Size of firewood splits?

[Wood Duck]

Somebody once posted here that he splits anything too large to palm (pick up) with one hand by grasping the end of the split. I thought that made a pretty easy rule when you're out splitting. I take it to mean that I have to fit my hand over the end and also pick it up and toss it with that same one handed grip. If I can't toss it I split it again, but I have a small stove so I want smaller splits.

 

[firefighterjake]

Somebody once posted here that he splits anything too large to palm (pick up) with one hand by grasping the end of the split. I thought that made a pretty easy rule when you're out splitting. I take it to mean that I have to fit my hand over the end and also pick it up and toss it with that same one handed grip. If I can't toss it I split it again, but I have a small stove so I want smaller splits.

That's my general rule of thumb == if I can palm it, I keep it in the round.

As for size of the splits . . . a variety. Small to get things going, medium sized for regular stuff and a few big 'uns for the overnights and overdays.

Generally too I find that the longer I am splitting the larger the splits become as I start thinking "Good enough . . . it will fit in the stove."

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I normally split down to 3-6", but I like to leave some bigger pieces for overnight burns. The biggest piece we like to put through the door is 13" and we can get at least a few of those in there or a wheelbarrow load of normal splits. Pack it tight and light the top so it burns the top first, that lasts the longest. The tighter you pack it the longer it will burn. If I am low on firewood like I am this year, I split the wetter stuff a bit smaller and the dry stuff stays bigger. We save the high btu and drier stuff for the dead of winter. The bigger the stove, the bigger your splits can or maybe should be, depending on the stove.

 

[BigCountryNY]

Generally too I find that the longer I am splitting the larger the splits become as I start thinking "Good enough . . . it will fit in the stove."

I can also attest to this. The more time I spend splitting in a given session, the larger the splits tend to be...

 

[Woody Stover]

I have cat stoves so I can cut the air and get a low burn, I don't necessarily need larger splits to do that. I find that if I have the air cut way back, output will slow down further if I have a big split in the back/bottom of the box and I'll have to open the air a bit. I mostly split to 4-5".