spliting big maple rounds that are rock hard

[rawlins02]

I have about a dozen large maple rounds, between 3-4 feet in diameter and about 18 inches in length. The 40-50 foot tree was felled last July. Tree company bucked it up after dropping it. I wacked a couple of the rounds with my maul yesterday. Still rock hard after sitting a year. The rounds are too heavy to move. I'd rather not pay to rent a splitter. OK to let them sit out there until next summer? I'm thinking, how could they rot if they're still too hard to split? I have a couple wedges; one with a star shaped head and the other wedged shaped. Last year when I tried using them they just stuck in the round. Maybe I'll try the wedges again this weekend. I've never used them before. Are they very effective for this sort of thing?

 

[ThunderMedic]

I have both of those wedges, plus both a six and eight pound splitting maul. I have never had an issue splitting large diameter sugar maple, red oak, and hickory. Don't do the wedge into the dead center of the round though. Plant it at the edge and wail away. It will split across and you won't stick a wedge without the ability to get it out. The sooner you get those split and stacked up off the ground, the better.

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[Rangerbait]

^yep...with those mo stet round, you really do have to start at the edges and work your way in....unless of course you want to noodle them

 

[Fuut Master]

Agreed. Start at the edge. It's nice to have two wedges in case one gets stuck in the round. If that don't work for ya Ranger bait is right, just noodle it. .

 

[30WCF]

Chain saw

 

[maple1]

Was that tree alive when it was felled?

I left some maple rounds in the woods last fall, just didn't have time to get to them. I went back to split them early summer and they were all rotten - totally useless. That was a windfall that had been laying there for a couple years, I cut it up last spring, so laying there in rounds a bit over a year - but when rounds start to rot, it can happen fast. If those have been laying there a full year, I wouldn't leave them there like that any longer - from the staining I think I see, I think it's already starting.

Not sure what that means to your situation - either go at it from the edges with wedges, or noodle them (not a fan of that personally), or rent/borrow/whatever a splitter (what I would do - however I had to). One that will go vertical. Should be able to roll the rounds to in front of the beam, then flop them over onto the foot and have at it.

 

[rawlins02]

Was that tree alive when it was felled?

It was dying due to strangulation. Someone had tied a rope around it from which they hung a hammock. I'm sure there's not much rot now, but agree it's best not to let them sit out longer and through a New England winter.

As others have suggested, I will go at it with the wedges near the edges. Will report level of effort and success next week.

I'll leave chainsaw work for bucking etc. My inexperience makes them just plain scary...

Next after the maple will be bucking and splitting two downed medium sized ash trees:

 

[kennyp2339]

start a 6" deep groove with the chain saw, you can then insert the wedges (2) on each side, never split in the middle and drive them in, it will pop the round in half.
This is how I handle all big rounds, I use to try to noodle them, but felt it was a waste of fuel and a blade, now I make a purchase point in the top of the round and just drive the wedges in, it makes life easier.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

Last year when I tried using them they just stuck in the round. Maybe I'll try the wedges again this weekend. I've never used them before. Are they very effective for this sort of thing?

I've found three traditional wedges and a 10 lb. sledge will split any round. Less than 3 risks getting two stuck. Wear eye protection.

 

[maple1]

I've only had to noodle a couple times - when I stuck my splitter wedge solid in a big maple round, that looked a lot like the ones in the pic above. It was very tricky cutting with the saw while the round was stuck on my splitter - that was another story. But after all was said & done - it left these odd sized wedgy shaped little pieces, since the grain that the round ended up splitting along did not line up with the saw cuts.

 

[TheAardvark]

I would noodle it and be done.

 

[Highbeam]

I'll leave chainsaw work for bucking etc. My inexperience makes them just plain scary...

Nah, it's riskier to swing a maul and try to hit those silly wedges. You could get metal in your eye!

Get your saw and noodle those. 4 footers are no big deal. It's relaxing and easy. No reason to bust a gut trying to swing a Neanderthal weight on a stick. Once noodled down you can stack them under cover where they won't rot.

Here's my 40" doug fir rounds that I couldn't lift until noodled into 6 chunks. No sweat.

 

[ElmBurner]

For the big rounds, I usually noodle enough that a wedge can grab hold, then split them using the sledge hammer. I buck trees into 20" rounds (that's what fits in my stove) and when you get to the big diameter rounds, it takes forever to noodle it with a 16" bar.

I usually break the round into quarters using the notch/wedge technique I described above, then you can split them up from there without a wedge.

I just did that with a 90 foot red oak that was so much taller/older than the other trees around it that it was basically a yard tree. Made tough by the wind and basically unsplittable.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

Nah, it's riskier to swing a maul and try to hit those silly wedges. You could get metal in your eye!

No worries if you wear a pair of shades! It's fun and easy. Swinging to the tune of "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad, All the Live-long Day" makes it even more fun! And the metallic clang of a solid, well placed blow just can't be beat.

No reason to bust a gut trying to swing a Neanderthal weight on a stick.

A Neanderthal would probably kill for a nice hickory handled 10 pound sledgehammer! And the wild woman would be all over him!

 

[ThunderMedic]

I'm to the point with my stacks that I can be a little picky. Anything that isn't straight and knot-free goes into the old smoke dragon in my father-in-law's shop, or gets put into my fire pit for the kiddos. With running a smaller firebox on my insert, it really likes smaller sizes splits.

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[Destructor]

I’ll often wale on large pieces with the mall working in a line from one side to the other, by the time I reach the other side I often will hear a crack. Also I’ll turn it over and do the same to the opposite side. Knotty pieces I chip away the edges then use the wedge. Sometimes I’ll just leave them if they are really stubborn, after a few more weeks weathering they will sometimes suddenly split after a few hits from being weakened from earlier beatings. Big chunks that won’t split down any further go in the fireplace, I then build a fire on top of it.

 

[rawlins02]

Thanks to all for the insightful commentary. I'm going to leave the saw work aside unless absolutely necessary. Though I do note the suggestion to create a small notch into which I can insert a wedge. I always where eye protection. I think I'll buy two more of the longer traditional wedges before I begin. The one with the star-shaped head just seems rather shallow. One other challenge is that many of the rounds are laying on their side, close together, on a slight incline, and surrounded by weeds. Just getting them laid flat and ready to be smacked is work in itself. We'll certainly find out if recent chiropractic treatments and exercise routine have helped this slim 53yo. Lesson: Don't Sit So Much!

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

I'm going to leave the saw work aside unless absolutely necessary. Though I do note the suggestion to create a small notch into which I can insert a wedge.

One more small tip:

If your wedges are ground sharp they will go right in without sawing a starter slot.

 

[rawlins02]

One more small tip:

If your wedges are ground sharp they will go right in without sawing a starter slot.

I'm gonna sharpen the one I have, and my maul too (as I see described in another thread).

 

[30WCF]

Watch out for the jumping wedge. I almost had one kiss my chin last year. Is was buried in a tough round and I was leaning over to grab a second wedge. The first one suddenly popped out like a bullet and came up two feet up in the air and stopped inches from my front teeth. Those things are spring loaded. Just be mindful.


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[rawlins02]

I just finished with one of the larger rounds, about 3' in diameter. Took nearly a half hour to get it to stove-ready splits. Challenges were:

- the standard wedge just would not penetrate. Hitting it with back side of the maul was probably not the way to go. Suppose I need a sledge.
- the pointy wedge seemed to work. After much pounding. Sometimes it got stuck.
- using the chainsaw for a starter slot did not work. Chainsaw blade just moved around resulting in a shallow wide mark, not a narrow "slot".
- after working the edge of round to get large chuck broken off, splitting those chunks was also very difficult. Rock hard. Maul probably needs sharpening. Or I need more muscle behind the swing... at 53yo and 175 lbs.
- the chucks tended to topple over after the maul bounced off. I then set it back up, swing, topple, reset, swing...

Mosquitoes finally chased me inside. I imagine that splitting and stacking those 13-14 large rounds will take approx two 6 hour days. Unless I become more efficient. I recently saw a friend split his rounds. He brings the maul up to forehead level and barely swings. I guess this maple is just tough stuff. I like the exercise, but do feel I must become more efficient to make this a more enjoyable experience.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

- after working the edge of round to get large chuck broken off, splitting those chunks was also very difficult. Rock hard. Maul probably needs sharpening. Or I need more muscle behind the swing... at 53yo and 175 lbs.
- the chucks tended to topple over after the maul bounced off. I then set it back up, swing, topple, reset, swing...

The blow of your swing imparts much more impact if your round is on a solid base. Use the heaviest round you can find (that's not too tall) to split upon. Make sure it's not on soft ground (like springy ground or organic soils). Hard gravel is good. This is especially important on old, hard rounds. They would have split a whole lot easier if they hadn't sat around and hardened up so much.

And yes, sharpen that maul. If the maul is going part way in (but not splitting it completely), spray or rub a lubricant like tire bead lube (vegetable and water based) on the splitting faces. An easy 360 degree swing builds head speed without tiring yourself out. Starting at the top of the swing, accelerate the head by drawing your hands down to the level of your round.

A good thing to keep in mind is you can't force a maul into the wood, you can only control the speed at which the maul is moving at the point of contact and where that point of contact is. Also the angle of contact. Wood that seems almost impossible to split with a maul velocity of 9/10 x, will bust open easily when you reach x velocity (where "x" is the velocity required). The youngest, strongest athlete does not win the shot put, javlin or discus event, it is the athlete with the best technique and timing. Splitting wood is similar.

 

[Soundchasm]

There is no way I'd try quartering those things without making a relief cut first. I'd roll them on their side, and then saw at a 45 degree angle at whatever depth I think will let them break open. Then I use the cut on the end to hold one of several wedges. If I guessed right, I hear a crack after 3-4 hits. Since I have lots of wedges, if it cracks, I like to take a second and third wedge and put them side by side leaving the first wedge in place. Hit 2 and 3 to drive evenly, retrieve #1, and the thing breaks open.

I understand you don't enjoy the saw, but a relief cut would seem to be the safest possible cut. Can't get pinched, nothing is coming in half unexpectedly. Might be an opportunity to warm up to it. But never lose the healthy respect you have for it.

 

[maple1]

- using the chainsaw for a starter slot did not work. Chainsaw blade just moved around resulting in a shallow wide mark, not a narrow "slot".

That doesn't sound quite right. With a sharp chain & correct tightness, you should be able to cut a slot a couple inches deep to get a wedge started. If you angle the saw say at 45°, you might do better with the cut - you will get more noodle effect vs. ripping effect. Ripping - which is cutting the same direction as a chain saw mill would, to try to put it into perspective - requires a ripping chain to be very effective & get vary far with it.

 

[30WCF]

Good logs are fun to split. Sucky ones just suck.


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