Using Wood in a Hotblast 1557

Here is my 1557 on wood. I usually burn coal when its colder, but wood is perfect to kill the chill this time of year.
This is a piece of sheet metal that I cut just slightly larger than the baro hole. When burning wood I use a manual. Loaded up with newspaper, kindling, and FREE slabwood. Ready to light Love the heat this thing throws out. When coal season comes around I will surely have a coal thread in the hand fired section. Thanks NEPA and stay warm.
John

I have a 1557m now for 3 years and just tonight I tried wood,some nice hard maple and a little epae I think that's how you spell it.It's that south american wood that's real expensive.A carpenter I work with had a bunch of cut offs.DON'T DO THIS IT HIT ABOUT 700F AND TOOK OFF LIKE HELL.IT BURRIED THE THERMOMETER ON THE FACE OF THE FURNACE AT 900F WHILE I WAS SQUIRTING WATER ON IT.I think the resins in this stuff lights off at 700ish and is like putting kero on a fire.A little is OK but I added about 4 board feet and it took off.I put in about 6-2x6 a foot long with the maple.Except for the inferno I did have a lot of fun seeing what air over fire and air under did to the flame .
DON

Holy Crap, Don. You are going to tick off everybody...the environmentalists for burning up the Brazilian rain forest, the firemen for starting a chimney fire and the "coal mouse" fire starter people for revealing a new and improved way to get a coal fire started !

You had better save that Brazilian "gasoline wood" for a rainy day.

Hey Mike I didn't think of the coal mouse thing.My neighbor has a stoker,maybe I should try some to start him up for the season.
DON

well im afraid to report that im just gonna burn wood the rest of the winter. I did a quick figure and figured that I've only burnt a chord and a half so far cause I've been burning coal. I measured all the wood I got and came up with 22 face cord! better use it or lose it I guess, at this rate it would take over 5 years to burn all of it, making the wood punky. I don't mind, its all free minus the work

Free is good.