Ok guys, outfit me!

[Planeweird]

Just bought a Jotul f 3 CB and will be scrounging for wood starting now

I'm in the burbs, so I don't have space for a big splitter, so this is going to be done by hand. I have good places to stack along the house, garage and fence line, but will be splitting and cutting to size in the driveway.

What are the basics that I need? I'm 38yrs old, 6'1", 190lbs, and in pretty good shape(will get better with splitting I'm certain). I've heard a 6lb maul is best because velocity is better than weight. Thoughts? Tips?

Thanks

 

[Jamess67]

Fiskers splitting axe, sledge hammer, wedge, and case of beer! your all set.

 

[rphurley]

I've never used the Fiskars, but I recommend an 8 pound maul.

 

[BrotherBart]

I have a six and a eight pound maul. I prefer the eight pound when I lose my mind and decide to hand split some instead of using the log splitter. At five ten, 170 and 62 worn out years old the splitter wins out most days. Since you are starting out get one of those rubber sleeves that you slide over the maul handle right up under the head of the maul. You will figure out why in the first hour of splitting. :lol:

Do get wedges and a sledge. You will run into some rounds that a maul just ain't the way to start'em. And be sure that before you ever fire up a chainsaw to cut any of them that you have a pair of chainsaw chaps and steel toe boots on. Chaps cost six hundred twelve dollars and sixty cents less than the emergency room charge. Don't ask. :red:

Congrats on buying that blue beauty. Have fun and be careful out there and we will be around when you go to install it.

 

[Planeweird]

Rubber sleeve huh? Hmmmmm.....

Well thanks guys. Knowing me, I'll probably end up with one of everything

And thanks BB. I'm pretty excited actually, and yeas I'll make sure to take pics of the process. Hell, I know I'll be asking more questions too.

Cheers

 

[Planeweird]

By the way, when looking for reviews on the Fiskar, I came across this. Don't know if this is common practice, but I thought it was a great simple solution.

 

[LLigetfa]

That video was painful to watch. I feel sorry for the axe handle, what with him always hitting the far side of the round. Also waddup with all the long skinny pie wedgies?

 

[BrotherBart]

OK. Got it. You bend down twice to pick up the last two splits, or you bend down twice to put the rope on and then take it off.

And splitting into a round like that where the splits don't fall away will teach you what the rubber sleeve is for real fast.

 

[Planeweird]

ok. points taken

 

[Spikem]

Get fully outfitted with PPE:

- Helmet/Face Shield/Ear Protection - Stihl or Husky - about $50
- Chaps - don't skimp - about $80
- Gloves (less important, imo) - $25
- Boots (steel toed) - price varies

What is it that is semi-frequently quoted? "The average chainsaw injury is 115 stitches."

Another quote (from my dad, in regard to the Ear Protection): "Hearing loss is cumulative and permanent."

Despite what many here say, and I like my beer as much as anyone, don't start the drinkin' until the power tools are done for the day.

 

[wldm09]

Get fully outfitted with PPE:

- Helmet/Face Shield/Ear Protection - Stihl or Husky - about $50
- Chaps - don't skimp - about $80
- Gloves (less important, imo) - $25
- Boots (steel toed) - price varies

What is it that is semi-frequently quoted? "The average chainsaw injury is 115 stitches."

Another quote (from my dad, in regard to the Ear Protection): "Hearing loss is cumulative and permanent."

Despite what many here say, and I like my beer as much as anyone, don't start the drinkin' until the power tools are done for the day.

I agree with everything Spike says. Have fun with your new job... I mean hobby... I mean lifestyle... ITS ADDICTING!

 

[Northwind]

I would say the first thing you need is a place to get wood that will be dry by the time you plan on burning.

 

[BrotherBart]

Despite what many here say, and I like my beer as much as anyone, don't start the drinkin' until the power tools are done for the day.

Not me. The day I got whacked was the only time I had gone into the woods without a six pack. The neighbors warn me not to do that again. ;-)

 

[JustWood]

That video was painful to watch. I feel sorry for the axe handle, what with him always hitting the far side of the round. Also waddup with all the long skinny pie wedgies?

Ja, I don't get the wrong side of the round thing either. Good way to MASH some fingers.

 

[Planeweird]

Actually the strike to the far side of the round made a lot of sense to me.
Seems that striking in the center would take a LOT more effort to make the split. By striking the far side it seems there's less chance of a miss leading to an axe/maul in your shin or foot.

No?

 

[Dix]

From a different side of the chromosone perspective :

Ash can, welders gloves (atleast), stove tools.

Storage near the house for wood.

I'll think of more, I am sure ;-)

Fat wood, or something similar (thought of another one !! )

 

[Planeweird]

From a different side of the chromosone perspective :

Ash can, welders gloves (atleast), stove tools.

Storage near the house for wood.

I'll think of more, I am sure ;-)

Fat wood, or something similar (thought of another one !! )

All good ones Eileen. Thanks....almost slipped my mind with all this Choppin', Haulin', and Maulin' on my mind.

 

[Gooserider]

If you do decide you are not into hand splitting, I would point out that the Harbor Freight horizontal / vertical model splitters can be stored in a much smaller area than most other gas splitters. They are also among the lower price units which isn't a bad thing...

I would also second the various advice in terms of safety gear, except to note that while steel toed boots are better than non-protective footgear, they are NOT "chainsaw boots" and don't meet the OSHA specs for same... True chainsaw boots not only have a steel toe, but also have additional kevlar or other saw protecting material that covers the tops and sides of your feet as well as just the toes...

Labonville makes some reportedly nice boots, but the ultimate (in both protection and cost) is probably the chainsaw boots made by Matterhorn...

Gooserider

 

[Spikem]

If you do decide you are not into hand splitting, I would point out that the Harbor Freight horizontal / vertical model splitters can be stored in a much smaller area than most other gas splitters. They are also among the lower price units which isn't a bad thing...

I would also second the various advice in terms of safety gear, except to note that while steel toed boots are better than non-protective footgear, they are NOT "chainsaw boots" and don't meet the OSHA specs for same... True chainsaw boots not only have a steel toe, but also have additional kevlar or other saw protecting material that covers the tops and sides of your feet as well as just the toes...

Labonville makes some reportedly nice boots, but the ultimate (in both protection and cost) is probably the chainsaw boots made by Matterhorn...

Gooserider

A couple questions Goose, if you wouldn't mind.

1. How good are the HF horizontal/vertical in comparison to the Troy Built? What about the pricing?
2. How expensive are the Matterhorn boots?

 

[Gooserider]

If you do decide you are not into hand splitting, I would point out that the Harbor Freight horizontal / vertical model splitters can be stored in a much smaller area than most other gas splitters. They are also among the lower price units which isn't a bad thing...

I would also second the various advice in terms of safety gear, except to note that while steel toed boots are better than non-protective footgear, they are NOT "chainsaw boots" and don't meet the OSHA specs for same... True chainsaw boots not only have a steel toe, but also have additional kevlar or other saw protecting material that covers the tops and sides of your feet as well as just the toes...

Labonville makes some reportedly nice boots, but the ultimate (in both protection and cost) is probably the chainsaw boots made by Matterhorn...

Gooserider

A couple questions Goose, if you wouldn't mind.

1. How good are the HF horizontal/vertical in comparison to the Troy Built? What about the pricing?

TroyBuilt is an MTD brand, which is on the low end of things, OK but not great. At least some of the ones I've seen use a "trunion mount" cylinder which I've heard can be problematic to replace if it ever fails. However it seems most people that have them are happy with them. The HF units, lhis 22 ton unit start at $1050 and go up to a 30 ton at 1200. They used to come w/ Subaru-Robin engines, but now appear to come w/ "Greyhound" China-clone engines which are essentially exact copies of the SR engine. The other components are pretty generic. I had some problems with minor leaks, but HF was good about sending me replacement parts at no cost. IMHO the engines are a bit of an unknown (but that's a cheap item to replace), otherwise the machines are good but not great quality. I did do some fairly extensive mods on my unit, if you do the search for HF splitter you can find threads on my reviews and mods.

The big advantage of the HF units IMHO is the way they put the hitch on the splitter beam, and get rid of the trailer tongue... This allows the unit to store with the beam in vertical mode in a much smaller footprint than the other units with tongues that are always there...

2. How expensive are the Matterhorn boots?

Quite... :bug: I believe they are in the $2-300 range, but the price varies quite a bit... I have the UL listed chainsaw boot model, some of our other users prefer the "search and rescue" model that has a little less kevlar but adds metatarsal protection. They are the most comfortable boots I've ever worn in most respects - they do make your feet feel huge, and are a challenge to ride a motorcycle with (hard to work shifter) but they are nice to your feet otherwise.

Gooserider

 

[Jags]

Actually the strike to the far side of the round made a lot of sense to me.
Seems that striking in the center would take a LOT more effort to make the split. By striking the far side it seems there's less chance of a miss leading to an axe/maul in your shin or foot.

No?

No!

Edges and/or the side closest to you, depending on size of round and toughness of rounds. As an example, you will more than likely never get a round of piss elm to split in half on first swing. Start peeling off slabs from the edges and work your way in. Of course, there are more opinions on technique than there are varieties of wood.

 

[mayhem]

Why was that guy in the video not moving his hands on the neck of the axe on the upswing? He's just making himself tired and wasting alot of energy by leaving the hevay part of the axe way out on the end of the handle away from his hands. He should have choked up on his grip with the hand closer to the head on the upswing and bring it back down on the downswing.