tulip poplar

[wesessiah]

i've never used it before, but i have dozens that i can use, so figured "why not?" i have one that's about 18" and i started cutting it into rounds today. when i tried to split it (using a 6 lb maul) and it's like hitting a sponge. the maul will sink 1/2" - 3/4" of an inch into it and the hole i made closes right back up with no split started. i noticed water comes to the surface on the harder swings. do i need to let it sit cut for a little while first? i always hear people talk about how it splits so easily, but i'm getting less done on this than a 22" pin oak with a curve all the way up i did last year. thanks.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

You just made me laugh. I have also run into logs that have rejected my maul too. Almost as if the tree is making its last stand. I have found 2 solutions, one is using the hydraulic splitter and two is letting the logs dry a little bit longer until the maul can get a better bite

 

[wesessiah]

You just made me laugh. I have also run into logs that have rejected my maul too. Almost as if the tree is making its last stand. I have found 2 solutions, one is using the hydraulic splitter and two is letting the logs dry a little bit longer until the maul can get a better bite

i felt ridiculous out there, lol. i was like "this is tulip poplar! it's supposed to just fall apart." this video clip represents me (bob barker) the rounds (happy gilmore) and my maul (golf club) after about 30 minutes of working on it. guess i'll get my 8 lb maul i let my neighbor borrow back. i split everything by hand, and have never had this much trouble. didn't bother with a wedge yet, figured it might just get lost, so i'll wait till i get the bigger wedge back (also at the neighbors.)

 

[bogydave]

Poplar usually splits relatively easy, grow with straight grain.
but there's always the exception.
Swing harder LOL

 

[wesessiah]

Poplar usually splits relatively easy, grow with straight grain.
but there's always the exception.
Swing harder LOL

i don't like to brag, but i can consistently ring the bell at the fair, lol. this thing is seriously more frustrating than sweet gum! already 6" of growth from the stump... so i think this one is going to be quick renewing.

 

[Nutmeg Warrior]

i've never used it before, but i have dozens that i can use, so figured "why not?" i have one that's about 18" and i started cutting it into rounds today. when i tried to split it (using a 6 lb maul) and it's like hitting a sponge. the maul will sink 1/2" - 3/4" of an inch into it and the hole i made closes right back up with no split started. i noticed water comes to the surface on the harder swings. do i need to let it sit cut for a little while first? i always hear people talk about how it splits so easily, but i'm getting less done on this than a 22" pin oak with a curve all the way up i did last year. thanks.

I had a giant poplar tree fall across my backyard last fall. I noticed that it was much easier to split after it had been sitting in rounds for a few weeks. Poplar is very wet apparently. In hind sight, I wish I hadn't bothered with it at all. It burns up way too fast, leaves no coals and smells horrible.

 

[Nick Mystic]

I've burned some poplar with no problems. I can't remember any particular problems with spitting. I use a 15 lb. maul and split by hand, so maybe you need to go to a heavier maul. On the really tough pieces I find if I give a "karate" type shout on the way down it adds a little extra kick to the maul that will usually get the job done. If you try this technique be sure to alert your wife ahead of time so she doesn't think you've finally completely gone off your rocker!

 

[lukem]

already 6" of growth from the stump

Weird. I've never seen tulip try to regrow like that. Tulip should split pretty easy too. You sure that's what you're dealing with (not trying to imply you don't know your IDs though ) ? But, there's always the oddball tree too...

 

[thewoodlands]

i've never used it before, but i have dozens that i can use, so figured "why not?" i have one that's about 18" and i started cutting it into rounds today. when i tried to split it (using a 6 lb maul) and it's like hitting a sponge. the maul will sink 1/2" - 3/4" of an inch into it and the hole i made closes right back up with no split started. i noticed water comes to the surface on the harder swings. do i need to let it sit cut for a little while first? i always hear people talk about how it splits so easily, but i'm getting less done on this than a 22" pin oak with a curve all the way up i did last year. thanks.

We had a good size bigtooth aspen come down in 2008, I went to split it with the maul, it was like taking a shower sooooooooo after breaking the handle on the maul I took the splitter 2 it.

I would let it dry out some if your splitting it by hand.

 

[CageMaster]

I've never had a problem splitting it with my fiskars x27....my only thought on this is that the maul "smashing" apart approach may not work but the fiskars "slice" thru it approach does

 

[TimJ]

I've burned some poplar with no problems. I can't remember any particular problems with spitting. I use a 15 lb. maul and split by hand, so maybe you need to go to a heavier maul. On the really tough pieces I find if I give a "karate" type shout on the way down it adds a little extra kick to the maul that will usually get the job done. If you try this technique be sure to alert your wife ahead of time so she doesn't think you've finally completely gone off your rocker!

I'd be making alot of noise too if I was coming down with a 15 pound maul

 

[BrotherBart]

Lots of Tulip here on my place. Stack the rounds for a while and it splits easy. When it is wet it is like trying to split rubber.

 

[Applesister]

Tulip poplar is in the magnolia family. Its not poplar.
I think anything cut down and processed now is going to be a PITA as you guys say. I owe my sister 500.00 and we agreed we would trade 2 cords of stacked wood as the fair trade. But she keeps putting it off and I keep stacking and cutting. And things are getting wet and goohy. The black birch I just cut was almost impossible to split. It was like elm.
So...do we pack it up till August??
Guys out there who cut???
Spring is sap SEASON, are we fighting an uphill battle? No ground seems to be gained with waterlogged logs.
Everybody on here is having splitting problems.

 

[BrotherBart]

Everybody on here is having splitting problems.

Not everybody. I am splitting for the winter of 2015/2016.

 

[Applesister]

Or am I just looking for an excuse to quit and go swimming?
No, Ive read in farmers journals and almanacs that wood should be felled in the winter and early/late spring is the worse time to try and do it. I need 3 more cords of lighter BTU wood and think it may be better to call around and find some that was cut last winter.
But Im too cheap to pay for wood.
Chit or go blind.
Just keep going?

 

[Applesister]

Not everybody. I am splitting for the winter of 2015/2016.

Well you arent cutting trees down now, are you?
I guess it doesnt matter how long sappy green wood dries if you arent going to burn it for 3 years. Duh...

 

[Applesister]

Yeah...yeah...yeah...the 3 year window period!!

 

[BrotherBart]

Well you arent cutting trees down now, are you?

Two oaks dropped a couple of weeks ago and one to take down probably next week.

I use the Farmer's Almanac for kindling.

 

[ScotO]

poplar is a good shoulder season wood if better ss woods aren't available (like silver or red maple, or pines and firs). Anytime I cut big poplars down now, I use them for board wood. I've got over 1000 bd. ft of it that's almost ready to start making benches and shelves out of right now.....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I think perhaps there are many who confuse tulip poplar with regular poplar or aspen. Those are horsed of a different color for sure.

Tulip poplar is in the magnolia family. Its not poplar.
I think anything cut down and processed now is going to be a PITA as you guys say. I owe my sister 500.00 and we agreed we would trade 2 cords of stacked wood as the fair trade. But she keeps putting it off and I keep stacking and cutting. And things are getting wet and goohy. The black birch I just cut was almost impossible to split. It was like elm.
So...do we pack it up till August??
Guys out there who cut???
Spring is sap SEASON, are we fighting an uphill battle? No ground seems to be gained with waterlogged logs.
Everybody on here is having splitting problems.

No! Not everybody. We just finished splitting and it was no problem at all.



Stacking can wait.

 

[wesessiah]

my options for shoulder wood are tulip, sweet gum, and whatever kind of pine you see in the following picture. i'll give the karate shout a try, lol. edit: that big leaner in the background is a tulip poplar, it's a good ways back... close to 3 feet in diameter, and looks to be nearly 100 feet tall. i'm going to let it come down on its own since nothing is around it, and with it being softer and already leaning, i don't want to risk a barber chair. really, i probably wouldn't deal something that size anyway. edit2: i don't feel too good about cutting the pines i have, all of them have tons of widowmakers, you can see one in the picture below, that i knocked down before i started cutting the tulip.
here is a picture of the tree, and the leaves... i'll take a picture of that regrowth and post it later...

 

[Paulywalnut]

Learn something everyday. I always thought poplar was well...poplar.
Mostly tulip around this area. I stay away from it for firewood. Nice shade though.

 

[wesessiah]

Weird. I've never seen tulip try to regrow like that. Tulip should split pretty easy too. You sure that's what you're dealing with (not trying to imply you don't know your IDs though ) ? But, there's always the oddball tree too...

i'm glad you posted this... because now that i looked at the regrowth (actually a lot more growth than i realized now that i'm paying attention) i don't believe it's the tree growing back, but something growing out of it. the leaves aren't shaped right, and they're already twice the size of tulip poplar leaves. keep in mind, this stump is about 18" across, and this grew within two weeks. if everyone has already quit following this thread, i may need to make an id thread for this growth.

 

[TimJ]

That is a sucker growing from the stump which is still live. Leaves will always be bigger on a fast growing soft branch making a resergence

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Very common for the leaf of young trees to be much larger and even a little different in shape than the older growth. It is really something sometimes to see the size of a young sassafras. Humongous!