Hickory dickory dock...

[Slow1]

As much as I'm sure I'll love burning it, this hickory I'm splitting is rather taking the fun out of splitting. I guess I've been spoiled with all the oak and birch I've had lately.

I'm used to one or two swings per break... now this hickory laughs at the first few (I quit counting) until it finally breaks open, then I have to go clean up all the stringers to actually get the split off the round!

Once I get into the harder heartwood it does seem much better but that outer wood sure is stringy as all get out.

Oh well - I only have a few rounds left to do, but had to vent. I've taken to doing a couple oaks as a break after each hickory just so I can see some progress on the pile.. mind games Funny though, I've noticed my swing force has increased though as when I hit the oak after working a hickory the pieces fly farther.

 

[BucksCounty]

As much as I'm sure I'll love burning it, this hickory I'm splitting is rather taking the fun out of splitting. I guess I've been spoiled with all the oak and birch I've had lately.

I'm used to one or two swings per break... now this hickory laughs at the first few (I quit counting) until it finally breaks open, then I have to go clean up all the stringers to actually get the split off the round!

Once I get into the harder heartwood it does seem much better but that outer wood sure is stringy as all get out.

Oh well - I only have a few rounds left to do, but had to vent. I've taken to doing a couple oaks as a break after each hickory just so I can see some progress on the pile.. mind games Funny though, I've noticed my swing force has increased though as when I hit the oak after working a hickory the pieces fly farther.

Slow 1, I feel your frustration. I had hickory from the spring of 2011. I finally rented a splitter for a weekend last spring, mainly for these huge rounds that I couldn't get through. I tried cutting them to 10 inch lengths and nothing got through them. The splitter barely managed. Either way, looking forward to seeing how they burn this winter.

 

[ScotO]

Hickory can be a mean ol' bassturd to split. You've heard the saying "heating with firewood heats you twice", that hickory heats you way more than that, if yer splitting it manual. I love the hydraulics when I get into elm and hickory.......makes it a walk in the park. Just remeber, the BTU's and also the wonderful aroma of that hickory are worth the pain and agony of splitting it!

 

[Slow1]

Glad to know it isn't just me! I tell you, it is humbling to wack a round and have the axe head just sit there with hardly a crack showing for the effort. Heading out now to do some more damage - only 17 rounds left to go - cut at 21" so I'm sure that isn't helping matters either.

I had this tree taken out of my front yard as it was shading the solar panels - getting about 20% increase in production as a result so that is goodness as well. So no regrets in any case - will see how nice it is to burn in winter of '14 or '15 depending on how cold the next couple winters are....

 

[Woody Stover]

Any Hickory I get is going to the power splitter pile. In the case that you're a young guy and only have a maul, go ahead and hand-whack it. Hickory builds character! Hickory dickory dock, my arms are numb from shock!

 

[weatherguy]

Its worth the extra effort, I love hickory, one of my favorite woods to burn.

 

[corey21]

Hickory is one of my favorite to burn i love it.

Can be tough to split.

 

[Gark]

I've never had the good furtune to nab any hickory, but I hear ya on the splitting problem. You get yourself 'tuned up' on the hickory rounds, and then switch to oak. The splits end up flying into the neighbors' yards and the maul is stuck deep in the dirt... heheh.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Slow1, it has been a super long times since I've split hickory but if my memory is right, it splits best through the heart. Without hydraulics, it also splits best with sledge and wedge.

 

[Slow1]

Slow1, it has been a super long times since I've split hickory but if my memory is right, it splits best through the heart. Without hydraulics, it also splits best with sledge and wedge.

Funny you should mention that - I ended up resorting to the sledge/wedge and managed to make much better progress. Agreed as noted in earlier post that the heartwood is easier to split. The straight pieces I can do with the fiskars, the ones with knots I ended up sledging and was happy enough to do it. Only about half a dozen left now after yesterday's session.

Lots of oak split as well though, down side to this back and forth habit is that the pile is now pretty well mixed up between the two types of wood. It will all burn anyway, and I suspect that I'll still easily be able to tell the difference once it is all dried in a couple years.

On a slightly different note - stacking 21" long splits sure is easier than 16" ones. I am stacking two rows next to each other making the pile about 42" wide and at 14' long and 5.5' high (yes it is quite stable with this width) it seems it should be a solid 2 cords. My largest single pile to date. Hopefully it will prove to be stable and if I can keep this up this will help resolve my storage space issue as it will get me more wood along roughly the same footprint as I was using before.

 

[Beer Belly]

It was Hickory that convinced me I need a splitter

 

[smokinj]

Nothing quite like a hickory bat connecting with the perfect pitch, or flying off a splitter.

 

[Slow1]

It was Hickory that convinced me I need a splitter

I do believe that if I expected to get it more often I'd be in the same camp. This is the first large quantity of hickory I've encountered. I had a few rounds a while back but those were dry, smaller, and split much differently.

 

[bogydave]

The rewards will be "Many BTUs".
It's warming you up as you split & will keep you warm thru the coldest days of winter.

Reading you post, I don't think you were complaining, just an observation as you continued to split it.
Having great fire wood that is tough to split is a good problem to have, my top BTU firewood is birch

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I haven't split alot of it by hand, but I did note that it was very heavy and difficult to split. Not nearly as bad as elm, but difficult. You might try some when it is frozen, I have notice some woods are easier to split when frozen.

 

[Thistle]

Most all woods are easier to split when frozen I've noticed,green American/White/Grey Elm dont really make much difference however.Most Hickory I get every year is pretty good,only a small percentage slightly stringy.Splits easiest when first felled,especially when green/semi-green.Snags or deadfall is a little tougher,not too bad except for the usual forked or knotty pieces.