Fallen Oak Limbs


 
M

Mike B.

TVWBB Fan
I've got quite a few oak trees (I'm not sure what kind of oak though) in my yard. A nice sized limb fell awhile back, and I'm planning on cutting it up for wood chunks.

Is a fallen limb okay for smoking? I can cut it into sections with my chainsaw, but the logs are a bit small in diameter for splitting. What's the best way to get into smokable chunks?
 
Mike,
I recently scored about half a rick of white oak from a tree that had been pruned.



It had been on the ground for a while, and had been snowed on, and rained on.

I think it will be alright, but I need to get off my duff and get out there and restack it so it will dry faster.

To answer your question, when I have a small piece that I need to split, I take a hatchet and a hammer to it. Set the hatchet blade in the center of the piece, and hit it with the hammer!
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[Edit] OK, OK, I got it stacked properly.

 
Mike, you'll like the smell and flavor of oak wood. I use oak and hickory quite a bit on beef(meat loaf,brisket). The oak kind of mellows out the hickory<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mike B.:
I've got quite a few oak trees (I'm not sure what kind of oak though) in my yard. A nice sized limb fell awhile back, and I'm planning on cutting it up for wood chunks.

Is a fallen limb okay for smoking? I can cut it into sections with my chainsaw, but the logs are a bit small in diameter for splitting. What's the best way to get into smokable chunks? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
Mike, I use a "sawzall" reciprocating saw to cut my logs and sticks into discs about an inch and a half thick. I will sometimes cut them 4-5 inches thick and then split them with an axe to expose more surface area to air and speed up the seasoning process.

Using a chainsaw may not be the best idea because you risk contaminating the chucks with bar oil.

S Whipple
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by S Whipple:
Mike, I use a "sawzall" reciprocating saw to cut my logs and sticks into discs about an inch and a half thick. I will sometimes cut them 4-5 inches thick and then split them with an axe to expose more surface area to air and speed up the seasoning process.

Using a chainsaw may not be the best idea because you risk contaminating the chucks with bar oil.

S Whipple </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's funny. I sent my wife to the hardware store to buy a circular saw for cutting plywood last week. The lady there recommended a reciprocating saw, so she bought it. I didn't see how that would be any good for cutting plywood precisely, so we took it back and exchanged it for a circular. Guess I should have kept it also!
 
I use my Delta compound miter saw to make discs from the smaller branches. Does a quick job of it.
 
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