Sooo, how is everyone splitting elm?

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mrfjsf

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Sep 29, 2010
215
Wash. Pa
Just curious to see what everyone is using to split elm. Ive got a bunch of it at my buddies farm he cut up that was standing dead, I grabbed a few 8-10" rounds off of him the other day and was trying to split it tonight with the fiskars. That stuff is just ridiculous. At least 10 full out swings just to get it in half. I want to keep getting more off him but as much as he has, it would take me til next spring to split it all using the fiskars. So two questions...

How large of a round could I "successfully" burn in my stove? (all of this elm is barkless) I dont want to split any more of this stuff than I have to by hand...

What tools are you all using to split this stuff? If I get enough I suppose I could just rent a splitter.
 
I won't even bother with the stuff anymore, not worth the effort imo. If it's still wet it will just shred. It's a little better if it's been dead for awhile and no bark.
 
lol, im considering both of the 3 above choices. I hate passing up really great burning wood for free, but gosh darn is that stupid hard to split. Woulda heavy maul help matters at all?

The black powder method is definately "gettin it done" and it looks like a barrel of fun. I can see it now, all of my buddies, a keg of beer and a day filled with black powder log splitting...that would be a GREAT day! I don't think the neighbors would approve however.
 
wolfram said:
Splitter. Rental is $50 to $75 per day. To buy, TSC 22-ton is $999. I got tired of killing myself....
Click to expand...

Is 22-ton a good overall size? Im no splitter expert, I assume that the tonnage just indicates the amount of force it has, correct? If you can split elm with a 22-ton, I dont see how you would need anything bigger than that...unless you are trying to split chunks of concrete or steel.
 
I use a 25 ton MTD/Briggs and Stratton on the chinese elm I pick up and it works pretty hard to split those rounds of elm. After 6 months of seasoning I find I can get splits out of the rounds without the stringy crap wasting my time with the Fiskars SS. Otherwise it's just way to much effort and time to use the SS or a wedge and sledge or a maul.
 
What little elm I have I cut short and wait till it looks like its getting punky and then it splits fairly well, I do not go out of my way to cut any, bigger fish to fry.
 
Pagey said:
Tongue in check, might I suggest:

Click to expand...


These guys could make millions with the next movie " Redneck Jackass" in 3 D! Love it!
 
mrfjsf said:
lol, im considering both of the 3 above choices. I hate passing up really great burning wood for free, but gosh darn is that stupid hard to split. Woulda heavy maul help matters at all?

The black powder method is definately "gettin it done" and it looks like a barrel of fun. I can see it now, all of my buddies, a keg of beer and a day filled with black powder log splitting...that would be a GREAT day! I don't think the neighbors would approve however.
Click to expand...
neighbors just don't have a sense of humor!
 
mrfjsf said:
wolfram said:
Splitter. Rental is $50 to $75 per day. To buy, TSC 22-ton is $999. I got tired of killing myself....
Click to expand...

Is 22-ton a good overall size? Im no splitter expert, I assume that the tonnage just indicates the amount of force it has, correct? If you can split elm with a 22-ton, I dont see how you would need anything bigger than that...unless you are trying to split chunks of concrete or steel.
Click to expand...

It's all about speed. No, I'm not talking about cycle time, but overall speed through the round. These splitters have two-stage pumps. The 20/22-ton models will split just about anything, but it will go through the tougher rounds using the slower, yet more powerful second stage. My 35-ton Huskee will get through Am. elm faster than the 22-ton model, even though the 35-ton splitter is rated to have a slower cycle time by one second. Why? Because it rarely has to use the second stage.
 
allhandsworking said:
mrfjsf said:
lol, im considering both of the 3 above choices. I hate passing up really great burning wood for free, but gosh darn is that stupid hard to split. Woulda heavy maul help matters at all?

The black powder method is definately "gettin it done" and it looks like a barrel of fun. I can see it now, all of my buddies, a keg of beer and a day filled with black powder log splitting...that would be a GREAT day! I don't think the neighbors would approve however.
Click to expand...
neighbors just don't have a sense of humor!
Click to expand...

lol! this is true!

I will try to let it season as a round for a little while and give it a go again. But this stuff was standing dead for about 2 years before it was cut down recently. It was left in log form though, I just bucked it up. Perhaps its not elm, it didnt have quite the stringy texture like elm. I'll have to post up some pics if I get home before dark one of these days...
 
After the elm has set awhile and gets fairly dry it is not stringy any more.
 
I had some elm two years ago and the splitter just turned every round into a birdsnest. I had to follow up with a chainsaw and noodle each stringy split apart.

Great for getting the fire going - not so great on heat. If I know it's elm, I don't take it.
 
I split a lot of elm this spring with the trusty 8lb maul...don't have hydro splitter.

Dead stuff with bark gone isn't that bad on straight/clear chunks. Crotches and knots are a challenge, but not impossible. Wedge sometimes needed.

Green elm will take your cursing vocabulary to a whole new level.
 
basswidow said:
I had some elm two years ago and the splitter just turned every round into a birdsnest. I had to follow up with a chainsaw and noodle each stringy split apart.

Great for getting the fire going - not so great on heat. If I know it's elm, I don't take it.
Click to expand...
What wood do you like, I burn oak, ash, mulberry, and silver maple and find the elm fits in nicely in the MOR for heat and starts easily, if it was not for the splitting I would cut more or it.
 
mrfjsf said:
wolfram said:
Splitter. Rental is $50 to $75 per day. To buy, TSC 22-ton is $999. I got tired of killing myself....
Click to expand...

Is 22-ton a good overall size? Im no splitter expert, I assume that the tonnage just indicates the amount of force it has, correct? If you can split elm with a 22-ton, I dont see how you would need anything bigger than that...unless you are trying to split chunks of concrete or steel.
Click to expand...


My 20 ton splitter does the job very nicely.


On the elm, if the bark has fallen off before cutting the tree it will split much easier and you won't get the stringies. I also think it burns much better and longer than when cutting the tree before this time.
 
I dropped and bucked a dead standing elm in March. Finally split it in the last few weeks, and it gave the 25 ton splitter all it could handle! The red oak I also dropped in March, I could have split with a starched shirt.
 
To your first question "How large of a round could I “successfully” burn in my stove? (all of this elm is barkless) I dont want to split any more of this stuff than I have to by hand…" My answer would be as big a round (or split) as will fit AND as big a round (split) as you can get seasoned in time for burning. Elm dries reasonably fast so largish splits not a prob with a year from green to stove. If you want to burn this stuff this winter I'd focus on the drier limbwood as even long-dead standing trunks can be very wet.
The more experience dead Elm burners here should be able to guide you on how large of rounds you could season.
 
As a scrounger - I never really know (unless its obvious) what I've got, so I can't really say I would turn away from ELM, unless someone was telling me it was elm. Then my experience would tell me to move on. Mine was very green and stringy.

You are right - it did mix in nicely, but really a nightmare to split.
 
Holy cow now I know what this thread is all about....I've just been given a ton of the stuff, and so far my axe is bouncing off of it everywhere I hit. Barely leaves an impression.

I figured with this much resistance, it would be some of the densest, longest burning hardwood....but from some posters on here, sounds like that is a bad assumption.

Joe
 
After you get is split, elm is not that bad to burn. It has more BTU's than soft maples and is close to black cherry. It makes nice coals, too.

You must have a good hydraulic splitter to enjoy it, though.
 
Hand or machine splitting elm.
It's a heliotropic wood= the growth follows the sun so that there's no straight grain like oaks, or maples.
Here's how to split the beast: split tangentially, along the rings from the outside in. It will split in slabs, not neat, straight logs.
Never , even with your 30 ton macho machine, try to split most elm from the center. It eats wedges, stalls machines.

Yes, Semtex or the inferior black powder will work. I'm a-hearing dueling banjos again.
 
Last month I used a 34 ton splitter on standing dead elm which was not too difficult. It still has some stringiness in the trunk but the splitter made short work of it.
 
The elm I just nabbed is not stringy at all. But like I said it was standing dead for quite some time. Still, the fiskars really wasnt doing much damage. Two rounds and I felt like I split a two cords of black walnut. It just wasnt showing me any love. fjord- I will try your style and see if I have better luck.

Im not sure why some are not liking how elm burns. I had a little left over from a few years ago that was well seasoned, just for the heck of it a threw a few decent sized splits on bed of coals and it lit up like a christmas tree, burned hotter than lava and burned crazy long. I was always told it was possibly one of the best woods to burn. :-S
 
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