Buy Tree Length Logs or Buy Already Split firewood

Waulie said:

Splitting by hand can definitely be faster if you only have a short amount of time each time to split wood. If I have an hour or two, I can split WAY more wood by hand then if I had to gas-up, check oil, haul around, etc. a splitter. Actually, since I'm splitting 95% ash, I'm pretty sure I could out split a splitter without even counting the other stuff. That's until I get tired of course.

That said, If you have a whole day or a good chunk of the day to just split wood, then yes, a splitter would definitely be faster. It is less fun, though.

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Probably not true, I can gas up, bring the splitter out, etc. like pull the cord and start production..... Split some wood for an hour or two.......That's until I need to go in and eat of course....

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:

Probably not true, I can gas up, bring the splitter out, etc. like pull the cord and start production..... Split some wood for an hour or two.......That's until I need to go in and eat of course....

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I'm not against splitters or anything. I borrow one once a year to go through the pile of knots and crotches I've built up. It's just that for the vast majority of my splitting time, I wouldn't be firing up a splitter even if I owned one. It just wouldn't be worth it. I think it does depend on your time and situation. Probably 80% of my splitting takes place in chunks of less than an hour and quite often less than a half hour. For a young, healthy person just starting out, I would actually say buying a splitter would be the last investment I would recommend.

I bought a splitter because of efficiency. I have 8 hours a week to buck, split or stack wood. I could easily spend hours with a maul and wedge splitting the harder to knotty wood. I choose to save time and my joints with a splitter. I save 90% of my time using a splitter to split 10% of the wood. That 10% is about 2/3 of a chord a year.

tsquini said:

I bought a splitter because of efficiency. I have 8 hours a week to buck, split or stack wood. I could easily spend hours with a maul and wedge splitting the harder to knotty wood. I choose to save time and my joints with a splitter. I save 90% of my time using a splitter to split 10% of the wood. That 10% is about 2/3 of a chord a year.

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That's the situation I find myself in now. I've split all the easy stuff. Now I'm after all the garbage.
About an hour with the sledge and wedge and the small amount I've accomplished, a splitter doesn't seem like such a bad idea,
EVEN IF I ONLY USE IT FOR 10% of the wood.

Waulie said:

Splitting by hand can definitely be faster if you only have a short amount of time each time to split wood. If I have an hour or two, I can split WAY more wood by hand then if I had to gas-up, check oil, haul around, etc. a splitter. Actually, since I'm splitting 95% ash, I'm pretty sure I could out split a splitter without even counting the other stuff. That's until I get tired of course.

That said, If you have a whole day or a good chunk of the day to just split wood, then yes, a splitter would definitely be faster. It is less fun, though.

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I think it also depends a lot on how good you are at splitting by hand.

It takes we two days on the chain saw and one day on a splitter for one years wood about 3 cord. Can anyone produce that much split wood in a day by hand?

Beer and few friends yes. All by myself? no.

I think it is time for man vs machine competition.

I went in with my friend (neighbor) half on a splitter two years ago. 600 bucks each. Well worth it. I still split by hand at times but the splitter is a awesome thing to have

weatherguy said:

With that disparity between split and log length I'd buy a truck load (7-8 cords), a chainsaw, get it all cut to length and rent a splitter for 2 days. In this part of the state I can get $100 cord log length or $135/150 split so the decision is easy. Try it you may found like a lot of us you like doing it and look around for a splitter, if you're burning full time you may go through more than 2 cords a year, I go through 4.
Now that I'm 3 years ahead I like to scrounge wood (craigslist, word of mouth, etc..) and cut and split at my leisure. I would say most of us like to do the work in the spring or fall, too hot in the summer, I'd rather cut and split when its 15 degrees than when its 90.

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Weatherguy, may I ask where you get your wood? I'm in central MA too and I'm having a hard time sourcing log length. Like Isipwater said in his original post, I'm new to this. I have a chainsaw and plan on splitting the old fashioned way to get some exercise. Thanks very much!

Regarding electric chain saws. The right tool for the job. Who would ever tackle six or seven yards of logs with an electric saw? I guess an electric is okay if you're going to climb a ladder to trim a limb but that's about it. Personally, I prefer a gas powered pole saw. For the OPs purpose, he should get the best saw he can afford right off the bat. Doesn't even have to be new. He can check with his dealer for a good trade in or maybe a floor model or rental saw.

Bar length is debatable. Why get a 20 incher unless you're cutting a lot of 36" to 38" diameter trees? I've always been partial to 16 inch bars. That covers me pretty well up to 32 inch trunks without carrying the extra weight on the longer bar. Plus, my MS390 with a 16" bar cuts through my oak like buttah!

So, OP. Get yourself a GOOD saw. I'm a Stihl guy, myself. A good, middle of the road, powerwise, saw with a 16 to 18 inch bar should take care of your needs forever without breaking the bank. Try your hand splitting with your Fiskars. You don't have to do it all in one day if you already have this year's wood. Once you get the logs bucked up, you can split an hour or so a day. I much prefer working on my wood in the winter time no matter how cold is it- you'll stay plenty warm, I promise. If you really want to knock it out in a day or two, get everything bucked up and have a splitting party. A couple of guys feeding you rounds and tossing the splits into a pile, with a few more people taking the splits and stacking will make short work of it. Find yourself a big round or a bucket or camp stool and set the splitter into vertical mode will save a lot of lifting and make things a lot easier on your back. Save the beer for AFTER the power tools are shut down for the day. Safety first--always!

Just realized this thread is a year old.

Kenster said:

Just realized this thread is a year old.

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My bad. Threadsurrection

isipwater said:

I live in Southeastern, MA

I do not have a chainsaw but plan to rent or buy one.

Does your 3 hours per cord involve using a 2 or 4 way splitter?

thanks

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Get extra chains as well, you dont want to be stuck if you plan to do all that on one weekend.
Have you any chainsaw or power spliter experience ?

Waulie said:

I'm not against splitters or anything. I borrow one once a year to go through the pile of knots and crotches I've built up. It's just that for the vast majority of my splitting time, I wouldn't be firing up a splitter even if I owned one. It just wouldn't be worth it. I think it does depend on your time and situation. Probably 80% of my splitting takes place in chunks of less than an hour and quite often less than a half hour. For a young, healthy person just starting out, I would actually say buying a splitter would be the last investment I would recommend.

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You're not splitting enough wood. Split 7 or 8 cords in the same time it takes to split with a splitter, then tell us how far you got, and how you feel.