splitting axe/maul

[Ed Pawlowski]

Easy is good.

Hickory is a bear to split so leave that in big chunks to burn all night. Red oak splits pretty clean.

[don &/or Lucille]

where can i find pictures of bark to see what types of wood i have only one i know is birch!

[Frank]

Not that easy to figure out. Saw from this site:

there are 4 different types of birch, couple burn good, couple poor. Don't know what are predominant woods in your area and agree with cite that says you should use trusted supplier. My tree guy cut down a silver maple years ago and I saved $50 to keep the wood. Was a bear to split and burned poorly. If it were good he would have taken it to sell as firewood, but he does not sell crap.

[Jim Elbrecht]

A few pictures of bark aren't going to tell you much. Can't/won't the guy you bought it from tell you what it is?

It is pretty likely he'll either say 'I don't know" [which translates to "find yourself another supplier" ]-- or he'll say 'there was birch, maple, oak & poplar in the load I brought you'.

If he admits to selling you poplar, he's a keeper, but tell him you don't need any poplar next time.

Some woods might take a *really* good look at bark texture and color, wood color, grain structure, smell, and weight to tell what it is. If you're in NY, the woods it could be will be a whole lot different from the possibilities an west TX. [I see you have a ca address-- so NS to Yukon]

And though it will be a PITA to learn all the woods that someone might bring you-- if you're going to be buying wood, it is time well spent.

Jim

[Don Phillipson]

This seems untrue.

1. Machines cannot make (at an economical price) a sharp axehead. Only a (skilled) person with a file can render an axe really sharp.
2. Retail stores do not want their stock of axes to be sharp (to avoid accidents in handling, by curious customers etc.)

[Doug Miller]

Fer cryin' out loud! All he wants to do is split logs. He's not planning to *shave* with it.

[HeyBub]

Just wondering...

Couldn't a home-made splitter be made using a hydraulic jack? I'm thinking a U-shaped bit of metal - with a wedge at the top.

You put the wood under the wedge and the jack under the wood. Pump-pump-pump... and the log is split.

Oh well, just a thought...

[aemeijers]

Rent or borrow a splitter. After you go through the process once, and see how long the woodpile lasts, you will be better able to decide if you ever want to mess with it again. Used ones are often available on CraigsList, from people who decided that splitting their own, or fires in general, just were not worth the hassle. Prepping raw logs, even already the right length, is a lot of work. No woman in the house for the romance factor, so I ignore my fireplace- I'd rather heat with the gas furnace. In my case, furnace is probably cheaper anyway, since all I have is a crappy metal prefab fireplace, not a real wood-burning stove.

Being hard to split, is the tree's final revenge for being cut down.

[Ed Pawlowski]

"HeyBub" wrote

Sure, same idea as a hydraulic with engine powered pump. Horizontal is better though, so you don't have to lift the wood.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

IMO- That's just plain silly. First choice is get wood that splits-- but if that isn't possible, I'd probably break down and get a motorized splitter.

I'm 60 yrs old and haven't swung an axe for more than a dozen swings in 10 years. But I'll bet I can split a cord of decent wood with a splitting axe faster than somebody can operate that $170. contraption.

And unless you have no use of your arms at all, that one seems even sillier.

Anybody that has used either of those devices- or similar- feel free to correct me. [and if you've got the tool and a wood pile within

100 miles of Schenectady, I'd love to come out and split some wood for you just to see them work]

Jim

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

I like Oren's idea better-- [buy one already built] but I don't think you'd gain anything but a new toy to play with. See my answer to him.

Jim

[Jim Elbrecht]

Not in the UK-- but that's the easiest way to make 2 pieces of twisted elm separate. I've never worked with cypress, but have heard the same of it.

Makes for difficult firewood-- but good wooden hubs for wagons or furniture pieces that you don't want to split.

Hickory is pretty resistant- but splittable when seasoned unless you've got a chunk of crotchwood.

Jim

[Steve B]

Investigate buying a machine driven hydraulic wood splitter. We just split

7 tons of firewood this past week, and will go this coming week and get another three. Yes, they are a little spendy. And I know that there are those who say that manual splitting is better, easier, and much cheaper. All I know is that my right arm still works fine, and that's all I need to run it. I cannot use an axe or maul or hammer due to multiple orthopedic problems and a slight bit of laziness. New, today, a good one is $1500. Used ones can be had for less than that, and in this economy, I'd believe I could find a decent slightly used one for around $500.

Splitting wood is hard dangerous work no matter what you use. A member of our family just had three amputated fingers reattached two weeks ago in a 12 hour surgery. He was splitting wood on a tractor powered splitter, and something went wrong. I just think that a motorized splitter may be a little safer, even in light of his accident. Teenager.

Assess your capabilities and do what you think best. Lots of people have died splitting wood and shoveling snow. It's a sure way to find out how good your heart is working, any means you use.

The machine is infinitely faster and easier.

Good luck.

Steve

[Steve B]

A few more facts, please. What do you have now? Logs? (long round pieces) Rounds? (short round pieces) What kind of wood? How long ago was the wood cut? Was it alive or dead when cut? Is it dried out, or wet?

Please describe as best you can the appearance ....... does it still have bark, and can that be pulled off easily or hard to pull off? Is it dry or wet? Is there beads of sap or pitch oozing out of the ends?

You have several things to consider here, one of them might be if the wood is even able to be used this season. (Wood needs to "season" to dry out so it burns better.)

Read up and get the basics. There's more to it than just cutting firewood, as you are already finding out.

Are you ever considering harvesting your own wood? That opens up a totally new discussion.

Steve

[Steve B]

"RonB" wrote

You can rent splitters - or better mooch splitter time from a friend. A case of beer goes a long way toward reducing aching muscles.

RonB

In man talk, a good friend owns a log splitter and knows how to brew beer. And a reeeeeeeealy good friend has a boat, too.

Steve

[Steve B]

"HeyBub" wrote

VERY doable, just S-L-O-W!

Steve

[Ed Pawlowski]

"Steve B" wrote

New, today, a good one is $1500.

30 years ago I may have done just that. Today, I'd rather buy oil with that money and program the thermostat.

I'm planning to upgrade my snow blower this year too.

[Harry K]

Old wives tale. If the pine is cured well dthere is no creosote problem any worse than any other wood, assuming one isn't burrning with an oxygen starved fire. There are mny places where you heat with pine, fir, spruce or you don't heat with wood at all.

Harry K

[Harry K]

Sorry but you are both wrong. If you know anyone with a Fiskars splitting ax, try one and you will forget about "dull" axes. Fact is that wood will not split until the ax/maul _enters_ the wood and dull one uses up force just gettin into the wood. If you watch a hydraulic spliter at work you will see that the 'edge' never touches the wood after it enters the piece - the split runs ahead of of it...unless, of course, it is shearing through a knot. It is the same with an ax, maul, or wedge.

I have both a dull maul and a sharp, sharp Fiskars that outsplits the maul and does it with way less effort. Best $50 I ever spent.

Harry K

[Harry K]

Available on line, I think Harbor Frieght has them, unless one is physically handicapped they are useless. Takes forever to split one piece.

Harry K