Ease of wood to split

[retiredff]

I have a few old, large Elm's on my property that in the near future will require being taken down. I tried to split some storm damage and I could hardly make a dent on the green wood! I realize I'm not 20 yrs. old, and I did use a 6 lb. maul but this wood seems difficult to split. Am I really getting that weak at 59 or is elm a difficult wood to split?

 

[cmonSTART]

Of all the wood I have split, elm is the most difficult by far. I gave up on a bunch of it because I, like you, could only make a dent with my maul. My splitter goes through it no problem, but its really stringy stuff and separating the pieces afterward can be difficult too.

Elm is evil stuff.

 

[retiredff]

Thanks for the reply.

The good side I guess is this wood is free, so not using it would be a huge waist IMO. Will letting the rounds sit for a few months make splitting any easier or harder?
If I didn't have so much I would have it hauled away, but I probably will take the time and split it.

Thanks

Tony

 

[cmonSTART]

If you have any access to a splitter that's the way to go. Also, Elm has a very high water content and takes FOREVER to season. I burned a few pieces last winter from a standing dead tree, which had been dead for a few years at least. I split the pieces late spring and even by that winter they were still very very green. They were almost fireproof.

 

[Carl]

I have split lots of it by hand but no fun indeed. You would be wise to get it all cut and ready to split. Then rent or borrow, beg a splitter for the time needed to split it. It does burn very well. I have a couple of cords in my woodshed now and a couple more to get processed as soon as I cut them down.

You are not wea k, it is tough stuff.

 

[Vic99]

I agree. Elm is challenging to split because the bulk of the wood (xylem tissue) does not grow straight. It twists in really evil ways.

I buck the large diameter pieces shorter. Instead of going 16-18 inches, I'll go 12 inches. Some of the smaller limbs, I'll buck to 10-12 inches and not split at all.

Also elm, when green, has a fair amount of water. Try to season for a year.

It's still worth it if "free".

 

[sapratt]

I had some Elm tried using a maul like you it was like trying to split concrete.
I let it set in the sun for few weeks then used a sledge hammer and wedges
and still had a hell of a time splitting it.

 

[savageactor7]

The only way I could ever split elm was to get a bite with the maul then bash the mall with a sledge 4 or 5 more times. When I was younger I split all my wood by hand for about 3-4 years. Elm is very stringy and it's even a burden to split with my gas splitter...but that said I'm happy to burn elm once it's seasoned.

I have an Elm stump round for a splitting platform by my wood pile been using it for about 5 years....plenty of penetrating mall cuts but it still does its job. You all know how it is sometimes you need smaller splits in the winter even though you thought you split everything small enough already.

retiredff you can save yourself a lot of grief by laying the log on its side and rip cutting it in half or in quarters. Just lay your saw right down on the bark...with a sharp chain you can do it at half throttle cause your don't want to over rev your saw for a prolonged period with a dull chain.

 

[retiredff]

retiredff you can save yourself a lot of grief by laying the log on its side and rip cutting it in half or in quarters. Just lay your saw right down on the bark...with a sharp chain you can do it at half throttle cause your don’t want to over rev your saw for a prolonged period with a dull chain.

OK, I'll try that.

I also need a new saw, so I'll jump over to the "gear" area and look for a good homeowner saw. I will also ask the local trimming companies if the sell the logs.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Not all elm splits hard, but 95% of it does! We get some every year that splits very easily; the rest gets split with the splitter and not using a sledge and wedge, although in years past I've done more than my share this way. It usually takes 3 wedges to do the job.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

If you have any access to a splitter that's the way to go. Also, Elm has a very high water content and takes FOREVER to season. I burned a few pieces last winter from a standing dead tree, which had been dead for a few years at least. I split the pieces late spring and even by that winter they were still very very green. They were almost fireproof.

FOREVER is a long, long time! I disagree that it takes that long. I can usually season elm faster than oak.

comonSTART, that tree may have been dead and standing, but yes, there will still be sap in it. We cut only standing dead elm when we cut elm, but then we season it for a year before burning, else you will get much creosote.

Overall, elm is still a good wood to burn if you can get past the splitting part.

 

[downeast]

Elm splitting 101. %-P

We got tons ( literally) of elm back in the 70's when the Dutch Elm Disease was destroying Northeastern American Elms. Arborists, tree surgeons, and towns cut and dumped the wood; it was available for free. Piles of dump truck loads on the driveway in a Boston suburb while I was finishing grad school and working. It took me a year of macho fighting with butts often over 4' in diameter, and finally Mr. Dense discovering the joke. They recommended Semtex, jackhammers, even burning to "dry it out". I must have broken 8 mauls, 2 20+ ton splitters, and a bad back. :red:

Elms splits by slabbing along the growth rings from the outside in. Don't go more than a couple of inches at a time. Elms are among the "heliotropic" growth trees that have a sort of spiral growth following the path of the sun ( Apples are another species). Once you get the hang of "slab splitting" it is still not as easy as the oaks or ashes, but will work. Besides, elm is not one of the higher BTU firewoods.

Our neighbor, Castine, Maine has preserved its Elms by yearly antibiotic injections costing tens of thousands a year. Lovely. magnificent trees recalling the many elms lining most New England towns and cities.

Give it hell. I don't burn elm anymore. JMNSHO.

 

[begreen]

Careful, all this talk of elm is likely to give Warren a serious rash and nocturnal fits if he hears about it.

Elms are lovely trees in a hedgerow far away, but lousy trees in a yard. Don't ever plant them or your yard will be totally suckered in a few years. And they love septic systems.

 

[fossil]

...Am I really getting that weak at 59 or is elm a difficult wood to split?

I don't have any experience splitting Elm, but I do have a lot of experience. I'm the same age as you (until December, anyway), and I'd have to venture that the answer to your original question is, "All of the above". :cheese: Rick

 

[downeast]

...Am I really getting that weak at 59 or is elm a difficult wood to split?

I don't have any experience splitting Elm, but I do have a lot of experience. I'm the same age as you (until December, anyway), and I'd have to venture that the answer to your original question is, "All of the above". :cheese: Rick

WIMPS %-P