smallest round you split

[CALJREICH]

Hi Everyone,
I was wondering what the smallest size log everyone splits. I know splitting is essential to seasoning wood but what about logs only 4 -6 inches in diameter? I have about 2 cords of smaller diameter logs in a pile for about a year. Should I split em or stack em or burn em? About half of them were from standing DEAD trees mostly oak and cherry? Anyway whats the smallest log you split? Thanks

 

[begreen]

About 5-6" for me, but we have a big stove. If it was smaller I might split 4 inchers in half. Go ahead a split up several rounds of both species and check for moisture. If they are ok, then stack 'em and burn 'em.

 

[kabbott]

If it's 4-5" I pop it in half, Not only will it dry a bit faster it keeps the wife happy when she needs to load the boiler. Well worth the extra effort :coolgrin:

 

[Wood Duck]

I split some of the rounds as small 4 inches in diameter just to make sure they season, and because I like splitting. If I am in a hurry I might leave the four inchers unsplit. If I have more time than wood to split, I might split some that are even a little smaller than 4 inches. I try to split the 4 inch oak, which seasons slowly, and also small birch, which tend to rot if not split. A lot of small rounds don't stand up on their own or they have a Y or knot, in which case I leave them unsplit.

 

[PapaDave]

Until this year, I split just about anything I got my hands on, down to about 3-4". I was getting 95% oak at the time. I still have a lot of oak, but I've got almost 3 years of firewood done, and I leave stuff as big as 5-6" sometimes. I'll see how those dry, and if not done, I'll start splitting the smaller stuff again.
Pine will get split down to about 4" simply because it seems as though if I don't, the borers get in and do a lot of damage before they're ready to burn.
It's really pretty funny looking back a couple years, ........I didn't know any of this.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

It always seems to me that rounds last longer in the stove than splits so we do not split very small stuff. Probably we split most stuff that is over 5." I like to put a round or two in the bottom when building an overnight fire during the coldest part of winter.

 

[stee6043]

Anything bigger than 4ish and I split. Primarily for the drying factor....

Like some have said above if I had 3+ years stacked I'd probably split them larger. But I'm only just now working on wrapping up my 2011/2012 stack. So smaller is still better in my case....

 

[northwinds]

If I can hit them, I usually split them. However, if it's the small, really old elm that makes the maul bounce, I make an exception.
In fact, I'm starting to let the elm rounds stay quite large.

 

[fossil]

I routinely split everything down to ~4"- 5" diameter. Smaller than that depends on the wood, how straight it is, how easily it splits, how quickly I'd like to see it season, and whether I'm hand splitting or using the hydraulic. I've split rounds down to ~3" . Rick

 

[precaud]

I split everything 6" and larger.

 

[Got Wood]

I have found that those small diameter rounds take forever to season if left unsplit. If I ever hear that dreaded "hissing" coming from the fire I always find it to be one of those small branch pieces. Using the Hydraulic I split most everything down to about 3".

 

[Danno77]

If I can hit them, I usually split them...

That's my policy, too (with the added rule that they also need to be able to stand on their own.)

 

[firefighterjake]

My own rule of thumb is that if I can easily grasp the round with my hand it remains unsplit . . . the exception being a) white birch to keep it from rotting, b) the first year when I needed to have everything split small to promote as much seasoning as I could in a short time and c) how bored I get with the splitter -- if I'm having a grand, old time I may split some stuff I would normally leave in the round just because I'm enjoying the splitting process and don't want to stop.

 

[ChrisNJ]

I split some of the rounds as small 4 inches in diameter just to make sure they season, and because I like splitting. If I am in a hurry I might leave the four inchers unsplit. If I have more time than wood to split, I might split some that are even a little smaller than 4 inches. I try to split the 4 inch oak, which seasons slowly, and also small birch, which tend to rot if not split. A lot of small rounds don't stand up on their own or they have a Y or knot, in which case I leave them unsplit.

+1 exactly

 

[70marlin]

6" and bigger. I like putting a couple 5" oak branch wood rounds in the stove before I go to bed, they seem to burn a little slower. I'll have some coals in the morning.