Tips Tricks Advice please.

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Corriewf

Corriewf

New Member
Dec 2, 2009
290
Central VA
I recently acquired some nice maple from a neighbor (thanks for the ID folks) that I can't seem to get to split. Well, I got about half of it split but the other half is about 2 1.2 foot rounds up to 3 foot. I got a maul head that broke off a wood handle that I tried to use the hammer end of my wedge to hammer into the rounds with no luck. Seems like the wedge just sinks into the wood without making a real impact. I have the same problem with some poplar I recently cut in the backyard. I have split some really big oak rounds that were sitting for a long time with no problem. How can I get into these fresh cuts? I don't have the money to buy a splitter so I will have to use a wedge. Do I need to let them sit for a while?

On a side note, my wedge now has cracks near the head in the unbreakable handle... :(
 
Maple is pretty hard.

Are you starting at the edge? I would chip away around the edges and work my way in.

Poplar has always been easy for me to split too.

Frozen wood seems to split well.
 
basswidow said:
Maple is pretty hard.

Are you starting at the edge? I would chip away around the edges and work my way in.

Poplar has always been easy for me to split too.

Frozen wood seems to split well.
Click to expand...

Yeah poplar seems to be very easy to split but these peices I guess are just very wet. My buddy had a hard time dropping it with his stihl 390... So I should try starting at the edges and work my way in? I know with that maple I tried to split a piece and my damn wedge bounced off it...Hard as hell. That white oak that was about 3 foot wide didn't give me this hard of a time...Shoot it split easy!
 
I gather the rounds are up to three feet in diamater, but how long are they? It is a lot easier to split 16 inch rounds than 2 ft rounds. Try cutting the rounds to a shorter length before you split, it will make a big difference.
 
Wood Duck said:
I gather the rounds are up to three feet in diamater, but how long are they? It is a lot easier to split 16 inch rounds than 2 ft rounds. Try cutting the rounds to a shorter length before you split, it will make a big difference.
Click to expand...

They are anywhere from 12 inches to maybe 18 tops. I really can't believe I can't split it. The poplar is probably about 15 inches. I just don's get it and to be honest it is pissing me off for it to be sitting there. I hate to leave unfinished work.
 
wolfram said:
Is your steel wedge cracked or damaged? I may be misreading the post... Be careful. Wedge shrapnel is a real hazard.
Click to expand...


Well the plastic handle is cracking. I just bought it two months ago.
 
I had some trouble splitting Poplar at the base of the tree, the rest split easily. I think it was really wet. I would let it dry for awhile if it is that tough. Maple has never really given a problem.
 
golfandwoodnut said:
I had some trouble splitting Poplar at the base of the tree, the rest split easily. I think it was really wet. I would let it dry for awhile if it is that tough. Maple has never really given a problem.
Click to expand...

I think you may be right. I just hate waiting.. argg! The wood is calling me. The dry stuff did split without a hitch. Funny thing, I took one huge split and split it the the round sideways. Seems poplar has funny grain to it.
 
I was recently given about a half cord of Tulip Poplar. It was felled some time this past summer. It was from a big tree. Still pretty wet, and is just a real bear to split it. By comparison, older rounds of Red Oak are waaaay easier, especially when it's hand splitting. I'm going to wait until I get access to the neighbor's splitter again.
 
Forget the Poplar. It's not worth the effort :smirk:

The Maple is worth the effort, but, especially if it is Sugar Maple, it's gonna' take quite a bit of effort.

What I say next may be me misunderstanding what you posted, so . . .

Do NOT hit wedges with anything other than a sledge hammer. Use a sledge with a fiber/poly handle and a sleeve protector. If you insist on a wood handle, get Hickory, NOT Ash.

Have at least 3 wedges on hand. Use the heaviest sledge you can safely handle. A 20#, 16# and a 12# enable you to drop down as you get tired.

I thought you spoke of a handle on your wedge. Wedges do not have handles. Do NOT bury a maul head in wood and then hit it with a sledge.

Sharpness is not that important with wedges. In fact, if the edge is mis-shapped, it will tend to not fly back out of the wood when you hit it with a sledge.

I disagree with other posters about 'peeling' a tough piece. This MAY work with a maul, but when using a wedge, split the round into two generally egual size pieces first.
 
they sound like they might make good chopping blocks. (or) Just noodle them and be done with it.
 
I'd shave slices off the outside. The only other thing I can think of is to use many wedges. If you are splitting with wedges you will want to pick up a few anyway. Maybe you can use your chainsaw to start a crack in it by ripping a mall kerf to start the wedges.

Matt
 
Yeah I was using the hammer end of my maul to hit the wedge into the wood. It was my buddies idea...Maybe a bad idea, but it worked a couple times. I was able to get some of the dead part of the poplar to split and actually burned a piece last night. Very nice burn and brought my stove up 100 degrees in 20 minutes. It seems great for maintaining the heat while waiting on the coals to burn down or bringing the stove up to temp after it's gone cold. This trunk is gonna be hell though. This was a tree on my property so I won't let it rot. I am so tempted to try and cut these in half with my new 290 farm boss. :)
 
Corriewf said:
Yeah I was using the hammer end of my maul to hit the wedge into the wood
Click to expand...

Um . . . DON'T DO THAT!!


BTW, what weight is your maul? Trying to drive a wedge with anything less than 12# is a waste of time. Go for the 16# if yer lungs/shoulders aren't up to the 20# yet.
 
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
Corriewf said:
Yeah I was using the hammer end of my maul to hit the wedge into the wood
Click to expand...

Um . . . DON'T DO THAT!!


BTW, what weight is your maul? Trying to drive a wedge with anything less than 12# is a waste of time. Go for the 16# if yer lungs/shoulders aren't up to the 20# yet.
Click to expand...

They make mauls that weigh more than 8 pounds? I want one!!!

I ended up using the 290 farm boss to cut about a 1/3 into the round and then I was able to split the stuff. I got every round split that way. I will say that this was a pain in the ass. It will be a while before I want to mess with a poplar. I felt a little defeated as I cut each round with the chainsaw to prep for the maul... :(
 
Monster Mauls come 12#. You will see from their shape that you CAN'T drive a wedge with this style. And again . . . 16# sledge.

And seriously . . . forget the poplar :sick:
 
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
Monster Mauls come 12#. You will see from their shape that you CAN'T drive a wedge with this style. And again . . . 16# sledge.

And seriously . . . forget the poplar :sick:
Click to expand...

It's a tulip poplar so not TOO bad, but it isn't great. The tree's top fell out and it had to go...


Where is the best place to get a monster?
 
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
Corriewf said:
Yeah I was using the hammer end of my maul to hit the wedge into the wood
Click to expand...

Um . . . DON'T DO THAT!!


BTW, what weight is your maul? Trying to drive a wedge with anything less than 12# is a waste of time. Go for the 16# if yer lungs/shoulders aren't up to the 20# yet.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to be the one to ask the dumb question, but why? Is maul steel fundamentally different than sledgehammer steel? I always thought the non-edged side of the maul was a surrogate for a sledgehammer.
 
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
Forget the Poplar. It's not worth the effort :smirk:

...seriously . . . forget the poplar :sick:
Click to expand...
Many agree with you. While I much prefer Oak, Cherry, Mulberry, Maple, etc. for many reasons, I'll take free Poplar too. It has 16 MBTU per cord vs. 21.7 for Red Oak- not too bad. It doesn't coal well, and produces a lot of fluffy ash, which is a nuisance. Still, free BTU's are free BTU's. I'll take 'em. Properly seasoned, it works well mixed with denser woods. BTW I'm talking Yellow ('Tulip') Poplar here. May be different from what's called Poplar in other parts of the country.

Of the free half cord I got, about half of that was already split. I just couldn't pass it up. When I get further ahead with my wood supply, like 3+ years out, I'll probably be too spoiled to take Poplar. ;-)

It is very hard splitting when wet. A hydraulic splitter is definitely a necessity (on the big rounds).
 
Cluttermagnet said:
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
Forget the Poplar. It's not worth the effort :smirk:

...seriously . . . forget the poplar :sick:
Click to expand...
Many agree with you. While I much prefer Oak, Cherry, Mulberry, Maple, etc. for many reasons, I'll take free Poplar too. It has 16 MBTU per cord vs. 21.7 for Red Oak- not too bad. It doesn't coal well, and produces a lot of fluffy ash, which is a nuisance. Still, free BTU's are free BTU's. I'll take 'em. Properly seasoned, it works well mixed with denser woods.

Of the free half cord I got, about half of that was already split. I just couldn't pass it up. When I get further ahead with my wood supply, like 3+ years out, I'll probably be too spoiled to take Poplar. ;-)

It is very hard splitting when wet. A hydraulic splitter is definitely a necessity.
Click to expand...

Yeah this is my first year burning and that poplar is going to give me something to burn next year. I need about 3 cords I estimate a year and right now I have about 2. I will use that poplar.
 
I may be wrong for doing this, but what I have done with pieces I had a hard time splitting is taking a small 3 lb hammer and starting a splitting wedge and once it's started I take my #16 sledge and use that. It's worked great for me as a system. I really don't know about the steel difference. I've just been always taught/told never hit two hammers together b/c of the steel used.
 
Make some noodles. Not me in the vid, but this is how I deal with rounds that won't split easy or at all. Once halved, they come apart much easier.

Saw handles a little different cutting along the grain than in a cross cut. And of course, the noodles are prone to plug up your clutch cover.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_xodFzXgJM
 
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