First time using a splitting wedge

[wahoowad]

I brought home a splitting wedge I found at the scrap yard today. The splitting surface needed to be cleaned up but that was handled pretty easy with my grinder. I tried it out on some fresh cut white oak rounds and couldn't get it to work. The round I tried it on was maybe 8" at the most! I was using a 2 pound handheld sledge to try and hammer it in and it just wasn't going to happen. I then tried a railroad spike and couldn't get it in either. I put in in the splitter and it split like butter. Was I doing something wrong or is it sometimes hard to get a wedge started?

On a related note I can't seem to find a non-Chinese made wood grenade. Other threads suggested the chinese ones broke easy, but the 'recommended' one at Lehman's clearly says made in china.

Thanks for any advice!

/off to score some free hickory this morning...

 

[Rich M]

Yes, they can sometimes be hard to start. When I use them on something knotty or twisted (a maul is better on straight grain) I give the piece a hard hit with the maul to create a cavity for the wedge. I also look for any natural crack in the wood and start there. The wedge won't work without an 8lb sledge so the 2lb only works for starting if you have a good crack. Also when using in large gnarly pieces it's possible to lose it in the piece so you always want to have at least 2 wedges on hand.

 

[Corie]

Couldn't have said it better than Rich!

 

[wahoowad]

so you always want to have at least 2 wedges on hand.

Funny, I sure learned this today. I hammered the wedge to the hilt in a big old oak crotch and didn't have another. Gad to improvise. I must have spent 20 goddamn minutes on that one log. I need to stop bringing them home and just leave them in the woods.

 

[bucko64]

I can't seem to leave them y piecs in the woods either. Sometimes you get good all niters out of them though.

 

[Rich M]

A wood grenade shaped splitter is a good one to follow up with when the wedge gets buried. The round shape puts more pressure in the crack. Obviously you don't want to run it into the top of the wedge so work it in along side. I bought a cheap one that's stamped "China" at a garage sale and it works just fine, the point shape makes it easier to start than a wedge too. Sometimes it's better to just rip those crotches with the chainsaw rather than fight them with wedges.

 

[DiscoInferno]

I'll second the saw approach. When I get big unsplittable chunks, I lay them on their sides and cut a bunch of nice square "splits". Great for tight packing for overnight burns. Make sure you have a sharp chain, and it goes real quick. Far, far faster than hand splitting, and the pieces don't come out all weird-shaped. I don't use wedges, so if a log won't start to split after maybe 5 hits, it gets the saw.

 

[ozarkjeep]

if you can find one of these used, or on EBAY, or garage sale whatever, mine was a grandad hand me down..

http://www.chopperaxe.com/

it works WELL, never sticks, and I have been able to split everything ive been confronted with so far.

It will work on those crotches and knots also, but you have to have good aim, and swing it so hard it scared you.

I split the easy cuts off of those, and then make the big left over chunks my 'sugar' logs ( the overnighters, longburners)

 

[DriftWood]

Yes, they can sometimes be hard to start. When I use them on something knotty or twisted (a maul is better on straight grain) I give the piece a hard hit with the maul to create a cavity for the wedge. I also look for any natural crack in the wood and start there. The wedge won't work without an 8lb sledge so the 2lb only works for starting if you have a good crack. Also when using in large gnarly pieces it's possible to lose it in the piece so you always want to have at least 2 wedges on hand.

I second that all that. I bought a 8 pound sledge hammer a SEARS. Its a Craftsman life time guarantee, When the handle broke they replaced the whole sledge hammer. when the head mushed they replaced the whole sledge hammer. I put clear shipping tape on the label to avoid waring the label to show its the a Craftsman tool. A plastic wedge is handy when a chain saw blade gets stuck in a log while cutting.

I have 7 wedges one gets stuck, buried, lost in the pile I have lots of backup. I find them at garage sales in the summer. Three or four are really enough, some of mine have worn Short from grinding off mushroomed heads.

 

[babalu87]

To cut the Frankenstein pieces (my father always called them that) you can make a ripping chain out of one of your more worn out chains.
Thanks Eric

File at 90 degrees instead of the 20-30 degrees.

BE CAREFULL, the chain can be more apt to kick at you.

 

[DiscoInferno]

If we use the line normal to the plane of the bar as the reference in both cases, the regular chain is 20-30 degrees and the ripping chain is 0 degrees. I've seen 10 degrees mentioned for ripping also (scroll down to the second entry).

I've thought about trying that, but typically those pieces don't have a constant grain direction. What happens if you wind up partially cross-cutting with a ripping chain? For that matter, what does the output of a ripping chian look like? (i.e. chips, strings, sawdust)

 

[Andre B.]

I use a normal chain, and it cuts just fine. I cut so that the chain is moving parallel to the centerline of the tree, this makes long stringy chips.
To give the chips someplace to drop away to so they do not plug up the saw it is best to get the block up off the ground, a partially completed stack of wood is perfect.

Note, the chips made this way are perfect for mulching stuff and I have turned large blocks of wood into very small kindling and a large pile of mulch for mom to use in flower beds.

Note note, the chips made this way make very good fire starter when dried.

 

[DiscoInferno]

I do the same; I initially tried to rip square into the end of logs, but quickly found that with a crosscut chain this is slow, makes very fine dust, and dulls the chain. I can't say that I see why a squared-off tooth would work any better in that orientation, but maybe you are supposed to angle the bar some.

 

[FINLAND]

This is the way how I manage with "difficult" firewood.
www.vipukirves.fi
Best regards from FINLAND

 

[begreen]

Will someone give this guy a chunk of elm to gnaw on?

 

[nshif]

BG LMAO!! Bout time for him to be shut down

 

[WarmGuy]

I'll second the Chopper recommendation.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Will someone give this guy a chunk of elm to gnaw on?

ROTFLMAO! I'm getting a little tired of watching him hock it too.