firewood from the mill.........is it safe to burn?

[STIHL-KID]

I recently had a buddy give me some big chunks of scrap wood from the local mill. I split open the wood and found that it had a very sweet smell to it. Does this wood contain some chemicals? Not sure what the mill process is concerning the treatment of their wood products. The wood is cedar I believe. I would appreciate any insight on this matter and if there are any cautions to mill wood.

 

[Forest Steward]

First of all, I'm assuming the scraps your referring to are the slabs from the log. If the wood is coming from a straight up saw mill, then my guess is that the smell would just be the smell of that particular species. Most wood has its own distinct smell, so I don't think it would be anything I would worry about. Plus as far as I'm aware, any chemical treatment to wood is done after it is sawed into lumber rather than in the log. And I also wouldn't consider the smell of chemically treated wood as "sweet". If it was treated wood, you would know. We sawed some old telephone poles last summer for the posts for my bosses new pole barn, and that is some nasty stuff.

 

[Husky137]

If it has a sickly sweet smell, I'd be willing to bet it is quaking aspen and not cedar.

Or the government could be plotting to kill you.

 

[MS-310]

Im going to tell you that its pretty wet stuff, I burn it all the time, let it sit for a year your set.

 

[zemmo]

The mill in Reserve sells log ends and other reject wood for $10 a load. I read somewhere on another thread that someone had found that this mill wood had a lot of residual metal (from where?) in it, and dulled chains like crazy. Anyone know anything about this?

 

[Ianab]

I read somewhere on another thread that someone had found that this mill wood had a lot of residual metal (from where?) in it, and dulled chains like crazy. Anyone know anything about this?

Any log with nails or other metal in it would go straight on the reject pile at the mill. That $10 log wouldn't seem such a good deal if some kid has built a treehouse in it years ago

If it's just end trimming and slabs from normal sawing then there should be no problem. Embedded metal is even worse for a sawmill than it is for a chainsaw.

Ian

 

[TooTall999]

You can often find old nails,fence wire,etc. embedded in logs.I worked at a sawmill and you wouldn't believe the collection of metal they had on display.Everything from nails and screws to an old musket barrel.

 

[windthrown]

Mill cut firewood...

If it is treated wood, avoid it. Copper green color, or creosote soaked, or anything with the stright line puncture marks of pressure treatment. Other than that, no big deal. Metal will come out in the ashes and it not a problem in any kind of fireplace or stove or boiler. Many woods smell good. To me fresh cut Doug fir smells great. Cedar is good too, though it is not that great for firewood (low density and not as much heat).

BTW: here in Oregon and especially up around Portland they are selling TRUCKLOADS of odd mill cuts of wood for $50-70. All they require is enough room to get a truck into your property and the space to dump it.

 

[buckwheat]

In PA there are now a couple of mills that are set up for no waste. They use everything from computer analysis of the log to determine what size planks to cut, to collection systems that suck up all of the saw dust for pressboard.

I would think, though, that they would have a problem with metal just like any other mill. I'll have to ask about what happens to that wood.

 

[tawilson]

If it has a sickly sweet smell, I'd be willing to bet it is quaking aspen and not cedar.

Or the government could be plotting to kill you.

I've got a small stand of aspen. What would they be sawing it for? Didn't think it was good for much except maybe pallet wood.