# Using Firewood for Lumber



## seabiscuit (Oct 6, 2011)

I live in a part of the US that loves to give away free firewood from various types of tree (oak, maple, cottonwood, etc). Do any of you guys ever pick this stuff up, resaw it and then use it for lumber? Is it worth it or even usable in most cases?


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

Might be worth it if you're ok with short, small, pieces of wood.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I've used firewood to make hand planes, chisel handles, mallets and business card holders. I burn firewood as well, so the left overs go into the stove.


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## CampD (Nov 8, 2008)

Yup ya never know what you might find buried in the firewood pile.
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/47211


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Just gotta remember that a lot of the wood is green and must be dried/cured. Rough cut it, seal the cut ends, and forget abouit it for 1 year per inch of thickness before ya try to use it for anything that will require stability. Also, some of it will be junk no matter what ya do with it. How do I know?


> ?


Bill


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## cjwillie (Sep 6, 2011)

It seems the most popular things everybody want me to make are picture frames. It always seemed to be such a waste of wood and a time consuming project. Over the years I have refined my process to be less work and less money for materials. I started making a basic frame out of pine, maple, plywood or whatever was handy, and free. I just used butt joints and scewed the corners together. Then I found all the veneer I could ever want in the firewood pile. I resawed strips to 1/4" thick and cleaned up to 1/8" or less. I'm still amazed at the unbelievable pieces I am finding, lots of crotch grain, quarter sawn, spalted, and more species of wood than I've seen commercially available. Since I cut my own firewood, if it's something unique or special, I cut some of it speciifically for veneers. Nothing goes to waste!


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## tomd (Jan 29, 2008)

I make small items so I bandsaw alot of firewood into short boards.


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## marcbousquet (Oct 15, 2011)

I raid my father's fire wood stock sometimes for pieces that have alot of character in them. I also will cruise around the area after storms looking for fallen trees people have cut up but not disposed of yet. Same also goes for the town/state cutting trees after storms, like the one a couple weeks ago up here in western MA. Alot of nice old trees got ripped right out of the ground or flattened. Most of the wood I saw up gets dried and milled for future use in small projects like pens.


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## Fishfreak911 (Jul 14, 2010)

Do iT! I find some amazing wood in the firewood lot of a local f/w retailer. Carolina Cherry burls, curly eucalyptus, curly ash, carob, etc. Here is a link to

Here is carob from a firewood lot (pink wood)

More carob.


Curly ash


Carolina Cherry Burl handle.



See!? Diamonds in the rough, but for smallish project no doubt.


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