Smoke Wood


 

BobJ

TVWBB Super Fan
Quick question. I'm a hobbyist woodworker, can I use hardwood lumber cut offs as smoke wood? in particular oak and cherry? I imagine much but not all of it is kiln dried. I believe the PA cherry I get is Black cherry, and the oak for the most part is red oak.

Thanks
Bob
 
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I do this all the time, unlimited supply. Of course I'd avoid the exotics (e.g. rosewoods, coco bolo...)
 
I went into a woodworking shop to see if they had any rough cut ends of some plain jane untreated maple or oak I could scoop up, and the woman who started helping me had a horrified look in her eyes when i told her I wanted scrap hardwood to burn. Not because I was subverting her hobby- she said what I was doing was deathly toxic and I absolutely shouldn't (and not in a State of California carcinogen warning way). I rattled off the usual suspects, but she couldn't shake the idea I was asking for something crazy. I asked if ever eats at Applebee's, because about half their menu is labeled with wood that's safe for smoking. Thought it was pretty funny, didn't manage to get any wood though.
 
Kiln dried oak for woodworking is usually dipped or sprayed with a chemical to avoid mildew if it gets wet.
Could be the same for cabinet grade cherry IDO?

Back on the old forum we had a member who advised not using any cabinet grade kiln dried lumber because of the various chemical dips.
He worked in a kiln.

Tim
 
Thanks folks, I can ask about it having any additives, I buy from small local saw mills. I'll be surprised if they do.
 

 

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