pine wood

[maplecrazy]

can anyone tell me if dried pine is ok to use in my arch i have a chance to get alot free but never used it and don't know if it will build up sap bad ?

[red maples]

most people that I know burn everything!!!! Pine is good, the dryer the better. I use pine, hemlock, the occational cedar..I don't cut them but if they are dead I use them...poplar, wood scraps, from 2X's, or what ever (just stay away from pressure treated and painted wood), all types of branches, old pallets, LAst year and this year I used all the scraps and basically cleaned up my woods and collected roadside stuff left over from the ice storm ...and I save the hardwood for the woodstove... All of the mentioned above wood burns fast and gives off lots of creosote but when your burning it at the high temps you use for the evap then the build up is not bad,...Hardwood is too expensive to burn unless thats your thing!!!

[C.Wilcox]

+1 to what red maples said. Keep it roaring hot and burn whatever will fit through the door.

[Clan Delaney]

maplecrazy-

I'm moving your question over to the evaporator forum where it'll get more attention. Personally, I'm a big fan of whatever wood I can get for free. Pallets are nice, but they take extra work to break down. Or... you could build an arch that'll take a full pallet!!! Yeah!

[maple flats]

I have my own sawmill and I burn the scrap and slab of everything I saw. I do mix it however with hardwood. I find it works best with about 1/3 soft max, however, if soft is all you have you can burn just that. With pine or any other soft wood you get a fast fire but fewer coals and less heat, adjust the firing times. For example, I add every 5 minutes with my mix but if I get caught temporarily short on hard wood, I use all soft and fire every 4 minutes. When you fire, either way, fill the box to about 2/3 only and fill as fast as possible. Every second the door is open you loose some of your boil.

[mtnmeadowmplfarm]

I've burned plenty of pine in my arch and it works fine. It ignites fast but burns up just as fast. I prefer a 2-1 softwood hardwood mix in my woodpile but have burned all softwood before. Just plan on consuming more wood and adjust firing times as previously stated.

[HazensNotchSugarShack]

Mtnmeadow do you have a screen on your stack? I was told to add one if burning soft wood. Is this correct?

[KenWP]

I burn just about all cedar here. Thats all that grows here besides the maples and they are safe. I have a few dead elms and way in the back some dead maples but the rest are cedars and helock and spruce. Seems to work out okay.

[PerryW]

I burn 90% pine (about 10 cords/year) , mostly pine slabs from my sawmill.

It burns great it is easy to spit and not as easy to get splinters from as other softwood.

[3rdgen.maple]

I burn just about all cedar here. Thats all that grows here besides the maples and they are safe. I have a few dead elms and way in the back some dead maples but the rest are cedars and helock and spruce. Seems to work out okay.

I am in the same catagory as Perry. I still scratch my head and wonder a little when I hear you guys say the hardwood burns hotter. I understand it burns longer but everytime I put a peice of hardwood in the arch It boils pretty good but then when I put pine it it boils alot harder than the hardwood did.

[red maples]

As far as I know it is a really good idea to have a screen on your stack to prevent sparks coming out I have one on the house chimney too. it will also help keep out critters in the off season. In A house we rented many moons ago we had found 2 squirrel skeletons in the top of the furnace climed down the inside of the chimney nested up for summer and when we had it serviced in late fall after we had been using it for a little while the service guy found them. MMM BBQ squirrel its a little tough but gooood. ;)

[red maples]

its all about BTU's pine does burn hot but quickly...

hardwood burns for a long time and will maintain a relative heat for a longer period. I guess like someone else said the pine leaves no coals so if you were to mix in some hard wood it would make some coals and retain more heat and keep it at a more constant temp and therefore creating a better quality syrup in theory...:confused: Right???

[Jeff E]

I have mostly hardwood, oak, hickory, ash. Some soft, mostly red maple (cull trees) and poplar.

Boy, when the poplar is dry I get a great boil, lots of flame. It may require filling the box twice as often, but Im there anyway.

I try to mix it in. I am curious if hardwoods with a blower system give that great poplar or pine boil?

[BarrelBoiler]

i use mostly softwood, pine and spruce, split fine and fire often, in between firing and adding more sap i keep busy spliting the wood finer....in regards to screen on the stack..did that with steel window screen and it plugged up with the soot from the fire getting going again after adding some more wood.. tried a manufactured one and the same thing happened so now i just put a weather cap on. i boil out side under a tarp not much chance of fire just holes to let the rain in

[3% Solution]

We burn mostly Hemlock slabs.
Like um, burn hot, hotter than pine.
Get some Spruce in there once in awhile, now that stuff boils sap.
Usually throw 4 peices at a time in, pull the coals to the center and two on each side.
I found if we fill it up, all the heat goes out the chimney and it doesn't boil any harder.
Getting 25 gallons to a cord,so I guess we're doing ok.

Dave

[Greg Morin]

I used to work on a farm and every time we ripped a building down we filled a barn with the sideing and beams come sap season that is primarily what got burned. Someone is always ripping something down why not use free wood. craigslist always has alot of poor quality wood for free also.

[mtnmeadowmplfarm]

Hazen Notch,
I use a stainless wire mesh under the base stack for a spark arrestor. Just jack the stack up off the arch using a couple of pry bars and lay the mesh in there. It will need replacing every couple of years. I have never had any trouble with it plugging up. The first year with my 3x10 I didnt have a spark arrestor and sent a steady 14" diameter shower of sparks into the sky all night.

[KenWP]

The heat from the arch will keep the mesh clean when it is that close and it catchs the big peices there and they burn.

[3rdgen.maple]

Add more stack the heck with the screen.

[mtnmeadowmplfarm]

I have 22 ft of stack and it still would shoot sparks another 15 feet into the air

[HazensNotchSugarShack]

Hazen Notch,
I use a stainless wire mesh under the base stack for a spark arrestor. Just jack the stack up off the arch using a couple of pry bars and lay the mesh in there. It will need replacing every couple of years. I have never had any trouble with it plugging up. The first year with my 3x10 I didnt have a spark arrestor and sent a steady 14" diameter shower of sparks into the sky all night.

MTNMEADOW That SS mesh you use is it fine screen or like 1/4 inch. Rick

[mtnmeadowmplfarm]

It is a fine screen. I think a 1/4" screen would allow too many embers to pass through.

[vermaple]

I think the one that I have seen are at least 1/4 inch mesh, or maybe 3/8".