# Crab Apple tree wood



## bluebombersfan (May 31, 2011)

My brother is cutting down two crab apple trees in his yard and I was wondering how long I would have to season the wood before I coudl use it in my MES?


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## Bearcarver (May 31, 2011)

BlueBombersfan said:


> My brother is cutting down two crab apple trees in his yard and I was wondering how long I would have to season the wood before I coudl use it in my MES?


If you want to use it in an MES, I would say cut it in small chunks & chips, and it would only take a matter of a few weeks to a month or 2 that way. It all depends on how big the pieces are IMO.

Air Dry lumber--------------------1" thickness per year.

Cut & split firewood--------------One year when stacked properly.

Small chunks and chips--------Not long at all

Bear


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## tyotrain (May 31, 2011)

x2


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## bluebombersfan (Jun 1, 2011)

Thanks guys,  I was also thinking about trying to run some bigger piece through my table saw so I can you it in my AMNS as it is my main smoke source.


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## Bearcarver (Jun 1, 2011)

BlueBombersfan said:


> Thanks guys,  I was also thinking about trying to run some bigger piece through my table saw so I can you it in my AMNS as it is my main smoke source.



Round, uneven, mother nature type green stock through a table saw??? Not a great idea.

If you're talking about making dust that way, use a Radial saw or a Chop (Miter) saw. The dust is better & it's a much safer operation. I don't think it's worth the time & effort, but it's much safer. I would just get the dust from Todd. IMO

Bear


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## bluebombersfan (Jun 1, 2011)

Bearcarver said:


> Round, uneven, mother nature type green stock through a table saw??? Not a great idea.
> 
> If you're talking about making dust that way, use a Radial saw or a Chop (Miter) saw. The dust is better & it's a much safer operation. I don't think it's worth the time & effort, but it's much safer. I would just get the dust from Todd. IMO
> 
> Bear



Todd suggested I try and make my own due to the cost to ship it up to Canada.  If I am getting two trees worth of apple I think it would be worth my while to try.  Good idea on the radial saw.


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## Bearcarver (Jun 1, 2011)

BlueBombersfan said:


> Todd suggested I try and make my own due to the cost to ship it up to Canada.  If I am getting two trees worth of apple I think it would be worth my while to try.  Good idea on the radial saw.


OK---I have worked with every woodworking tool or machine I know of, and the Radial Saw puts out the closest thing to Todd's dust.

Miter Saw is second.

Other things make dust either too stringy, too fine, too coarse, too fluffy, or too inconsistent IMO.

Bear


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## bluebombersfan (Jun 1, 2011)

Sounds good thanks for the advice Bear!


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## sawzall (Jun 9, 2011)

I've been making my own with a sliding compound miter saw and it's working just fine.  It's a little finer than Todd's dust so it burns a bit quicker.  I get around an hour per row that way but most things I smoke don't need anymore than a full 6x8 AMNS can provide at that burn rate anyway.  I've found other ways of making the dust as well.  I had some left over Bradley pucks that I never gave away with the Bradley since I could break them up and use them in my MES chip tray.  I put them in a blender to break them up but I blew up the blender...wife not pleased.  So I put a cheese grater on a cookie sheet and went to town grating the Bradley pucks.  It was a little coarse when done so I put the sawdust through a burr type coffee grinder and it came out perfect.  Took a while but it was worth it.  I got a big tub of pecan dust out of it. It works wonderfully in the AMNS.  I made my best beef roast yet with it.  I also discovered i could run pellets through my coffee grinder and it comes out nearly perfect as well.  A 20lb bag of Traeger pellets is only $21.99 so I bought a bag of apple and started grinding.  Boy let me tell you, the sawdust takes up a crapload more space than the pellets do!


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## tjohnson (Jun 9, 2011)

Bear is correct about running tree limbs thru a table saw.  A miter saw or radial arm saw would be better.  Some guys use a skil saw, but that's a little dangerous for me!

You need to make sure it's "DRY", and may have to bake your sawdust in the oven for 30-40 minutes or so, to drop the moisture content to around 8%.  A low moisture content is very important.

Sawzall,

I too burned up my wife's blender, and a couple coffee grinders and also a burr grinder or two.  You gotta find used ones at garage sales and thrift stores.

Have Fun!

Todd


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## bluebombersfan (Jun 10, 2011)

sawzall said:


> I've been making my own with a sliding compound miter saw and it's working just fine.  It's a little finer than Todd's dust so it burns a bit quicker.  I get around an hour per row that way but most things I smoke don't need anymore than a full 6x8 AMNS can provide at that burn rate anyway.  I've found other ways of making the dust as well.  I had some left over Bradley pucks that I never gave away with the Bradley since I could break them up and use them in my MES chip tray.  I put them in a blender to break them up but I blew up the blender...wife not pleased.  So I put a cheese grater on a cookie sheet and went to town grating the Bradley pucks.  It was a little coarse when done so I put the sawdust through a burr type coffee grinder and it came out perfect.  Took a while but it was worth it.  I got a big tub of pecan dust out of it. It works wonderfully in the AMNS.  I made my best beef roast yet with it.  I also discovered i could run pellets through my coffee grinder and it comes out nearly perfect as well.  A 20lb bag of Traeger pellets is only $21.99 so I bought a bag of apple and started grinding.  Boy let me tell you, the sawdust takes up a crapload more space than the pellets do!


Thanks for the advice!  Where did you find the Traeger Pellets in Canada?


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## tjohnson (Jun 10, 2011)

I know Canadian Tire has BBQ'rs Delight Pellets.

Most pellets on the market are a blend of 70%-80% Oak or Alder, and the rest is Flavor Wood.

Traeger Pellets are  a blended pellet.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you think you're getting 100% Apple, you're not.  In a pellet smoker, Oak or Alder is used for heat and the flavor wood for smoke.

Todd


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## Bearcarver (Jun 10, 2011)

But Dr, I saved $2.32 on my sawdust !!!

And my left eye still works fine!







If you can't get it where you are, I don't blame you for wanting to make your own---Just be careful (safety glasses, etc).

Bear


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## gros cochon (Jun 10, 2011)

BlueBombersfan said:


> Todd suggested I try and make my own due to the cost to ship it up to Canada.  If I am getting two trees worth of apple I think it would be worth my while to try.  Good idea on the radial saw.


You can also get dust from smokinlicious.ca. They have free shipping to all provinces.


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## alelover (Jun 10, 2011)

I use a miter saw and the dust works great. I can get a lot of hickory and pecan here and it's really cheap like me so I make my own. I do get apple and alder from Todd. Haven't seen any alder trees in NC as of yet.


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## tjohnson (Jun 10, 2011)

Gros Cochon said:


> You can also get dust from smokinlicious.ca. They have free shipping to all provinces.


Heck, for the $$$ Smokinlicious gets, I'll offer "Free Shipping" too!!!

Smokinlicious Canada gets $14.05 + $.75 "Handling Fee" for 5-6 Cups( Approx.10-12 oz.) of sawdust.

1# = $19.48 - $23.23.....WOW!

5# = $97.40 - $116.15....WOW....WOW!!!

I'm moving to Canada!

Todd


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## gros cochon (Jun 10, 2011)

TJohnson said:


> Heck, for the $$$ Smokinlicious gets, I'll offer "Free Shipping" too!!!
> 
> Smokinlicious Canada gets $14.05 + $.75 "Handling Fee" for 5-6 Cups( Approx.10-12 oz.) of sawdust.
> 
> ...


Wow! I didn't look at the price, I was just stating that they have some. I noticed they had it cause I get my wood chunks from them which are reasonably priced (For Canada anyways). Unfortunately us Canadians have very little options when it comes to smokers or accessories.


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## bluebombersfan (Jun 10, 2011)

TJohnson said:


> Heck, for the $$$ Smokinlicious gets, I'll offer "Free Shipping" too!!!
> 
> Smokinlicious Canada gets $14.05 + $.75 "Handling Fee" for 5-6 Cups( Approx.10-12 oz.) of sawdust.
> 
> ...




 Hey Todd if your moving north can you bring some dust!!!!!!


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## bluebombersfan (Jun 10, 2011)

TJohnson said:


> Bear is correct about running tree limbs thru a table saw.  A miter saw or radial arm saw would be better.  Some guys use a skil saw, but that's a little dangerous for me!
> 
> You need to make sure it's "DRY", and may have to bake your sawdust in the oven for 30-40 minutes or so, to drop the moisture content to around 8%.  A low moisture content is very important.
> 
> ...


Maybe I will try the wife's blender too!  She has two anyway.......


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## tjohnson (Jun 10, 2011)

You guys need to check out your local cabinet shops or find a buddy who does wood work.

"Sawdust is Sawdust" when it comes down to it. 

Particle size and moisture content are very important to how well sawdust burns

If a guy can get a few apple, maple or hickory limbs, and spend a little time on a miter saw, you can make a lot of sawdust.

It's sad that shipping costs more than the sawdust!

Todd


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## sawzall (Jun 10, 2011)

[quote name="BlueBombersfan" url="/forum/thread/107158/crab-apple-tree-wood#post_644064"]

Thanks for the advice!  Where did you find the Traeger Pellets in Canada?
 

[/quote]They have a dealer locator on their website. It's funny that they are not generally sold in the stores normally associated with outdoor cooking. Seems they like to sell them at fireplace shops and such. I got mine from Prairie Janitorial who is my local Treager dealer. I know there are other brands out there that are better. A Co-op store in Regina has some other brands that are apparently better. The BBQ Delight ones from Canadian Tire are tiny bags and too expensive IMO. That's why I went with the Treager pellets even though I know they are not 100% apple.


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