Spring always marked the end of the Texas Fireframe season – time to give the fireplace one last cleaning and be done for the year. But not anymore. Tulips and daffodils now herald a new season of fire building as more and more homeowners are seeking the warmth and beauty of an outdoor fire. I receive calls  and e-mails from customers with freestanding outdoor chimneys which enable them to enjoy the “Physicist’s Fire” year-round. (A chimney cap keeps rain off the heavy-duty steel grate.) One customer in Santa Fe brings his Texas Fireframe grate outside every spring; our smallest model, the U-17, fits perfectly in his adobe style fireplaces – both indoors and out. Other customers have classic stone outdoor chimneys that accommodate our larger models.

For many of us, an outdoor fire evokes nostalgic memories of summer camp; I still remember joining the circle around the campfire every night– singing those familiar camp songs – everyone’s faces illuminated by the dancing flames of the fire that we all pitched in to build. (I have yet to hear of anyone singing Michael Row The Boat Ashore in front of their Texas Fireframe grate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a few s’mores have been consumed.)

If you have an outdoor chimney or you’re thinking about building one, you’ll be glad to know that the principles of physics that cause more radiant heat from a Texas Fireframe grate to be directed out into the room (compared to a conventional grate) are just as effective in an outdoor room as they are indoors. Feel free to call us or visit our website if you want to know more about the Texas Fireframe grate. Check out our customers’ grate reviews and read about their experiences from Maine to California to – of course – Texas. My dad’s unique fireplace grate has also garnered some wonderful press, including Time,  New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens and Scientific American .

On that note, I wish you a beautiful, bountiful Spring and I hope you enjoy these photos  of my lightly shaded garden in southern Connecticut – the “eastern branch” of the Texas Fireframe Company. (Click to enlarge photos and click again anywhere on the photo for a close-up.) Blooming right now are small-leaved rhododendrons, fragrant viburnum, kerria japonica, flowering cherry, bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis), “Sherwood Purple” (Phlox stolonifera), lamium, hellebore, forget-me-nots (biennial and perennial), Virginia bluebells and a variety of daffodils and tulips. I must mention that the Phlox stolonifera is a favorite of mine. Three tiny plants spread to the purple mass at the base of an oak tree in the photo, and then seeds from the plant surprised me with another mass of bloom 30 feet downwind. But this plant is not invasive; it’s easily contained, forming a lush groundcover when not in bloom. It also tolerates some shade (unlike its ubiquitous cousin, phlox subulata). Definitely worth a double-click!

If you’d like an endless supply of bright blue forget-me-nots and a few weeks later, columbines of all colors,  you only need a few plants.  Let the flowers go to seed and learn to distinguish the tiny leaves of the new seedlings from weeds so you don’t pluck the desirable plants by accident. Allow these prolific biennials to flourish in your garden year after year. Biennials sprout leaves the first year and blooms the second and thereafter, though are generally not as long-lived as perennials.

Check back for more developments in the garden. Buds are swelling on the irises and peonies. As you’re enjoying the outdoors again, be sure to add to your log pile – there are many opportunities for acquiring free logs – which can burn unsplit on a Texas Firerame grate if they’re 10” or less in diameter. (Our log grate handles split logs too.)

I always think of Dad when I find a really great back log for the Texas Fireframe grate. Wood truly is a renewable source of energy – I renew it every day in my garden.

Warmest regards,
Nicole Cranberg

Warmest regards,
Nicole Cranberg

Lawrence M. Cranberg PhD, 94, passed away on November 21, 2011 surrounded by his loving family. Cancer was the cause of death. Lawrence, a true patriot, was born on the 4th of July in 1917 in Bronx, New York, the eldest child of Fanny Rubenstein and Hyman Cranberg – Polish and Russian immigrants. Lawrence married Charlotte Mount on October 31, 1953 in New Mexico at the Old Santa Fe Courthouse.

A nuclear physicist, inventor and entrepreneur, Dr. Cranberg’s career spanned seven decades, but the wonder and beauty of science was always on his mind. After graduating from Townsend Harris High School at age 16, he matriculated from the City College of New York, Harvard University, and The University of Pennsylvania.

His career in science began in 1940 at the Signal Corps Engineering Labs where he was a Senior Physicist. Dr. Cranberg developed systems of target detection and location-based use of infra-red radiation, a precursor technology to today’s autofocus cameras. He later joined the Los Alamos National Laboratory where he became a fellow of the Atomic Energy Commission.

At Los Alamos, he was a protégé of Hans Bethe, and conducted groundbreaking research on high energy neutrons. Dr. Cranberg was appointed to the US delegation to the First International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy at Geneva in 1955 where he reported on his work. Among his many widely-cited publications were papers in The Scientific American and Physics Today. Dr. Cranberg also generously shared his intuitive insights with colleagues; one such insight directly led to the discovery of the neutrino. Dr. Cranberg was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1958 – his nomination made by 1995 Nobelist and neutrino pioneer Frederick Reines and J.M.B. Kellogg. Once introduced as “Mr. Nanosecond” by Sir Denys Wilkinson to a London physics conference, Dr. Cranberg developed the means to measure a billionth of second before “nanotechnology” was a word; his “time-of-flight” method of measuring neutron spectra became the foundation for neutron spectrometry.

Following a Guggenheim fellowship in 1962, Dr. Cranberg was instrumental in securing a large federal grant to the University of Virginia to build and to become founding director of its Physics Accelerator Laboratory. He was a devoted scientist and teacher. Thirty years later, one of his grateful graduate students would endow a scholarship and faculty research in his name at George Mason University, remarking that Dr. Cranberg inspired him by exemplifying the work ethic of American scientists.

Dr. Cranberg didn’t hesitate to fight for justice whether it be the case of his own academic freedom, or his involvement in the lawsuit that eventually forced UVA to accept women into its formerly all-male undergraduate school. In 1971, after winning an AAUP hearing that declared his academic freedom had been invaded, Dr. Cranberg moved to Austin where he joined a small high-tech company, eventually starting his own firm to develop fast-neutron techniques for the treatment of cancer. He was always grateful for the welcome arms of the private sector and of Texas, calling it “The Land of Milk and Honey”.

In 1975, Dr. Cranberg applied the laws of physics to fire-building and invented the Texas Fireframe grate. Later dubbed “The Physicist’s Fire” by Time magazine, his invention was featured in news stories on CBS and BBC. His company is now run by his daughter.

An advocate for social causes throughout his life, Dr. Cranberg fought for racial equality in Virginia (he also recruited the first black graduate physics student at UVA), for the freedom of Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov and for scientists and inventors not properly credited for their work. He wrote incisively about topics from the ethical problems of scientists to the pseudoscientific basis of Marxism. Dr. Cranberg’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate from Texas was inspired by his desire for science to better inform decisions in and of the law. Dr. Cranberg’s capacity for indignation at injustice was matched only by his optimistic belief in his ability to fight for change and to make a difference.

Dr. Cranberg was a loving, devoted husband, father and grandfather: his last words were “I’m the richest man in the world.” His enthusiasm, generosity, sense of humor and his quest for knowledge, truth, and justice are just a few of the qualities that his family, friends and colleagues will always remember him for.

Dr. Cranberg is survived by Charlotte, wife of 58 years; son Alex of Austin, Texas; daughter Nicole and husband Giff Crosby of Cos Cob, Connecticut; and grandchildren Jacob, Hannah and Clare. Other surviving family members include brother, Gilbert Cranberg of Sarasota, Florida and sister, Sylvia Troy of Beverly Shores, Indiana.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Niels Bohr Physics Library Center for History of Physics.  Please type “In Honor of Lawrence Cranberg” in the comments box. A memorial service will be held by the family at a later date.

So I thought I’d give our patient customers a to-do list while waiting for their Texas Fireframe grates.

1)    Got wood?  If not, this is the time to order, gather or cut wood – split or unsplit logs up to 10 inches in diameter can be used on the Texas Fireframe grate.  Make sure your wood has seasoned for at least a year, and that you have a place to store it elevated off the ground and protected by a waterproof cover.

2)    Plan a party. You can enjoy yourself without being a slave to your fire (it’s that easy to start and maintain), and your guests will gather around and be amazed –  and warm.

3)    Wood trivia.  Know how much is in a cord? A stack of split wood 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet.  (Quiz later.)  If your grate is a U-25 or a U-33, you may desire logs that are longer than the standard 18”.  Don’t be shy about asking wood suppliers for longer lengths – some will comply. Many of our U-33 customers have their own wood supply and can have it cut extra long. As a U-25 user, I ask my log supplier for longer lengths and generally receive 20” – 24”. (But 18” works fine too.) The U-33 can take logs up to 2 ½ feet long.

4)    Guess the hottest fire woods.

5)    Discover how to combine split logs with an unsplit “back log” that’s yours for the taking. It’s all in our blog post Confessions of a log scavenger.

6)   Be safe:  Get a metal ash can with a snug-fitting lid. Don’t put ashes anywhere but in that can (unless you have a trapdoor for ashes in your fireplace).  IKEA sells lidded metal cans in two sizes and four colors including white. You can also find cans online from many sources.  Come spring, the ashes can be used to enrich compose or fertilize a lawn.  If your flue is overdue for a cleaning, call a chimney sweep. The flue should be inspected annually, and it’s generally advised that it be cleaned after every cord of wood that’s burned.  When you start a fire, remember to open the damper. Don’t close your damper until the fire is completely out.

7)   Read the Texas Fireframe story - if you haven’t already.

8)    Kindling is a nicety, but not a necessity.  I place two sticks of Mississippi fatwood on the front lower log before lighting the knotted newspapers. My Dad, the inventor, uses nothing but newspaper to ignite the logs.  Kindling virtually guarantees a Texas Fireframe fire will start with one match.  Without kindling, you might need a second match. Either way, starting the fire is a breeze with the Texas Fireframe grate. Fatwood kindling is readily available at most hardware stores.

9)   Buy marshmallows.

10)  Like us on Facebook.

Before you know it, your Texas Fireframe grate will show up at your front door. Don’t be surprised when it arrives unboxed with no packing materials. That’s how we ship it – to be kinder to the environment.  All you add is wood.

Warmest regards,

Nicole Cranberg

We’ve compiled a list of woods with high heat output according to Firewood for your Fireplace by Warren Donnelly. Note that a few are listed as slower to start. The beauty of the Texas Fireframe grate is that it makes starting a fire easy – for whichever varieties of wood you have access to.

Species and Heat Per Cord (million BTU)

Apple: 27 (Slower to start)

Ash, White: 23 (Black Ash is 20)

Beech: 27 (Slower to start)

Black Birch: 27 (Grey and White Birch are 20)

Yellow Birch: 23

Citrus: 25

Dogwood: 27

Hickory: 27

Hop Hornbeam: 27

Ironwood: 30 (Slower to start, but check out that heat rating!)

Locust: 27 (Slower to start)

Maple, Hard: 26 (Soft Maple is 19)

Mulberry: 23

Oak, Black: 24

Oak, Red: 24

Oak, White: 27

Osage orange: 29 (Slower to start, but super hot)

Peach: 26

Pear: 26

Pecan: 26

Persimmon: 27

Plum: 27

Walnut: 23

For comparison, Aspen, Cottonwood, Hemlock and Poplar supply just 15 million BTU per cord; Elm, Magnolia and Sycamore: 20. Contact us for heat ratings of trees not listed.

If you have a tree on your property that needs to come down or you see a tree being felled, don’t miss the opportunity to stack some “free heat” for future fires – selecting logs up to 10 inches in diameter for your Texas Fireframe grate. You can use unsplit wood, split wood, or a combination.

Please check out my previous post: Confessions of a Log Scavenger, for tips on how and where to find free wood, how to tell if it’s seasoned, and how to build a longer-burning fire on a Texas Fireframe grate. To put the laws of physics to work in your fireplace, see our three sizes of fireplace grates here.

Warmest regards,
Nicole Cranberg

Last spring I scavenged some apple tree logs from the yard waste area at the town dump where firewood is often free for the taking. After a storm you can drive around and find wood stacked by the curb, already cut up. If a tree has been taken down, most homeowners are more than happy to have log scavengers like me come along and fill our trunks with wood they’d have to pay someone to remove. I always ask first, of course. You can also ask a local tree service if you can pick up where they’re doing work.

I once asked a city tree crew to toss logs my way as they took down my neighbor’s dead oak tree, and they were happy to comply (though when I requested two-foot lengths, I realized I was pushing my luck.) I’ll have seasoned logs in a year – longer seasoning is always better. Also, trees felled in the winter have a much lower moisture content, so they will season more quickly than trees taken down during the growing season.

How do you know if wood is seasoned? Two signs: visible cracks on the ends of the log as pictured to the left, and the bark starts to come loose. When seasoning wood, make sure it’s elevated from the ground and kept dry under a tarp or shelter.

Which varieties of wood burn hottest? Oak? Apple? Dogwood? All three are excellent heat producers. Stay tuned for our next blog post where we rate varieties of wood for burning, and list the 26 hottest choices.

Different sizes of Texas Fireframe grates can handle different log sizes. Be sure to check our product spec page for a description of log lengths for each grate.

Warmest regards,
Nicole Cranberg

From his home in Austin, TX, Dr. Lawrence Cranberg expressed confidence in his daughter’s stewardship of the company that he started in 1975. “With her experience as a veteran marketing professional, she supplies the skills and knowledge to introduce the Texas Fireframe grate to many more families. I know our friends past and future will be well served.”

Relaunching her father’s business with a new website and the Texas Fireframe blog you’re reading now, Nicole writes:

As I reflect on the 35 years since my dad’s invention was first reported in Time, Money, NY Times, USA Today and many others, I feel very proud to carry on his message, his product and his commitment to wood burning as a renewable, eco-friendly, and very valid source of alternative energy for the 40 million homes with fireplaces in the U.S.  The Texas Fireframe grate holds logs in a unique arrangement that increases the efficiency of the fireplace, bringing much more heat into the room.  As a bonus, it makes a beautiful, slow-burning fire that maximizes the heat output of every log.

With extensive consumer goods experience, I’m thrilled to be marketing a product that will never go out of style, never be technologically obsolete, never need service, never burden the environment (we ship it unboxed with no packing material, and at the end of its very long life, it’s recyclable).  And of course, I’m especially proud to market a product that was invented by my father. I still remember him experimenting with log formations to try to generate more heat in our fireplace.  It was December of 1974 – the Arab oil embargo – proving necessity truly is the mother (and father) of invention.

Thank you for reading our very first blog post! I’d be happy to answer your questions, post your comments, or just tell my dad you said “hi.” (And Mom too. If you’re already a customer, you’ve probably talked to her on the phone. We’re a true Mom and Pop company, but Mom and Pop need a well deserved rest.)

Please visit our new website at http://www.texasfireframe.com, read the Texas Fireframe story, check out our press clippings and see the raves from our wonderful customers. I hope you’ll become one of them. While you’re visiting there, click on the Facebook and Twitter icons to spread the word about the best fireplace grates to your friends and followers.

p.s. Don’t you love the great photograph of the live oak tree above? That’s on our gift card.  The Texas Fireframe grate is very popular at holiday time, so get your order in early!