Does anyone have a suggestion other than a splitting maul on splitting logs? I can't afford a $1,000 log splitter.
Also, does it matter if I burn stuff like Hedge, Cedar or Elm in my fireplace, they seem to be the cheapest species available.
You should be able to rent one for a weekend for less than $150 or so, plus fuel.
You can rent log splitters by the day.
Suggestions:
rent one for the day.
find a friend that has one.
buy a used one.
buy one and put it on payments. Home depot will sell you one with no interest for a year if you open an account.
buy one, then charge people to split wood, having the unit pay for its self.
Can't advise you on wood types.
Only that wood splitters are worth every penny when you see how much work you can do with so little effort. And, as I said, you can make money. Either that, or there are lots of times when people will GIVE you wood that they have cut down. All you have to do is pick it up and split it with your splitter. I have seen lots of wood that is free for the asking, and they may even pay you to haul it off.
End of suggestions.
Steve
under $100 here:
I bought a used one for twice that. What a deal!
Bob
I use a 5 lb. axe head on the longest handle I can safely swing, which handles most work, but I enjoy the exercise and burn only 2 full cords per winter. Chunks that do not split after about three strikes are stacked face to the sun for a few months.
Cedar is OK only for kindling. Elm is so dense you need to age it extra (say 3 years minimum) and burn it with other types of wood. Elm is the main exception to the rule that thermal value varies with weight. Hereabouts maple is best, split and stacked for two years before use, yellow birch is OK, white birch best for kindling, poplar is burned only because abundant: poplar from trees less than 30 years old is hardly worth burning.
If you're buying the wood, it should come split already, at least that is how it is sold in my area. Otherwise, perhaps someone who has a splitter would be willing to split yours in return for part of the wood.
Using a splitting maul is good exercise. Bear in mind you don't have to split all your wood at once, you can just do enough for one or two fires at a time. Hence the old saw (hehe) about how it "warms you twice."
Cedar and other softwoods (pine, fir, etc.) will burn OK but are reputed to cause a lot of creosote buildup in your chimney, so that it has to be cleaned more often to avoid the chance of a flue fire. Among hardwoods, any wood will burn fine if dry and the heating value is pretty much a function of weight. Heavy woods like oak will burn a longer time than lighter woods like poplar. Elm is somewhere in the middle. It is also somewhat harder to split than most wood. I am not familiar with "Hedge." There is a great book on wood heat, I think it's called "Heating with Wood" from around 1980. -- H
Actually, using a 6lb maul is _excellent_ exercise, and therapy. For the really, really difficult stuff, like black birch knots, I rip a slot in the end-grain with a chainsaw. Or better yet, acircular saw- smaller kerf.
Open fireplace is potentially the biggest "matter" with the amount of particulates (read "pollution") it emits. For best burning and lowest emissions, in general, you want the wood to be well-seasoned and as dry as possible. How you feed it matters a lot, too. Chucking a big, cold, billet into what was a flame-channel between pieces will certainly quench the flames, and cause respiratory distress downwind.
I happen to use an EPA-approved stove, and find it still requires care and attention to be kind to our respiratory tracts.
I would not burn the hedge in your fireplace. It burns very hot and throws alot of sparks while it burns. The sparks not only come out the front, but will also go up the flue and possibly couse problems there also. Sam
Wood will split easier if it is frozen. I would keep away from Elm, it tears rather than splits.
If splitting by hand, do it with the logs frozen, and as for some species of elm, you may not split it at all.
Only burn hedge (Osage Orange) if you have an airtight stove you can control. You don't want hedge burning freely.
By next year's wood early, have it split and delivered. You can stack the wood. Have it spilt in quarters and some halves. You can purchase a partial cord of wood. What do your locals do? A well seasoned Maple, burns wonderful with plenty of heat.
-- Oren
"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."
I just split 5 cords of birch / maple mix for next year. I normally would go the maul route however pressed for time I rented a splitter. It's the only way to go.
For sure. Wood should be burned hot. As well only reload when the last batch has burned down to red coals.
Yes. Wood burning is both a science and an art. I'm still trying to perfect it at age 72 and roughly 350 cords of wood later.
Concur. I generally purchase mine in April. Dealers have deep discounts wanting to clear their lots. That allows another 6 months minimum of seasoning before being used.
(Buy)
I once moved in a coming Winter. A local had seasoned maple to get us through and keep us warm. I had him take my order for next season and watched that wood season well .
-- Oren
"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."
Those under $100 are only good for handicapped people unable to use an axe/maul/sledge/wedge. Every one of them will take more effort and a _lot_ more time than using the normal splitting tools. I wonder how many have been bought, tried once and pitched.
There is also the "Stickler". I don't know if they are still sold and I wouldn't use one myself due to the danger but other people swear by them.
Harry K
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