First wood!

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lml999

lml999

Minister of Fire
Oct 25, 2013
636
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
I've been burning for 7 or 8 years and have always had split wood delivered. Today I had part of a Norway Maple taken down (hanging over the house) and a smallish oak taken down. The latter was one of a four trunk tree and it was dead at the top. It was solid all the way through. Interestingly, my tree guy saw a split in a large brank of the maple and suggested that we take it down...it was split through the middle and wet. Probably a matter of time on that one.

My tree guy cut the wood into 16" rounds and left them for me. You can see that the main branch of the maple was pretty big!

Now I'm in the market for a Fiskars axe. :)

wood.jpg
 

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I spend more time on a computer keyboard than with an axe handle. Are you including time to apply bandaids to blisters? :)
 
Fiskars make great axes but I prefer hydraulic splitter. I have both but since you don't split much wood Fiskars may be the way to go in your case.
Enjoy
 
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I think a few hours. Some of the larger stuff is going to take a few whacks just to get the first split. Just get some aleeve and ben-gay for when you are done. Like BIGDADDY said Faskars X27 is a great ax but you will be sore if this is the first time. Good luck and you DO NOT need hearing protection for gods sake!
 
If you split the maple and stack it off the ground it can be dry in a year.
 
Stax said:
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's more than an hour of splitting there. I don't care what tool you use.
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I'm purty good with a hydraulic splitter.I think I could probably do that pile in under an hour. Now swinging that Fiskars I would not even try. I can't do anything above the shoulder.

It's nice to get your own wood. You know where it came from.
 
I was referring to hand tools. I'm 34, in decent shape and do all of my splitting by hand. I usually put up 4-5 cord a year with a 6 lb. maul. That pile is more than an hour swinging a hand tool.
 
I operate my hydraulic splitter with my hand. Lol
 
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2 hours tops, with the splitter on "vertical" ;)
 
BillLion said:
Yeah, no need to discourage anyone unnecessarily.

BTW: I'm burning some Norway maple right now -great stuff!
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No worries. I'm not easily discouraged.

And I am looking forward to burning my own wood. I've enjoyed the shade of that Norway maple for many years...but that particular branch was overhanging the house and needed to go. The rest of the tree is still standing.

I'm going to use this wood to start my wood bank. Friend of mine is taking a tree down and I may be able to snag it for another deposit to the bank.
 
I think we've thrown the challenge out there.... just how fast can he split that pile?

Place your bets...
 
2 hrs. 6 inch pie shape pieces, stacked bark up, criss-crossed ends.;lol
 
I say over 3 hours, there is more than 70 pieces there, and I'm not talking big splits, the easy way out....
But nice score, I burn Norway maple, mine dried in under a year single stacked in sun and wind....
 
lml999 said:
Now I'm in the market for a Fiskars axe. :)

View attachment 117721
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This statement tells me lml999 doesn't already have a splitter. If he doesn't already have a spliter then I'm guessing he hasn't been doing it regularly and he's not all that proficient at it. If that's the case it will could take him a few hours to a few days, depending on how easy those big rounds split. Fiskars are nice splitting axes, but they aren't the best thing to use on big rounds.
It could be done in an hour, in fact both my kids have split piles that size before in about an hour, but I've watched a few grown men with no splitting experience try to split wood before and a pile like that could take them all day, if they didn't hurt themselves in the process, which is exactly what one of my boys did several years ago with a Fiskars when he was learning.
Fiskars are pretty sharp, I suggest you take your time and don't rush it trying to prove something.
 
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Well Mr. Coal I guess you better get started. You got a long drive to Boston if the challenge is accepted. Then that drive back and post how it went. I'm sure lml999 won't mind. It sounds like you will have to bring that Ax and tire too.
 
Lumber-Jack said:
This statement tells me lml999 doesn't already have a splitter. If he doesn't already have a spliter then I'm guessing he hasn't been doing it regularly and he's not all that proficient at it. If that's the case it will could take him a few hours to a few days, depending on how easy those big rounds split. Fiskars are nice splitting axes, but they aren't the best thing to use on big rounds.
It could be done in an hour, in fact both my kids have split piles that size before in about an hour, but I've watched a few grown men with no splitting experience try to split wood before and a pile like that could take them all day, if they didn't hurt themselves in the process, which is exactly what one of my boys did several years ago with a Fiskars when he was learning.
Fiskars are pretty sharp, I suggest you take your time and don't rush it trying to prove something.
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Lumber-Jack, you are exactly correct.

I've (re)split a few splits before with a hand axe, but that's it.

And I appreciate your counsel regarding not trying to prove something. :)

The good news is that I will have more opportunity to practice. My neighbor is taking down a pine tree with two decent sized trunks. I talked with her tree guy a few minutes ago. He is happy to cut and leave the rounds onsite, rather than carting them to his truck and then disposing of them. Only a 30' wheelbarrow ride to my growing wood bank.

2013-11-23 14.27.47.jpg

Fiskars X27 and sharpener ordered from Amazon, should be here Tuesday.
 
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