Flimsy and useless... that's what uses the useless fuel, used inside an item that if not used for this purpose with these three items together could help beat bosses such as the wither, elder gaurdian or ender dragon...
Minecraft riddles

Beacon isn't useless... lava isn't useless and technicaly is running on an infinite fuel, but a flimsy thing isn't using it. And wood makes good fuel but the main thing here is that three different items make this item up. The thing the fuel is used on can be used to make an item that can help you with the entire game.
Hint: One of these items is dropped by a peacful mob.

That was one: the item that the user of the fuel is used in (think of it as a match. The coating is the fuel, the fuel is put on the match, and the match is used to set aflame some random thing.
Nope! Think more abstract... the nether star has a huge purpose in the game. Think flimsy. Think infinite durability.