Best time to split firewood?

[Frank Logullo]

Just cut down a cherry tree that was behaving poorly. Now I'm wondering when best time is to split the wood. Is there an optimum drying period for this? Frank

[Marley1372]

the best time to split the wood is when you start getting cold.

Toad

[simy1]

I just split some ash, courtesy of the borer. I usually do most of my splitting in January, which is the best time as the wood is frozen and splits best. If you rent a splitter, it does not really matter. Cherry is hard, but not apple hard, and apple still splits when it is not frozen. One minor problem with splitting in January is that the wood tends to shatter (apecially shorter logs) and occasionally with apple you may have a piece flying into your legs.

[Hal]

Most woods split better while green, some get harder as the dry out.

Cherry gives off nice colors as it burns. I hope you have a viewing glass to see the flame.

Regards,

Hal

[Frank Logullo]

Thanks for suggestions. I've had some tough splitting jobs in past like maple that dried for about 2 years before I could get to it. Dogwood was tough too - even in winter. Got about 3/4 cord from cherry and most is burnable as is but there are some big chunks and test wack at small log looks tough in absolute green state. I do have glass doors on my fireplace with a heat exchanger grate with fan. Give me something to look forward to in cold months. Frank

[David J Bockman]

Wood splits best when still green... the other 'best' time is if it's green and frozen solid-- the frozen moisture really helps the wood cleave cleanly.

Dave