# Cheap wood chunks & free sawdust



## SmokinAl (Feb 23, 2016)

I have been buying wood splits in bags here for years. They are all hardwood. This bag is a mixture of red oak, hickory, and pecan. They sell these at the grocery stores & big box stores around here in the winter for $5.49 per bag. In the spring if they have any left it goes for $2-$3 per bag. I usually buy a few bags in the spring & I have wood all year. Here's the bag I buy.













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__ Feb 23, 2016






I'm going to cut up these 2 red oak splits today.













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Get out the chop saw.













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These are the different sizes I cut them into. Thin for the Smoke Vault, thicker for the 14.5 WSM, and the large one will be used in the 18.5 & 22.5 WSM's.













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__ Feb 23, 2016






This is what I cut today from those 2 splits.













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These larger ones are in my shed for storage.













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Here's where I store the splits.













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The best part is when I empty out the dust bag, I have free sawdust for the Amazen.













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Cool huh?













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Thanks for looking, hope you can take advantage of this.

Al


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## worktogthr (Feb 23, 2016)

Thats a great idea Al! I should start doing this because I'm always unhappy with the size and lack of consistency when I buy bags of chunks from lowes or home depot.  Quick question?  In the WSM 18 would you use just one of the splits?  Does it affect the cooking temp much with that big piece of wood sitting on the coals?


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## SmokinAl (Feb 23, 2016)

worktogthr said:


> Thats a great idea Al! I should start doing this because I'm always unhappy with the size and lack of consistency when I buy bags of chunks from lowes or home depot.  Quick question?  In the WSM 18 would you use just one of the splits?  Does it affect the cooking temp much with that big piece of wood sitting on the coals?


I usually put 2 of them in the ring, 1 on each side.

Then fill the middle with charcoal, leaving a hole at one end.

I put 12 -14 lit coals at the end in the hole & it will burn down the middle from one end to the other.

The fire is always in contact with the wood, so you get nice TBS, but not any real burning wood to raise the temp.

Hope this helps, I was trying to find a photo of this but I couldn't.

Next time I use the WSM I'll take some photo's of how I set it up.

Al


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## gnappi (Feb 23, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> I have been buying wood splits in bags here for years. They are all hardwood. This bag is a mixture of red oak, hickory, and pecan. They sell these at the grocery stores & big box stores around here in the winter for $5.49 per bag. In the spring if they have any left it goes for $2-$3 per bag. I usually buy a few bags in the spring & I have wood all year. Here's the bag I buy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I was going to make a similar post, you beat me to it... good on ya.

Gads, you make BIG chunks, I've only ever made mine 1/2 of that. They smoke fast and stay smoldering long enough. Is there a reason for such large chunks?

I've been buying that type of wood for years at Home Depot for my fire pit, and am just getting back into smoking and I plan on using it also, but it does have some issues... sometimes.

Some pieces are way too wide for my (smaller than yours) chop saw, and they have to be split vertically so a nice axe with a handy wood splitting wedge /maul nearby is nice because some of the pieces come from the base of the tree where it tapers out really wide.and get gnarly grain that's tough to split.

Since it's mixed species wood, you never know what wood you're using. I'm not a Forrester or Arborist so I'm at the mercy of chance.

Wood in some bundles has begun to rot, for a fire pit fireplace or chiminea it's no problem, you can use that up there, but it pays to peer into the bag and see if there's any wood turning moldy or black.

Here's a pic of the stuff regularly available in the cooler months in south Florida.













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__ gnappi
__ Feb 23, 2016


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## SmokinAl (Feb 24, 2016)

gnappi said:


> I was going to make a similar post, you beat me to it... good on ya.
> 
> Hey Gary,
> 
> ...


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## Bearcarver (Dec 20, 2021)

Great Tutorial, Al. !!!

I'm sure since you've been doing this for a long time, you know what you're doing.
However for those who never cut rough, odd shaped wood pieces, like logs & limbs, I would like to add here that extra care should be taken.
When you don't have a straight side on a piece of wood, you should be sure to position the wood so it is against the back fence nearest the blade , and hold tight. If the wood is away from the fence while cutting, it could easily move, causing it to bind the blade, and Kick, jump, or do anything else that you may not be expecting, and are not ready for.
Be careful to not allow any small pieces or chips get in between the piece being cut & the back fence. That chip could hold the piece away from the fence at the beginning of the cut, and then jump over the chip during the cut, causing that same kind of jamming & unwanted movement.
It only takes a Split Second to cause a Lifetime of Misery.

PS: I just noticed how old this thread is, but my comment is no less important (IMHO).

Bear


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## SmokinAl (Dec 20, 2021)

Bearcarver said:


> Great Tutorial, Al. !!!
> 
> I'm sure since you've been doing this for a long time, you know what you're doing.
> However for those who never cut rough, odd shaped wood pieces, like logs & limbs, I would like to add here that extra care should be taken.
> ...



Your exactly right John!
I wear gloves & safety glasses, and go really slow. Even with all the precautions I still have one kick back once in a while. So yes be careful, but it sure saves a lot of money, so I continue to just keep cutting my own wood discs. And I sharpen the blade quite often, because if it’s not really sharp it will either burn the wood or get stuck & kick back.
Al


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Dec 20, 2021)

Think this saw would work?


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## Bearcarver (Dec 20, 2021)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Think this saw would work?
> 
> View attachment 519503
> 
> View attachment 519504




Sure that would work.
Just be extra careful with it until you get comfortable with it, and then keep being careful. Don't be afraid of it, just respect it.

Bear


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Dec 20, 2021)

Bearcarver said:


> Sure that would work.
> Just be extra careful with it until you get comfortable with it, and then keep being careful. Don't be afraid of it, just respect it.
> 
> Bear


IThanks Bear.  I was getting ready to order a blade for bow saw that I use to cut pecan but try to get this.  Not sure if it the blade, think I bought one last year,  or me getting older but wearing me out!


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## forktender (Dec 21, 2021)

If the splits are too big for the chop saw, you can always use a splitting maul or a steel wedge and a sledgehammer to split them to make them smaller. Heck, I've split a truckload of Oak with a wedge and hammer by hand, it's not that hard. It's best to have two wedges in case one gets stuck.


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## forktender (Dec 21, 2021)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Think this saw would work?
> 
> View attachment 519503
> 
> View attachment 519504


For that price you can't go wrong, as long as it works....I bet someone is missing their chop saw, though.


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Dec 21, 2021)

forktender said:


> For that price you can't go wrong, as long as it works....I bet someone is missing their chop saw, though.


Did not notice ad over 2 months old.  Will keep looking.


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## SmokinAl (Dec 21, 2021)

That will work just fine Brian, I used a 10” saw for years, before getting a 12” model.
Al


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