Okay, so I’ve been getting into this whole wood-burning thing lately, you know, for the fireplace and the occasional bonfire. And I kept hearing about cedar, so I figured, why not give it a shot? I mean, it smells amazing when you’re just handling it, so I had high hopes.
First things first, I got my hands on some cedar. Luckily, my neighbor was trimming their cedar tree, and they were happy to let me take some of the branches. Score!
Getting it Ready
Now, I’m no expert, but I know you can’t just chuck fresh-cut wood into a fire. It needs to be dried, or “seasoned,” as the pros call it. I chopped the branches into smaller, manageable pieces. I used a hatchet and made a small pile on a pallet to keep them up off the ground for drying.
- Chopped wood into about 16-inch lengths (eyeballed it, really).
- Stacked the wood loosely. I wanted good airflow.
I let the wood sit for a few weeks. I poked at them, and they felt pretty dry to the touch.
The Burn Test
Time for the fun part! I started a small fire in my outdoor fire pit, using some kindling and a few pieces of the dried cedar, then watched it go.
Here’s what I noticed:
- It caught fire pretty easily. No struggles there.
- The smell was fantastic. Just like I expected, a lovely, sweet, woodsy aroma.
- It burned hot and fast. This stuff really goes up in flames!
- Lots of crackling and popping. Made for a lively fire, that’s for sure.
- It didn’t last super long. Compared to some other woods I’ve used, the cedar burned down pretty quickly.
My Takeaway
So, does cedar burn well? Yes, it does! But with caveats. It’s great for starting a fire and adding a wonderful scent, but I wouldn’t rely on it as my main fuel source if I wanted a long-lasting fire. I think I’ll be mixing it in with some denser woods, like oak, to get the best of both worlds – the quick start and aroma of cedar, and the long burn time of a harder wood. Definitely, the cedar is good for an initial start, and the aroma, but not to keep it going.
Experimenting is half the fun, right? I’ll keep playing around with different wood combinations and see what works best. Hope that’s been helpful to my readers.
