First, I want to say I found the issue of posting external links after posting that link for the calculator. I simply cant imagine why that would be and problem with this site, but apparently the rule is ZERO external links. If anyone wants that information for the calculating site, PM me and I'll give you my email address and give it to you personally off of this site...for free...
So far the link is still there though. A mod may just not have axed it yet.
Not my circus not my monkeys as the saying goes. This is Jeff's ship and he can sail it controlling information to crew as he sees fit while you're on the voyage. This somewhat discourages me to start a thread on this subject, because I am a freedom of information guy. This site may be an income stream for some, and I get that, but I wont participate long in a commercial for others. Thing is, the web, for now is wide open. There is a TON of free info out there.
I will do my best to stay within the confines of the TOS (can someone "link" me to that...I cant find it, it should be right on the site header if the site is a stickler about it.). The only reason I am a member here is it looks like a good knowledgeable group of folks that patronize the site. I want to be a part of that, and as you can see by my post ratio, I give as much as I receive. That's what I believe in.
I had the greatest welding instructor that ever lived and he was a "victim" of union upcommance as an apprentice in the Post WW2 era. He dedicated his life to sharing information to as many people as possible because he believed "a rising tide lifts all boats". When we are all as smart and informed as we can be, we make better "people" as a whole. He wanted to be sure no kid ever had to hand a journeyman welder his chipping hammer and wire brush for 10 years before ever seeing a welding arc like he did in the hard core union days when old men protected their jobs by holding down the young men's growth.
With that said:
Dave,
I always have a great appreciation of your input. I really appreciate and love the old timers...that's who I always seek out everywhere in life. Even in my extended family, I gravitate to the elders to absorb their wisdom.
What a great idea going to a cabinet maker. I have several contacts and a couple friends that are cabinet makers, and not only do they deal with great woods, but they know how that wood has been handled. Like you said about pallets, you never know sometimes what that wood has touched or been treated with. A trusted cabinet maker would know that about most of his wood and could tell you when he doesn't.
This thread/conversation was started for and is about commercial wood chips bought at retail points, so I'll get back to that subject in a minute in a separate post.
But, I AM interested in Todd's sawdust smoker, and Dave, your DIY wood sourcing is excellent advice. Be careful though, you know
Amazen is a sponsor and he sells sawdust...right? HE, he...but hey, you did plug his smoker product though, so I'm sure you're good.
As a metal man, I like to DIY stuff. I admit, I did press the "easy" button and bought the MES-30 digital. Got a great deal and wanted the ease of electric. I don't have days to sit around a smoker...I aint retired yet! And I don't make my living smoking meat or even with food in general...THAT I would consider retirement because to make real income on food is very hard work. So in retirement, food may be the way I go to keep busy and have something I love to do and make a little money.
So Dave, can you tell me what metal the
Amazen smokers are made from? I didn't see it on the web site. If it is stainless, the good stuff, a magnet will not stick to it and it wont have a coating.
Also, what is the difference between the dust, pellet, and tube smokers? Is the perforation smaller for the dust and larger for the pellets?
I like the idea of the cabinet maker resource. It's a mess to just saw wood for the dust (A dust collector helps but a man would need that gear to do it right), but for chunks it's easier. I could get a buddy to reserve some dust for me and I dont use chunks right now, but if I could get strips from him, I could use my DR Chipper to make chips.
Next time I'm up at the metal shop I work out of, I'm going to look for some perforated stainless. I want to make my own dust smoker. Todd's are relatively inexpensive, but a metal man should make his own if he can! I want to try it with cold smoking something like cheese while the weather is cold.
Thanks!
