Diminsional lumber or Mill ends Vs Pallets

[prajna101]

Ok, I have a question. I have seen the stuff about not burning dimensional lumber on Sweeps.com and such and it seems that people here agree.

I also see a lot of people state that Pallets are OK (with some caveats regarding overfiring and loading to much at a time). It seems that all of the arguments for NOT burning dimensional lumber (chemicals and overfiring) also should apply to pallets.

So is there anyone here who will assert that it is OK to burn pallets and NOT dimensional lumber or mill ends?

Just a thought for the evening. Please debate and advise.

 

[rathmir]

Personally, I think dimensional lumber is fine as long as you are careful (load that stove up with kiln dried pine and yer garunteed to overfire it) as long as it isnt pressure treated. It's the same as pallets for the most part, although you can find pallets not made of pine, but they are more rare. Either way as long as it isn't treated, mix it in with some hardwood and yer good to go. It can really help to stretch out your supply if you think you might come up short.

 

[madrone]

They don't treat pallets with methyl chloride anymore, but I look for the HT, "heat treated" just to be sure. I'm not worried about dimensional lumber either, outside of the obvious treated stuff. I pretty much only use either of them to start a cold stove, or mix with cordwood. I've run a few small loads of just pallet or lumber without trouble, but it goes up too fast. I wouldn't run a full load, but not because of chemicals.

 

[savageactor7]

Did you give any thought on how you'll store large amounts of it?

 

[prajna101]

That is all about what I think too. I burn quite a bit of pallets and diminsional lumber. Mostly because it is free and available and guarunteed to be dry. If I did not burn it, I would have to find some other way to get rid of it. the good long pieces are kept for projects and building stuff, but smaller stuff goes in the stove. There is some technique for it too. Get the stove hot (easy to do with this stuff) then when loading make a stack that is really tight and it acts like one big log. If I stack it tightly at the back of the stove and against one side, it will burn for about four hours.

I was just figuring that if wood gets that much chemical on it from saw blades, then logically Pallet wood would have the lubricants and preservatives too. But I dont hear many people saying not to burn pallet wood.

Anyway, It is not something I brag about much, but I dont really have a problem with it. Someone here will probably think I am ending the world.

Oh, as for stacking and storing. It sure stacks tighter than cordwood if you put some care into it. Besides, its not like I have to keep it around to season. When my pile of scrap lumber gets big, I go at it with skil saw and stack away. I separate out all the pieces from pallets and scrounged lumber with nails and put them in a different pile. When the nail pile is about a 1/4 cord, I empty my ashes and burn just "nail wood" until its gone. Then I throw the ashes out with the trash.

Oh, I do draw the line at painted, stained, treated, or plywood. I dont burn them. Its not to say that I havent, I just dont anymore.

t

 

[Battenkiller]

Did you give any thought on how you'll store large amounts of it?

Yeah, I've been there with cutoffs from a local pallet shop. Free, even delivered to my door. But try moving 30,000 4x4x1/2" pieces of hardwood. Or loading the stove with them and getting them to burn properly. Can't exactly shovel them like coal (Lord knows I tried). Paid-for cord wood was cheaper in the long run when all my time was added into the equation.

Good fire starters, though.

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm with Madrone and Rathmir . . . I burn the occasional piece of dimensional lumber and pallet piece with no worries . . . but truthfully once you get ahead on wood you'll usually steer away from this wood anyways since it tends to burn quicker and is a pain to process sometimes (at least pallets can be.) And of course . . . here is the caveat . . . no pressure treated, painted, stained, etc. wood goes into the stove.

 

[Troutchaser]

I burn pallet wood for startup. Have a big ole' stack of it out on the porch.
I think a lot of it's sycamore or something else stringy. Definitely not pine.
I've actually gotten some pallets of 1" oak. Nice stuff there.

Sure is good for getting a hot stove quick.
Burn times about 4 hou. .err... 4 minutes.

With my downdraft, I've found that if I put two thin pieces in front of the shoe opening that they will blaze inside there and get that combuster glowing in a hurry.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I'm not about to burn the pallets I end up with, they are from my job and they charge me a $20 deposit. However I burn just about every other wood scrap I have lying around except treated stuff, don't feel like inhaling arsenic. I got 3 stoves and they all get treated a bit differently.

Here is the bottom of the line stove in action.