Burning mill scraps

[chile verde]

A local mill has been advertising its slabs on CL:

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/for/2694573786.html

The price doesn't seem too bad (for NM anyway), but if 20-30% of each slab is BARK, am I wrong to think I'd be better off buying cordwood?

How well do ya'll think these slabs would perform?

 

[DAKSY]

I'd grab a load & try em. I used to burn slab wood - board ends -
that I got from a lumber mill when I lived out in the hills East of
Troy, NY & they burned great. It was mostly hardwood - oak &
maple - & they charged me $15 to fill my old Chevy Luv truck.
I'd fill the bed like I was packing a suitcase & I'd get enough to burn
2 - 3 weeks in an old Ashley stove. I had a HELL of a time getting
that old beater up the mountain with that much weight in it, but for $15
it was worth the hour it took me.

 

[woodchip]

I'd grab a load & try em.

+1, nothing to lose and everything to gain if it's cheap heat ;-)

 

[Jaugust124]

How much wood is in a bundle, compared to a cord of wood? I like the pickup truck load of cutoffs for $25. Three loads would probably be close to a cord I would guess.

 

[bogydave]

Lots of folks burn slabs.
Good shoulder season & a good small & medium sizes to mix in with the big stuff to fill in space for longer burns.
Dries pretty fast when CSS.
Price seems fair if it's a close drive, good deal IMO.

 

[wkpoor]

I called around this season and slab wood is waaaay up in price. They want as much for it as a cord of wood around here. Burning wood to heat must be on the rise and these mills and pallets builders are cashing in on it.

 

[firefighterjake]

I typically burn some slabs every year . . . as BD said . . . they dry fast and are good for the shoulder season burns . . . I also like to split some up for kindling . . . of course I have a free source . . . don't know if I would pay a whole lot for slab wood myself . . . maybe if the price was right.

 

[maplewood]

When I lived in Anchorage, slabs was about all we burned. $10/pick up truck load. Dad and I could stack a lot on the old 3/4 ton!

 

[Duetech]

There is a local portable mill that sells for $25 a large bundle like the one in the link. An established saw mill sells for $20. I've burned slab but prefer cordwood although I do have about 2.5 cord of slab oak on hand as it is geat in a gasifier.

 

[smokinj]

Get a pick-up load of the cut offs.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Get em and try em. There are plenty of folks who buy and burn slabwood. Only thing is to not overload or even fill the stove as it might burn a bit fast and you don't want an overfire.