8" Diameter White Oak just bouncing the Fiscars and Maul

[777funk]

I have a few pieces that just won't split. It's not me because some other logs in the pile just tap apart (Walnut specifically). Some of this fresh cut white oak will not come apart. Do I need to wait longer? It's been 65F outside. I have some big old dead Red oak that falls apart easily but not this fresh white oak. What can I do?

 

[lindnova]

Get the steel wedges out, noodle it with a saw to get started or find a hydro.

I have a hydro because what you have is most of my wood. I have split bur oak with steel wedges and a sledge. Lots of work but it can be done.

There are some good videos on you tube on splitting with wedges. I personally hate them, but they do work.

 

[777funk]

Thanks! I've noticed getting the wedge started isn't easy either. Tap, tap, tap, with a 10# sledge on wedge and barely leaves a mark in the log. Hitting the wedge hard if it's not started good usually ends up in a flier. I am a little nervous with the wedge now after having it land in my shin a few weeks ago. Left a 1" gash. First thing I did was order a Fiskars which I like but it doesn't do it either. So I'm wondering if maybe time will help. This is freshly cut live trees I'm discussing.

The dead red oak falls apart with the Fiskars and I barely have to look at the Walnut I've cut up. But this particular White Oak just bounces whatever is thrown at it.

 

[Rebelduckman]

Thanks! I've noticed getting the wedge started isn't easy either. Tap, tap, tap, with a 10# sledge on wedge and barely leaves a mark in the log. Hitting the wedge hard if it's not started good usually ends up in a flier. I am a little nervous with the wedge now after having it land in my shin a few weeks ago. Left a 1" gash. First thing I did was order a Fiskars which I like but it doesn't do it either. So I'm wondering if maybe time will help. This is freshly cut live trees I'm discussing.

The dead red oak falls apart with the Fiskars and I barely have to look at the Walnut I've cut up. But this particular White Oak just bounces whatever is thrown at it.

You positive it's white oak? I've never had any problems with any oak. Especially that small

 

[Tom Wallace]

I've noticed getting the wedge started isn't easy either. Tap, tap, tap, with a 10# sledge on wedge and barely leaves a mark in the log.

I had some wood like this in the past. Plum wood crotch pieces. Axes, mauls and wedges just bounced right off it. Due to the shape of the pieces, a splitter would have a really hard time with them, too. I ended up using a chainsaw to carve a notch about 2" deep in one end of the piece. I then inserted a wedge into that notch and pounded it through with a sledgehammer or the back of a maul. Works great.

 

[Danno77]

Been there done that. Set it to the side and let it dry a little and try again. Still doesn't work, then try on a day this winter where it's -20F. Flip it over and try from the other end, make sure not to try to split it straight down the middle, split outside-in.

Best of luck! If all else fails put it on CL for free or burn it outside in a fire pit.

 

[Kelvin 506]

Agree with Danno, I just started splitting like 3 days ago and I think my first tree is oak (the bark is off and/or too dirty, plus I can hardly tell ash from maple from oak from my elbow at this point).

I had some bounces and also some strikes where the axe went in like 2 inches and was stuck. I tried flipping it over and was successful on several occasions. If that didn't work I just took the chainsaw out and started to cut down from the top of the log. Go like 1/3 of way down. The kerf gives the log some place to go when you strike it with the axe. I did that to 5 bucks and split them in no time. Without the chainsaw I would probably go out and buy a maul and wedge.

 

[Cluttermagnet]

I split up some White Oak about a year ago. It had sat around about a year as rounds. Sure glad I had my little 5 ton electric splitter. It can be stringy on occasion. I'm OK with splitting Red Oak by hand, have done plenty of that. I think the White Oak is generally harder to split. I'm giving it a full 3 years to season.

 

[Hogwildz]

Set it aside for 2 or 3 years, let it dry, then burn it at the size it is.
That's what I would do.

 

[osagebow]

Set it aside for 2 or 3 years, let it dry, then burn it at the size it is.
That's what I would do.

Indeed...unless you are having supply woes, cost- benefit is low fooling with that type of stuff. I wont even bother with stuff like gum.

 

[Woody Stover]

What size is the maul mentioned in the subject line?

 

[Gboutdoors]

Like Danno77 said if you don't need it now wait till it is bellow freezing. I split about 95 % red oak and before I got my 22 ton splitter did it with a maul or a 5 ton elec. Any rounds that where to tough or stringy to split got set aside till cold weather . Once frozen they just pop even hickory . Good luck and keep warm.

 

[Wood Duck]

Most White Oak is pretty easy to split, but you will find some pieces or some trees that are tough to split. Knots, crotches, and twisted trees are all examples of wood that can be hard to split. I think this is true of just about every type of tree.

 

[Straz85]

I'm new to splitting wood and one of the first trees I encountered was exactly like this. Around 7-10" in diameter and I couldn't split it for the life of me. Very stringy, my brand new splitting axe barely made a mark in them. I ended up using wedges and finally got them split. I was completely discouraged, then I moved on to some 10-12" pieces of red oak and they were much easier. If I get anything like that again, they'll just be getting seasoned for a couple years as rounds.

 

[Nick Mystic]

When I first got my Fiskars X27 I had the same problem with the first piece of wood I tried to split. Then I recalled someone else on the forum saying that they noticed their new Fiskars wasn't all that sharp when they first bought it. So, took mine up to my shop and spent about ten minutes with a sharpening stone to really hone a razor's edge to it. When I went back and tried splitting the same piece again I managed to split it, but it wasn't easy. I ended up firing up my 7 ton electric splitter for the rest of that load of wood.

 

[TradEddie]

Every once in a while I get a piece where the maul just bounces off like you describe, for no obvious reason, for those I've often found that a narrow wedge, or even a regular axe can work far better. For especially nasty pieces, I have an old axe head that I use as a wedge, and it has never failed to split the wood, however there are dangers associated with this method.

TE

 

[Tom Wallace]

I was completely discouraged, then I moved on to some 10-12" pieces of red oak and they were much easier.

Someone on these forums once said "red oak splits with a stern look". I wish we had red oak in my part of the world. Most common woods here are douglas fir and western red cedar.

 

[TradEddie]

I wish the red oak I have would split with a stern look. I suppose it all depends on how it grows, but mine are straight trunks, few knots, and even the "easy" ones are hard work.

TE

 

[red oak]

Set it aside for 2 or 3 years, let it dry, then burn it at the size it is.
That's what I would do.

That's what I was going to say! At 8" I certainly wouldn't worry about throwing the entire thing on a hot fire.