Look what i have!

[Carlos]

My bro in law cut a big oak tree about a year and a half ago. He left these massive stumps in his back yard. I have no clue how im gonna cut these and take them to my house but i will find a way! anyone got any good ideas! By the way im a newbie at this!

 

[smokinj]

splitt them where they sit

 

[Carlos]

These things are massive the look lil in the pic but they are pretty big. How would i even start spliting them? Axe? chainsaw? im new remember!

splitt them where they sit

 

[Danno77]

These things are massive the look lil in the pic but they are pretty big. How would i even start spliting them? Axe? chainsaw? im new remember!

splitt them where they sit

That pic must be deceiving because I'm looking at the fence in the back and thinking that post must be about 4", I then use that to measure across one of the rounds (one on left in first picture) and it comes out to about 20 inches.

 

[CTburning]

When I bought my home 3 years ago I was left with a similiar situation. Some of the trunks were 44" across. I have a craftsman axe, maul, sledge and a couple of steel splitting wedges. My method is to try to find a crack or weak spot and bury the axe as deep as possible into the log. I use the sledge to bang the head in all the way and then the wedges to hopefully pop it open. Each log is different and some would split in two and others, well lets just say were a lot of work. If the logs are more than 20" long you have your work cut out for you. I would split them where they lie to save on some work.

 

[Hurricane]

If it is Oak it will split fairly easily. Get a maul and whack it, you will be surprised.
Get it out of there soon for some reason Oak does not last laying on the ground.

 

[Danno77]

When I bought my home 3 years ago I was left with a similiar situation. Some of the trunks were 44" across. I have a craftsman axe, maul, sledge and a couple of steel splitting wedges. My method is to try to find a crack or weak spot and bury the axe as deep as possible into the log. I use the sledge to bang the head in all the way and then the wedges to hopefully pop it open. Each log is different and some would split in two and others, well lets just say were a lot of work. If the logs are more than 20" long you have your work cut out for you. I would split them where they lie to save on some work.

no you di'ent. donchya know not to hit an axe head like that?

I've always heard it would take the shape out of the eye and your handle will fall out over time easier. Maybe that's an old wive's tale.

just start on the edge and take pieces off. try not to think of splitting as "bust it in half" and then "bust that half in half" etc.

 

[Carlos]

So... dont split in half cause its not going to work on these monsters! To me they are monsters! Ill try and play this weekend. Good luck to me!

 

[Hurricane]

Oh yea and as Danno77 said do not hit it in the middle with the maul, hit it half way between the middle and one edge, if you get a crack it will travel through the middle. the middle seems to be softer or something. It just splits easier not going for the middle.

 

[billb3]

Oak usually splits rather well with just a wedge and short-handled maul, too.


You might want to flip them over and evict the worms and critters if they've been there that long.

 

[fishinpa]

I got a dollar says they're punky.

 

[Henz]

man your really scrounging

 

[Thrash44047]

well i dont know about the handle falling out but its a real pain in the balls to get a new handle in it. Same with hatchets.

 

[CTburning]

The axe is a craftsman with a fiberglass handle. If I break it, or should I say when I broke it, they give you a new one (lifetime warranty, that is why all my hand tools are from sears-craftsman). I now have a Friskars and don't abuse it but at the time it was all I knew. Carlos is starting on a pretty tight budget so will most likely be in the same boat

 

[bsimon]

Carlos, I've scrounged some wood like that. With the vines & stuff growing on it, its probably not dry. But if its not punky, its worth taking for next year. Like Danno77 says, don't try to split them in half, but attack the edge with your axe / maul. Its common to try to make big pieces first, with one mighty swing. That don't work. Trust me, I've tried. A lot. Smack small pieces off the edge, like your axe/maul is the vertical bar of a D and the edge of the round is the curve. Or maybe more like |). Work your way around the round this way.

 

[Carlos]

these vines to to that part of the back yard just this summer. My bro in law actually let his yard over grow this summer thus the vines we have in the pics! There are actually more stumps to the left of those, i just didnt take pics, i thought these were sufficient to show!

 

[Skier76]

Keep us posted Carlos. That'll probably be a pretty decent haul once you have it split and stacked.

Family scrounges are great...because you usually end up getting help loading. Also, I don't feel so "rushed" to get things loaded and get moving.