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wood spliting by hand

Started by bendjoseph, December 21, 2012, 04:57:22 AM

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TKehl

I won't hand split Elm.  Not that great of wood anyway, but cuts easy and stacks up quick.  If the rounds won't fit through the door, I'll leave it to rot.   ;)
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Don P

38 years and the monster maul won, never even broke a handle, well, it is a pipe  ;D My hydraulic rating has come through but I hate the noise. I'm thinking of building an electric/hydraulic splitter. Not sure why, the electrics I've seen are kindling splitters.

TKehl

We had to repair our monster maul.  Weld at the back of the head where it attaches to the handle stretched enough and finally started give.  Never broke off though.  Pressed it back and added some weld and good to go.   ;)

However, after dad's shoulder surgery, I split all his and ours.  I find myself using a fiberglass handled maul or the hydraulic splitter more than I used to as I don't want shoulder surgery.   :(  I don't mind the noise.  Just set the tractor's diesel engine to idle and try and keep up.    ;D
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Jerryok1971

Tkel elm is not that good to burn? Being new to burning wood I will appreciate all the advice I can get. Also don't want to waste time and energy messing with it if it's not good to burn.

Andries

The American Elm we have here is super firewood.
The trick is to debark it with a sawmill.
Dutch Elm Tree Regulations mandate chipping the bark and slabs.
Quote from: Dave Shepard on December 30, 2012, 05:54:26 PM
For tough logs, I cut them into 4"x6" on the sawmill and then cut them into 24" lengths. ;D
Like Dave says: Dimensional Firewood!  :D
Splitting elm by hand? . . . not this boy. Hydraulics are required.

Once it's split and dried, it's one of the best firewoods around.
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TKehl

It's really all relative to what's around.  Further north Maple is premium wood, but I couldn't give Maple away down here (maybe different species though).  Of course we have a bunch of Oak, Hickory, Locust, and Hedge, so I'm kind of spoiled.   ;)

The problem I have with Elm is getting it dry enough the way I do it.  I cut 20-24" long and if it's under 12" diameter, I leave it round.  I like to cut in the summer or fall for the coming winter.  As such, the only Elm dry enough is standing dead ones.  I've been thinning a lot of Elm from the woodlot and as such have been burning a lot of it.  For that stuff, I'll cut it 6' long and stack off the ground.  Ready in 2-3 years.  If left on the ground, Elm sucks up moisture like a sponge.  It's also rare to get many Elms bigger than 12" before they die anyway.   ;)

Here's a BTU chart for different woods. 
http://worldforestindustries.com/forest-biofuel/firewood/firewood-btu-ratings/
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Woodcutter_Mo

 I still do all my splitting by hand, though I would like to eventually invest in a hydraulic setup. Black gum and elm are the worst that I have split. Black Jack oak can be a bear too if it has alot of knots and for some reason at certain stages of seasoning it doesn't like to split. There has been black jack that I've tried to split and end up setting aside and a few weeks or months later it might split as easy as a nice strait grained red oak. ??? It sure burns good though.
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Logging logginglogging

Quote from: Al_Smith on December 21, 2012, 06:18:41 AM
I did until about 4-5 years ago .Odd ,I had the stuff to build a splitter it just took me 20 years until I got around to it and 4 days to do it once I got in gear .--slow ---

my father use to... and i helped some as a kid....10 cord a year mostly with wedges and sludge hammer. a lot of work and good for you
we have a spliter now and he does 10 still and i do 14

John Mc

Elm is a lot of work to split, and mediocre as hardwoods go for firewood. (I guess I can afford to be a firewood snob, since we have some great one for burning here.)

I've attached one of the better tables I've found for showing BTU content by species.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

North River Energy

Quote from: Don P on December 21, 2017, 09:02:53 PM
Not sure why, the electrics I've seen are kindling splitters.

Probably available amperage. 110v15a won't turn much of a pump, and the average homeowner isn't going to wire in a separate 220 outlet to run a splitter.

John Mc

About 12 years ago, I bought a 16 ton electric log splitter made by Ramsplitter. It had a 2HP electric motor. They sold the identical splitter with either a 5 HP Honda or a 6 HP Subaru gas engine. It had a 3 1/2" x 18" cylinder, would take 20" long logs and had a 12 second cycle time. (Note: they've since switched their 16 ton to a 1.5HP electric). 

I bought it because at the time it was the largest electric splitter I could find that would still run off a 120V outlet (it runs fine on a circuit with a 20A breaker, will occasionally pop a circuit with 15A breaker). At the time, I figured I would do all my splitting up near the house (I had two small kids and a large pond. With the quiet electric splitter, it was easy to keep an eye & ear on them as I worked). It would split most of the hardwoods I threw at it without a problem (normally 6" -16" diameter Beech, Oak, Maple, Ash, Hickory, occasionally up to 24" diameter). Occasionally the electric motor would stall in a tough piece. I'd just back off the lever, let the motor come back up to speed and go again. Yes. there were really nasty pieces it just would not touch. It was very rare that I could successfully run a 4-way wedge.

I eventually sold it and upgraded to a much more powerful gas splitter with a log lift. The buyer is still running it with no problems.

If I were in the market for an electric splitter today, I'd look seriously at the electric Super Split. It's more expensive, but an awesome splitter (there are a several Super Split clones out there now. I've seen the ones sold by DR Power. They're OK, but not nearly as curable as a Super Split.)
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

petefrom bearswamp

Back when I was young, 70 or so I split by hand, not any more.
The former statement is a lie, however.
Been hydraulic since 1974 when I made my first splitter.
Regarding Elm, the old firewood poem reads, "elm wood burns like churchyard mold, een the very flames are cold."
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57 acres of woodland

Woodcutter_Mo

 I never liked burning elm myself, my dad does in his outdoor furnace though. As long as it is well seasoned and there is some oak to go with it, it burns ok. I have a 2'x2'x4" thick slab of elm I use to split my firewood on to keep my splitting maul from going through into the dirt and gravel. That's my personal favorite use for elm. ;D
-WoodMizer LT25
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-Fixer-uppers/projects:
024AV, MS260, MS361, MS460, Shindaiwa 488, 394XPG

BobbyG

Like many here I think we all started out splitting by hand because in those days log splitters were nearly nonexistent. After splitting with a maul for nearly 40 years I now have a hydraulic splitter. It's a Troy-Bilt from Lowes, nothing fancy but it's easier on the body..LOL

Footloose64

 

 
I guess I must be different.  I've been splitting firewood by hand, in 4-foot lengths, all my life since I was 15 and working for a landscaper in 1962.  Now I'm 71, and still cut down oaks, beeches and black birches  and split the 4-footers for stacking and drying for 3 years, 4-5 cords a year.  Keeps a guy young, and I love the satisfaction, and especially the smell (black birch smells like birch beer soda).  I use 2 wedges and a maul to get the log splitting, especially if it's in the 20"-plus range, then finish it off with a Fiskars 27 splitting axe, my favorite tool.  If the 4-footer is straight-grained, after splitting it in half on the ground, I'll often stand it up on end and split it into smaller pieces with just the Fiskars....now that's satisfying!
Never stop splitting!

Al_Smith

This is an old thread but in response to the comments of electric splitters something to keep in mind .The rating on electric motors is misleading .Some want to argue but electric is more often 3 to 4 times what a gasoline engine is .So what might appear to be 1.5 HP electric could do the work of 5 or 6 gasoline depending on the electric motor design .
Besides that although they must be plugged in to a power source electric splitters will always start .Something to think about ,they work very well .You might be able to split faster with an axe or maul but you'll never outlast one .

John Mc

Quote from: Al_Smith on April 03, 2018, 05:29:08 PM
This is an old thread but in response to the comments of electric splitters something to keep in mind .The rating on electric motors is misleading .Some want to argue but electric is more often 3 to 4 times what a gasoline engine is .So what might appear to be 1.5 HP electric could do the work of 5 or 6 gasoline depending on the electric motor design .
Besides that although they must be plugged in to a power source electric splitters will always start .Something to think about ,they work very well .You might be able to split faster with an axe or maul but you'll never outlast one .
Which is what I was getting at with my post mentioning that my splitter with a 2 HP electric engine (newer models with same rating come with 1.5 HP) was also sold with a 5 or 6 HP gas engine. Manufacturer claims that performance is the same. My experience would back that up.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Rebarb

I split by hand up until i bought property dominated by White Oaks.....halfway threw the very first load, i ran to Tractor Supply...DONE.

Al_Smith

Red,white and burr oak don't normally split bad .Pin oak on the other hand can be a chore

mitchstockdale

Quote from: Footloose64 on April 03, 2018, 03:05:46 PM
I guess I must be different.  I've been splitting firewood by hand, in 4-foot lengths, all my life since I was 15 and working for a landscaper in 1962.  Now I'm 71, and still cut down oaks, beeches and black birches  and split the 4-footers for stacking and drying for 3 years, 4-5 cords a year.  Keeps a guy young, and I love the satisfaction, and especially the smell (black birch smells like birch beer soda).  I use 2 wedges and a maul to get the log splitting, especially if it's in the 20"-plus range, then finish it off with a Fiskars 27 splitting axe, my favorite tool.  If the 4-footer is straight-grained, after splitting it in half on the ground, I'll often stand it up on end and split it into smaller pieces with just the Fiskars....now that's satisfying!
Footloose64
Nice to see someone shares the same sentiments about splitting by hand, I find it easy to get carried away and split for hours on end.  It is a good way to cure back pain from sitting too much.

nice tractor by the way... is it an MX5200?

Footloose64

The tractor is an L3700SU with an Igland 9000 lb winch.
Never stop splitting!

alan gage

Been splitting by hand for nearly 10 years now. 3-4 cords per year and it's my only heat source. I prefer a lightweight 3lb splitting axe. Sometimes I break out the 5 pounder for tougher rounds but mostly the gnarly crotchety pieces go in a separate pile to get dropped off to a friend with a splitter. I spent a couple years splitting everything I could find with a maul and wedge but that started to get old so now I just split the straight grained stuff. 

I try to split only oak (bur) but will take ash if it still seems solid. Figure if I'm going to the work and effort to cut, split, and stack it's going to be the good stuff. 

Alan
Timberking B-16, a few chainsaws from small to large, and a Bobcat 873 Skidloader.

antifreeze

I'll be 62 this summer.  My wood shed is empty - it'll take 10 cords to fill it ... all by hand!  No worries - it's aspen.
Burn wood.  Stay warm.

Ianab

I've been processing a bit of firewood, and I don't have a fireplace.   ::) ???

Cleaning up some assorted fallen trees for a friend, and she's given away as much as her friends want (the ones keen enough to turn up with a chainsaw anyway  :D ) 

So I'm busting some up and throwing it in a spare shed at her place. It will be dry enough to burn by the end of Winter when the "Anyone got any dry firewood for sale?" messages start on the local FB pages. Not going to get rich, but it beats paying to go to the gym. 

And I've been cheating with some of the big knotty logs. Load them under the sawmill with the tractor, and cut them into 4x4s. Then cut to length with the chainsaw and I have "artisanal" firewood blocks  ;D  Easier then wrestling with big knotty blocks and swinging a maul. And I figure the mill doesn't cost much more to run than a gas wood splitter. Anyway I can break down a big log without busting into a sweat, and a bit of extra sawdust is irrelevant as the logs are "free" and would be burnt otherwise. 

Pine is considered an acceptable firewood here, and I've got tons of that, and a bit of hardwood to mix in for a longer burn. If it's cold people will buy it  ;)
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

John Mc

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

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