Whack! Whack! Whack!

Unfortunately there is no magic answer for you. Wood, grain and knots are all relative to the situation at hand. Even smaller hydraulic splitters have their limits. Understanding the physical structure of the piece of wood in question goes a long way in making the splitting process easier. Although sometimes it just doesn't matter unless you have 30 tons of force.

I use 12 lb and 8 lb mauls. Most assuredly, I give up on some rounds and noodle them. I go 5-6 whacks - if I don't I hear or see some progress, it's time to noodle.

johnpma said:

Do you manual splitters give up at times? whats the secret?

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There is very little I cannot split. If I can't it gets chainsawed.

Some oak and hickory is really a pain in the butt to split, but as long as I'm making progress, I'll keep at it. If I'm not making any progress at all, I'll use the chainsaw to make it easier. If it's crappy wood, I'll toss it in the bonfire after 3 or 4 hits. I've had some nasty box elder this summer that just didn't want
to split. Tossed it in the middle of a roaring bonfire, and it went away.

northwinds said:

Some oak and hickory is really a pain in the butt to split, but as long as I'm making progress, I'll keep at it. If I'm not making any progress at all, I'll use the chainsaw to make it easier. If it's crappy wood, I'll toss it in the bonfire after 3 or 4 hits. I've had some nasty box elder this summer that just didn't want
to split. Tossed it in the middle of a roaring bonfire, and it went away.

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Going off subject, I know.
How you liking your 2700? Took a while for me to get used to it, but I still can't get long burns or anything over say 6 hours or so. Still fearful of packing it as most people say to do and the air flow does not seem to damper down very much. Also, does this look proper for two years on the ceramic blanket?

I'm a die hard. Ill flip it over a couple times or try to work it from an easier angle. If that doesn't work, time for wedge and sledge.

I have run into a couple 3 and 4 way crotches that would just spit my wedge back out at me though. Those are the ones I noodle.

I normally work large rounds from outside in. I have gotten some bigger red oak to split in half tho

johnpma said:

Have run all my wood this season through my little 5ton HF splitter. Last night I decided to split the dozen large logs I had with my splitting maul.........

How many cracks do you take at a log before you give up LOL sweating like a pig, misquitos, knots, green wood.....I gotta say I gave up on two of the twelve logs large cherry.

Do you manual splitters give up at times? whats the secret?

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Yes. I have split about a dozen cords by hand. There are some rounds I cannot split by hand. I have a cord of hickory that needs to be split, but just could not get my maul through it. I'm planning to get HF splitter to help with those.

If I've hit the log from edge to edge, or maybe tried a few spots closer to the edge, and not got at least a crack started, I'll put it in the "for later" pile and move on.

If the regular tractor mounted splitter doesn't work, I move on to the skid-loader mounted splitter which hasn't lost a fight yet! I only manually split the fun stuff!

i've never noodled anything. after a few whacks, i can tell if its time to get the wedges and the 10-pounder out.

I don't have a splitter, so guess how much longer I work on a piece before I give up trying to maul it. If one end isn't working, I'll rotate the piece 90 degrees and try that. Then I'll flip it and have a few whacks at it. I do find that often if I can get a few pieces off the edges then the core yields a bit easier. Finally, the thing goes on the pile for later, when I have the saw out.

When I section a log, I try to cut right on a knot, to leave straight grain to either side of it, to give a good end to start on. If I have a piece that's basically a shortened "Y" from a fork in the tree, I make a saw cut right down the middle of it, maybe 2/3 the way down. I know I'll never get the maul to split the piece otherwise, so I may as well make the cut right there while I have the saw running and the piece right there in front of me. I'd never be able to make a business out of selling firewood. I'm too willing to spend too much time on a piece to avoid wasting it.

Phoenix Hatchling said:

Going off subject, I know.
How you liking your 2700? Took a while for me to get used to it, but I still can't get long burns or anything over say 6 hours or so. Still fearful of packing it as most people say to do and the air flow does not seem to damper down very much. Also, does this look proper for two years on the ceramic blanket?
View attachment 136227

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Been out of town and haven't had a chance to check in until now.

I like my 2700 but I use it maybe five to ten times per winter because the Isle Royale carries the load for the house unless it's really, really cold (negative
double digits). I am far from the expert on this unit. Some others could weigh in on the hearth sub-forum. My blanket still looks pretty new.

My flue is pretty short upstairs, so I haven't had much trouble controlling the burn. I do generally pack it when I use it, as the firebox is pretty small.
I do get overnight burns with oak or hickory if I load up before going to bed.

I only use a maul on rounds that are too heavy to lift into the cart. If it doesn't crack on the first swat, it gets laid on its side and noodled part way. It'll bust with the maul then.