Newb

Moe, how about going out to the woods and cutting down some saplings that are 3-4" thick? The problem is that things tend to sink into the ground and you don't want the wood touching the ground. Also it is good to get some air under those stacks. You certainly have the right idea though. Good luck.

Newest maul I've got is a Truper 6# from TSC. Normally $30 but I got it on sale. I always go for the fiberglass handles. The one on this Truper seems pretty tough...they've got some kind of warranty on it, too. The problem I have with the Fiskars is that if it doesn't make it through, it will stick. I pretty much ended up with one of everything. Each one has its particular strengths...

Love that soft Maple. I split some Silver this afternoon, and have some Red to do as well. Some of the quickest-drying stuff around.
But I guess that's not White Ash? I've not seen that dark center on the White we have here...

I was told by the guy I bought it from that it is white ash. As a noob I don't know any better and took him at face value. Could the dark center be caused by ash borer?

Awesome way to start out. Smart too if you can afford the truckload. Also when you can get your wife and children invested in the process it's that much sweeter.

One suggestion though. Those rounds on the bottom aren't going to dry that great. I've learned that even rounds that size dry SO much better just split in half. Just experience talking.

No. The ash borer will kill the tree but the wood won't look any different. The bark sometimes will fall off though. Here are a few piles of ash. There are a very few elm logs in 2 of the pictures but all the rest is white ash that was killed by the borer.

Yeah I'm now confident it's ash. I guess the darker heart wood is a product of the climate and soil conditions in which it grew.