DIY wood chips ?

[yotmon]

Has anyone ever shredded wild collected sticks using a garden shredder. I often cut hazel coppice for making walking sticks - these are around 1" diameter. Once I get them home I usually discard quite a few due to blemishes in the bark or 'dog legs,' which won't straighten. I was thinking of removing the bark and shredding some of them whilst still green, then throwing it through again to turn it into chips. These would need drying out but I bet they would be good for smoking. I could also collect ash, cherry and alder. I don't think I could get it reduced to dust for the Pro-Q, but the chips could be used as a conventional smoker fuel.

[wheels]

From http://woodchunks.co.uk/buywoodchunks.html

Hazel A mild and fragrant nutwood smoke often used in the UK as a substitute when hickory is suggested as the wood smoke source.

Would you even need to shred it for a conventional smoker?

Phil

[yotmon]

Thanks Phil, looking on their site they don't seem to remove the bark either. Was thinking of chipping it down for convenience to store it, plus quicker to season as well. I usually just throw the sticks cut up in the chimnea and grill chops/kebabs over it once the flames dies down.

Also, I have a friend who works in a garden tools factory and can get bags of Ash off-cuts - usually reject axe handles. Was trying to get the sawdust as well but its sucked out of the workroom by a vacuum straight into a sealed container, so struggling to get at it (for the time being).....

[wheels]

Sounds great. I like Free. Free's good!

Phil

[crustyo44]

I like Australian hardwood chips and saw dust for smoking. For a donation of $ 10.00 to the Xmas party fund at the local hardwood mill, I fill up the tray on my Toyo Hi-Lux with boxes of chips and sawdust. Obviously I have to dry it all.
I found that for cold smoking all saw dust is better and hot smoking I use a 50/50 mixture of chips on the bottom and cover that with sawdust.
My smoker tray is about 40"long, 5"high and 5"wide. I start all the smoking with an aquarium air pump and stop the air supply when the saw dust is smouldering well, for hot smoking I keep the pump going to keep it burning to steady the internal cabinet temperature I need. The air pump has 3 speeds to control the burn and temperature.
Make sure you can get your hands on some clean saw dust.
Cheers,
Jan.