I went out yesterday experimenting, on a lark, with splitting some large oak logs. They range from 3' to 4' in diameter and are about 6' long. I thought I'd just chainsaw a shallow line down the length (about 3" into the sapwood) then use sledgehammer with wedges to split it down that line.
My goal was to get a few slabs.
The oak just laughed. It wouldn't budge, and I wore myself out pretty quickly slinging that 18 lb sledge. The wedges went in (maybe) 1/2" then acted as if I were hitting concrete or iron (except they weren't dulled really). I guess the mass is just too much for a single wedge and sledge.
Do you know of other ways than sawing to split a log this thick? Portable hydraulics? Anything?
Curiouser and curiouser, H.