Slabwood as Boiler Food

[Gasifier]

Here is a few pics of the slabwood I found such a good deal on. So nice to not have to do any cutting. I am burning some of the small stuff, with my ash, that is already dry. Sticks of lumber from 12-16" that dried out in the pile. I got two more loads today for a total of 6 truck loads. Averaging 1.5 face cord a load. So I have about 9 face cord at $10 a load. That's 60 bucks. Pretty cheap, I would say. I told him I would probably see him next week if we didn't get to much snow. Time for me to get back to my real job.

 

[HeatFarmer]

I've heated my house with slab wood for the last 25 years..... It is a PITA to cut with a chainsaw--yes--but it dries quickly and stack O-so-neat. The key to chainsaw cutting is to build a cradle....4 or 6 foot long, about 2ft wide. Two 2x12 work well. Then put 2x4 on edge every 16, 18, 24, 30 inches--what ever length wood you burn. If they stick out 4 inches on each side you can attach a vertical 2x4 in front and back to act as a holder and cutting guide. Stack the wood in the cradle and run the saw down, close, to the edge of the 2x4 "guide". Piles of slab wood mount up before you know it. It is way faster to do it this way, then to cut with a radial saw, although I have done quite a bit of that as well. It helps to have feed rolls on either end of the saw.

If I had a deal on white cedar slabs, I thing I would buy as much as I could handle, saw it all in 16" lengths, bundle it up and sell it for kindling. It's great for starting fires and burns hot, but only lasts a few minutes in the firebox even if you pack it. You also risk firing too quickly with such hot burning wood. I've used cedar edgings to fire a wood burning oven to super-heat the top of the masonry dome just before bread goes in, but it's tricky to get it just right because it is so volatile. Right now I've been milling mixed soft and hard woods. I sure try to sort out the hardwood & stack it separately so the pine, spruce & hemlock can just be for starting fires and in the wood cookstove in the kitchen where they burn hot and heat up the oven nicely. When I was living in WA on the coast nothing burnt better than pitchy fir--hot and long. And NOTHING burns better than fir bark! If you can collect piles of thick, chunky fir bark and keep them dry they burn just like coal and last forever in the stove.

 

[Gasifier]

Mushroom man,

How are you doing? Sorry if I took too much of your thread up man. Just had been thinking the same thing as you and had an opportunity with the slab wood so I thought I would add it in your thread. How you making out with your slab wood?

Heatfarmer,

From your signature I am assuming you do not have your EKO on line. Is that right? Do you, or have you in the past, heated with slab wood using a boiler? How did you like it if you did? Thanks for your time and replies.

 

[turfman]

I've heated my house with slab wood for the last 25 years..... It is a PITA to cut with a chainsaw--yes--but it dries quickly and stack O-so-neat. The key to chainsaw cutting is to build a cradle....4 or 6 foot long, about 2ft wide. Two 2x12 work well. Then put 2x4 on edge every 16, 18, 24, 30 inches--what ever length wood you burn. If they stick out 4 inches on each side you can attach a vertical 2x4 in front and back to act as a holder and cutting guide. Stack the wood in the cradle and run the saw down, close, to the edge of the 2x4 "guide". Piles of slab wood mount up before you know it. It is way faster to do it this way, then to cut with a radial saw, although I have done quite a bit of that as well. It helps to have feed rolls on either end of the saw.

If I had a deal on white cedar slabs, I thing I would buy as much as I could handle, saw it all in 16" lengths, bundle it up and sell it for kindling. It's great for starting fires and burns hot, but only lasts a few minutes in the firebox even if you pack it. You also risk firing too quickly with such hot burning wood. I've used cedar edgings to fire a wood burning oven to super-heat the top of the masonry dome just before bread goes in, but it's tricky to get it just right because it is so volatile. Right now I've been milling mixed soft and hard woods. I sure try to sort out the hardwood & stack it separately so the pine, spruce & hemlock can just be for starting fires and in the wood cookstove in the kitchen where they burn hot and heat up the oven nicely. When I was living in WA on the coast nothing burnt better than pitchy fir--hot and long. And NOTHING burns better than fir bark! If you can collect piles of thick, chunky fir bark and keep them dry they burn just like coal and last forever in the stove.

Any chance you could take a picture of your cradle and post it?

 

[Mushroom Man]

I also would like to see a picture of the cradle. I need to build something to handle these pieces and I'm intrigued by your description.

I know the cedar will burn fast but I am hoping to transfer lots of heat to storage, as quickly as I can, without overheating the EKO.

I really haven't used much slab wood yet except as kindling.

 

[WoodEnergy]

I saw this recently on YouTube and thought it was pretty neat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWeQR2Xt7_Q

I was reminded of it when a "firewood cradle" was mentioned. Seems like it would work pretty well for slabwood, just have to stack it really tight.

 

[HeatFarmer]

@Fred61....those buck saw rigs are all over Maine; in use & for sale everywhere!

@Gasifier.... I haven't heated with slab yet..in my gasser....it's not online yet. However, I have been drying as much as I can for the day it is! I do plan on using slabs as a heavy part of my gasification wood strategy. The smaller slabs will go for start up & kindling & the bigger pieces I will probably save for shoulder seasons when I need some heat, but not a ton and still need to run the boiler wide open for a short, quick, hot burn.

@Turfman & Mushroom Man...I haven't been using a cradle since I moved to this farm because I haven't had time to build one. If I can find a photo of my last one in the archives I will post it here.

 

[jebatty]

I saw this recently on YouTube and thought it was pretty neat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWeQR2Xt7_Q

Might be the fastest way to cut, but the slowest way to start cutting. I would be done with that stack of sticks before the old guy bent over to pick up the saw.