cutting my own wood chunk- advice needed

Sounds good. 3 x 3 is a good size for the drum at least. 3 -4 months dry time would be fine. Either fruit wood will be fine. What a nice son!!:biggrin:

for me, the "drying time" has always depended on the amount of humidity. in Florida it took a bit longer than here in New Mexico. splitting would decrease the amount of time to season the wood though. i do imagine that if you were to cut it now and give it a nice place to rest for the winter you should be fine by mid march or so.

Yeah, I wouldn't split that size. They should be ready for some spring smoking on the UDS. Just keep them dry. 3" x 3" is perfect for the drum. A few pieces that size will last a whole cook.

Cut it and send some here to me in So Cal and I will report back when it is seasoned enough so you can have a average.:biggrin:

Been there, done that. Apple is really tough to split without a hydraulic splitter. Suggest on those that you cut rings with a chain saw - those you can split with a hatchet. Like everyone else, I recommend chunks of wood about the size of your fist. Put them into paper grocery bags inside and they should be pretty dry by spring. If you're just using them for smoke flavor then they don't need to be very dry at all, in fact some guys soak their smoke chunks in water. Fuel for stick burners on the other hand needs to be real dry. Cut it now, use it next August maybe, maybe the year after.

seattlepitboss

Be a really good son and put down the saw for awhile...Pruning fruit trees should always be done in the very early spring.

From the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
Pruning the Mature Fruit Tree

Dormant Pruning

Most pruning is done when the trees are dormant, between the time when the leaves drop in late fall and when the buds begin to swell in early spring. The safest and best time is just before the buds swell. The most risky time is very late fall and early winter. Dormant pruning of peach and nectarine increases the risk of winter injury; prune during the bloom period.


In the orchard, start spring pruning early enough to be completed before the leaves appear. The risk of winter injury increases if pruning is begun too early. Pruning followed by low temperatures means winter injury - not always seen but almost sure to be present. The amount of injury is directly related to the length of time between the pruning operation and the temperature drop; the shorter the time, the greater the injury.



Take heart, at least you'll have smoke wood next fall.




Chris

Really not difficult or complicated Bob. Chunks a couple inches seasoned a month or two is fine. Don't make this simple thing complicated.

This is the best way to cut any wood into smoking size chunks that money can buy: