Splitting by hand

[smokedragon]

I hate pine.

Got a couple of cords in my back yard, cut but not split. I may resort to gnawing at it with my teeth.

Funny you mention that. Some pine splits real easy, other species are so knotty that they are nearly impossible (without hydraulics). I tend to get a hold of the latter

 

[lml999]

Funny you mention that. Some pine splits real easy, other species are so knotty that they are nearly impossible (without hydraulics). I tend to get a hold of the latter

This stuff is definitely naughty!

 

[lml999]

I shower with a hair dryer and I have NEVER had a problem.

What's her name?

 

[privatejoker75]

I hate pine.

Got a couple of cords in my back yard, cut but not split. I may resort to gnawing at it with my teeth.

I have 40 acres of mostly ponderosa pine and douglas fir. I love having living fir trees here, so i only cut down the pine. I live in a national forest too so i pay $20 a year for permits and take the fir from public land

 

[Elle]

I split with a maul and was using an 8# cause that is what my brother gave me, lol. I knew nothing. Got terrible shoulder tendinitis and went to a 6# maul. Have to say I think th 6er is much better than the 8er. I thought more weight would be better but looks like more speed is better for splitting, at least for me. It's also much better on the shoulder. Interesting videos. I never think much about technique, I just do it. Guess from swinging a sledgehammer so much.

 

[gerry100]

I split with a maul and was using an 8# cause that is what my brother gave me, lol. I knew nothing. Got terrible shoulder tendinitis and went to a 6# maul. Have to say I think th 6er is much better than the 8er. I thought more weight would be better but looks like more speed is better for splitting, at least for me. It's also much better on the shoulder. Interesting videos. I never think much about technique, I just do it. Guess from swinging a sledgehammer so much.

When your shoulders get stronger and your swing gets smoother you'll be able to get the same head speed with an 8# and benefit from 33% more impact energy. Just take your time and enjoy the 6# for a while

 

[gerry100]

Elle - be aware that some online splitting videos are incompetent and verge on dangerous

 

[Elle]

Gerry100, yes thanks. I never even really thought about a technique or watching a video before this thread. Just seemed sort of natural to me. I'm sure my dad yelled at me enough when I was swinging the sledge so probablt en grained in me. the one thing I did pick up was using a 6# maul and that was a big help. Good looking out!

 

[Maul4life]

I was out at our local lake one night, watching a "Navy Seal" swing an axe to split up some wood for the fire. After watching him almost take out his shins a few times, I decided that...seal or not...I needed to step in and say something. I asked if he minded some advice, "no sir"...I showed him a few techniques...and he was more than happy to keep swinging. And, I was more than happy to sit back and enjoy my beer...now that I knew we would not have to evac a Seal for an axe wound. Whether or not this guy was really a seal, I may never know...but I do know he has some better technique.

 

[russb]

I grew up splitting with an axe (whatever my Dad had lying around, mostly a double-edged). Now that I'm in my 30's and significantly stronger/heavier, I'm enjoying using splitting mauls. Mine is eight pounds, but I've used a monster maul plenty and like that one, too. I need to get back to my roots and pick up a nice sharp axe, and need to get myself a monster maul one of these days; I like switching things up while I'm out there. I just bought my kids a 2 1/4 pound axe from Tractor Supply, look forward to teaching them to swing properly without coming at their shins; my oldest has split lots of kindling with a hatchet, but he'll need some instruction and a close eye while he's swinging the axe. I'll let them whack away at the year-old straight-grained pine rounds I have sitting around. It'll be good once my oldest is strong enough to contribute significantly to the work. He's already a good stacker.

I also just reshafted my maul. It had a fiberglass handle, but in less than a year the epoxy broke up and the head came loose. I went with wood, but I'll keep the fiberglass handle in case I want to revert. Hoping my reshafting job holds up, it's my first time.

No roundhouse for me. just bring it straight up, bring it straight down...

 

[valley ranch]

We, all four or us, gather the 4 cords we need, wifey, our two girls [13 and 17] and myself. I split wood with a mall for years when I was single. We have Fir and Pine on our land. Now I cut and buck, the girls and wifey split, winch it up to the deck and stack. We split more last year then we burned because we were at the lower ranch longer this year and burned less up here.
I remember how it was splitting wood with a maul, in the 1970ies, I remember thinking anyone who used a snowblower was a sissy. Now I have a Tractor, snowblower and a splitter, Oh and a winch to lift wood to the deck. Wifey and the girls insist on carrying the chainsaw up the hill for me so I don't get too tired. They tell me " you're grumpy when you get tired." There's three of them, no use arguing, I sit down and they bring me coffee, and they stack the wood. Some time they let me split with them taking turns operating the splitter or handling the rounds. But if they get the idea I'm doing too much they'll take over, no arguing or they'll say " you're already getting a bit grumpy."
I was telling Uncle, saying " They won't let me go up the tree with my tree hooks to top them." but he says " quit complaining, you're the luckiest man on earth."

Well, anyway I use to split with a mall, now I use the splitter,,, when they let me.

Richard