I now know why they call it rock Maple

I had three giant (36"+) sugar maple put down this week by a professional, no one wants the logs as they are dooryard logs, but I think I'll have a couple of peaces sawed for personal use. I started bucking and splitting some of the smaller peaces and I actually broke the splitting wedge on a small y. This stuff is way harder to split than the hickory and oak I grew up on, not as hard as Elm.

Wow Norman, I've never experienced that but perhaps this is a different maple than we have. As for the big logs, if you can get them cut to length, if it were me I'd split them.

Probably the same species, I was reading the other day that some Canadians call sugar maple, rock maple, these were knarly 200yr old trees that looked tall and straight, but have lots knots that the mainstem covered up, and I'll probably spit most of the logs.

I always think trees from in town are harder to split that trees from the woods

I was just splitting some hard maple a couple night ago that was harder than most I have seen. The straight pieces with no knots were fine but the bigger ones that had any limbs out the side gave the splitter a little work and then it would just "bang" and break apart.