Poplar- Is it worth it?

[Sawyer Rob]

Hey Cardboard burns but I wouldn't want to heat my house with it. ! Some wood is not worth messing with unless it's your only choice .. Maybe I'm a wood snob...

You are! lol

and i'm glad i'm not! cuz aspen/poplar is heating my house right now, just fine and I'm rather liking it...

It cuts easy, it splits easy, it dries fast and it's light to carry...

SR

 

[Landmark]

Hey Cardboard burns but I wouldn't want to heat my house with it. ! Some wood is not worth messing with unless it's your only choice .. Maybe I'm a wood snob but I won't bother with species like Cottonwood poplar willow aspen ect. ... My time has great value to me ...Too much work and not enough return. Burning Firewood is hard enough I don't want to sweat in labor for half the burn times and btus of good wood like oak hickory cherry maple

I know what you're saying flotek but I burn anything in my OWB. poplar included. I agree I want to maximize my firewood working time, but also when I see a good poplar, pine or any of lesser woods, I see money coming off my electric bill. It wont last as long as oak, locust or ash etc... but it heats my house, domestic water and also my clothes dryer. Free, Close and available are always on my play list. And I'd pass on hickory, maple and cherry for some good Locust!

 

[muddstopper]

If its down and free, I burn it. I dont seperate in my piles and I dont sort when loading the stove. If my hands touch it, I put it in the stove. Popular stacked in the weather turn pucky fast, Popular stored in the dry will last for years.

 

[zogger]

And speaking of cardboard..man, you could get a bunch easy scrounging. Need a super press adapter for making burning blocks, something that slips right on a wood splitter, a commercial unit I mean, comes as an accessory from the splitter manufacturer.

 

[KiwiBro]

And speaking of cardboard..man, you could get a bunch easy scrounging. Need a super press adapter for making burning blocks, something that slips right on a wood splitter, a commercial unit I mean, comes as an accessory from the splitter manufacturer.

Scrounge a rear differential and axel with wheels and tyres, mount a drum, mower blades, and towing arm on it. Fill with water and paper, tow it around for a bit and you have the feedstock for your splitter press.

 

[zogger]

the smogger eating some poplar..

 

[mainewoods]

The earth eating a poplar.

 

[zogger]

The earth eating a poplar.

HAHAHAHAHA! Good one!

 

[etc]

It's easier to start a fire with poplar than hardwood. A well seasoned piece burns like paper.

 

[windthrown]

It's easier to start a fire with poplar than hardwood. A well seasoned piece burns like paper.

Poplar IS a hardwood... so your statement makes no sense.

As for the OP, I do not bother with the poplar (or cottonwood) that we have around here any more. I can get all I want for free, but I pass on it for better wood. Why load the wood racks with low energy wood? The most common type in the PNW is black cottonwood, also called California poplar and balsam poplar. Burns fast, has the smell of cat pee when burned, takes a long time to dry, and it simply is not worth it. It has a tad more energy than most eastern poplar types, but it is still pretty low in terms of heat. Tulip or yellow poplar is much better, but that is actually a type of magnolia, and not in the poplar family. Aspen is similar, and not worth it. I also pass on Tree of Heaven, willow and white pine. All low heat woods.

 

[Ambull01]

I know what you're saying flotek but I burn anything in my OWB. poplar included. I agree I want to maximize my firewood working time, but also when I see a good poplar, pine or any of lesser woods, I see money coming off my electric bill. It wont last as long as oak, locust or ash etc... but it heats my house, domestic water and also my clothes dryer. Free, Close and available are always on my play list. And I'd pass on hickory, maple and cherry for some good Locust!

Wait, what!? You heat your clothes dryer with wood? Umm, how do I get something like that because I really want one.

Also, I used to live in Boone. Where are you in NC?

 

[Ambull01]

Poplar IS a hardwood... so your statement makes no sense.

As for the OP, I do not bother with the poplar (or cottonwood) that we have around here any more. I can get all I want for free, but I pass on it for better wood. Why load the wood racks with low energy wood? The most common type in the PNW is black cottonwood, also called California poplar and balsam poplar. Burns fast, has the smell of cat pee when burned, takes a long time to dry, and it simply is not worth it. It has a tad more energy than most eastern poplar types, but it is still pretty low in terms of heat. Tulip or yellow poplar is much better, but that is actually a type of magnolia, and not in the poplar family. Aspen is similar, and not worth it. I also pass on Tree of Heaven, willow and white pine. All low heat woods.

Well that's weird. Poplar is classified as a hardwood yet it's known to be soft. What a contradiction.

 

[mainewoods]

Pallets made from poplar are rock hard and sturdy. Still, split poplar is a low grade wood and burns up quickly. If you like being married to the wood stove ( not OWB), and it's all you have..........

 

[Landmark]

Wait, what!? You heat your clothes dryer with wood? Umm, how do I get something like that because I really want one.

Also, I used to live in Boone. Where are you in NC?

Yes I plumbed my wood boiler into my clothes dryer using a heat coil like the one on my furnace. Disabled the heat unit in dryer and made it pull air through boiler heat exchanger. Heats great and all I burn is electricity on is fan motor and tumbler in dryer. Saves a ton on power bill. Theres a commercial version sold for 1000.00 but I made mine for under 100.

Weaverville

 

[flotek]

I'm such a wood snob I even pass on elm ... I don't have the personal time to fiddle with low heat woods with short burn times .. Wood is so cheap and readily available here that it's Waste of effort and storage space for junk wood . Most of these low density woods are full of water and often rot before they season they leave a lot of ash and stink to burn,if I was desperate or had a outdoor boiler maybe I would reconsider but for now I'll stick with what works best

 

[Chris-PA]

I'm such a wood snob I even pass on elm ... I don't have the personal time to fiddle with low heat woods with short burn times .. Wood is so cheap and readily available here that it's Waste of effort and storage space for junk wood . Most of these low density woods are full of water and often rot before they season they leave a lot of ash and stink to burn,if I was desperate or had a outdoor boiler maybe I would reconsider but for now I'll stick with what works best

Tulip is certainly not a low heat burn, just shorter. In fact it burns really well, and saves me time when I have to light a cold stove.

Since I don't generally cut healthy trees, I have to take what dies off or comes down. That means a lot of ash (my favorite), but when I get tulip I'm always happy. Plus, it's so easy to process.

We have a lot of tulip since the woods were logged off some years before we came, but other than on one steep, rocky hillside it has been pretty touch stuff and doesn't come down too often. Unlike the oaks. Tulips are some of my favorite trees, other than just firewood.

 

[GVS]

Pallets made from poplar are rock hard and sturdy. Still, split poplar is a low grade wood and burns up quickly. If you like being married to the wood stove ( not OWB), and it's all you have..........

Poplar, when fully seasoned gets very hard.Bend the nail hard!Many years ago it was used to make wagon racks.They were light and long lasting.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Wait, what!? You heat your clothes dryer with wood? Umm, how do I get something like that because I really want one.

Even poplar dries my cloths nicely...

SR

 

[flotek]

That's interesting ...I'm surprised the heat off your little run of duct gets hot enough to do that . Is the cycle time the same as when it ran off the dryer element. ? I'd think you'd have to run it for 3-4 cycles to really get the clothes dry. .

 

[Sawyer Rob]

That's interesting ...I'm surprised the heat off your little run of duct gets hot enough to do that . Is the cycle time the same as when it ran off the dryer element. ? I'd think you'd have to run it for 3-4 cycles to really get the clothes dry. .

I insulated the pipe after I took the pict., and it dries just about as fast as it did before hooking it to the woodstove...

SR