Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Joful, I am curious why you split the way you are rather than standing the log upright? I have done a couple that way but they seemed to split really hard that way.
Can you split stumps with 28ton hydraulic log splitter?
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Joful, I am curious why you split the way you are rather than standing the log upright? I have done a couple that way but they seemed to split really hard that way.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Hi backwoods. I was just giving that a try with a few rounds in the 22" - 24" range, based on what I'd seen someone else here do. Anything bigger has to go vertical (my splitter has a 24" max length), and anything much smaller definitely splits easier vertical, as well. However, rounds right in this 22" - 24" range don't split so well vertically, unless they're perfectly straight grained, so you're left trying to rotate the round to split the rest of the way thru, when you go vertically.
The same things happens splitting horizontally, except you can split all the way thru one end, and then use a hatchet or one of those little 2 lb. one-handed splitting mauls for finishing off the job with one or two whacks. It seems to work well, for rounds that are too big or twisted to get full separating in one split, working vertically.
Also, while that's not a huge round, it still weighed over 300 lb. Rolling it up onto the foot of the splitter is definitely easier than tipping it on its side, rolling, and then tipping it back upright while trying to get fully onto the foot of the splitter. That's my story, anyway...
The same things happens splitting horizontally, except you can split all the way thru one end, and then use a hatchet or one of those little 2 lb. one-handed splitting mauls for finishing off the job with one or two whacks. It seems to work well, for rounds that are too big or twisted to get full separating in one split, working vertically.
Also, while that's not a huge round, it still weighed over 300 lb. Rolling it up onto the foot of the splitter is definitely easier than tipping it on its side, rolling, and then tipping it back upright while trying to get fully onto the foot of the splitter. That's my story, anyway...
paul bunion
Minister of Fire
One thing I was taught along the way is to put a piece of pipe on the ground in front of the splitter. You will quickly get good at plopping a round over and having it slide right in up tight against the beam of the splitter. If the ground is at all soft you need to put some scrap pieces of wood down for the pipe to roll on. A pickaroon or pulp hooks help to move the round or halves once it is down on the splitter. A 5' iron pry bar can usually finish off a stubborn split easier than repositioning for a second run with the splitter.
Kevin Dolan
Burning Hunk
I loved when we could still do that, they sure do jump out of the ground with a nice whump
Ram 1500 with an axe...
Minister of Fire
Yeah, I've been watching alot of hillbilly shows lately, they make it look fun and easy......I loved when we could still do that, they sure do jump out of the ground with a nice whump
Drill hole, insert, lite it up and run.......
Im sorry I jumped in with my admonitions. I thought the OP was trying to split root balls for firewood.
I spoke too soon.
I couldnt see the practicality in that.
I spoke too soon.
I couldnt see the practicality in that.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Missouri Frontier
Feeling the Heat
I burn Hedge stumps on brush piles all the time. Get that brush roaring and that stump will burn.(for days!) Best to use a little accelerant if you dont want to babysit it all night!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I forgot to mention, backwoods... when you split sideways like that, the splitter is always going all the way thru the log, cross grain-wise. So, it's easier to grab one half and just pull, to get them fully separated. I'm never able to do the same when I'm splitting with the round set vertically/normally, and it fails to split thru on the first pass.
ironspider
Feeling the Heat
you can split rounds like that? I've never tried but it looks like it would help, just level the edge of the splitter and roll the log on.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I've put rounds as large as 44" diameter ash on that splitter, and gotten thru 'em. However, it is infinitely easier to just slab the rounds with a big saw, and then move the slabs to the splitter for final sizing. I put the round on its side and go at it with the Stihl 064 AV. Noodle into 4" - 6" thick slabs, which can still weigh over 200 lb. each, but are much easier to move.
Just for some mental scaling, ash runs about 50 lb./cu.ft., and oak 62 lb./cu.ft., both green. I buck to 20" lengths, so the weight of a round is as follows:
The 50" oak rounds I brought home last summer were simply immovable, even with my front-end loader. That's when I was forced to start slabbing, and stop trying to move these monsters onto the splitter. I used to hate the idea of stopping my flow to pick up a saw, but it really is much faster and easier.
ironspider
Feeling the Heat
I have to learn to noodle properly, I tried on a big gnarly trunk, got halfway through and that's was it. I don't know if it was me or the saw.
jillybeansisme
Member
Holy Guacamole! Joyful, those numbers make me gulp! I guess maybe it's a good thing I'm going to let a pro fell my trees and another pro c/s/s them. (First guy is the arborist I have to employ to get the permit to cut down the trees on my property because the 2nd guy is my Nephew from out-of-state and I'm out-of-state too!). Besides making firewood out of all those oak and other trees, if the one really huge one has to be felled, then I want a 1"2" thick round from it to make a table top for the patio (yes, I know it has to age) and then maybe some smaller ones for stools. Just for fun (do I pre-qualify for a 12-step program yet? 
). The trees will be felled in the next 6 weeks and then c/s/s in mid-April . . . just in time for burning season 2017!
). The trees will be felled in the next 6 weeks and then c/s/s in mid-April . . . just in time for burning season 2017!
For those of us who have tried ( both successfully and not so successfully ) to split some rather gnarly hardwood crotches there comes a point where the splitter wedge is doing more cutting than splitting.
Having split a stump into smaller pieces with just wedges and an axe once, I can assure you a stump is one giant grnarly knot from hell to split and chop.
Having split a stump into smaller pieces with just wedges and an axe once, I can assure you a stump is one giant grnarly knot from hell to split and chop.
Kevin Dolan
Burning Hunk
I had the same thought but in Canada we use dynamite. Big Bang and the stump pops out, pretty messy we haul them to he gravel pit and burn them up with all the scrap. Never thought of cutting them up for stove burning.
Kevin Dolan
Burning Hunk
Hillbillies, this is canada we don't have any but a few rednecks eh
Pennsyltucky Chris
Minister of Fire
infinitymike
Minister of Fire
infinitymike
Minister of Fire
It seems that all I get is rounds that are 20"- 24" or bigger
Thats why I love the Timber wolf Horizontal splitter with log lifter.
And even more than that is the outfeed table I made.
Thats why I love the Timber wolf Horizontal splitter with log lifter.
And even more than that is the outfeed table I made.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
infinitymike
Minister of Fire
I'm not sure of the capacity of this lifter. I bought it used but I heard or read somewhere it has a 1000 lb cap.
But that's just an insane piece of wood and can't imagine even rolling that thing over let alone being in the way of a 500 lb split coming off the wedge.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
We lost some big stuff at my church in storm Sandy last year. I never went back to measure the diameter at the stump, where I made the final cut, but it was easily well over 60" diameter. The rounds I brought home were more than 15 feet up the trunk, and they were 49" diameter = 1355 lb. each. Everything below that was hollowed out by rot and carpenter ants, but this was one huge oak. I'll have to remember to take a tape measure with me one Sunday, when the weather is a little better / the ground dry.
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