he scores!

[yooperdave]

got a load of hardwood slabs today. heard about this place, and took a drive to check them out. as usual, i have no camera yet, so, no pics. sorry.
the hardwood slabs are all de-barked. i loaded the back of the f-150 so the slabs would be level with the top of the side rails. $10. not bad, eh?
probably cut up for campfire wood to self serve for the local campgrounds....now how does that go? "for sale, seasoned firewood"...right?

 

[weatherguy]

I almost picked some up here too, guy has tons of hardwood slabs, $25 a truck full, didnt pull the trigger. How does yours look? I figured it would be good for shoulder seasons and it should season pretty quickly.

 

[yooperdave]

like i said, all hardwood and all bark free! very very clean. i will be going back for only $10 a pickup load here.

 

[weatherguy]

I should have been more specific, Ive never seen slab wood, how thick is it usually? I probably should have taken a look at it, I still may.

 

[yooperdave]

as the log makes a pass through the blade, it (the slab) varies in thickness. what the mill is doing, is "squaring up the log" so then they can cut boards/beams off of the resulting squared wood log. we all know that logs are not straight, but crooked, thus producing the varying thicknesses of the slab. anywhere from say 1/2" thick, to maybe 4-5"inches thick. the thickest part of the slab will typically be at one end of it and only for a short distance. the width of the slabs will also vary. anything from 3-4", up to maybe about 12" wide. if you use it for heating in the home, be ready to fire frequently, as it is all small stuff as a rule. thats why its called "gopher" wood. put one piece in the stove, then gopher another. good luck, and i hope you can get a better price, or maybe show up with a bigger truck. this particular mill sells the slabs for $25 a bundle. that measurement is about (very roughly speaking) not quite a 4' by 4' by 8 1/2' long....so, just shy of a full cord. but the way it is bundled, there are hardly any air holes between the slabs. probably a good 3/4 cord or more

 

[raybonz]

as the log makes a pass through the blade, it (the slab) varies in thickness. what the mill is doing, is "squaring up the log" so then they can cut boards/beams off of the resulting squared wood log. we all know that logs are not straight, but crooked, thus producing the varying thicknesses of the slab. anywhere from say 1/2" thick, to maybe 4-5"inches thick. the thickest part of the slab will typically be at one end of it and only for a short distance. the width of the slabs will also vary. anything from 3-4", up to maybe about 12" wide. if you use it for heating in the home, be ready to fire frequently, as it is all small stuff as a rule. thats why its called "gopher" wood. put one piece in the stove, then gopher another. good luck, and i hope you can get a better price, or maybe show up with a bigger truck. this particular mill sells the slabs for $25 a bundle. that measurement is about (very roughly speaking) not quite a 4' by 4' by 8 1/2' long....so, just shy of a full cord. but the way it is bundled, there are hardly any air holes between the slabs. probably a good 3/4 cord or more

Dave I think you got a great deal! Sorta like burning pallets but much easier to cut up! You could even cross stick it full length and will dry quickly...

Ray

 

[DexterDay]

My neighbor is Amish and they sell there Slabwood. Already cut Firewood length. You could get Whole "Bundles" that you cut yourself. Or pick from there HUGE 30 Foot tall by 60 Diameter Pile of Wood (precut). But to get wood the has "Meat on the Bones", you are gonna be pickin for awhile. Its a lot of Bark, with some wood underneath. Try and take some Pics of there "Pile" tomorrow. If they will let me. My Father buys it by the truckload ($20) and sells it for $10 for a Wheelbarrow load (Campers) in front of his house.. Good wood, if you can get some with Meat left.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Great for campfires but I also have known folks who heat totally with slab wood. The best way to cut it to length is a buzz saw but there are very few of those left around here. A few years ago a neighbor had moved a bunch of slabs by his OWB to burn. Then he hurt his shoulder so I went there to cut it for him. It really was not difficult to do but I still much prefer cutting logs.

Many, many moons ago when I sawed lumber we used to give slabwood away. One fellow used to come and help around the mill for several hours and then we'd shut down and go cut slabwood for him using our buzz saw. I really enjoyed working with him too because he was a nice guy and he always brought us fresh apples in the fall of the year. Those always hit the spot. I sort of miss those times....