Little video splitting red oak

[hoot]

Got a nice big red oak. Heavy is the word.

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[Shawn Curry]

Dang! That thing is massive! I don't have much oak on my property, certainly nothing that size. If I did, I'd be sawing it into lumber. I worked on a soft maple almost that size, and I could barely move the rounds! Can't imagine what those suckers must weigh.

 

[Jags]

Good job on getting that big sucker busted up. That said...holy wrestlemainia. The video confirms that I will stick with my log lift and work table. Vertical ain't for me.

 

[mstoelton]

I just finished with 8 rounds like that that I scrounged. I found it much easier to noodle them into quarters in order to split them.

 

[bigbarf48]

Nice. I need a splitter, sometimes my tree man drops off logs that size, and I hand split

By the way, nice dodge, I think I drive its grandpa

 

[JRHAWK9]

I found it much easier to noodle them into quarters in order to split them.

I agree. That's what I would do as well.

 

[Got Wood]

That video could have been me. I have had some monster oak rounds to bust up and did it the same way. I noticed how you sliced it up making rectangles, i do that too - those 4x4/5x5 pieces make for great cross stacking.

 

[hoot]

It's really not that difficult to move those rounds. You just need to be careful. After doing it for years now you can see i figured out how to maneuver them without too much stress. I'm guess at least 200 lbs each but rolling is not that hard. I actually enjoy that kind of labor and using tools as needed to make it easier. The biggest issue is fingers. Keeping your fingers from between the wood and anything else that could pinch or crush. Always be ahead of what is moving and where your hands are. Good gloves are also very important.

 

[bryankloos]

Where did you score that pry bar?

 

[paul bunion]

The pry bar works really sweet on rounds like those. Another trick is to get yourself a pickaroon. No more bending over to pull those chunks around.
Another good one on the heavy rounds it to put some scrap 1x's or 2x's (or even a sheet of plywood) down on each side of the splitter plate and put a piece of 1" pipe on them. You get a little roller action under there and it makes positioning rounds about 10x easier.

 

[bryankloos]

Brilliant!
I've got some monster red oak rounds at my father's house that I need to work up this Fall.
They are HEAVY, HUGE, and a PITA to move. The 2x with pipe may just be what I need

 

[pastera]

I thought I was the only one who uses a digging bar to process wood.
Also use it instead of a wedge to topple trees - plenty of leverage with a six foot bar instead of banging on wedges

 

[BrotherBart]

Oh yeah. Many a time. And the hatchet stays leaning on the splitter. Dragged the splitter into the woods to do one many years ago. Finally came across that pry bar in the woods 17 years later. Have a spare now.

 

[BrotherBart]

I am going through major trailer envy.

 

[hoot]

Nice. I need a splitter, sometimes my tree man drops off logs that size, and I hand split

By the way, nice dodge, I think I drive its grandpa

View attachment 138796

That is a classic workhorse.

 

[blazincajun]

Nice red oak - I never have rounds that large.

 

[Lyndenbrook Farm]

I have that same splitter and sit on a log to use it in vertical position, too.

Good idea with the cushion, though. My butt went numb after a couple weekends of splitting.

 

[hoot]

I have that same splitter and sit on a log to use it in vertical position, too.

Good idea with the cushion, though. My butt went numb after a couple weekends of splitting.

Same here, hence the cushion. That is one of those boat cushion/life preservers.

 

[Applesister]

I am going through major trailer envy.

You and me both!
That is my dream trailer.

 

[northwinds]

I'm not saying it would be easy to hand split a round that big. Sometimes, it takes a bit to get those started also, nibbling around the edges. But the gas splitter doesn't look any easier with all of that moving of the wood. Thanks for posting the video. Very interesting.

 

[Locust Killa]

Looks too much like work to me

 

[hoot]

Personally I actually enjoy the physical labor. Rolling the round isn't difficult. I just make sure I trim off any protrusions with the saw so it rolls easy and make sure the path to the splitter doesn't have any bumps or pieces of wood on the ground. Once it starts rolling you just keep it going. You get used to staging the round in a position so when you tip it, it lands under the splitter just about right. The hardest part is jostling around the half rounds after the first split but I found that rocking them while moving makes it easier.

The trailer is a 5x8 Bri-Mar.. cost $3000. The idea is to split directly into the trailer and dump at the stacking area. This is the second year with the trailer and believe me it's not just the wood that it has helped so much with.... I made lots of friends LOL
But using this method it saves on handling and over the years, my back. I built the vertical rails that hold the oak side boards from electrical "strut" channel. Those oak boards came from an estate cleanout. The fellow cut them from a tree on his yard and planed them. They were perfect in size for this application. Stroke of luck I suppose.

 

[BSH1F]

I love the big rounds, to me it's alot cleaner than all the canopy (less bark) I split them into peices small enough to pick up one day and then the next i finish my splitting standing up. (Less time bent over the better) i pull a table up to my splitter for the other side fall offs, then into the wheelbarrow and over to my skids(broken image removed)
(broken image removed)

 

[hoot]

Nice. Plus when splitting big rounds you can get lots of square splits. Easier stacking and four sides of exposure for drying. One thing I do different than you BSH1F is I don't cover my wood. Especially oak. I know it's controversial but oak is one of those woods that does not like to release moisture. The more air it gets the better. If I do anything in the future it would be just an open roof but with so much wood now that doesn't seem feasible. I also do not like repetitive bending over and lifting. That's why I only use my splitter vertical. But each person has their own specific needs as far as the physical part is concerned. When sitting on a stump, you aren't bending over repetitively.

The good thing in your technique is you are splitting the wood right where you are stacking. I chose not to do that because I'm bringing in full logs and don't want to tear my back yard up dragging them back there. I may change technique and load the rounds on the trailer and dump them back next to the stacks like you.

 

[D8Chumley]

Chrissy I do things alot like you do, vertical splitting, throwing the splits right in my (wanna-be) Bantam trailer I pull with the quad then right to the stacking area, or right into the back of my truck. I just don't have that sweet Dodge or BriMar... But the F150 and quad get it done. Maybe some day I'll get me one of those BriMars