How small in diameter do you split?

[jklingel]

At some point, splitting becomes pointless, I assume. So, what is the wood diameter below which you guys don't split? 4"? I am building (dreaming of) a splitter, and want to center the splitting wedge on the wood. Thus, I need a range of wood diameters (for my situation) so I can use a 4-way splitter and have similar sized pieces split out. I have not seen a splitter yet (pretty new to this, though) that takes wood diameter into consideration; the wedge goes along the I-beam (or is welded to it) at a height determined by the cylinder's diameter, not the wood's. I am sure splitters are made that way for the manufacturer's convenience, but I see that as a "fault". OK, it is splitting frog hairs, perhaps, but I see a better design coming.

 

[crazy_dan]

Most of the stove Manuels I have read say 6" across the thickest part. I'm a little lazier I go about 8"

 

[babalu87]

No rule of thumb, if a piece get to be a pain in the ass it goes in the pile. Frankenstein pieces, as long as they fit in the door of the stove go in the pile and the pieces that split easy will get made into smaller pieces. The best thing to have is a wide variety of split sizes in you piles, it will enable you to pack a stove tighter when the mercury drops.

 

[swestall]

I like them at 4, 6, and 8 inches, that way I can mix and match to get my best burn times.

 

[begreen]

Mostly I split as noted above. I also split depending on the dampness of the wood and how quickly I want it to dry. Last spring I had a batch of rounds that had been on the ground a year. They were wet and heavy. These were big 24" diam. rounds, so I split them some of it into about 2"x6" splits to hasten drying. It worked. They're heating us now without a sizzle or pop.

 

[velvetfoot]

This might be a reason to split it yourself.
The split load I just got is a little big (right length though).