Will this Pin Oak force me to buy a splitter?

[dave11]

Two months ago, I got a bunch of free Pin Oak, huge rounds, probably two cords worth. Have been trying to split by hand, and mostly getting nowhere. Even my 8 lb Snow and Nealley maul, which destroys most other wood, just bounces off this stuff. Wedges tends to penetrate half way, then bounce out. Have split Locust, Maple, Pine, Poplar in the past few years, with no trouble, nothing like this.

I know others here have talked about the trouble splitting pin/red oak, even though, amazingly, on other websites people talk about how easy it is to split. They must be talking about some other type of wood.

So my question is: Should I throw in the towel and buy a splitter? Haven't needed one up till now, but I've got all this Pin Oak lying around that needs to be split and stacked. Has anyone ever regretted buying their splitter?

 

[Nic36]

There are so many common names for Oak trees, I won't even guess as to which species of oak you are trying to split. All I know is I would have killed myself trying to hand split the large Willow Oak tree that fell in my yard a year or more ago. I split it all with my Huskee splitter, and it took me a long time with that. I can't help but smile every time I split a piece of wood with it that I know I would not be able to split with a wedge. If I lived up north, heated exclusively with wood, and had to process a large amount of firewood every year, a splitter wood be a no brainer.

I wouldn't even consider renting one.

 

[krex1010]

Pin oak is my least favorite tree to split ( I haven't ever split elm). I have a small pile of rounds that my splitter won't split and it's all pin oak. The lower trunk usually splits pretty well but once you get further up the tree where all those nasty leads start branching off, that's where it gets brutal to split. The stuff burns awesome when seasoned though.

 

[TreePointer]

Pin oak splits a lot like northern red oak, and in my experience, it's more prone to have that cow manure smell when freshly split.

 

[Jutt77]

Two months ago, I got a bunch of free Pin Oak, huge rounds, probably two cords worth. Have been trying to split by hand, and mostly getting nowhere. Even my 8 lb Snow and Nealley maul, which destroys most other wood, just bounces off this stuff. Wedges tends to penetrate half way, then bounce out. Have split Locust, Maple, Pine, Poplar in the past few years, with no trouble, nothing like this.

I know others here have talked about the trouble splitting pin/red oak, even though, amazingly, on other websites people talk about how easy it is to split. They must be talking about some other type of wood.

So my question is: Should I throw in the towel and buy a splitter? Haven't needed one up till now, but I've got all this Pin Oak lying around that needs to be split and stacked. Has anyone ever regretted buying their splitter?

I've seen Craigslist ads for $50/day 35ton splitter rental around here. That may be an option unless you're planning on splitting a lot.

 

[modo]

Pin oak splits a lot like northern red oak, and in my experience, it's more prone to have that cow manure smell when freshly split.

Pin oak is everywhere around here, I cut alot of it. I always thought it split pretty good in comparison with some other wood. But it does have a distinctive odor when freshly split... Around here it's called pi** oak, or urine oak, instead of pin oak.

 

[NH_Wood]

I've seen Craigslist ads for $50/day 35ton splitter rental around here. That may be an option unless you're planning on splitting a lot.[/quote]

+1 - rent a splitter if you think you won't be needing it too often. Save lots of your tough rounds for a weekend splitter rental. Red oak is one of my favorite woods to split, although it can be tough sometimes - I usually have very good luck with it. Plus, I love the smell of fresh split red oak! Cheers!

 

[dave11]

The only drawback to renting the splitter is that I could never get through all this wood in just a day or two. The wood is really dense and heavy, and a lot of the pieces are too heavy to pick up, even for two guys to lift. So I guess I'd need to rent a splitter that will work vertically, but either keep it for a couple days, or rent and return it whenever I want to work on the oak.

I've never used a splitter before, but someone here mentioned they've had oak that a splitter wouldn't split?

Is there wood that can resist a 30 ton splitter?

The wood in the pic is only about half of what I've got to split.

 

[mywaynow]

I have gone through lots of Pin Oak, Red Oak and White Oak. I split a bunch of the Red by hand, and just tossed the nasty stuff in a pile for future machine splitting. Red does split nice when it is free of knots. Pin is loaded with knots. Just look at a live tree and observe all the dead limbs. They will become knots as the tree grows over them. White Oak is stringy and can be time consuming with a splitter due to the need to cycle the wedge through most of the range. I have cut the absolute nastiest, knotiest, multi trunk sections of oak with my 28 ton Husky. There has not been a piece of wood that did not split in this splitter. It's vertical/horizontal splitting takes larger logs head on. I keep a shale bar and pick handy to help move the big ones around. Just get them into to managable sizes and go back to horizontal splitting. It takes me about 2 hours to split a cord of medium size (up to 24 inch diameter) logs. Push the Tractor supply for a discount and stick with the 28 ton unit. It uses a Hondal engine vs. the Briggs that the 22 and 35 ton use. My TSC contact said the 28 is likely as strong as the 35 and is a couple hundred less. The greatest thing about having the splitter is that I eliminate a step in the old process by bringing the trailer of logs to the stacking area where I have the splitter set up. I go from the trailer to the splitter (not to the ground, and then up to the splitter) and to the pile of split wood to be stacked. The elimination of picking a log up off the ground seems simple, but is invaluable when putting in longer days of firewood work. The only way you can take advantage of this process is to own the splitter. If you rented the splitter, it would sit idle for 2/3 of the time as you cut/loaded the truck. You won't regret purchasing one, as long as you get a good one. Good luck.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

+1. I have borrowed splitters for years, and this year, finally purchased my own. Before, when I borrowed one, I felt obligated to split as much as I could,as fast as I could - and then return it. Now, with my 22 ton Huskee, I split however much I want- whenever I want - and the only thing I regret is not buying one many years ago. And, there has never been a round yet that my splitter didnt laugh at - mostly oak,ash, and locust. I have split notoriously tough woods also - elm, and Bradford pear, and it ripped thru those, as well. ;-P

 

[eujamfh]

I rented a couple times before running in to what others have noted above - when you rent, you want to maximize your time and I would work sun up to sunset. I still could not get what I wanted done. Recommend you troll CL and the local stores for closeouts...around us, they are hard to find used and anything running gets $500 easy...so for a couple hundred more, you will get near new in the upper 20's for tonnage. That said, a 22 ton will also do the job...Course, it is an outlay of money which for me I did not have the first year so renting was the best route. But once I found a a good deal and had the money...I pulled the trigger. I am confident I will be able to use it for the next couple years and easily make more than 50% if we have to relocate and I sell it. PLus - now I can work a few hours here and there without feeling like I am not getting my money's worth. Good luck!

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Get some helpers and go for it! I can usually split a full cord in a little over 1 1/2 hr with stacking it. If you have a cherry picker or can borrow one you can use it and a pair of tongs to lift them on to the splitter.

Billy

 

[smokinj]

Get some helpers and go for it! I can usually split a full cord in a little over 1 1/2 hr with stacking it. If you have a cherry picker or can borrow one you can use it and a pair of tongs to lift them on to the splitter.

Billy

NICE!

 

[Thistle]

I'd buy a splitter & never look back if I was you.

I bought a Speeco 20 ton horizontal/vertical w/ 8hp Tecumseh new in April '96.Only a couple times did it stall or kill the engine on me.That was a couple 24"+ gnarly green American Elm stumps.Ended up with 4 cords of Elm & some Pin Oak when I cleared some flat land next to shallow creek for melon growing.I put everything I had through that splitter - Honey Locust,Red/Black/White/Bur Oak,Hickory,Mulberry,some Red Elm.I ended up selling it in Dec 2005 when I got laid off for 3 weeks & needed quick cash for Xmas & other things..Still got 75% of what I paid for it,thats pretty good for 9yrs old.

Sure wish I had it now,my back & shoulders starting to give me fits on some days.Thats just age & 20+ yrs of working construction catching up to me.

 

[oldspark]

+1. I have borrowed splitters for years, and this year, finally purchased my own. Before, when I borrowed one, I felt obligated to split as much as I could,as fast as I could - and then return it. Now, with my 22 ton Huskee, I split however much I want- whenever I want - and the only thing I regret is not buying one many years ago. And, there has never been a round yet that my splitter didnt laugh at - mostly oak,ash, and locust. I have split notoriously tough woods also - elm, and Bradford pear, and it ripped thru those, as well. ;-P

+1 love the huskee!

 

[gzecc]

The only drawback to renting the splitter is that I could never get through all this wood in just a day or two. The wood is really dense and heavy, and a lot of the pieces are too heavy to pick up, even for two guys to lift. So I guess I'd need to rent a splitter that will work vertically, but either keep it for a couple days, or rent and return it whenever I want to work on the oak.

I've never used a splitter before, but someone here mentioned they've had oak that a splitter wouldn't split?

Is there wood that can resist a 30 ton splitter?

The wood in the pic is only about half of what I've got to split.

A lot of what you have, some people would not have taken if they didn't own a splitter. The Y's (where the brance comes off the trunk) are extreamly difficult to split by hand. If it staight grained without a Y it should be easy, if you start from the sides.
I don't own a splitter and need to be careful of the pieces I scrounge. I can only use so many chopping blocks.
Another solution is to split the straight stuff first and save up the y's and rent a splitter.

 

[Wood Duck]

There are so many common names for Oak trees, I won't even guess as to which species of oak you are trying to split.

Pin Oak is the generally accepted common name for Quercus palustris - it isn't a local name for another species. I am not sure it is found in the deep south so that may be why you don't recognize the name.

I'd say try splitting the rounds frozen, like they should be right now. Maybe they'll be more prone to crack. As for buying a splitter, at this point in my life I say NEVER! Ask me again in a decade or two and I may say something different. I enjoy having a couple of tough rounds to hammer on when I need some stress relief. I will admit that I have never had a pile pile of tough rounds I've needed to go through all at once.

 

[oldspark]

There are so many common names for Oak trees, I won't even guess as to which species of oak you are trying to split.

Pin Oak is the generally accepted common name for Quercus palustris - it isn't a local name for another species. I am not sure it is found in the deep south so that may be why you don't recognize the name.

I'd say try splitting the rounds frozen, like they should be right now. Maybe they'll be more prone to crack. As for buying a splitter, at this point in my life I say NEVER! Ask me again in a decade or two and I may say something different. I enjoy having a couple of tough rounds to hammer on when I need some stress relief. I will admit that I have never had a pile pile of tough rounds I've needed to go through all at once.

Very true and it is a member of the red oak family I believe.

 

[Thistle]

There are so many common names for Oak trees, I won't even guess as to which species of oak you are trying to split.

Pin Oak is the generally accepted common name for Quercus palustris - it isn't a local name for another species. I am not sure it is found in the deep south so that may be why you don't recognize the name.

I'd say try splitting the rounds frozen, like they should be right now. Maybe they'll be more prone to crack. As for buying a splitter, at this point in my life I say NEVER! Ask me again in a decade or two and I may say something different. I enjoy having a couple of tough rounds to hammer on when I need some stress relief. I will admit that I have never had a pile pile of tough rounds I've needed to go through all at once.

Very true and it is a member of the red oak family I believe.

Yes it is.

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

I've never worked on Pin Oak, but if it's like other Red Oak . . .

Even big stuff will split just fine with a MM. Crotches/Knots will be troublesome when the stuff gets that big. Work around those.

Using hydraulics to split Oak is for old people :roll: . I mean really old!(This excludes Dennis, of course )

 

[dave11]

There are so many common names for Oak trees, I won't even guess as to which species of oak you are trying to split.

Pin Oak is the generally accepted common name for Quercus palustris - it isn't a local name for another species. I am not sure it is found in the deep south so that may be why you don't recognize the name.

I'd say try splitting the rounds frozen, like they should be right now. Maybe they'll be more prone to crack. As for buying a splitter, at this point in my life I say NEVER! Ask me again in a decade or two and I may say something different. I enjoy having a couple of tough rounds to hammer on when I need some stress relief. I will admit that I have never had a pile pile of tough rounds I've needed to go through all at once.

That's how I used to feel, before I met this pile of wood. I thought I'd never need a splitter, because I'd gotten so good at splitting by hand. Even frozen, its no go. Even my wood grenade just gets half way in, then pops out.

I'm sure the fact that most of he rounds are so big has a lot to do with it, but I split locust that was as big with no trouble, just some extra time.

There isn't much free wood to be had around here, so I take what I can get. I guess that means i'll be getting a splitter.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

The only drawback to renting the splitter is that I could never get through all this wood in just a day or two. The wood is really dense and heavy, and a lot of the pieces are too heavy to pick up, even for two guys to lift. So I guess I'd need to rent a splitter that will work vertically, but either keep it for a couple days, or rent and return it whenever I want to work on the oak.

I've never used a splitter before, but someone here mentioned they've had oak that a splitter wouldn't split?

Is there wood that can resist a 30 ton splitter?

The wood in the pic is only about half of what I've got to split.

"A lot of what you have, some people would not have taken if they didn't own a splitter." The Y's (where the brance comes off the trunk) are extreamly difficult to split by hand. If it staight grained without a Y it should be easy, if you start from the sides.
I don't own a splitter and need to be careful of the pieces I scrounge. I can only use so many chopping blocks.
Another solution is to split the straight stuff first and save up the y's and rent a splitter.

This is true. I am a scrounger extrodinaire....and before i had my splitter, I couldnt split a huge portion of what I scrounged. Now, I am rippin' thru any/everything I find.

 

[dave11]

I've never worked on Pin Oak, but if it's like other Red Oak . . .

Even big stuff will split just fine with a MM. Crotches/Knots will be troublesome when the stuff gets that big. Work around those.

Using hydraulics to split Oak is for old people :roll: . I mean really old!(This excludes Dennis, of course )

Though Pin Oak is a type of red oak, it is apparently much harder to split because of the way it grows, with branches at nearly every level that get encased in the wood.

 

[megger234]

Get your chainsaw out and cut the rounds into smaller manageable peaces then spit with your axe or log splitter.Also a cant hook would help move them around

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Two months ago, I got a bunch of free Pin Oak, huge rounds, probably two cords worth. Have been trying to split by hand, and mostly getting nowhere. Even my 8 lb Snow and Nealley maul, which destroys most other wood, just bounces off this stuff. Wedges tends to penetrate half way, then bounce out. Have split Locust, Maple, Pine, Poplar in the past few years, with no trouble, nothing like this.

I know others here have talked about the trouble splitting pin/red oak, even though, amazingly, on other websites people talk about how easy it is to split. They must be talking about some other type of wood.

So my question is: Should I throw in the towel and buy a splitter? Haven't needed one up till now, but I've got all this Pin Oak lying around that needs to be split and stacked. Has anyone ever regretted buying their splitter?

Here is one pin oak that I have to cut this year. I love the firewood but hate all the trimming you have to do to get at the good wood. So many limbs; so many knots.

Question 1: If it were me, I would definitely throw in the towel and buy the splitter.

Question 2: I highly doubt anyone has regretted buying a splitter except maybe for one that has something wrong with it and that happens with most things every now and then.

As for me, I hated to buy a splitter because I never minded splitting wood and looked forward to it. But an injury forced it. When I finally got it ready and started it up to split some wood, it took about 30-45 seconds for me to wonder why in Sam Hill I had not bought one of these things before! I consider it one of my very best purchases of all time. We've over 20 years and counting on this one and the only thing I've ever had to do with it is to change oil. Well, I did add a third wheel, like on a boat trailer so that I can move it around easier.

Also, splitting vertically is the only logical way to go. No lift. No sore back. Just sit there and split by rolling the log to the splitter rather than lifting it.