First Time Splitting Oak

[Bigg_Redd]

This morning. I hauled away about 1.5 cord of mostly Doug Fir that was bucked up and sitting in rounds. However, a small oak tree was mixed in with it. Good holy Christ. If I had nothing to burn but unsplitable, undryable oak, I'd have a pellet stove.

 

[firefighterjake]

Fresh cut red oak . . . and it's all gravy.

Fresh cut red oak is perhaps one of the easiest splitting woods I have ever run across (not that I get a lot though) . . . better than white ash even . . . split a bunch I scrounged a year or so ago with an ax even.

 

[basod]

.....Or you'd have a hydraulic splitter - maybe some chest hair too

 

[BillLion]

It splits fine when fresh for me. Elm however...ugh. I got it twice for free -never again. I like to split by hand, but I had no choice but to borrow a splitter for that. Hard as a rock.

 

[weatherguy]

I love red oak, easiest splitting wood I get, white oak, not so much.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Red oak my fav for splitting. I have a splitter and I still enjoy splitting the red oak with my Fiskars.

 

[BillLion]

I love red oak, easiest splitting wood I get, white oak, not so much.

I split some fresh white oak very recently with my Fiskars and it was pretty easy. Is it more difficult when dry?

 

[Paulywalnut]

I split some fresh white oak very recently with my Fiskars and it was pretty easy. Is it more difficult when dry?

It tends to get stringy. Great wood though.

 

[jeff_t]

A tall straight red oak out of the woods falls apart when you think about splitting it. A twisty yard bird is a different story.

Same can be said for lots of other trees.

 

[red oak]

I split some fresh white oak very recently with my Fiskars and it was pretty easy. Is it more difficult when dry?[/quote

White Oak can get stringy for sure. Red Oak is my favorite wood to split but I do like to split it fresh.

 

[MarkinNC]

It also doesn't cut like butter like those softwoods y'all play with out west either.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

If he had that much trouble with it I doubt that it's Red Oak-probably White or something else....

 

[Boog]

............................However, a small oak tree was mixed in with it. Good holy Christ. If I had nothing to burn but unsplitable, undryable oak, I'd have a pellet stove.

That's funny Redd, I never thought about you never getting oak out there. Red and White oak are my mainstay here back east. I just Monster Maul the stuff. I've also got lots of knotty pignut (smooth bark Hickory) here .......... you would find that one very entertaining!

 

[weatherguy]

If he had that much trouble with it I doubt that it's Red Oak-probably White or something else....

I agree, OP, do you have a pic?

 

[Bigg_Redd]

It also doesn't cut like butter like those softwoods y'all play with out west either.

Actually, it cut just fine, which made it's near impossibility to split even more surprising. . .


Also, not sure what variety of oak it was

 

[Bigg_Redd]

That's funny Redd, I never thought about you never getting oak out there. Red and White oak are my mainstay here back east. I just Monster Maul the stuff. I've also got lots of knotty pignut (smooth bark Hickory) here .......... you would find that one very entertaining!

We've got oak here. Not sure what kind, but that one didn't have a single straight grain in it.

 

[Elderthewelder]

We've got oak here. Not sure what kind, but that one didn't have a single straight grain in it.

My 1st year with my stove a scrounged a bunch of Oak off C/L, dont know what kinda oak it was either but was heavy, luckily the tree service cut it in small rounds. It was all straight grained and I split it on my electric splitter ( no longer have)
This was before i had my flatbed so had to haul it in my little Nissan frontier

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[GS7]

Nice pictures!!

 

[Elderthewelder]

can anyone I.D. that Oak? I have always been curious as to what kind it was. as we dont have much of Oak here is western Wa. I know western Oregon has an abundance of white oak but I dont think that is what I had

 

[rowerwet]

my splitter has no issue with oak, pine stalls it out

 

[seabert]

This morning. I hauled away about 1.5 cord of mostly Doug Fir that was bucked up and sitting in rounds. However, a small oak tree was mixed in with it. Good holy Christ. If I had nothing to burn but unsplitable, undryable oak, I'd have a pellet stove.

I am new to splitting my own wood by hand. However I got a truckload of red oak rounds cut to length free from a local tree service. Went out and bought a Fiskars X-25. I could not believe how easy it was to split that wood. It was a joy to stack that healthy clean wood and it is in my seasoning pile. Will test it and hopefull dry enough to use next year. No electric or gas splitter for me!

 

[osagebow]

How long to season oak in WA? Might have to will to your kids . Oak or not, you still have it good - I spent a month in Everett, Hiked all around Olympic. Best trip of my life by a factor of 10.

 

[Hogwildz]

can anyone I.D. that Oak? I have always been curious as to what kind it was. as we dont have much of Oak here is western Wa. I know western Oregon has an abundance of white oak but I dont think that is what I had

Looks like Red Oak to me. Should have a real strong pungent smell. I liken the smell to some ripe smelly socks.

 

[Elderthewelder]

Here we go free oak and maple in Wa State on C/L

(broken link removed to http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/zip/4174011134.html)

FREE Firewood - Oak and Maple Wood Rounds (Woodinville)
© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap
We're having 2 trees cut down this week. There is an oak tree and a maple tree - about 17" in diameter each. The wood will be cut into rounds.

All the wood is free but we cannot deliver. It's supposed to rain this weekend so picking up the wood ASAP is recommended (Friday afternoon is the soonest). Would prefer that you take all the wood.

 

[clemsonfor]

My 1st year with my stove a scrounged a bunch of Oak off C/L, dont know what kinda oak it was either but was heavy, luckily the tree service cut it in small rounds. It was all straight grained and I split it on my electric splitter ( no longer have)
This was before i had my flatbed so had to haul it in my little Nissan frontier

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Looks like willow or water oak does here. I bet if you threatened it really good it fell apart.