Tips Tricks Advice please.

[gpcollen1]

Monster Mauls come 12#. You will see from their shape that you CAN'T drive a wedge with this style. And again . . . 16# sledge.

And seriously . . . forget the poplar :sick:

It's a tulip poplar so not TOO bad, but it isn't great. The tree's top fell out and it had to go...


Where is the best place to get a monster?

I hate wood snobbery. Out of the 7 cords I have for this year, about 1 cord is Tulip [it is not a poplar btw] and willow. Both were free and burn just fine. I try and stack them for use in fall and toward spring but they work well anytime you want the stove to get hot very quickly, like in the AM. It is mixed in nicely with my maple, oak, beech, cherry and ash. I love having a variety of wood .

 

[Corriewf]

Monster Mauls come 12#. You will see from their shape that you CAN'T drive a wedge with this style. And again . . . 16# sledge.

And seriously . . . forget the poplar :sick:

It's a tulip poplar so not TOO bad, but it isn't great. The tree's top fell out and it had to go...


Where is the best place to get a monster?

I hate wood snobbery. Out of the 7 cords I have for this year, about 1 cord is Tulip [it is not a poplar btw] and willow. Both were free and burn just fine. I try and stack them for use in fall and toward spring but they work well anytime you want the stove to get hot very quickly, like in the AM. It is mixed in nicely with my maple, oak, beech, cherry and ash. I love having a variety of wood .

Oh hell yeah! I love burning this poplar cause I don't have to waste my oak getting the stove up to temp in the mornings.

Check out my newly stacked poplar...I still have some more to split.

 

[Corriewf]

I think that is silver maple in the right pic. I can't get that chit to split to save my life. I hit it and my wedge just bounces off. Should I noodle? This poplar and maple makes me miss oak...

 

[KeepItNatural]

I use a grenade wedge on all of my tricky stuff. http://www.amazon.com/Ace-Truper-Wg-4x-c33098-Collins-Grenade/dp/B000QTMT7W
This bad boy busts up some pretty gnarly, twisted grain wood. The only other thing I would suggest if you're having a rough time splitting what you've got, would be to cut it even smaller. As in- a 3 foot round becomes two 18 inch rounds. It's a little extra work, but if you're comfortable with a saw, you can do it pretty quickly, you wont waste too much gas and you wont need to rent a splitter.
Good luck.

 

[quads]

I disagree with other posters about 'peeling' a tough piece. This MAY work with a maul, but when using a wedge, split the round into two generally egual size pieces first.

It doesn't work with a maul either, at least not with oak that I am used to. Anytime I ever started peeling from the edges, especially if there was a knot or a crotch, I ended up with a clumsy chunk from the middle that just fractures into pieces when I continue splitting. The way I do it, is turn the round upside down from the way it grew, and line it up with the crotch or knot and split straight through it so that I end up with what looks like two fan-shaped pieces. Then it's easy to make those two pieces smaller from there.

I never said anything before about the 'peeling from the outside' method, because I only have experience with oak and I thought maybe that way works for other people that are splitting something else. Pieces do come off the outside easier, maybe, but the inside quite often turns into a fractured mess, at least it does for the kind of oak I split.

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

I disagree with other posters about 'peeling' a tough piece. This MAY work with a maul, but when using a wedge, split the round into two generally egual size pieces first.

It doesn't work with a maul either . . . I never said anything before about the 'peeling from the outside' method . . .

Those outside-peelers are splittin with an axe ;-) They tried splittin down the middle of a 3' round and the axe got stuck. :lol:

 

[Corriewf]

Buddy of mine put and edge on my maul and it really made a difference. I am finally chipping away at that maple. It is soo hard and knotty. Tons of little quarter sized knots throughout the entire wood.

 

[Lakelivin]

corie,, you say you cant afford a log splitter.. would it be feasable to rent one for the weekend .. our rental company around here charges for one day rental if you pick-up late friday and return early monday it;s only like $40- $50 for the entire weekend..i used to do that before i got the deal on mine... My neighbor had one in a shed ,looked brand new.. i asked him.. hey you ever use that.. he said no, he bought it brand new used it an hour put it in his shed and forgot about it..(my eyes light up) i ask.... wanna sell it?.. the next day he says .. My wife and i talked it over and if you want it give us $ 300.00 , One of those right place at the right time deals..

i have some rounds left in my woods too big to lift.. i was thinking i would need to noodle them to get them home.. or haul the splitter out with the 4 wheeler.. but hand splitting them didnt seem like an option . this is maple as well..


pete

 

[Corriewf]

corie,, you say you cant afford a log splitter.. would it be feasable to rent one for the weekend .. our rental company around here charges for one day rental if you pick-up late friday and return early monday it;s only like $40- $50 for the entire weekend..i used to do that before i got the deal on mine... My neighbor had one in a shed ,looked brand new.. i asked him.. hey you ever use that.. he said no, he bought it brand new used it an hour put it in his shed and forgot about it..(my eyes light up) i ask.... wanna sell it?.. the next day he says .. My wife and i talked it over and if you want it give us $ 300.00 , One of those right place at the right time deals..

i have some rounds left in my woods too big to lift.. i was thinking i would need to noodle them to get them home.. or haul the splitter out with the 4 wheeler.. but hand splitting them didnt seem like an option . this is maple as well..


pete

Well, Northern Tool has this one, http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...16859_200316859?cm_sp=RVC-_-Footer-_-Products ... What do you think? I personally think it probably won't hold up well, but I am no expert. I would def take a log splitter for 300, but no way I can afford 800+ for one.

 

[Lakelivin]

10 tons is not much , especially if you have knotty wood or some denser hardwoods.. if renting one is not fesaible then this may help .. i dont know how much work you put into pumping that ..seems that same effort you would use on a maul..

 

[Corriewf]

10 tons is not much , especially if you have knotty wood or some denser hardwoods.. if renting one is not fesaible then this may help .. i dont know how much work you put into pumping that ..seems that same effort you would use on a maul..

Well I busted up a maple round by chipping away at the outsides after I got a nice sharpening of the maul. I can't believe the difference the sharpening made.

 

[Tony H]

I cut and split about 10 cords of silver maple the last 2 years and they were some big trees here is what I found

all the rounds up to about 24" split fine right down the middle with a maul or splitter the bigger ones up to 3 31/2 ' split in 1/3 s maul or splitter and the big ones -too big for me to roll onto the trailer I split with wedges go about 1/4 or 1/3 in and kerf it with the saw then I use a 5lb short handle sledge to get it started and then use a 8lb maul hammer side or a 12lb sledge. I con't understand why someone said not to use the hammer side of the maul that's what it is designed for.

Poplar , box elder, pine all work fine within limits in the fall or spring and mixed with other woods, If it's free I wouldn't go and pay good money for some not so great wood.

 

[Corriewf]

I cut and split about 10 cords of silver maple the last 2 years and they were some big trees here is what I found

all the rounds up to about 24" split fine right down the middle with a maul or splitter the bigger ones up to 3 31/2 ' split in 1/3 s maul or splitter and the big ones -too big for me to roll onto the trailer I split with wedges go about 1/4 or 1/3 in and kerf it with the saw then I use a 5lb short handle sledge to get it started and then use a 8lb maul hammer side or a 12lb sledge. I con't understand why someone said not to use the hammer side of the maul that's what it is designed for.

Poplar , box elder, pine all work fine within limits in the fall or spring and mixed with other woods, If it's free I wouldn't go and pay good money for some not so great wood.

Thanks Tony. I guess I will break down and buy a wedge and sledge. I picked up some oak over the weekend that my maul is bouncing off of...