My Huskee 22 met its match on Mothers Day

[muncybob]

Working on a Craigs List score this weekend, took down 2 Norway Maples and a Locust. The Huskee could not handle the last 2 rounds of the trunk to one maple, guess I'll need to cut them up into smaller pieces. The truck has one of the maples, 3 pallets and just about 1/2 the top of the locust in the bed. This is my first experience with locust. Does not seem to be a very dense wood as the same size rounds of the maple were much heavier.

 

[gzecc]

Maple probably has twice the amount of water in it. The Locust will weigh about the same when seasoned.

 

[Jon1270]

Yep, maples in general average 70%MC when green (I don't have a Norway-specific number), and black locust 41%. If you take a 10# split of each and wait until each reaches 20%, the maple will likely weigh about 7 pounds and the locust will be around 8 1/2 pounds.

 

[kennyp2339]

I just split about 2 cords of maple, I run a iron and oak 20ton fast cycle, ran into a few rougher maple pieces, just like you described, bottom of the trunk wood. what I had to do was move the rounds around on the splitter until it popped open, It was work, 32" rounds the weighed a ton but I was able to get them opened up.

 

[muncybob]

I just split about 2 cords of maple, I run a iron and oak 20ton fast cycle, ran into a few rougher maple pieces, just like you described, bottom of the trunk wood. what I had to do was move the rounds around on the splitter until it popped open, It was work, 32" rounds the weighed a ton but I was able to get them opened up.

I was able to split a few lile that but these are just too awkward, they'll see the saw tonight.
What is it in locust that makes them rot resistent?

 

[Jags]

This is why I generally state "a 20 ton will split 95% just fine". There is that 5% that will make it cough.

 

[gzecc]

I was able to split a few lile that but these are just too awkward, they'll see the saw tonight.
What is it in locust that makes them rot resistent?

(broken link removed to http://www.blacklocustlumber.com/the_tree.htm)

 

[kennyp2339]

on a side note, my neighbor, god bless him (85 yrs old) was watching me / running the splitter lever; told me as a joke that the reason maple logs have twists in them is from the winds always blowing every which way. I got a good laugh from that.

 

[Jags]

Sometimes old timers are wise. It is well known that a tree in a fence row can be much tougher to split than its sibling in the middle of a stand.

 

[Soundchasm]

Helped a friend bust up some silver maple yesterday (saw and wedges). Some of the 16" rounds were REALLY stringy. Then we got to a 30". Man, I never worked that hard on a single round in my life. It would have been easier and quicker to saw through the darn thing.

 

[muncybob]

I got that locust split/stacked last night. I understand that it's a hot and fast burning wood. I have to say it's one easy wood to split and stack. Going back tonight to finish up the main trunk with the Mrs. , probably be a good truck load. I checked the moisture content of both the maple and locust and they both came in around mid 30's.

 

[Bret Chase]

I got that locust split/stacked last night. I understand that it's a hot and fast burning wood. I have to say it's one easy wood to split and stack. Going back tonight to finish up the main trunk with the Mrs. , probably be a good truck load. I checked the moisture content of both the maple and locust and they both came in around mid 30's.

it is very hot burning, and burns for a long time. it also typically requires a bit more air. black locust, if dead or allowed to season some as a round it splits easy... if taken down live and healthy... in my experience, stand back. it will momentarily stall my splitter (16gpm barnes pump, 5" cyl)then BANG! as the round splits violently.

 

[Bret Chase]

Helped a friend bust up some silver maple yesterday (saw and wedges). Some of the 16" rounds were REALLY stringy. Then we got to a 30". Man, I never worked that hard on a single round in my life. It would have been easier and quicker to saw through the darn thing.

today, I was splitting the 20" white ash that I took down in my yard a couple weeks ago... Oh My GOD... I have never seen such a stringy tree... easily half of the splits I ended up with, my splitter crushed it's way through the round instead of splitting it. talk about uglies...

 

[Soundchasm]

today, I was splitting the 20" white ash that I took down in my yard a couple weeks ago... Oh My GOD... I have never seen such a stringy tree... easily half of the splits I ended up with, my splitter crushed it's way through the round instead of splitting it. talk about uglies...

Yesterday I was working a section of that stubborn split in my electric splitter. Thought a piece was coming off of the chunk, so I went to grab it with my right hand while my left hand reversed the wedge. That d**n thing closed shut on my finger (mostly glove, thank goodness), and luckily I was able to grab a wrench and lever the split apart and retrieve both glove and finger intact. My sense of security was somewhat damaged, though.

 

[muncybob]

I have a black finger nail on my left hand from almost 2 months ago from a momentary lapse of concentration(I seem to have a lot of those these days).

The firewood gods have smiled upon me, not only did I go back and load up 15 decent sized rounds from that locust trunk but the owner informed me a guy will be there today to climb and bring down 3 more trees (each as tall or taller than the one I took down) as long as I want the wood.

I wonder if this is not black locust as it has not popped on my yet when splitting, maybe it's honey locust?

 

[Bret Chase]

black locust wood is very yellow.. not all of it will split violently when green.... but enough to to pay attention. can you post a pic of a split?

 

[muncybob]

black locust wood is very yellow.. not all of it will split violently when green.... but enough to to pay attention. can you post a pic of a split?

sure....

 

[Bret Chase]

sure....

yeah, that's black locust...

 

[Ashful]

The Huskee could not handle the last 2 rounds of the trunk to one maple...

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