Steve Branam
03-27-2011, 6:26 PM
I'm cleaning up the shop and collecting a couple of burn barrels of scraps, all the stuff that's too small to use for project bits. I'm such a packrat I save nearly every tiny cutoff (that's a good piece of wood, I know I can build something out of it some day!), but I have to clean house before they overwhelm me. I hate to cart stuff off to the landfill, I'd like to get at least some thermal value out of it!
I have a barrel for hardwoods that won't soot up the chimney in the living room fireplace, and one for softwoods for the outdoor fireplace for the summer.
The question I have is this: is it safe to burn MDF in either indoor or outdoor fireplaces? Any concerns about toxic smoke or chimney deposits? I know it's not safe to burn pressure-treated lumber, but I don't know anything about what goes into MDF, particularly the chemical binders, and I have a bunch of old scraps of it.
I have a barrel for hardwoods that won't soot up the chimney in the living room fireplace, and one for softwoods for the outdoor fireplace for the summer.
The question I have is this: is it safe to burn MDF in either indoor or outdoor fireplaces? Any concerns about toxic smoke or chimney deposits? I know it's not safe to burn pressure-treated lumber, but I don't know anything about what goes into MDF, particularly the chemical binders, and I have a bunch of old scraps of it.