What wood is the worst to split

Elm.

Honestly, I've never touched Gum so I shouldn't say. I just know that I really hate splitting elm. I'd rather not even deal with it.

PETRIFIED WOOD ;-P

quote author="Titan" date="1179894478"]PETRIFIED WOOD ;-P[/quote]:lol: :lol: :lol: !

Overall toughest wood I've split has been elm (discounting knotty, gnarly pieces of anything), but I haven't ever touched gum. I do all my splitting by hand, and I've yet to find anything I couldn't get through (although quite a bit I wish I didn't let follow me home).

-Hal

Everyone says ELM, ELM and Elm, All I have to say is what kind of Elm.? American Elm, and Chinese Elm.There is some Elm trees with a straight grain that splits real easy. Then there are others with grain that runs every way but up and down. I think like any wood you have to look at the log, check for knots, look at the grain. See if you can split it down the middle or do you have to work at it for the sides. Even with a log split-er you still have to look before you place them into the spliter. Just because you have 15,20 or 30 ton split-er does not mean the log will split. I have had logs FLY OUT of the split-er because something has to give. I look at it as each log is different in it owns ways. Have fun spliting and be safe Espo

ELM

edit for fespo
ELM-ELM

Elm is mother natures cruel joke. A nice burning wood that's virtually impossible to split. hit it 10 times the the same spot and nothing. 20 times and maybe it cracks, then there are the fibers. 20 more blows to cut through the kevlar like fibers that do not split but must be cut.

Then to make matters worse, it leaves these clinker like masses in the ash that will destroy the cinder based firebrick of many stoves in 1/2 a burn season. And mother nature dangles this abundant tree in our faces by killing them all, leaving them bark less and taunting wood burners into cutting them down. Yes... it's elm. Elm sucks... I love to hate that blasted stuff... Give me more of that free stuff, for I have conqured it through my cutting and splitting technique of creating the elm disk. Less splitting, and make the saw do the work.

I remember many years back when I was living down in Northern Louisiana, the relatives I was staying with had a deal to pick up truckloads of the cutt-off ends from a railroad tie plant - This included some peices of what I was told was gum... I made the mistake of trying to split a chunk of it once, using a sledge and wedge. It was different from elm, but still a bear. I find that elm cracks easily, but won't split because the fibers between the chunks that just won't let go. Gum was just like it's name - the wedge would go in, and you could drive it through the length of the log w/o to much trouble, but it wouldn't "split", Instead you just got a path that was cut through where the wedge passed. The wood next to the wedge would stretch to allow it to pass, but wouldn't crack.

I would say they both were a bear, but Elm is worse - however that may just be on account of my having split Elm more recently...

Gooserider

Elm is by far the worst wood to split. It is the only wood that will even slow the splitter down. And by the way, good luck splitting by hand...your better off trying to break up a concrete slab 8 inches thick with your axe. At least you MAY see a crack!

My vote is for Black Gum. I remember bringing home a truck load of wood proud as could be. Couldnt wait to show my father. When he saw it, his face just went blank. He said good luck! Couldn't figure out why until we started splitting.

Bodeen

I'll take all the free elm I can get! It is more of a pain to split than many others, but it's not that bad. I must say that I do not split by hand, unless you count pulling the rope once and pushing the lever a bunch of times doing it by hand.

The only thing that really bothers me are the big gnarly, twisted pieces that want to jump out of the splitter; other than that, bring it on.

MrGriz said:

I'll take all the free elm I can get! It is more of a pain to split than many others, but it's not that bad. I must say that I do not split by hand, unless you count pulling the rope once and pushing the lever a bunch of times doing it by hand.

The only thing that really bothers me are the big gnarly, twisted pieces that want to jump out of the splitter; other than that, bring it on.

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That's cheating! Real men split elm by hand. That said.. I'll still take all the free elm I can get. I've learned how to split it by cutting it into rounds that are no longer than 8". Disks I call them. Get the right size disk, and you can shove one into my stove and it fills the stove perfectly. Great for over night burns.

Eucalyptus (some might call it Red Gum?). When unseasoned, your choice of implements (aside from hydraulic splitters) bounce off the wood. It is like trying to split a hard block of rubber. The only positive is the wood burns hot (like it was soaked in gas).

Don't know if it is easier or harder than elm as I don't see elm in my neck of the woods on the left coast.

You poor souls. I'll stick with my Red Fir and Tamarack, it's free, it abundant and it splits like a dream.

Warren said:

MrGriz said:

I'll take all the free elm I can get! It is more of a pain to split than many others, but it's not that bad. I must say that I do not split by hand, unless you count pulling the rope once and pushing the lever a bunch of times doing it by hand.

The only thing that really bothers me are the big gnarly, twisted pieces that want to jump out of the splitter; other than that, bring it on.

Click to expand...

That's cheating! Real men split elm by hand. That said.. I'll still take all the free elm I can get. I've learned how to split it by cutting it into rounds that are no longer than 8". Disks I call them. Get the right size disk, and you can shove one into my stove and it fills the stove perfectly. Great for over night burns.

Click to expand...

I'll cheat to win every time elm is involved :cheese:

I just split about 3/4 cord of dead elm. I agree with fesbo, cause this stuff wasn't bad at all unless I tried to split the heartwood. I just flaked off slabs from the outside and life was good. I think Titan's right. Petrified definately (must burn a long time though) :roll:

I would say American Elm and Sycamore are the worst that I have encountered. Fortunately, I don't get much of those two species except some occasional limb wood.

BeGreen said:

Oddly enough, we also have a eucalyptus that is getting pretty big, enough to shade part of the lower garden. But for now, it can stay. I had to take some lower limbs off to make room for the power wires when we raised the house so I'll be burning a bit next winter. Sounds like it will be a good fire starter. If splitting it is anything like splitting madrona, the trick might be to split it green. Madrona is very easy then, but when dry, it'll take five whacks to every one it took green.

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Eucalyptus is a great fire starter, and you can split it down to ~2"x2" with some effort.

Maple, it takes the fun out of it.

Elm. Its the only thing that can put blisters on my tough hands when splitting. Green, standing dead, its all a ..........

babalu87 said:

Maple, it takes the fun out of it.

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BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.... Foul. %-P