Hardest Wood to Split by Hand???

My vote: Black Birch by far. Split a cord of Hickory, no problem. My mystery wood comes in second. Splitting with the X27 kept razor sharp too BTW.

What's everyone's two cents?

Try splitting some hornbeam some call it snag around here. It don't split it shreds, grows twisted some are impossible to split even with hydrolic splitter

When you are through with that, get some elm.

+1 on twisted American elm trunks.

I understand that the only one who has ever split this by hand (literally) is Chuck Norris, but he didn't like it.

English Elm is not only difficult to split, it burns just like a mouldy old gravestone.

Probably best left to rot quietly in the woods.....

Elm. Should be on the list.

Black gum should also be on the do not scrounge list.

Elm is pretty tough, and I can't say that 6 month seasoned fir/spruce/pine much better if it has all of those branches coming out the sides on every piece...

Poplar, but only after the round has been seasoned. I've never split elm, but seasoned poplar will pull fibers instead of cracking apart (which requires hacking each split apart). Splits like a champ when it's green though.

I'll attest to that. Last year I took down a large, dead standing Austrian pine that was in a windbreak. It had all sorts of branches and a good twist going up the trunk. Nasty.

For me elm is usually the roughest. Just tears and balls up in the hyd splitter if not seasoned. When seasoned it bounces the splitting maul right back at you ro tears in the hyd splitter. Had a hard time with some twisted apple once that almost made me wish for elm.

American Elm without question. Maybe 5% of the time I'll luck out & get some that dont have that interlocked grain.Not many left around here that are over 10"-12" diameter.

I never enjoyed splitting apple wood that much.....remember it being a bit of a pain.

twisted hedge

I vote for sweet gum also.

You must not have experience with elm to nit have it on your list.

Lignum Vitae. That's just a guess though.

elm and cottonwood. I usually like to leave elm until the bark falls off before i cut it. Cottonwood i usually like to leave until it rots and is reincorporated into a better tree.

+1 on Elm

Definitely Elm for me

Yes. How about long-dead apple that has air-dried thoroughly where it fell? But, well worth the brutality required.

Worst ever I've split: swamp chestnut oak. For a friend. Could not be split by hand, with the counter-spiraling grain on the outside. Hydraulic splitter worked its little pump off with the stuff. It more like cut it, than split it.

Other -- elm.

I'm betting that about now iodonnell has realized he goofed on the list of hard to split. :lol:

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!