Well the maple is nice straight grained so will make small splits nicely. Most has bark on but some it pops off. How long will a bag of mini splits last in the smoker? Does it go though a lot in a normal smoking session?
No volume size on the bags that I know of. No idea on how long a " bag" will last. Up until now I would just bring up chunks and make splits as needed so never really thought about it. I am sure it will make a difference depending on weather , desired temperature and length of cook.
By and large I collect up the fragments from my splitting and keep them in the garage in either a larger black trash container uncovered or a large brown paper bag that's common for people that rake up their leaves and use that as kindling. Every so often I use the kindling cracker that my MIL gifted me a couple years ago. Not something I'd have bought for myself but I definitely appreciate it and get some use out of it.
Best kindling I've so far used has been #2 pine stud cutoffs split down to 3/4 x 6-8" that were very dry. Mostly I just use splitter 'leavings' or peel stuff off the splits in the house already.
Nice work. I’ve been making kindling from oak and maple pallet wood. I agree, hardwood kindling is the best.
yes but that space above the cat will still fill with smoke. That means the smoke will go through the cat.
Pushed into a roll off dumpster load a few minutes ago and all these kiln dried beauties came flying out. Pushed them to the side to reuse as kindling later.. Just gotta pull out the nails and dust off the drywall and I'll have it made. There's 6 or 8 2x10x12's in there too which should make for some good makeshift woodshed /wood rack building materials.
I’ve been using this method lately. Game changer for getting the stove warmed up quicker from a cold start. Thanks!
Cut up some cedar milling scraps and split into kindling as needed. Empty cat litter boxes come in handy. I occasionally comp customers with a box or ill bring one on a delivery and see of they want to purchase it.
I have the Pro IsoCore 2.5 lb Maul, which looks similar, and don’t like it. The head angle is so wide that it often doesn’t split all the way through. Instead it chips off shorter pieces, like around the 3:00 of this video. Other times the kindling goes FLYING across the yard. And this is even for wood that splits easily, like cedar. The angle of the x27 is a lot better for kindling IMO…it’s the right balance of weight and angle.
Whenever I split, mostly oak and ash, I wind up with a big pile of bark. I was throwing it in the fire pit but then came up with a better idea. I have a small greenhouse that I use from March to early July. The rest of the year it's vacant. I take the scrap bark and small pieces that come of the splits and criss cross them on the shelves in the greenhouse. They dry in a couple of days and I box them up and use them for starting fires or reigniting embers.
I have the Fiskars X7 hatchet. Not very heavy but works okay for kindling. I use it more for breaking apart stringy splits on the hydro and sometimes for debarking.
