29 splits from one oak round....

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ScotO

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I've been splitting that chestnut oak the past two evenings, and got to the stump of the one trunk....so I had a little fun and documented how many decent sized splits I could get out of it (a couple Angry Orchard Ginger Apple Ales in the process!);)

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rolled that heavy SOB over to the splitter (notice I'm splitting Backwoods Savage-style, no milk crate though, because with these big rounds, the seat just gets in the way!)

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busted off one third of the round.....then the second third...

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threw all of the splits over in a pile to be counted and....ended up with 29 splits...enough to heat the house for several days in one single round!! I love those big rounds!!

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and ran into TONS of these knots and crotches in the trunk.....just another reason I love those hydraulics!!

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Lots of splits indeed. Have a few more of them beverages, I guarantee you'll see double that. How'd the stuff split?
 
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WellSeasoned said:
Lots of splits indeed. Have a few more of them beverages, I guarantee you'll see double that. How'd the stuff split?
Click to expand...
some of it was miserable....especially the 'grow-over's (as seen in the last two pics). The big round I wrote about in this post had some really stringy sections in it too (lots of rippling) that was pretty stringy......

But the whole back yard smelled like apple cider vinegar.....so I broke out the Angry Orchard.....::-)
 
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For sure Scott one of the best things about the big rounds is that you get so many splits from them. I'm usually disappointed when folks complain about the big stuff being not worth it or too hard to split. In my experience splitting by hand and hydraulics (I've split much more by hand than hydraulics), I'd rather split the big ones unless they are knotty. I think folks get disappointed when they can't split the thing in one or two strikes. Of course not, yet overall it will take fewer strikes for the same amount of wood. Not sure if I made that one clear enough but hopefully so.

Scott. Our place smelled like cider yesterday. We pressed about 6 gallons.
 
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Backwoods Savage said:
For sure Scott one of the best things about the big rounds is that you get so many splits from them. I'm usually disappointed when folks complain about the big stuff being not worth it or too hard to split. In my experience splitting by hand and hydraulics (I've split much more by hand than hydraulics), I'd rather split the big ones unless they are knotty. I think folks get disappointed when they can't split the thing in one or two strikes. Of course not, yet overall it will take fewer strikes for the same amount of wood. Not sure if I made that one clear enough but hopefully so.

Scott. Our place smelled like cider yesterday. We pressed about 6 gallons.
Click to expand...


Nothing like some good homemade cider Sav. By the way I did find some corn to freeze and it ended up being the tastiest stuff I have had this year so far.

I have been itching to get the splitter out lately Scotty...maybe it's the coolness in the air. It'll have to wait a few more weeks yet though as I have some other projects that have to be done first.
 
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Hey Scott, I can smell that oak from here.;) Nice stuff. Worth all the work.
 
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Awesome work, Scotty!

Backwoods Savage said:
I'm usually disappointed when folks complain about the big stuff being not worth it or too hard to split.
Click to expand...
There are vastly varying definitions of "big" and "worth it."

30" oak = 500 lb. rounds = no problem

42" oak = 1000 lb. rounds = okay

52" oak = 1500 lb. rounds = major PITA

(based on 20" lengths, 62 lb./cu.ft. green density)
 
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Very nice Scotty :)

Love big rounds. But since I bought a 32" bar? I have yet to need it :( Oh well. It's here when I do NEED it ;)
 
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Joful said:
Awesome work, Scotty!


There are vastly varying definitions of "big" and "worth it."

30" oak = 500 lb. rounds = no problem

42" oak = 1000 lb. rounds = okay

52" oak = 1500 lb. rounds = major PITA

(based on 20" lengths, 62 lb./cu.ft. green density)
Click to expand...
17 inch rounds 12 to 14 inch....What does that weigh??? Red oak....Fresh cut...
 
milleo said:
17 inch rounds 12 to 14 inch....What does that weigh??? Red oak....Fresh cut...
Click to expand...
Not sure I follow you, but:

17" long x 13" diameter = 81 lb.

17" diameter x 13" long = 106 lb.

.. again, based on 62 lb./cu.ft., for fresh red or white oak
 
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Joful said:
Not sure I follow you, but:

17" long x 13" diameter = 81 lb.

17" diameter x 13" long = 106 lb.

.. again, based on 62 lb./cu.ft., for fresh red or white oak
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Wowsa, cant believe I have been handling the rounds that I just got....Lol guess this old gal is stronger than I thought.
 
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Nice work scotty ,love those big rounds. Chestnut is great stuff ! Very heavy ! Looked a little punky ..was this tree dead
 
Them ain't baby kindling splits either. ;ex
Be fun to split the big ones. The stack grows fast.

29 splits/1 round a record here;?

It is until it's broken ;) ;lol
 
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bogydave said:
Them ain't baby kindling splits either. ;ex
Be fun to split the big ones. The stack grows fast.

29 splits/1 round a record here;?

It is until it's broken ;) ;lol
Click to expand...

I gotta few more big ones to get this week Dave , i'll post a pic and see what i can do ;) Its a big red oak
 
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JOHN BOY said:
Nice work scotty ,love those big rounds. Chestnut is great stuff ! Very heavy ! Looked a little punky ..was this tree dead
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John, no it wasn't punky at all.....all those brown stains you see on the ends of the rounds/splits is tannin........this tree was alive and pretty much well, albeit the feeder roots were disturbed last year during some excavation work and the tips of the branches on the tree were stressed......

Looking forward to seeing some of your red oak split. Good "stove chow" for sure, that oak!!
 
JOHN BOY said:
I gotta few more big ones to get this week Dave , i'll post a pic and see what i can do ;) Its a big red oak
Click to expand...

Gonna have to come up with some rules.
Size minimumsTriangle splits have to be at least 6" squares 5" ? ?
Post requirements :
Pics, species & size of the round .
You have to be the one who fell & bucked the tree. (at least bucking as Mother nature might fell a big one :) )

Make it a new thread if it gets going ?
I got a 24" birch a few years back for my biggest here ever, so I'm not gonna be in the running.
 
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bogydave said:
Them ain't baby kindling splits either. ;ex
Be fun to split the big ones. The stack grows fast.

29 splits/1 round a record here;?

It is until it's broken ;) ;lol
Click to expand...
Okay... the 49" round gets split this weekend! :lol:

What's the qualifying split size? Big stove, so I usually split real big.
 
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I never counted the splits, but this bucket load was from a single round:
easy1.jpg
 
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Jags said:
I never counted the splits, but this bucket load was from a single round:
View attachment 110548
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I remember you posting that one a while back, Jags.....that definitely has this round beat....
We did a tree several years back that yielded over 40 splits, took me and my cutting partner both to wrestle each round onto the splitter......that was the biggest I've ever done. Didn't count how many splits I got from those 40+" red oak rounds this past June......probably close to 40-45 splits each!!
 
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Scotty Overkill said:
40+" red oak rounds
Click to expand...

Phew, sweating just thinking about working with rounds like that. At that size, my level of enjoyment/fun will diminish quite a bit.

It is rewarding though.
 
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pen said:
Phew, sweating just thinking about working with rounds like that. At that size, my level of enjoyment/fun will diminish quite a bit.

It is rewarding though.
Click to expand...

I whack them suckers up like a ninja slicing up an apple.
WASABI.
 
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