split-sometimes the splitter even swears at it! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[cord arrow]

we burn sycamore...quite a bit of it. HUGE sycamore trees go down here every winter. it's not terrible, and when mixed with a slow burner you can get some btu's out of it.

we have oak around here, a lot of it, that's been laying on the ground for years. it's seasoned, but wet. never seems to dry completely. does well with the sycamore.

 

[cord arrow]

I had an old-timer tell me it burns well if seasoned long enough

i believe it burns best before it's seasoned...while it still has some weight to it. fully seasoned this stuff is balsa wood.

 

[046]

that stuff is a royal PITA to split!
even with my 35ton splitter.
it doesn't really split... shear is more like it

 

[wahoowad]

I learned the hard way what an undesirable wood it is. But I am burning a little this year that I beat apart with my maul last year. I think it loses more weight than anything else I've processed so far, but it does burn! I use it with tulip poplar to start my fires. I'll never bring a log home again though.

 

[johnha]

Sycamore is not bad if its mixed in with other stuff while burning.

I'd be one of the guys passing on it if you offered it. Its not worth the trouble for a mediocre wood.