Teak for burning - Question

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Richard
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Teak for burning - Question

Post by Richard »

Hi, I have acquired some Teak !!!!

[center]Image[/center]

Basically it's some old Benches, a lot of old benches! They probably haven't been treated with anything for 20 years, but I know Teak wood contains oil.

Does anyone have experience as to whether this would be suitable for either Open Fire or a Rayburn.
I have doubts, but thought I'd check.

If not, I have other uses for most of it and would use the rest just to bolster up Autumn and Winter bonfires. It's supposed to smell nice.

Thanks in anticipation!

Richard
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Totally Scrambled
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Totally Scrambled »

Evening Richard,
I would think after 20 years most of the oils will have gone but you could try a test burning, outside somewhere, to see if anything gunky comes out )t'
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saint-spoon
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by saint-spoon »

Yup it’ll burn but it seems a waste of teak to do so. If you try planning it down I bet the under the scruffy outer there will be usable wood for projects; the reason teak is used for outside furniture is that the oils help preserve the wood. I do believe that it does burn with more heat than other woods but burning teak… please try and see if there is good wood behind the outer rubbish stuff. Teak runs into the thousands per cubic metre to buy if I remember correctly from my days in a chippy shop (not fish and chips).
If you do intend to burn it I would try and split a few bits off and give them ago, you will be able to find out if there was any extra treatments which may give off unpleasant smells. I would also be wary of using your best tools as it is very hard and blunts blades quickly, if you intend to use a circular saw then acquire a teak or hard wood blade.
It will most likely have resell value if you can plane off the outside stuff, there are plenty of folk at car boots etc selling reclaimed wood.
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Richard
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Richard »

Thanks.

I have to say that the more I look at it all, the more I'd like to use it for some project or other.

Richard )t'
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Totally Scrambled »

You could probably make a nice garden bench out of that lot )t'
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by saint-spoon »

far better than pallets, bring on project teak. even if it just frames for next years runner beans and peas it'll be better than the fire, you can always burn the off cuts.
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Steve the Gas »

Broody/hospital wing?
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Richard
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Richard »

True, lots of ideas, a fence came to mind as well - thanks. )t'
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Mallard »

There's a little space at the side of my lottie shed to stash that lot!
Burn it indeed! yike*
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Richard
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Richard »

The story behind it is that the Groundstaff said to me they were breaking up some old benches and would I like the wood, I said yes.

At the end of the game this afternoon they said they'd put some in the back of the Club Van and I could take it home and return the van tomorrow.

Not wanting to go back tomorrow, I just got in the Van and drove home. It was only when I opened the back doors did I realise how much there was!!

I took the Van back today though.

Mmm - fencing, trellis, even decking - lots of ideas going round my head now!!

As Dom says, I may even make a bench out of some of it!!

Richard
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by spudley »

we had some teak tables, the oils had all comeout and it was dry. We burnt it!! it got the oven really hot, it was a really good burn.

we asked our sweep about what was good to burn, he said anything free!!!! as long as the chimblies are cleaned out regularly (twice a year for the cooker and once for the normal one) he said burn what you want.
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Steve the Gas »

Just get a CO detector to be fully safe- at least a battery powered one.

Any fuel burning appliance - even an open fire can kill you!
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Richard
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Richard »

)t'
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by pavel131 »

Hi there.
I strongly urge you not to burn the teak. Mature teak, is sought after and could be quite valuable.
If you have any antique restoration experts locally, then I would advise to seek their advice. Maybe your local timber merchant has contacts.
But Richard; think carefully about the need to burn it.
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Re: Teak for burning - Question

Post by Hoody »

May depend a little on what type of fire you have and how hot it gets? My father used to bring home various offcuts of timber from a furniture factory and burn it on the open fire in the living room. Then one day the room started to fill with smoke. When he threw the rods up the chimney he found that the pot had become blocked with a tar like substance from the timber.
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