SPLITTING

[greenergrass]

I choose to split my wood with a sledge & wedge and/or a maul. I was just wandering how many here does the same thing. I feel it is great exercise and it makes me appreciate the heat that much more.

 

[citizanken]

I also use a maul, except for the real gnarley stuff, I take that to work and use the Boss's 8 ton splitter ;-)

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I do... and so far am ejoying the excercise also.

However, when I get back in, the wife just says to me, "You need a shower before you come to bed." I don't think she's impressed with the pits...

Matt

 

[nshif]

I use an Iron & Oak 26 ton spliter.... and I still get plenty of exercise, falling, limbing, bucking, and then splitting. I dont need any more exercise then that. But whatever works for you.

 

[MrGriz]

I use a 20 ton splitter with a 5.5hp engine.
Maybe after a bit of exercise that way, I'll be in good enough shape to split by hand. I wouldn't bet on it though, with the added speed I usually get done early enough for an extra barley pop or two :cheese:

 

[recppd]

I buy mine seasoned and pre-split. I know it would be good exercise, but it's just not worth the time and effort...

 

[kd460]

I split with a 8 lb. maul, and use a 5 lb hand sledge and a couple of splitting wedges for the really tough stuff.

I like getting out and "splitting" for a while at least every other day. Does not take long for the arms and chest to get buff. Doesn't take long for the arms and chest to get soft when I stop for awhile. Been splitting regular for about 3 weeks and I allready feel the difference. I also like having a reason to get outside in the dead of winter. The dog loves it too. She waits for a wood chip to go flying and makes a game out of it. She picks it up, and runs around with it for awhile, chews on it for awhile, but, always puts the pieces by the door on the deck, then comes back at waits for another piece to come flying. She has actually cought them in mid air flying from the log.

When done with a session of splitting, I have a nice little kindling pile waiting for me at the door, courtesy of the dog. She seems to like red oak and cherry. Ash is ok, but does not chew on that too long. She don't like boxelder (and niether do I). Poplar never makes it to the door, she chews that into a pile of pulp.

That reminds me, time to go split for awhile. KD

 

[suematteva]

16 cords of chainsawed and hand split hardwood..The rounds that can't get cracked with 5 or 6 shots of the 8lb maul go to a special area..I put them where they get full sun..Will come back to them in a couple weeks looking for clues...If still nothing after multiple shots, out come the wedges, I have 2 one about an 1 1/2 inch wide the other about an inch..Use the maul to drive them...I love burning these pieces.

Have been fortunate not to get both stuck in the same round yet...

 

[ourhouse]

I use a maul,ax and splitter. The easy stuff I do by hand. and the gnarley stuff goes in the splitter.

 

[velvetfoot]

I haven't gotten the hang of using the wedges yet. A I recall, I couldn't get them started in the piece I was trying to split.

 

[ourhouse]

Find a crack in the wood and start there with the wedge. It works pretty good for me.

 

[Bushfire]

Fiskers splitting axe. Colleagues at work laughed when they first saw it, but when the red oak, norway maple, cherry, sugar maple, white ash, and white oak staring flying apart with next to no effort, they were all impressed. I only ever use a wedge and sledge for the really tough stuff, and then I question whether they are worth it when all of my wood is free. I even try to buck so that the knotty bits get left. The really knarly bits go back to nature in the woods at the back or goes on the neighbors campfire pile. I can't imagine swinging a 6lb or 8lb maul, when 2.25 lbs does the trick. It's rare that I need to hit anything more than 3 times before it splits. Most of the time its one well placed whack and it goes on the pile. Still work up a sweat, though.

http://www.fiskars.com/US/Garden/Product+Detail?contentId=85478

 

[Gunner]

Fiskers splitting axe. Colleagues at work laughed when they first saw it, but when the red oak, norway maple, cherry, sugar maple, white ash, and white oak staring flying apart with next to no effort, they were all impressed. I only ever use a wedge and sledge for the really tough stuff, and then I question whether they are worth it when all of my wood is free. I even try to buck so that the knotty bits get left. The really knarly bits go back to nature in the woods at the back or goes on the neighbors campfire pile. I can't imagine swinging a 6lb or 8lb maul, when 2.25 lbs does the trick. It's rare that I need to hit anything more than 3 times before it splits. Most of the time its one well placed whack and it goes on the pile. Still work up a sweat, though.

http://www.fiskars.com/US/Garden/Product+Detail?contentId=85478

2.25lbs??????

I don't care who makes it...2.25lbs is still 2.25lbs, thats a hatchet. Wouldn't want to armwrestle you!

 

[northwinds]

I use an 8 lb maul that I picked up at Harbor Freight. I love splitting oak: the ease with which it splits, the smell of the wood, the sound of the metal against the wood, and working up a sweat on a cold day. I also love being done and sitting on a stump drinking a cold beer, listening to the sound of the wind in the trees. It all helps to clear my mind and to decompress.

northwinds

 

[Bushfire]

Fiskers splitting axe. Colleagues at work laughed when they first saw it, but when the red oak, norway maple, cherry, sugar maple, white ash, and white oak staring flying apart with next to no effort, they were all impressed. I only ever use a wedge and sledge for the really tough stuff, and then I question whether they are worth it when all of my wood is free. I even try to buck so that the knotty bits get left. The really knarly bits go back to nature in the woods at the back or goes on the neighbors campfire pile. I can't imagine swinging a 6lb or 8lb maul, when 2.25 lbs does the trick. It's rare that I need to hit anything more than 3 times before it splits. Most of the time its one well placed whack and it goes on the pile. Still work up a sweat, though.

http://www.fiskars.com/US/Garden/Product+Detail?contentId=85478

2.25lbs??????

I don't care who makes it...2.25lbs is still 2.25lbs, thats a hatchet. Wouldn't want to armwrestle you!

Trust me, I'm no superhero - although I sometimes like to think my wife thinks I am. I have no idea why it works so well, but it does.

 

[brian_in_idaho]

I also split with an 8 lb maul, very rarely need a wedge with our species around here. I prefer to split in the woods where I fell and buck logs, then load the splits into a small trailer behind the 4-wheeler. It keeps all the mess away from the house, and gives me an excuse to alternate between the chainsaw, splitting and driving the wheeler.

Bri

 

[Eric Johnson]

Splitting by hand is great exercise and pretty satisfying work, too. I do about 20 full cords a year with an 8-lb maul.

 

[DonCT]

A.K.A.- Eric has no life

 

[Rich M]

I picked up an old McColluch splitter and retired the wedges. I still use the maul on the straight stuff, it's faster.

 

[Corie]

I use an 8 pound maul, as well as one of the "chopper" brand magic splitting mauls. Nothing special about either of them, except I'm like Paul Bunyon when I swing them!

I really should take a video of myself swinging a maul, just so you can see the burst of light that results everytime I strike a log and make the carbon atoms jump apart. It's like a mini chernobyl.

 

[DonCT]

Where's Moses when you need him. He could part wood faster than any of us

 

[Robbie]

I hope everyone wears safety glasses while splitting.

One sharp projectile is all it would take to ruin your wood splitting experience. :gulp:

(it might not even have to be sharp !~)



Robbie

 

[Roospike]

Fiskers splitting axe. Colleagues at work laughed when they first saw it, but when the red oak, norway maple, cherry, sugar maple, white ash, and white oak staring flying apart with next to no effort, they were all impressed. I only ever use a wedge and sledge for the really tough stuff, and then I question whether they are worth it when all of my wood is free. I even try to buck so that the knotty bits get left. The really knarly bits go back to nature in the woods at the back or goes on the neighbors campfire pile. I can't imagine swinging a 6lb or 8lb maul, when 2.25 lbs does the trick. It's rare that I need to hit anything more than 3 times before it splits. Most of the time its one well placed whack and it goes on the pile. Still work up a sweat, though.

http://www.fiskars.com/US/Garden/Product+Detail?contentId=85478

Here is the Fiskers big brother.
http://www.fiskars.com/US/Garden/Product+Detail?contentId=85480

Fiskars actually has won many awards for there axes.

I use a 28 ton 8.5 hp gas splitter and split everything and at different sizes except i dont split down to small sizes.
When the logs come up to the house and in the early Fall and late Spring i used a "helko Vario - 2000" splitter to fine tune the wood for smaller splits as needed. Awesome splitter.
Its the model: 36058 (A) Helko 2300G Heavy Splitting Axe .

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11718

 

[velvetfoot]

I noticed that my local Home Depot now has two kinds of wedges: the normal 8lb kind like I have (natch) and a "premium" model for 3-4 dollars more that looks something like that Fiskars above, with wings.

 

[BigV]

I hope everyone wears safety glasses while splitting.

One sharp projectile is all it would take to ruin your wood splitting experience. :gulp:

(it might not even have to be sharp !~)



Robbie

True story:
Years back during my younger days we, (my father and me) split all of our wood by hand using wedges, axes, and monster maul whatever would do the trick. After awhile our wedges began to mushroom out on the top. I was back pounding away one afternoon using one of the wedges and an 8-pound sledge. I felt a sharp pain in my left inner thigh. A couple minutes later I look down and my pant leg is soaked with blood. A piece of the mushroomed wedge had broken off with a glancing blow and sent a piece of shrapnel into my thigh. Had to go to the hospital to get the piece removed and the ER doctor thought I was shot with a .22. After that, we ground the wedges down when they began to mushroom out.