Splitting wood this weekend need some info on how big to split

[Mroverkill]

Hey there all


so last year i was splitting my wood kinda small and i would burn through it "pretty quick"


so this year
(my 2nd year buring ) i am thinking of making my splits bigger so it takes longer to burn BUT how big is to big of a split


i was thinking of splitting some wood into 16 pices to use as starters then some into 8 and then some into 4 ALL depending on dia of the logs most of mine are 20-24" and bigger

 

[Highbeam]

Split it small enough that you can pick each piece up with one hand. No smaller and no bigger. You can, and should, always split it down as needed when you bring it into the house pile. I oversplit the last 20 cords or so and am slowly realizing that it is smarter to split big and then resplit here and there as needed.

 

[billb3]

I like a mix ( and my splits tend to get bigger as the day wears on )
you can always split them in January if you find you have too many big ones or they are way too big.
I have a small stove though and too many 'big' ones doesn't really work too well.
One big one on top seems to work best. YMMV.

 

[mywaynow]

+1 on the mix. You need different size and types of woods for different situations. Harder woods like Oak can be split smaller since they are so dense, however, those woods offer long burn times when large, so again mix it up. Small numbers of large and small aplits and mostly medium sizes.

 

[Danno77]

The sooner I plan on burning it, the smaller the splits are.

 

[Remmy122]

I like a mix ( and my splits tend to get bigger as the day wears on )
.

+1

 

[shawneyboy]

As others have said, I prefer a mix. I load up the biguns, then fill her up with the smaller ones in the dead of winter. Better to big, and have to split it than to small, and have to glue it back together.

Shawn

 

[KarlP]

I like a mix

+1

( and my splits tend to get bigger as the day wears on )

-1. I split hydraulic while sitting. As the split pile gets taller and my arms get more tired, I split them smaller to toss them to the top of the pile with less effort.

 

[Mroverkill]

ok but are big splits good for when im trying to get nice long burns and what a "to big" of a split one that wont fit into the stove ? lol

 

[Danno77]

It's only too big if it can't thoroughly season all the way through by the time you need to burn it.

 

[Mroverkill]

other then that any other issues on big ones lol im splitting this weekend for the 12-13 season (next years)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Always split the wood small enough so that it fits through the firebox door.

I like the biggest splits during the coldest part of the winter. I like the biggest splits for overnight burns. Medium otherwise as it gets easier to fit the small or medium sized splits into the stove. For sure we always start with a big split or a round in the bottom rear of the stove. That is one of the keys to overnight burns as that one will burn the slowest. Splits from 4" - 6" are pretty good for fitting them in but have some larger ones on hand.

 

[SolarAndWood]

most of mine are 20-24" and bigger

I try to make big ones out of those bigger rounds. Making big splits always produces plenty of smaller stuff. However, if you are splitting for next year, go small. Better to burn dry.

 

[xman23]

I split 85 percent very big, about 8" X 6" splits or 6 " rounds unsplit. 10 percent medium size. 5 percent small starter wood. You can always resplit the biger stuff if needed. The only time I need to burn anything but the big wood is when we are starting a fire with no coals and the shoulder season. I sort the burn pile outside the door so I can easily find the starter wood.

Tom

 

[dafattkidd]

Mroverkill is this wood for this coming winter? If so split small.

I wish I could throw 8" monsters in my stove. The firebox is big enough I just can't wait three years for that stuff to season. I don't have the space for that.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

the further you get ahead the larger you can cut them. as said you will get smaller ones naturally or just by cutting limbs etc.

 

[Oldmainer]

Hi Guys...the subject of splitting has about been beat to death so I can't add very much. I split a variety of sizes and use them depending on what kind of day or night it is and what kind of fire I need. The Old Allnighter isn't fussy on layout...usually get a good burn from it day or night. Franklin

 

[Mroverkill]

im splitting for NEXT season not this one so i just want to try to get at least one year ahead but my goal is two. for this year i have 3 cords and a friend of mine has about 1.5 hopfully 2.5 cords by his house thats been sitting for about 4 years lol so that almost puts me to my yearly goal of 5 cords

 

[rdust]

im splitting for NEXT season not this one so i just want to try to get at least one year ahead but my goal is two.

The biggest question I would have is what type of wood are you splitting for next year? If it's any of the oaks I wouldn't get too carried away with the size, I'd keep them on the medium side and hope for the best.

When I split it really depends on the size of the log I'm splitting. For my max size I try to keep it around the size of the splitter wedge. My wife also loads the stove a lot so I try to keep a good amount of pieces manageable for her.

For me I also found it's a matter of learning what the stove likes. Some stoves may burn better or load better with a certain size split then others. How I split today is different from how I split when I started running a splitter.

 

[Wood Duck]

The biggest split should be small enough that you can fit at least two and preferably three of them in at once. If I load one really big split that means I can load only a few smaller ones with it. The small ones burn away leaving most of the large one in the stove by itself, and one piece of wood doesn't burn very well by itself, at least not in my stove. I do a lot better with several medium splits than one big one. Keep in mind that yo have some coals in the stove when you load so you have to allow space for the coals.

 

[firefighterjake]

I like a mix of small, medium and large splits . . . small ones are nice for restarting the fire or on a reload, medium splits that my wife can easily handle are good for most of the burning we do and I like a few large splits for my longer overnight or overday fires.

 

[xman23]

The Oslo is not the largest stove, but you can get a 26" log in it. I burn at least 3 year old oak that's very seasoned. So I can get away burning 1 monster split on a 2" bed of coals and a hot stove. 2 monster splits fills the stove and burns well on a deep bed of coals. That's been my goal to keep the splits large and the burn time between reloads as long as possibly.

Tom

 

[nate379]

I think it all depends on stove/wood and personal preference too. The splits in your picture, I would be splitting them again.

most of mine are 20-24" and bigger

I try to make big ones out of those bigger rounds. Making big splits always produces plenty of smaller stuff. However, if you are splitting for next year, go small. Better to burn dry.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I think it all depends on stove/wood and personal preference too. The splits in your picture, I would be splitting them again.

I don't disagree. This will be year 6 for me and split size has grown as I have gotten further ahead. I have found that the bigger splits have significantly reduced processing and handling time while still producing plenty of the smaller stuff. The big square firebox in the King has no problem taking 3 of those big ones in my original pic on top of a healthy coal bed.

Again, if I was splitting for NEXT season, I wouldn't split anywhere near that big.