Wood suppliers


 
S

S. Dover

TVWBB Fan
The only types of smoke wood I can find commercially in my area are hickory and mesquite. I want to try some of the other flavored woods but don't know where to look. Any suggestions for online suppliers or a retailer in Alabama?
 
Here's one: clicky
They shorted me by 5 lbs out of one 20 bag on my last order but they assured me they'd take care of it. I've also seen wood on ebay, just don't buy it from a guy named "sandrat"
 
I found smoke wood at a local firewood store. Here is a firewood store in Alabama. I don't know how close it is to you, give them a call, you never know.

Firewood
 
Originally posted by Kirk Boorman:
Here's one: clicky
They shorted me by 5 lbs out of one 20 bag on my last order but they assured me they'd take care of it. I've also seen wood on ebay, just don't buy it from a guy named "sandrat"
Click to expand...

Wow, maybe I should put the two 20# bags I bought on the scale.
icon_eek.gif
 
Steve, do you have tools to cut wood chunks from small logs?

If so, check with a local landscaper or someone who sells firewood. From either you can surely get a few split logs of oak, hickory and some fruit wood.

Just a few logs will last a long time, believe me.

Virgil
 
Virgil - what kind of tools do you need to cut logs? I'm a total city nerd who has never cut a piece of raw wood in my life.

However, BBQ Santa (aka Kruger) gave me some short apple logs. I'm not sure how to cut them. I don't have a chain saw (and not sure a chain saw would be safe to cut a 1-foot long log into 3-inch discs.

Here's my idea... tell me if this would work. I have a table saw. If I raise the saw blade as high as I can (around 3-inches) I could run the log by it, perpindicular to the length of the log. Then, twist it around and make another pass. If I did that 3-4 times, I would have a cut around the circumference, nearly all the way through, leaving only about 1-2 inches in the middle that isn't cut through. Then I could either break it off, or use a hand saw to cut the little piece off.

Would that work? Is it bad for the table saw to cut untreated wood? There's very little bark on the logs...
 
Adam, you could do that but if you have a friend with a mitre saw it works a lot better. Tthat's what I use to cut the wood to size. I have a friend who gives me 4 X 4 pieces of white oak posts. I run them through the mitre saw and "presto" custom size pieces. You can even save the saw dust to use in pouches for smoking.
 
Adam,

I too have a table saw and I would NEVER attempt what you describe. You cannot possibly hold the logs secure enough to prevent kickback and the serious chance of injury. Whatever dollars you save by cutting your own logs would be spent in an emergency room for injuries.

Much better to use a chain saw or the best I have found is to use a "chop saw" (also called a miter saw) to cut discs. Even that saw can have kickback problems so you have to go slow and carefully.

If you do not have a miter saw, ask around for one of tour friends - I am sure they will trade the "cutting task" for some of your "Q".

Ray
 
Boy, will I second Ray's warning! Don't ever go near a table saw with a bare round or already split log. You are asking for DISASTER, as you can't hold it and move it well enough to ensure the saw blade won't bind and then throw the log right up in your face, or elsewhere.

A chain saw is OK if you can find a way to hold the log well while cutting. A mitre saw, or chop saw, is also OK, except you need a way to grip the log VERY tightly. Otherwise you can have the saw blade bind. However since rotation is opposite that of a table saw, the danger is far less. But not inconsequential.

I am lucky enough to have a band saw, which is about the safest you can use. Even with that you have to be careful. If you know any woodworkers, they are likely to have one.

Perhaps the best option for most people would be to cut discs off the log with a chain saw, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Then split these into segments with an ax.

Just watch out.

Paul is lucky having straight-sided 4x4s to cut, as they hold properly against the fence on a mitre saw.

Virgil
 
I had good luck with cabelas - they have wood chunks for 8.99 for a 10lb bag. Shipping is fairly cheap as it is based on $$ not by weight. I think shipping for 4 10 lb bags was only about $8. They offer maple, cherry, alder, apple, mesquite, and hickory.
 
Adam - how about just using a hand saw? Sounds like it's small enough diameter that it wouldn't be too much work. I use a Japanese style - very sharp.

I've tried the free-float run across the table saw before. You have to hold it SOOO steady or that blade will grab it and who knows what the outcome will be. After one pass I quit, feeling lucky I survived that.
 
Thanks guys... on behalf of my wife and kids, thank you for keeping me out of the emergency room. Especially since I was there only a few months ago after I split my lip in two while surfing and had to get 10 stitches. My wife had to pick me up. she was 9 months pregnant. She wasn't thrilled. Don't want a repeat, I don't think...

I guess I'll invest in a bow saw. I think I can handle the 15 dollars.
 
I too, have a friend that gives me small logs or splits and have been trying different methods to cut and split them. I've been trying to come up with a design for sort of a mitre box that could be used with a bow saw or other type of tree saw.

Perhaps we could put our collective heads together and design something new?

JimT
 
Originally posted by JimT:
I too, have a friend that gives me small logs or splits and have been trying different methods to cut and split them. I've been trying to come up with a design for sort of a mitre box that could be used with a bow saw or other type of tree saw.

Perhaps we could put our collective heads together and design something new?

JimT
Click to expand...
Make a simple saw horse by nailing a pair of 2x6s into a V. Length of the 2x's depends on what scrap is available and the length of the logs that you will be cutting. 18" to 2' should be fine, especially if you are reducing cut firewood to smoking size chunks. Prop it up with legs made from 2x4s nailed to them (so you have now have 2 X's on your V.) Then nail another pair of 2x4 between each of the legs to keep them from pulling apart (now your X's are underlined.) Add bracing between the X's if you raise it up very high.

Hope that makes sense.
 
I would think a bandsaw would work well for this. It gives you a lot of control because the blade is flexible and you can keep both hands on whatever you're sawing.
 
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