Oak flooring question

[joe59]

Hi, I recently laid an oak floor (red oak #2) and have a lot of unfinished scraps. Has anyone ever used this in their smoker ?
I have noticed it in bags of cowboy charcoal in the past. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. S/F joe59

 

[daveomak]

As long as there is no finish on the wood, it should be OK...

 

[Tinner340]

Can you tell if boards are glued together to make wider planks? You can tell by looking at the grain, If the grain is inconsistent they have been glued together. If that's the case, I don't think I would use it.

 

[bill1]

It certainly won't hurt you. But I've had less than ideal results with lumber.
Most of the "flavor" molecules you want when smoking comes from the part of the tree close to the bark. (I think Blonder has an entire article on this.) While the better lumber comes from the heart of the tree. So lumber works and it certainly burns but it doesn't give much flavor.

It's hard to beat a split.

 

[jcam222]

I would certainly make sure it hasn’t been treated.

 

[DougE]

I'd use it as a heat source so long as it's unfinished, but you're not going to get the same flavor as you would from actual hardwood splits.

 

[chopsaw]

I have gallons of hardwood sawdust , and totes of hardwood off fall scraps . I can't say it would be bad to use it , I just don't migrate to something because it's cheap or free .
I personally choose not to use that stuff . Again , just my opinion . Not based in any fact .

 

[JckDanls 07]

It's kinda like the wood chunks sold at big bix stores.... It's the Kiln drying that mucks em up... Naturally natural/properly seasoned is better...

 

[gmc2003]

It's kinda like the wood chunks sold at big bix stores.... It's the Kiln drying that mucks em up... Naturally natural/properly seasoned is better...

Question: If you thoroughly soak kiln dried wood in water and then let it dry naturally(season it so to speak) would that reincorporate the needed moisture to make it a viable smoking wood?

Chris

 

[JckDanls 07]

Chris... Can't answer that one...

In my findings on trying to soak chunks... Seems to me they don't take water on very well (unlike myself).... I would think they would have to soak for a LONG time.. weeks/months I don't know...

 

[gmc2003]

Keith, I'm not sure how long it would take either. I do know when I first got into this hobby I soaked my wood chunks, but I used them immediately after. Thinking that they would last longer. I'm gonna give this a go and see what happens.

Chris

 

[joe59]

Thank you all for your advice, it’s greatly appreciated. I think I’ll turn it into charcoal.

 

[1MoreFord]

Chris, the one thing soaking and then drying will do is raise the grain and make the pieces easier to light. Slick pieces of wood don't light as easily as those with splinters and whiskers. Thus they smoke alot at first. I don't know how long to suggest to soak the pieces. Water doesn't penetrate kiln dried wood very deeply readily. Also, don't place the pieces where they lie face to face or edge to edge. That will cause smoldering. crisscross them.

Hardwood flooring generally doesn't have glue in it. The exception is parquet flooring which almost always contains glue. Wider pieces like drawer fronts and door panels nearly always contain glue too.

 

[bill1]

Anyone ever been to a kiln drying facility? I’d guess they smell pretty good. If so, you can maybe get the moisture back into wood (like a sponge) but you’re never getting the flavor/smell back in.