Finished with the big white oak

[Brewmonster]

In April I had a big dead white oak taken down. I posted some pix on the thread "Heading for the Last Roundup?" Well, now it's some weeks later and the beast has been tamed and put to bed.

Here are pix of the take-down and the resulting masses of wood along with a shot of some of the split, stacked, and covered final product. Also a pile of chunks too gnarly and crotchety to split by hand. My neighbor usually brings in a hydraulic splitter every fall and I'm sure he'll let me have it long enough to deal with those stubborn bits. Once that's done, it'll be three generous cords of prime, solid firewood.

 

[NordicSplitter]

That's awesome How long was it standing dead? Did you take a moisture reading on the splits? Most people on this site say to let oak sit at least 2 years to get the most out of it...How many face cords do you think you got out of it.?

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Yeah, that's nice, real nice....

 

[Brewmonster]

That's awesome How long was it standing dead? Did you take a moisture reading on the splits? Most people on this site say to let oak sit at least 2 years to get the most out of it...How many face cords do you think you got out of it.?

The tree had been struck by lightning a few years before I moved here five years ago. Since then it had been dying off bit by bit. Last summer the last few green parts suddenly turned brown in midsummer, so I declared it dead. The splits showed 35-40% on the MM, about the same as green wood. That's OK, I won't need to burn it for four or five years.
If a face cord is 1/3 of a full cord, then 9+ face cords.

 

[Rickb]

Those are some huge rounds! I love spliting oak with my fiskers....

 

[Brewmonster]

Those are some huge rounds! I love spliting oak with my fiskers....

Yes, I too really enjoy splitting by hand, though I think I've had enough for a while! I wish I could share your enthusiasm for the Fiskars. I have an X27 but hardly ever use it. I find it's only useful for easy stuff and that stuff is, well, easy, by definition. I would rather take a macho swing at a chunk with the eight-pound maul, confident that I will indeed split it, rather than just bury the head of the Fiskars and then have to wrestle it out again. F=MA, right? Well, I think I can get the big maul moving almost as fast as the Fiskars and, seeing that it weighs almost twice as much, the splitting force seems MUCH greater. Just my take on it; I'm sure some will say it's just my poor technique that's to blame. Whatever works, eh?

 

[Missouri Frontier]

great bunch of firewood. nice to have something like that right out in the yard. since that tree will make so much heat. it will keep the utility man out of your wallet. In a way, it's a money tree.

 

[BIGDADDY]

Those rounds look big enough to have a picnic on. Nice job.