# Oak slab wood, IN DISGUISE! :)



## Shotgun (Oct 29, 2009)

everyone knows that slab wood is cheaper than logs, so why not make a few extra bucks turing it into cut firewood? thats what im trying to do.

i can get 6 cords of oak slab wood delivered to me for about $50/cord, or i can go pick it up myself, (1 cord/truckload) for $40. got three cords last monday and since its slab, its much easier to cut with an ax. i want to be educated on log splitters. im deffently leaning towards gas operated. i know im not very specific, but all help is appreciated.  im new at doing this myself, so be kind.


----------



## MNGuns (Oct 29, 2009)

I bought 4 cords of oak slab this past spring for $10 a cord. For the price, I had to buy it, and there was a whole lot more available. Same guy is selling it now for $60 a cord. It's kind of a pain in the arse to deal with really. I made a jig / cradle to set it in and cut to 16" lengths, but came to the conclusion that I could put up a lot more wood faster if it were in rounds. For the price, I would do it again. For resale, probably not


----------



## stint (Oct 29, 2009)

*Just an opinion*

Slab wood is cheaper for a couple of reasons:

1) Seller (sawmill) often ties slabs in bundles which he then measures at the widest point of width and height to come up with his 4X4X8 "cord". 
Cut and stacked, the dimensions of your resulting "cord" may be disappointing.

2) Due to much higher proportion of bark, the BTU and longevity of burn from your "cord" will be much less than standard split rounds

3) For same reason as above, you will get lots more ashes from slabs.

Do I understand that you are cutting the 8' slabs to standard 16-24" firewood ...with an axe ????


----------



## Shotgun (Oct 29, 2009)

no no no, no 8' slabs. lol. they are already about 18''. but are slabby-like. (if thats even a word.) they have it in a huge pile and it is ground up into mulch. there is vurtually no bark on it either...


----------



## Wood Doctor (Oct 29, 2009)

*Get That Slabwood!*

Much of the slabwood that I have seen lately is dead dry and has practically no bark at all remaining. If it does, I use that for kindling. A couple of splits here and there is about all that it needs.

Slabwood is excellent firewood and burns hot. My thanks to all sawmills who make it available to the public. Go and get it!


----------



## time warp (Oct 29, 2009)

Yes go get it! I burn slab as a mixture,half slab-a couple good size rounds= an all night burn that does'nt produce an extraordinary amout of ash....

Around here a bundle of slab goes for $15.00.These are generally in 8-10 ft. lengths.


----------



## flotek (Oct 29, 2009)

i get hardwood bundles for 10 bucks a cord at my local amish sawmill some are all oak and sugar maple and nice and thick cuts .its a pain to work with but the benefits sure outweigh the headache ,a very good deal for the motivated person who isnt afraid of a little work and heats the whole house for a couple weeks on a ten spot !


----------



## Shotgun (Oct 29, 2009)

i may have worded it wrong. i know what slab you guys are talking about, they have that stuff, but i dont know how to explain this type. its a little thicker than slab wood, but is already 18''. pure, solid, oak.


----------



## JeffHK454 (Oct 29, 2009)

I've got 1700 2"x8"x36" Oak rough planks in my storage building now ..I've been cutting them in half 15 at a time with my 066. The local skid manufacturer actually pays me $40 for every load of "scrap" wood I haul off. 

I wouldn't pay a dime for firewood ... logs or slab scrap... there are too many people giving it away if you look for it. 

Jeff


----------



## MNGuns (Oct 30, 2009)

Shotgun said:


> i may have worded it wrong. i know what slab you guys are talking about, they have that stuff, but i dont know how to explain this type. its a little thicker than slab wood, but is already 18''. pure, solid, oak.



You mean mill ends or end cuts.


----------



## avalancher (Oct 30, 2009)

i wouldnt pay a dime either for slab wood myself, there are far to many sawmills glad to get rid of it.I get a lot of wood from our local mills for free, in fact the last 10 cords on my wood pile is from the local mill.I drive up with my 16ft trailer and they load me up with all of the cut offs that I can carry.In fact,they are so eager to get rid of it, I have to stop them from loading me down more than what my dakota can pull home.All of it is red and white oak, and some of these cut offs are huge, had a 54 inch diameter chunk last week that really put me through my paces trying to cut up with the 372 with a 24 inch bar.
Same with the slab wood, there are three local mills that are all smiles when I pull up with an empty trailer.I take them a batch of homemade brownies that the wife sends along sometimes as a way of saying thanks, but I sure wouldnt part with any cash.They are happy to get rid of it.Last time I was there they had a pile that was probably 25ft tall!


----------



## Wood Doctor (Oct 30, 2009)

avalancher said:


> i wouldnt pay a dime either for slab wood myself, there are far to many sawmills glad to get rid of it.I get a lot of wood from our local mills for free, in fact the last 10 cords on my wood pile is from the local mill.I drive up with my 16ft trailer and they load me up with all of the cut offs that I can carry.In fact,they are so eager to get rid of it, I have to stop them from loading me down more than what my dakota can pull home.All of it is red and white oak, and some of these cut offs are huge, had a 54 inch diameter chunk last week that really put me through my paces trying to cut up with the 372 with a 24 inch bar.
> Same with the slab wood, there are three local mills that are all smiles when I pull up with an empty trailer.I take them a batch of homemade brownies that the wife sends along sometimes as a way of saying thanks, but I sure wouldnt part with any cash.They are happy to get rid of it.Last time I was there they had a pile that was probably 25ft tall!


Remember that you always pay for slabwood. *You* pick it up, *you* haul it home and unload, *you* cut it to length, *you* split what you have to, *you* stack it, *you* carry it to the stove, *you* burn it, and *you* clean out the ashes from the stove.

Last I heard, nobody does any of this when they heat with natural gas or electricity.


----------



## JeffHK454 (Oct 30, 2009)

Wood Doctor said:


> Remember that you always pay for slabwood. *You* pick it up, *you* haul it home and unload, *you* cut it to length, *you* split what you have to, *you* stack it, *you* carry it to the stove, *you* burn it, and *you* clean out the ashes from the stove.
> 
> Last I heard, nobody does any of this when they heat with natural gas or electricity.



Or you could do all that ... and pay for it too.


----------



## Junkfxr (Oct 31, 2009)

All of you guys that get slabs and trimmer drops from sawmills consider yourselves lucky. All of the sawmills around here send all of that stuff through the chipper. There is NO waste wood at all. All of the chips go to a couple of paper mills or to a power plant for fuel. I used to get my firewood by following a couple of loggers around and cleaning up laps but now, EVERYTHING gets chipped. It makes me absolutely sick to see hardwoods being pulped. It's not uncommon around here to see log trailers heading to the paper mill loaded with hardwood "sticks", nothing bigger than 8"dbh.


----------



## flotek (Oct 31, 2009)

Junkfxr said:


> All of you guys that get slabs and trimmer drops from sawmills consider yourselves lucky. All of the sawmills around here send all of that stuff through the chipper. There is NO waste wood at all. All of the chips go to a couple of paper mills or to a power plant for fuel. I used to get my firewood by following a couple of loggers around and cleaning up laps but now, EVERYTHING gets chipped. It makes me absolutely sick to see hardwoods being pulped. It's not uncommon around here to see log trailers heading to the paper mill loaded with hardwood "sticks", nothing bigger than 8"dbh.



as of late i see its starting to happen around here too,I guess they find it easier and more proftable to chip down a bundle ,than sell it to a guy that will heat his home with it ,i think pellets are being made with alot of it in my area


----------



## Wood Doctor (Oct 31, 2009)

Junkfxr said:


> All of you guys that get slabs and trimmer drops from sawmills consider yourselves lucky. All of the sawmills around here send all of that stuff through the chipper. There is NO waste wood at all. All of the chips go to a couple of paper mills or to a power plant for fuel. I used to get my firewood by following a couple of loggers around and cleaning up laps but now, EVERYTHING gets chipped. It makes me absolutely sick to see hardwoods being pulped. It's not uncommon around here to see log trailers heading to the paper mill loaded with hardwood "sticks", nothing bigger than 8"dbh.


Well, at least they are not letting it rot or throwing it into huge, smoldering bonfires and heating the sky with it.


----------



## Oly's Stump (Oct 31, 2009)

Basicly in my area free wood is in the past. Landscape companies use all wood for colored mulch and chips.


----------



## Shotgun (Nov 1, 2009)

have been browsing craigslist the past few days and this keeps popping up. what do you guys think?


http://baltimore.craigslist.org/ctd/1444094942.html


----------



## JeffHK454 (Nov 2, 2009)

With a 3K GVWR you're not going to get much wood in it before you find it's limits. 

It looks like a nice ATV or small utility trailer but I'd estimate that 30% of the axles capacity is used hauling all that treated lumber & steel around.


----------



## Shotgun (Nov 9, 2009)

i think i finially found something...

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/grd/1457355161.html


----------



## Turkeyslayer (Nov 9, 2009)

Shotgun said:


> i think i finially found something...
> 
> http://baltimore.craigslist.org/grd/1457355161.html



Not bad for the price.


----------



## Turkeyslayer (Nov 9, 2009)

Find out if the trailer has brakes, you will want them (in working order) if hauling anywhere close to 10k. Also the tires should be rated for the trailer, E rated for example, so they can handle the weight.


----------



## JeffHK454 (Nov 9, 2009)

That's a stout looking trailer..interesting tongue set-up.

Are you prepared for the bang-thud...bang-thud...bang-thud...bang-thud... of a pintle ring hitch?!?

Jeff


----------



## Shotgun (Nov 10, 2009)

gunna drive me nuts hauling that thing at 30 mph. ka-KLUNK ka-KLUNK  but for the price, you cant beat it...


----------



## Steve NW WI (Nov 10, 2009)

Shotgun said:


> gunna drive me nuts hauling that thing at 30 mph. ka-KLUNK ka-KLUNK  but for the price, you cant beat it...



Apply weight to long skinny pedal on the right! Or are ya pulling it with a Ford? If so I understand...

Seriously, I don't see any reason you couldn't run highway speed with that trailer. I don't mind pintle trailers. Pintle hitches are used on lots of HD equipment trailers, pulling 20 tons or more behind dump trucks. As long as they rotate like they're supposed to, they're way superior off road - although I'd take the extra ring off that one before it creases some bodywork. They also cut down on thieves and borrowers. I never really noticed the banging, but I was raised pulling gravity wagons with farm hitches. Now those, especially empty, will flat get your attention with every bump. Kinda like a big drum on four wheels.

BTW, local CL ad I saw tonight had debarked slabwood bundles, +-1 cord, for $50


----------



## flotek (Nov 11, 2009)

Steve NW WI said:


> Apply weight to long skinny pedal on the right! Or are ya pulling it with a Ford? If so I understand...



hey 98% of all fords are still on the road today 















...the other 2% actually made it home


----------



## Booshcat (Nov 11, 2009)

Steve NW WI said:


> Apply weight to long skinny pedal on the right! Or are ya pulling it with a Ford? If so I understand...



THIS IS FORD COUNTRY, AT NIGHT YOU CAN HEAR THE CHEVYS' RUST

Good for you, helping out the country and all, buying Obamamobiles, in a few years he may be repairing it for you personally (I Hope).


----------



## MarylandGuy (Dec 8, 2009)

I live just south of Baltimore, Maryland. I have one tree service that allows me to cut from his yard free of charge. And there is always great wood there.

Recently I came across another tree service that has agreed to dispose of their wood chips in my yard. To be honest, I am doing him a favor by taking it. I use it to fill in some low spots. This guy will give me wood that he doesn't want to sell. The first load was a big poplar and last week I got a huge Sycamore. Not the greatest wood, but still burns pretty well.

Look up the tree services in your area and see if they will drop some wood for you. You may get lucky. Or if you can arrange transportation, go to their yard and cut your own.


----------



## 7sleeper (Dec 8, 2009)

My FIL gets slab from the sawmill for real cheap. It's my _job_ to cut it up. 

How I do it is trying to minimize my cutting time.





1. 1 meter lengths are cut off of the 4 meter long bundles. Here in the rear of the stack.




2. They are staked for drying all year long.




3. I simply get on top and cut 2x the complete length of the 1 meter pieces. Simply pluge my blade full throttle into the wood pile and pull through the complete length. Approx. 30 cm pieces then.




4. Usually 1-2 strikes with the handaxe is enought for nice pieces that fit into the oven.





For me that's all there is to it. Sorry for the bad quality pics they were from the mobile phone.

7


----------

