These are amounts of wood that are still 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but of a lesser depth than 4 feet. Some woods make beautiful accents on furniture, but they do not stand up to the test of time like kiln-dried soft maple wood. It gives a mild fruity and sweet smoke that goes well with alder, pecan, hickory or oak. Great For: Poultry, Vegetables, Cheese. it's a great smoking wood. Maple – It gives a more subtle, sweet smoky flavor that is perfect for mild, light and sweet smoking. Cherry – Very good fruit wood that fits most types of meat. Birch will burn unseasoned although the sap can cause a build up of deposits in the flue. It should be noted that the volatile oils in some softwoods can increase the heat output of some species but only for a short time. If you only need a little wood, bagged commercial firewood is often a good and safe choice as the high-quality hardwood will burn hot and clean. Many male species will work, although ashleaf and silver maples have somewhat weaker wood than red or sugar maples. It is one of the most common trees in the United States.. These maples, as you might guess from the name, are softer and less dense than hard maples. I have to process it myself, as it is not the most commercial of woods, at least here in NW Iowa. Silver maple is considered to be in the grouping of soft maples , and its wood is lighter, softer, and weaker than that of hard maple. Maple is a beautiful wood to apply a clear coat. So, what you have is regular soft maple. Those fireplaces are like a 5 mpg truck as far as wood consumption. All wood, regardless of species, has about the same energy content per pound. apple wood smoked bbq'd chicken is heaven. Whether you burn wood in a fireplace, stove or furnace, good quality firewood is the key to convenience, efficiency and safety. Acer saccharinum, commonly known as silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, large maple, water maple, swamp maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canada. It’s a good wood to burn when you are around the house and can tend the fire pretty often. which of these will be a good conductor wood,paper,silver or air Is apple wood a good firewood? Maybe I should include elm in a later hub. It is readily distinguished from sugar maple (i.e., hard maple) as the leaves of silver maple have deep notches between the lobes, whereas sugar maple’s leaves have shallower notches. There is a terrible misconception about this maple. Hardwood Firewood . Now it may look like hard maple is heads and tails above the rest (and to a certain extent, it is), but for reference, black cherry has a janka hardness of 950 lb f (the same as red maple), and black walnut is rated at 1,010 lb f.Also note that black maple (not pictured), isn’t quite as hard as its close relative, hard maple, and ranks in the mid-range, with a hardness of 1,180 lb f. Like oak, it’s heavy and burns slowly, once seasoned properly. Here are the facts about why soft maple is the perfect wood for your custom furniture: Wood shake is a problem in the maple here because of the livestock presence. Silver maple is good firewood to me - right in that middle ground between pine and ash. It doesn’t make a lot of coals and works great for a fire starter for the harder to light woods like Oak, but it produces a moderate amount of smoke and throws some sparks, so keep that in mind when burning Poplar firewood indoors and keep your screen up. The wood is only soft in comparison to hard maple. You will still get good heat from it. 20. It can take a beating and look great for years. Of course it's decent firewood. The difference is just that the fires don't last as long and that is usually mostly in the coaling of the wood. No one would want to use wood … Cottonwood. This wood would be a good fit for my situation. Forum Responses (Sawing and Drying Forum) From contributor D: My favorite wood for musical instruments is silver maple. But these are valuable trees and in many areas are not plentiful enough to burn. Maple will still coal but not as much. Maple is a creamy white hardwood that sometimes has a reddish tinge. That would even out the playing field. This is the mainstream firewood favorite for wood stoves, and probably one of the all-around best logs for a wood burning stove. It grows to 18 metres (60 feet)—higher under favourable conditions—with a short, stout trunk and Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is a large riparian tree, growing as tall as 120 feet in its native streamside habitat. Traditionally, the favored trees in central North America were oak and maple because they are very dense and produce long-lasting coals. I guess to me, to not use silver maple because it's not oak is ludicrous. Pros: Maple is affordable and ultra-durable. The different species vary mainly in density. This a very light wood, and if dry burns fast and hot. Birch makes excellent firewood for burning on a wood burner, stove or in an open fire. I know it isnt as hard a wood as hard maple, but I have seen projects done with it. Wood must be split into pieces and stacked out of the rain for at least six months to season properly. As with most maple species, it can be tapped for syrup as availability requires. Sure, lesser BTUs per volume of wood, but many, many BTUs just the same! It cuts splits and seasons well and is good to burn after 6-9 months in this climate. (A cord has about 85 cu ft of wood and not 128, because of the air spaces between the pieces). Jon_E, Apr 28, 2016 #8 Top. "Face cords" are often sold. Birch An additional benefit of maple is that it accepts stain … Different types of maple that can be used for firewood include red maple, sugar or hard maple, black maple, Norway maple and silver maple. But big leaf maple is a good firewood and produces great heat. It is still harder, stronger, and more durable than many other varieties of wood. Problems Using Maple Tree Chips & Mulch. Is a Silver Maple a Good Choice for Shade in a Front Yard?. I have one big silver maple that needs to come down, it's probably 34-36"DBH with several trunks and I am guessing I'm going to get 3-4 cords out of it. Silverleaf maple is most commonly called silver maple. Wood should have a moisture content of only 15 to 25 percent for burning. So why all the details? It may need assistance from another faster burning wood such as Birch to keep it burning well. This wood produces a good heat, although it burns relatively quickly, so in a fire, it’s best to use it in a mix of slower-burning woods, such as elm or oak. Good for mixing with things like alder, oak or apple. One of the hardest wood species, maple is often chosen for heavy-use items, like dressers and kitchen cabinets. I burn it mixed in with harder woods all season with the exception of cold nights. It is one of the two major species (silver and red) that combine to the group called soft maple. These maples don’t have as many BTU’s as hard maples but they still make good firewood. I have put huge chunks with big knots in them and in a old fashioned, wood guzzling fireplace, they burn for up to four hours!!! The silver maple’s fiber is relatively soft and less durable than harder species, making it less sought-after for wood, but is a mainstay for landscaping in public parks and private yards. Red maple (soft maple) is excellent firewood. Mulch made of bark and wood chips from maple trees is a natural, effective way to enrich your garden soil that also helps to retain moisture for your plants. Wet wood and pieces that are not the right size and shape for your wood burner can be frustrating, burn inefficiently and deposit creosote that can fuel a dangerous chimney fire. The silver maple tree can become a real nuisance for a homeowner or business owner. Silver maple should just be called “maple” and sugar maple should be called “unnecessarily hard maple”. While oak wood can take a little longer to become properly seasoned than other firewoods, the fire from well seasoned oak in your wood stove can’t be beat. Green Wood. It's only drawback is that it does not keep a fire as long as the heavy hitters like oak or even hard maple. Maple Hard maple is found mainly in the northern United States and Canada. Its primary favorable characteristics—shade and fast growth—lend themselves to future problems with this species. it must be seasoned very well. 2. So this means that I have a wood stove that I use during the winter, but I don’t need it to burn super hot all of the time. If you live where there are mild winters, then this could be a good fit for you. Compared to red maple, silver maple is a bit lower in density and therefore machines a bit more easily with a slight increase in tendency to fuzz. PfeifferV/getty. For example, oak will give you some big coals and there is a lot of heat there. Larger pieces of wood will prove difficult to split. Available Heat by Wood Species - Available heat is a measure of the heat given off when wood is burnt and measured in million British Thermal Units.Hardwood trees give off more energy in BTUs than a comparable volume of softwood because it is denser. All maple seems to be unfriendly to me! A good firewood but due to its high water content of approximately 140% (more water than wood!) Maple is not only a strong wood, it is abrasion resistant, so it will last for many miles on the trail. It is easy to split if the grain is straight, but it is often twisted. tmbridgeland from Small Town, Illinois on July 15, 2012: I use a lot of soft maple. Silver maple, (Acer saccharinum), large, spreading tree, of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), popular as a rapid-growing shade tree. Maple (Red and Silver) ... A good rule of thumb is to rotate your firewood, as in burning the older dryer wood first, to avoid wood rot and waste. However it gives off a good, lasting heat and burns very slowly. We did wonder if a lot of the wood we took up north would rot before we could burn it, but so far so good. Will the silver maple give us good boards to work with? Don't let wood that is short on the btu scale bother you too much. to me. Native to eastern North America, it is widely cultivated elsewhere. Soft maple usually refers to red maple and sometimes silver maple, which is sometimes called swamp maple. Cottonwood is a type of firewood that is known for producing a low heat. The tight grain makes pore filling unnecessary and it is easy to get a glass like finish if you have taken the time to work down the grit and sand with the grain. Grade: 2-3 Maple: Maple firewood burns very similarly to Ash. As for maple, I have a lot of red, silver, and sugar. A "cord" of wood is defined as a stack 4 feet high, 4 feet thick and 8 feet long. Splitting wood: Wet wood is easier to split than dry wood. Silver, Red Maple and Boxelder are the most common soft maple species. 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