wood spliting by hand

[r.man]

My father hand split all his life and I did until about 3 yrs ago. He considered it easy since he grew up splitting cord wood for sale in the city. It was all 4 feet long and compared to that a 20 inch piece splits easy.I still have a maul and use it occasionally but if I had good splitting wood that was not too big I would split with a big ax. Faster than a splitter and maybe less work but the wood I have tends to run on the large and stringy side. Plus like I used to say to my Dad, the fellow that splits all day with a splitter still feels like going dancing afterwords and the hand splitter just wants to lie down.

[talldog]

I don't feel like dancing after all day splitting with a hydraulic splitter. I must be too old

[r.man]

If your wife said dance, at least you could after using a splitter all day. I weighed a few of the biggest blocks that I was splitting recently and they were around 150 lbs. When I am doing those I don't complain that my splitter sits too low. As to cookstove wood, I was working in a basement the other day and noticed that the 70+ yr old owner had a small electric splitter sitting on the floor. They put in her winter wood for her furnace in normal blocks and she resplits those for her cookstove upstairs. She loves it and talked another older friend into getting one. Now they can resplit anything that might be a problem getting into their furnaces.

[JohnW]

Splitters are just too expensive.  I only need to split the wood I burn.  I'd about have to go into a 2nd business to afford a splitter.

[Al_Smith]

As to cookstove wood, I was working in a basement the other day and noticed that the 70+ yr old owner had a small electric splitter sitting on the floor. They put in her winter wood for her furnace in normal blocks and she resplits those for her cookstove upstairs. She loves it and talked another older friend into getting one. Now they can resplit anything that might be a problem getting into their furnaces.

I have one as a matter of fact .My wifes cousin is using it now but for a tiny thing does real well .

The little thing was given to me and originally had a 5 HP gas engine which I replaced with a 3450 RPM electric motor with a rating of 5 HP but in reality by amperage draw is 2.8 HP .

With a straight knife edge it will go through nearly anything .

 

[r.man]

The small splitters I am seeing can be carried down a set of basement stairs by one person. Two average men would think nothing of carrying one of these an extended distance. Spring return cylinder that will split most anything. This is a link to the local supplier with reviews and specs. If you read through some people bought it on sale for 200 dollars.
http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/0603823P/yardworks-yardworks-4-ton-log-splitter-reviews/reviews.htm

[Al_Smith]

Well quite frankly if you talk power splitters you can get a lot of hoopla which means next to nothing .It's strictly physics .

A knife edge cutter requires less tonnage than a wedge for one thing .The speed is directly related to the pump volume and the pump volume totally related to the power source .The tonnage related to the cylinder size and pressure of the pump .Simple .

That little baby splitter of mine is approx 8 ton more or less .Low volume pump of maybe 4 gallon per minute at 2500 PSI with a 3 inch cylinder .Probabley not as fast as a 25 year old with a good axe .The 25 year old though has to rest every so often,the splitter just keeps going like the Energizer bunny .

Actually one fall I used that baby splitter and did around 8 cords of oak and honey locust which is what I'm going to burn this year if it ever gets cold enough to light the fire .It certainly beat my trusty old 5 pound splitting axe that's over 100 years old .Especially with an over 60 year old swinging it .

There's pros and cons to every method .My homebuilt super splitter most likely has the same tonnage and speed of a Timber Wolf .5 inch cylinder 11 HP 16 GPM .Sure it's powerfull and fast but is it actually needed ,no . It just gets-er- done faster so I can do the finer things of life like drinking beer and playing on the internet . :christmas:

[petefrom bearswamp]

Any hand splitting around here and at camp is done by my 51 yr old son.
My shoulders are shot
Pete

[Logging logginglogging]

You know i usta do areund 10 a year. But being so pressed for time i hafta use the splitter.

[r.man]

Al, do you have pictures of your home built super-splitter or maybe a thread link? Saw one on the web but it was just a demonstration not a tutorial.

[Slabs]

I still split by hand, ten-pound sledge and iron wedges.  I learned a long time ago to let the weight of the sledge do the work.  I accelerate the sledge a little bit on the downstroke and let inertia do the work.

[Shmudda]

I split about 5 cords or so every year for burning, all my hand with an 8lb maul.  I personally like the maul as it gives me a good workout in addition the low maintenance aspect of the thing.  The last thing I need is another engine or hydraulic cylinder to take care of, I have to many now!!!

I like the solitude that manual splitting brings as when I cut and split its just me, nobody else.  Its really the only time I get peace and quiet so I am more than willing to take upon the task.

Craig

[Al_Smith]

Al, do you have pictures of your home built super-splitter or maybe a thread link? Saw one on the web but it was just a demonstration not a tutorial.

It's not really a "super splitter " in a manner of speaking. More so just a very powerfull splitter.

In a couple of days I'll make a thread rather than distract from this one which extolls the virtues of hand splitting.

[Local4Fitter]

I split 8 cords for this year by hand . Just picked up a used Timberwolf. My job is physical so I welcome the help of a good hydraulic splitter.

[clww]

I split everything by hand for over 25 years. About six years ago, I saved up enough for a splitter. Second best piece of equipment I own, next to the saws.

[Dave Shepard]

I split with an 8 pound maul. For tough logs, I cut them into 4"x6" on the sawmill and then cut them into 24" lengths. ;D

[cuterz]

Used too a long time ago all hyd. now. Dont miss it at all. :D

[bama20a]

I don't mind hand spliting at all,
I can sit in a lawn chair & watch someone do it for hours  8) :D

[gunman63]

I hire the  Menonites to  spilt mine, they  average 24 full cds a day, cut and split, all with a maul, the dad is  proably 45 , 2 boys 17-18 and  a couple younger ones 8-12 , $25 a cord, that  supply everything  but the wood, they do  about 500  cds a year for me, and at least another 200-300 for  other ppl.

[JuniperBoss]

Whatever wood I have left that I don't sell green I split by hand. Juniper is softwood, but it can be some tough stuff to split! Especially with all the knots and junk in there, it makes me out of breath just thinking about it. I'm thinking I might have upwards of 20-30 cords to split by hand this year. It's crucial to split that stuff after it's seasoned or I'm just making a divot and never hitting the ball!

[SLawyer Dave]

Splitting by hand is primarily how I have lost 75lbs and gotten myself back into some semblance of health.  I grew up splitting oak with a 16lb monster maul, and have rediscovered my love for doing so, (Yes, I know I am sick, but there it is).  Cutting and splitting about a cord a week at this point.  Hydraulic splitters are fine, but slow and tedious.  If I were trying to split all day, every day, there would be no way I could do that by hand.  But doing an hour or so every other day, is a good work out and much preferable than going to the gym to lift weights.  The secret to using the "monster maul" type mauls is that you don't "swing" them per se.  You slide your top hand to the head of the maul, and lift it with that hand over your head.  Then as you start to drop the head toward the wood, you slide the hand back down the shaft to your lower hand and push the maul downward.  This creates maximum impact and hopefully a split log in one swing. 

[brianJ]

Done about five full cords a year by hand for several years.   So about half a face cord   once or twice a week makes a nice work outand gets the job done. 

Lately it seems I have less time and need more wood.   I have less tolerance to keep after them stubborn ones too.   That I can blame on middle age.    Well I got a  steal of a trade going on for a splitter with a Honda engine.      Ill still do some splitting by hand but when I gotta get some output it will be with the splitter.

[Jerryok1971]

I just started heating with wood this year. Last year split 2 cords of maple and cherry by hand with a friskas axe. My uncle had a dead elm on his farm he said I could have. Found out quick why he gave it to me. That stuff is nasty. Guess I'll have to invest in a splinter for that. Otherwise I enjoy splitting by hand.

[breederman]

Elm splits much better when it's frozen solid.  ;)

[DelawhereJoe]

Speaking of splitting wood by hand what wood out there do you guys refuse to split by hand, me anyways its black gum.