NFR Let's talk about "fat wood".

[Jim in Anacortes]

Until a few years ago I had never heard of "fat wood". It is highly flammable wood that is saturated with flammable "sap". Around here the old growth stumps of Douglas Fir often have "pillars" of fat wood protruding above the outer, decaying stump wood. This "fat wood" is of very high quality. It has a strong smell of "Pinesol". It has a translucent honey color. And.. it is flammable as hell. Seriously folks, this stuff burns like nothing else. "Fat wood" is a vast subject...the black smoke that it emits, is used to make the finest black ink for Japanese writings. I personally have had a blast collecting and playing with the "fat wood" that we have here in the PNW.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

The wet forests of the Cascades offer difficulties in regards to campfires. Strangely enough, the forest provides us with the extremely flammable "fat wood". It can often be found if you know where to look. The quality varies, but the smell of limes and Pinesol is unmistakable. A small splinter of this wood will ignite instantly when touched to a bic lighter flame.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

From what I've read.......When a Douglas fir (and other trees) die, they will often concentrate their sap into their "core" as they slowly come to the end of their lives. As the dead tree decomposes the "core" is left preserved, and that "wood" ends up being mostly pure, flammable sap..AKA fat wood.

 

[CRO]

i have seen rounds of fallen Tamarck trees in the Clockum area NE of Ellensburgh that you could not split with a two handed ax . My ax was so sharp that you could probably shave with it and it bounced off. Myhunting partner took some home and said that he was lucky he didnt burn his house down when he burned it in his fireplace. A couple of pieces of it on the camp fire at dark left a fire still going at daylight the next day.

 

[CRO]

I have found pieces in Doug Fir that i have burned here on the west side over the years. I used to carry a small piece in my fire starting Kit when i hunted big game.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

The fat wood around here has such a strong odor that it can not be mistaken. Some trees will produce fat wood at the base of large branches. These "branch roots" can be pulled out of a fallen, rotten log. A quick slice of the wood with a pocket knife and then a quick sniff with your nose will tell you if it is "fat wood". Again, quality varies, but top quality, honey colored fat wood is truly remarkable...we have that here.

 

[Merle]

Orvis used to sell bundles of it as high priced fire starter. When I heated with firewood anytime I came across a log with a “pitch pipe” in it I would set it aside and carefully split out shards of the fat wood and keep for starting fires. Or bundle them up as gifts during the holidays, much cheaper than the Orvis ones!

 

[flybill]

You had me at "Fat"!! Orvis sells it! Cheers!

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

I believe that somewhere in South America they "ethically" harvest Fatwood from timbered forests. You see bundles of this for sale in stores. But, the fat wood that I have found is far different. It is simply much more flammable. One good stump, with a hand saw, and you can have a nice chunk of very translucent fat wood that can be processed down to small bundles of the best fat wood found on Earth.

 

[troutstalker]

I believe that somewhere in South America they "ethically" harvest Fatwood from timbered forests. You see bundles of this for sale in stores. But, the fat wood that I have found is far different. It is simply much more flammable. One good stump, with a hand saw, and you can have a nice chunk of very translucent fat wood that can be processed down to small bundles of the best fat wood found on Earth.

You sure know a lot about fat wood...

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

Google is my friend

 

[flybill]

Google is my friend

I use Ask Jeeves!

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

I found a lot of you tube videos regarding fat wood. It is found all over the globe, but the fat wood right near my home is possibly some of the best quality on Earth. I think that's cool. It gives me an excuse to divert from the hiking path.

 

[Fourbtgait]

Lot of fat wood or pitch pine in East Texas. Whole stumps in the ground can be found.
I haven’t seen any locally but a small box at Ace Hardware lasts me a couple years.

 

[Eastside]

Until a few years ago I had never heard of "fat wood". It is highly flammable wood that is saturated with flammable "sap". Around here the old growth stumps of Douglas Fir often have "pillars" of fat wood protruding above the outer, decaying stump wood. This "fat wood" is of very high quality. It has a strong smell of "Pinesol". It has a translucent honey color. And.. it is flammable as hell. Seriously folks, this stuff burns like nothing else. "Fat wood" is a vast subject...the black smoke that it emits, is used to make the finest black ink for Japanese writings. I personally have had a blast collecting and playing with the "fat wood" that we have here in the PNW.

My grandfather used to look for the pitch stumps for kindling in NE Oregon. We found enough for starting fires in the wood stove and fireplace over the years that our cabin was in the family.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

When I find a "pillar" of fat wood sticking out of an old stump, I can cut the hard, sappy wood from the old rotten stump with a hand saw. At home I can shave all the soft wood off with a knife (I save the flammable shavings) and I am left with pure, translucent fat wood. I can split and cut this special wood into nice neat bundles. These bundles are simply glorious. A true gift from nature.

 

[TicTokCroc]

I tried looking up fat wood on YouTube and now I'm sleeping on the couch, Thanks Jim...

 

[DimeBrite]

Tell me again that story of when you shaved the fat wood honey.

 

[flybill]

Will youse guys stop using my former porn name please? Oh, the humanity... the flashbacks! HA!

 

[kmudgn]

Fat Wood the porn star is the stage name of Hugh Jardon