Best Time to Split Fir?

[WarmGuy]

I'm cutting up this fir from trees that were felled last week.

I won't need to burn it until late next season. I split by hand.

Would it be easiest to split it now, or wait until this summer when it's dried a bit?

 

[Mag Craft]

The sooner you split and stack the sooner it will dry.

 

[blacktail]

I split all my wood ASAP and fir usually splits fine for me. I say do it sooner rather than later. Nice looking wood.

 

[firefighterjake]

Better now ... start the seasoning process.

 

[Applesister]

ASAP
that way you will be ready for the next load.

 

[Creekside]

Fir will season in one summer if you split it now. Only thing that would give you any trouble is real knotty pieces.

 

[Wood Duck]

It is always better (from the perspective of having nice, dry wood) to split immediately. I have never found a type of wood that seems significantly easier to split fresh versus aged, or vise versa. Straight pieces will be easy at any time, Knotty pieces will be hard at any time.

 

[Poindexter]

The only way I know of to make wood splitting easier is to get it done in freezing weather. Otherwise it is what it is. As above, the sooner you get it split even once the sooner you can burn it.

 

[j7art2]

Your bar is upside down. (Sorry, couldn't resist)

 

[Richie]

I always split the fir when it is nice and wet!

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Your bar is upside down. (Sorry, couldn't resist)

You are suppose to rotate your bar,,, it keeps both sides worn evenly.
Now go rotate your bar upside down if you haven't done it yet.

 

[Mag Craft]

The bar is not up side down it is only the lettering that is up side down.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

The very best time to split Fir (or any other wood) is right now

The second best time tomorrow

etc

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Not to run against the grain here, but,,,,,
Obviously from a "get it dried as soon as possible" standpoint, splitting it right away is the best policy. However the OP could have years worth of wood already hoarded away and is not worried about getting this wood dried in a big hurry, and just trying to make his splitting job a little easier by finding out if letting the rounds sit for a while will help. Certainly from an "ease of splitting" standpoint, sometimes bucking the wood and letting the ends check and split a bit will facilitates how easily the rounds will split. This can be especially true when hand splitting hard to split varieties of wood. It is definitely true of Lodgepole pine, and Douglas fir I have cut and let sit in the hot summer sun for a week or two, but I don't think letting it sit for a week or two in the winter would help much at all.
The other thing to consider is that some varieties of wood are easiest to split while green and get harder as they dry a bit. That wood in the pictures doesn't look like douglas fir, so it must be some other type of fir that I'm not familiar with, so I have no idea if letting the rounds dry a bit will help make it easier to split.

Warmguy, you may have to do your own experimenting. Split some now, and leave some rounds for a while and let the ends check and see if they are any easier to split. But remember, if you are thinking to burn it next winter you better get it all split ASAP.

 

[FIshing_Fool]

From experience pine is easier to split if you buck it then let it sit for awhile and dry. This fir (another softwood) may be the same.

It does slow the drying process vs splitting it right now but if its not for next year buck it and split it in august I'd you want.

Letting it sit in log form will not aid the splitting you do need to at least buck it now.

 

[Mag Craft]

Not to run against the grain here, but,,,,,
Obviously from a "get it dried as soon as possible" standpoint, splitting it right away is the best policy. However the OP could have years worth of wood already hoarded away and is not worried about getting this wood dried in a big hurry, and just trying to make his splitting job a little easier by finding out if letting the rounds sit for a while will help. Certainly from an "ease of splitting" standpoint, sometimes bucking the wood and letting the ends check and split a bit will facilitates how easily the rounds will split. This can be especially true when hand splitting hard to split varieties of wood. It is definitely true of Lodgepole pine, and Douglas fir I have cut and let sit in the hot summer sun for a week or two, but I don't think letting it sit for a week or two in the winter would help much at all.
The other thing to consider is that some varieties of wood are easiest to split while green and get harder as they dry a bit. That wood in the pictures doesn't look like douglas fir, so it must be some other type of fir that I'm not familiar with, so I have no idea if letting the rounds dry a bit will help make it easier to split.

Warmguy, you may have to do your own experimenting. Split some now, and leave some rounds for a while and let the ends check and see if they are any easier to split. But remember, if you are thinking to burn it next winter you better get it all split ASAP.

He said he wants to burn it by late next season. So split and stack now.

 

[j7art2]

You are suppose to rotate your bar,,, it keeps both sides worn evenly.
Now go rotate your bar upside down if you haven't done it yet.

I know. Look at my profile pic closely.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Sheees,,,, it's bad enough I find out I'm not reading the posts carefully enough before responding,,,, now I gota start using a magnifying glass to examine people's profile pics before commenting!


lol

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I'm with Lumber-Jack - I'm not reading or looking at anything carefully before commenting, or after.

 

[j7art2]

I too like to live dangerously.

 

[iamlucky13]

I let douglas fir dry until it starts to show cracks. If you land the maul right on the periphery of the log in line with one of those cracks, it usually splits pretty easy. When it's fresh cut, it's more flexible and tends to absorb the hit in a spongy manner.

 

[Seanm]

I don't hand split my wood I use the splitter so I wouldn't know much of a difference. I had two truck loads of doug fir that I got from blow downs from a storm we had in December. I grabbed it a month or so ago and c,s,s right away, top covered on pallets so that I have maximum drying time before next winter. What kind of fir is that op?

 

[blacktail]

Was that a yard tree? What elevation was it at? The ends are very uniform and pale. Maybe White Fir?