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Raw cherry wood

steel_egg
steel_egg Posts: 295
in EggHead Forum
BIL has access to cherry timber wood. Going to cut up for fire wood.  I’m trying to figure out how to get to smoking chunks with minimal labor. Any suggestions?
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Comments

  • steel_egg
    steel_egg Posts: 295
    Here is what he has. 
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  • Skrullb
    Skrullb Posts: 666
    I have some that was cut into 8 or 10 inch logs and I split it into smaller slivers. I’m sure there’s better ways of doing it, but I worked with what I was given. There’s no better wood than fresh cherry, I’ll tell you that. 
    I'm in Fredericksburg, VA, and I have an XL and a medium. 
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    before @Jeepster47 left IL he had cut a tree or two of wild cherry and he offered me some. So I headed over with my chain saw in hand and ended up bringing home 3 pieces of the trunk. Then I split them  (using at least a years' worth of energy) and placing the split chunks in the hot sun for a couple summers. Now since my chain saw and I are not on the best of terms I have decided to use my froe to split  them. After that effort I plan to cut the chunks into 2" to 3" chunks using my radia arm saw unless my chain saw and I get back on speaking terms! 

    BTW I also have a large box of hickory chunks which I did the same way a few years ago  and have stored away for the future when I get too old to do this form of burning energy!,

    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,789
    However you figure it out, cherry is about the most versatile of smoke woods out there.  Window of opportunity open-go for it and sort out the details later. 
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • steel_egg
    steel_egg Posts: 295
    lousubcap said:
    However you figure it out, cherry is about the most versatile of smoke woods out there.  Window of opportunity open-go for it and sort out the details later. 
    Yeah. He was telling me about the wood and my ears perked up. 
    I’ll figure it out I guess 
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  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,131
    This is what I do:
    Cut a "clear" (no knots) "disk" as thick as you want your chunks. 2-5 inches is what I cut.
    Take a old ratcheting tie down or bungee and tighten it around the circumference to slightly snug. You do not want it really tight.
    Take a hatchet or if you choose to do a thicker "disc", you might need to use an ax or maul. Start splitting it as if you were going to make firewood wedges.
    Also, I find it is best/easiest to do it when the wood is somewhat dry - not green, but not really dry either for cherry. You have a lot to choose from, so I would choose pieces which are less than 10" in diameter. You can be picky since you have so much.

    To give you an idea of what to do, here is a random video of the concept, only splitting for firewood. you want to do the same thing with the round being much shorter.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jm5PNhqeqQ

    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
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  • vb4677
    vb4677 Posts: 687
    Hell, I've got two ornamental cherry trees besides my front driveway. I've limbed them for aesthetic purposes, used the chop saw to break 'em down to 2"-3" pieces, tossed them into a college era milk crate, set them in the back flower beds to dry out for at least a year in order to toss some of them onto a heaping pile of Rockwood prior to cooking me some pork ribs.  Just go for it, dude!
    Kansas City: Too Much City for One State - Missouri side
    2 Large BGE's, Instant Pot, Anova Sous Vide, and a gas smoker...
    Barbeque, Homebrew and Blues...
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  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,131
    vb4677 said:
    Hell, I've got two ornamental cherry trees besides my front driveway. I've limbed them for aesthetic purposes, used the chop saw to break 'em down to 2"-3" pieces, tossed them into a college era milk crate, set them in the back flower beds to dry out for at least a year in order to toss some of them onto a heaping pile of Rockwood prior to cooking me some pork ribs.  Just go for it, dude!
    This is definitely faster and easier. But given the pile of logs he has to work with, I do not think that is an option here.
    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
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  • GlennM
    GlennM Posts: 1,449
    Too bad you don’t have access to the limbs (or maybe you do). I take limbs about 1-3” in diameter and cut them up with my chop saw.  Smaller I put through a chipper and save the chips. You get lots that way. I’m reluctant to use the chainsaw because of the bar oil

    In the bush just East of Cambridge,Ontario 
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  • steel_egg
    steel_egg Posts: 295
    edited August 2018
    Thanks for the advice. The great thing is my BIL is chopping and stacking for firewood. I can pick at it for some time 
    He did they have been sitting like that for about 10 months. His uncle told him to come and get it if he wanted it. 
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  • FarmerTom
    FarmerTom Posts: 685
    I do much the same as @Sea2Ski.  Here on our farm in KY,  we have plenty of wild cherry and several varieties of hickory so smoke wood is plentiful. I have piles of discs from cutting up trees blown down in storms.  Cut them whatever thickness you want, I prefer 2-3” slabs.  Then find a large diameter, 16-20” long piece of hickory or hedge(Osage orange) is even better  to use as a chopping block. Put your chopping block on solid ground in the shade, stack your discs beside it. Get a camp chair and cooler of beer and have at it.  They split into chunks quite easily. I save large bags from seed & feed that are breathable to store mine in. 
       Had a guy needing a large apple tree cut up that a storm blew down.  So now I have it drying.  Looking forward to a good supply of apple chunks. 
       Would probably be a more efficient use of my time to buy it ready to use, but I like the idea of using home grown wood.  
       Good luck to you.  Be careful with that hatchet, they can be most evil. 

    Tommy 

    Middle of Nowhere, Northern Kentucky
       1 M, 1 XL, a BlackStone,1 old Webber, a Border Collie, a German Shepherd and 3 of her pups, and 2 Yorkies

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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,527
    edited August 2018
    Looks like you need a splitter and an offset smoker!  =)
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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