Hardest Wood to Split by Hand???

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Hardest Wood to Split by Hand? 6 Months or less bucked to 18" for those who want.

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iodonnell said:
Wow ELM across the board! I figured ELM but I don't really have access or touch the stuff so I've not had the hurt. I just had the thought after I split a whole lot of black birch. I have a sharp Fiskars and it'd take a lot of whacks on both ends to split, compared to the Shagbark. Pignut was just as hard but I guess now I'm thinking about the science of wood fibers now. I was splitting 36" rounds of shagbark hickory as fast as I could find them. Switched to some 12" rounds of Pignut, horrible. Switched to 24" black birch and where's my gloves! All 18" length.

Had some poplar too and that wet was like slicing a cake.

Now I'm thinking what actually influences the "splittability" of wood in the wood itself? Obviosuly grain, knots, branch formations but comparing apples to apples here.

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'll find some elm just for a brusing!
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Just get the elm after it's been standing dead for a few years . . . with the bark falling off . . . then it's a whole different critter while splitting it vs. splitting a fresh cut elm. One way will be a bitter and frustrating experience . . . the other way will make you scratching your head wondering what the big fuss about splitting elm is all about.
 
cherry. Around here the stuff grows in bizzare curves and it's impossible to split by hand.
 
Elm, the wood of the beast!

I did have a heck of a time with some Crab Apple a few years ago.
 
Elm , never tried gum.
 
Sweet Gum, definitely. Even after they're split, the pieces have to be peeled apart. I'll still take it, but I have to use the hatchet to separate every last split. 2-3x times the work.
 
Yellow birch with a twisty grain. I've had wedges disappear into rounds that did not even flinch.
 
Elm isn't THAT bad...but yes it does suck.

Gum is literally the devil.
 
It's not a common tree, but a dogwood tree is the worst I've seen. I've split elm, and its bad, but not like dogwood. Dogwood is hard as stone, and twisted, and full of knots. I'd split a cord of elm over a quarter cord of dogwood, any day.

But any wood can be bad, if its a big piece full of big knots and twisted grain.
 
The wood thats not bucked, Elm, yellow Birch Although i do have a piece of GNARLY ash that the splitter wont take apart.
 
homebrewz said:
Another one for elm. Haven't worked with gum, so can't comment.
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I say another one for Gum. Haven't worked with Elm, so can't comment.
 
k9brain said:
Black gum should also be on the do not scrounge list.
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I'll second that. I split some black gum today with the 26 Ton splitter. The rounds were only 8-10 inch rounds and the splitter was working its arse off to get through it.
 
BrotherBart said:
Sweet Gum. Hands down. I think it is called gum for a reason. It is like trying to split a truck tire.
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Make that 2 for the Gum
 
Backwoods Savage said:
When you are through with that, get some elm.
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Elm sux the big one.....Elm is why hydraulics were invented.
 
No elm, any Gum stays in the woods, live oak not tried.
Water oak splits like butter - green or dry.
Other: partially dried White Oak, took 12 whacks with the 8 lb mail to split a 12" round, made the hydraulic splitter groan.
 
I gave up on whatever this is, using my Fiskars x25. It just wouldn't. Temps were in the 30s this morning when i tried. Tree company must have taken it down when they felled four white oaks for me back in April. Any ideas as to what it is?
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1353874971.903766.jpg
 
I had what someone told me was slippery elm and it tore apart on the splitter. very stringy stuff.
 
Other. Elm. Nastiest stuff up here to split.
 
I'm blessed in that I don't have all these really tough suckers you all are identifying on my acreage ........ notty twisted pignut and ironwood/hophornbeam are my toughest foes. They all eventually fall pey to the monster maul, or get noodled up with my saw. As for that wood above, bark looks like a couple things, but nothing your Fiskers shouldn't have handled.
 
Puffins said:
I gave up on whatever this is, using my Fiskars x25. It just wouldn't. Temps were in the 30s this morning when i tried. Tree company must have taken it down when they felled four white oaks for me back in April. Any ideas as to what it is?
View attachment 82546
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My guess is gum. Good luck 2 you.
 
BrotherBart said:
Sweet Gum. Hands down. I think it is called gum for a reason. It is like trying to split a truck tire.
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Gotta ..agree here BB . Gum is thee toughest wood ive ever tried to split by hand, an it just devours the wedges you pound them down inside the rounds
it just laughs at every axe as it bounces off over and over again. And a splitter just shreads it with strings everywhere

Oak should not even be on here,it splits very easy
 
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