Slab Wood?

[GreyMum]

Hi Everyone,

Still very much a beginner here. I actually split wood for the first time this weekend. As I stated in another post recently, I am "the wife". My husband was quite proud of me, actually. Haha. I used one of these splitter because I couldn't quite figure out the maul. Anyway, kind of curious, as a sidenote, why would anyone ever use one of these manual splitters instead of a maul? The maul is so much more efficient.

Anyway, back to my original question. I was talking to someone at work today who gets slabwood and cuts for firewood. Seems like an inexpensive option, but what am I missing? Would we need to mix with other wood? Anything specific I should ask for or look out for?

 

[Agent]

Slab wood is fast drying, easy to handle, and readily affordable. However, it burns hotter and faster than cordwood due to the increased surface area of the smaller pieces. This makes it less desirable for full time burning, but the stuff works fantastic when you only need a quick fire to take the chill out of the air during spring or fall (or most of this winter, the way it's been going).

 

[legrandice]

My parents burned slab wood for years. When I was a kid, it would be the annual project to cut up the several loads of slab wood and stack it. Lots of bark and burned fast...but it was cheap. Dad and I now burn scrounged wood...have not purchased it in 20 years. If it's cheap enough...go for it. These days there are so many great sources of wood around us that it's not worth it for us.

 

[firefighterjake]

Slab wood is fast drying, easy to handle, and readily affordable. However, it burns hotter and faster than cordwood due to the increased surface area of the smaller pieces. This makes it less desirable for full time burning, but the stuff works fantastic when you only need a quick fire to take the chill out of the air during spring or fall (or most of this winter, the way it's been going).

+1 to what Agent said . . . plus at some places you have to cut it up yourself which some folks find to be a pain . . . also it depends on the mill. Around here most of the mills are working with softwood so the slabs are not as desirable (one notable exception being the Peavey Manufacturing Plant that makes Peaveys and other tools out of white ash).

I often cut up some slabs each year . . . for the Fall fires and for use as kindling.

 

[basod]

I still have 1/3 of my original face cord I picked up 3 years ago off a nieghbors lot.
He hired a local guy with portable sawmill to mill all the wood on the place to build a small cabin.
Between my coworker and I, I'd say we hauled 10 cords of tops, butt ends, and rejects along with the slabs off his place.
They can be a bit a of a bugger to cut to length, the saw wants to grab and throw them at your shins due to the straight edges.
I lined them up in stacks with one end even and cut straight down with a couple perpendicular underneath to keep chain out of the dirt.
A saw buck would have been handy but didn't feel the need to build one at the time

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

If you're lucky enough to have a tie mill (crossties) in the area their cutoffs have no bark whatsoever. Plus they're already stove length although many will need to be split unless you have a large firebox. However, unlike slab these cutoffs season no faster than regular splits so one must be a year ahead to utilize them.

 

[Gasifier]

Greymum,

Who is producing the slab wood that you are thinking of using? Would it be possible to ask them if you could buy some cut to your desired length?

I was lucky to find an Amish mill nearby that gives the long stuff away for free. But, they also make a huge pile of slab wood that they cut into 14-16" lengths. They sell that at $7 a truck load. I give them $10 and they help me load it. I find that it burns great. It is white pine, so it burns fast. But I just burn that when I am home. I burn my cordwood when I go to bed, work, or anytime I will be away for a long period of time. I am burning some of the smaller stuff this year that was already dry enough. And all the larger stuff is now stacked outside for next year.

Maybe if you offered to buy 10 truck loads of it? I don't know, just thinking out loud. It might be worth a shot. Like the other guys said, it will burn very hot. If using a wood stove, you will have to keep the air down lower, or mix it in with some of your cord wood like you said. It is very cheap wood. And if you can get them to cut it for you, wow. I would not take it for free if I had to cut it to length. To much work. Cord wood would be better. But, if you have the time to cut it, and it works for you....... Good luck, and let us know how you make out.

 

[yooperdave]

slabwood? hmmmm... around here, it's called "gopher wood". throw in a couple pieces and gopher some more.
that being said, i do burn maple slabwood myself, in the ol' 13-at least to just get the fires going. but if you can get it cheap enough, why not, right? i paid $10 for a pickup load of 8' slabs-all de-barked! first thing i did was bundle some up for sale at the local campgrounds.
if you did mention what kind of wood it was, i didn't see but hopefully it's hardwood. burn away and get some better stuff for next year or two.
can't argue with cheap heat
(sorry, i forgot my manners) welcome to the forum!