Wood chopping tips

[jpm995]

I have a new found respect for those that chop their own wood. I'm new to wood stoves [bought a TruNorth TN10] and trying to split some stumps my neighbor donated. The shorter, smaller pieces go good but the ones about 13" diameter and 20" long are killing me. I'm using a new Fiscars maul [8lbs] and a 4 lb ax. It's taking about an hour to split up one log. The top gets tenderized more than split, the maul bounces off many times. Am i doing it wrong or is there a trick to this?

 

[andym]

I have a new found respect for those that chop their own wood. I'm new to wood stoves [bought a TruNorth TN10] and trying to split some stumps my neighbor donated. The shorter, smaller pieces go good but the ones about 13" diameter and 20" long are killing me. I'm using a new Fiscars maul [8lbs] and a 4 lb ax. It's taking about an hour to split up one log. The top gets tenderized more than split, the maul bounces off many times. Am i doing it wrong or is there a trick to this?

I find it takes a couple sessions to get back in shape every fall. You may simply be trying to split some pieces that are impossible to split by hand. Elm can be that way along with several other varieties.

 

[jpm995]

At first i thought it was Norway Maple because we have a woods between our properties with them, but his brothers a tree cutter so they could be from anywhere. The bigger ones seem much harder to split. My stoves so small i can only fit about 12" pieces in in so i may have to cut them again. Will use my chop saw for that. I won't go to the gym now so i hope this can keep me in shape.

 

[thunderhead]

Keep it up! Youll get better. If nothing else it will be a great workout.

Anyway, if it is knotted, try to split around the knot or place the knot on the bottom. Trying to split directly through a knot is usually time wasted.

You can split off chunks from the side on a big difficult round, rather than go right for the middle. The sides are usually weaker.

There is a big difference between different types of wood, and even within the same tree. I just got a cord of red alder that is so easy to split i barely have to tap em with my fiskars 8lber. Havent taken a full swing on them yet. Man if all wood was that easy id make this a full time job! On the flip side ive got some twisted pine rounds... not even that big... that simply refuse to split. Ive given up on them... they are in the chainsaw pile.

Id say my fiskars 8lber handles about 95% of what ive found so far... but theres definetly some rounds out there that are beyond it.

 

[jpm995]

Keep it up! Youll get better. If nothing else it will be a great workout.

Anyway, if it is knotted, try to split around the knot or place the knot on the bottom. Trying to split directly through a knot is usually time wasted.

You can split off chunks from the side on a big difficult round, rather than go right for the middle. The sides are usually weaker.

There is a big difference between different types of wood, and even within the same tree. I just got a cord of red alder that is so easy to split i barely have to tap em with my fiskars 8lber. Havent taken a full swing on them yet. Man if all wood was that easy id make this a full time job! On the flip side ive got some twisted pine rounds... not even that big... that simply refuse to split. Ive given up on them... they are in the chainsaw pile.

Id say my fiskars 8lber handles about 95% of what ive found so far... but theres definetly some rounds out there that are beyond it.

Thanks, your right about the workout. My chests burning. I noticed that when i hit close to the edge it splits much easier but im afraid to aim for that i'm afraid i'll miss entirely, especially with the maul. I'm much more accurate with the ax. I have 4 big maples coming down this week, my grandsons [24y/o in Coast Guard and works out daily] coming from NJ to assist.

 

[Nealm66]

Definitely easier to split slices off the outside when you’re working with chunks near the butt of a tree. I’ll work 2-3” slices all the way around and maybe twice on a big chunk. Then it will split through the middle easier

 

[TreePointer]

Stumps are often more difficult to split than other wood from the same tree. The grain often is twisted and/or bent leading into the root flare. If you think about it, it makes sense--that wood has to weather a lot of variable and strong forces over the lifetime of a tree. The same characteristics that make the tree resistant to load failure at the base of the tree also make it resistant to being split with our axes/mauls.

As an example, most will agree that ash is a joy to split; however, even ash stumps can cause issues. On more than one occasion, I've had to use a chainsaw to make relief cuts on one end of an ash stump log in order to remove my splitting axe form the other end. The solution for many stubborn stump logs simply is to noodle them with a chainsaw or process them on an hydraulic splitter.

 

[jpm995]

Definitely easier to split slices off the outside when you’re working with chunks near the butt of a tree. I’ll work 2-3” slices all the way around and maybe twice on a big chunk. Then it will split through the middle easier

I have trouble thin slicing with the maul, i'm nervous i'll miss. Maybe with practice i'll have the confidence to go for spots.

 

[Nealm66]

Might help to use a splitting wedge if you have a lot to split. Just make sure to wear eye protection. Guy up in packwood Washington lost an eye.

 

[jpm995]

Might help to use a splitting wedge if you have a lot to split. Just make sure to wear eye protection. Guy up in packwood Washington lost an eye.

I was just going to ask about that. Do the wedges tend to get stuck? Need more than one? I start off with eye protection but keep forgetting to pull them down. Not a habit yet. Edit to add the small splits sometimes fly far away from the stump.

 

[Supersurvey]

Some split better when frozen.

 

[Riteway]

Strumps can be tough...you'll definitely need a wedge, or preferably 2. Start near the outside, preferably in an existing crack. I like the diamond-shaped wedges, personally. Eye protection is mandatory. Or, just give up and use it as a chopping block for your future wood splitting adventures.

 

[jpm995]

Strumps can be tough...you'll definitely need a wedge, or preferably 2. Start near the outside, preferably in an existing crack. I like the diamond-shaped wedges, personally. Eye protection is mandatory. Or, just give up and use it as a chopping block for your future wood splitting adventures.

That's a great idea.

 

[Nealm66]

Conifers or softwoods seem to split easier after being wethered for a season, just the opposite with hardwoods from my experience

 

[gzecc]

If you do have Norway the trunks tend to be twisted and very hard to hand split. Elm is an other problem.
Oak splits easy, ash is usually not so bad. If you keep at it you'll learn. Most of us start out splitting by hand. I now use a hydraulic splitter.

 

[Grizzerbear]

You will figure it out. You probably know this but i'm not sure of your experience so I will say that if you look, you will normally see the cracks in the face of the rounds and if you follow them from edge, to edge, to center with your maul working back and forth it will usually help it split a lot easier. The cracks aren't always very defined if it is fresh cut but as they dry they will show you where they want to split. Also as others have stated some rounds are just intolerant of being split. Don't get discouraged. Stumps are definitely not the best pieces to begin on when taking up hand splitting.

Edit: working the edge off as others said is also good.

 

[Caw]

I do a lot of hardwood splitting by hand. Lots of good advice here. I'll echo those and add a couple:

- Search for existing cracks/weaknesses

- Hit more towards the outside vs dead center on big pieces

- Try to hit the exact ame spot multiple times. Accuracy takes practice keep trying! Its very satisfying once you get it.

- Keep the round lower. Don't put it up on a tall chopping block. The lower it is the more time you have to build force on the downswing.

- Build up your confidence/technique with the maul so you can really let loose and smash. I sometimes even yell or jump a bit for that extra umph. Especially if beer is involved lol.

- Sometimes the wood will simply laugh at you and the maul will bounce off like it's hitting a rubber ball. Stumps are a good example. Don't kill yourself and turn the round/your body into hamburger just set it aside and noodle it with the chainsaw. Live to split another day.

- Be aware of knots. Put them on the bottom when swinging, you arent gonna swing through one. It can feel like hitting steel and be painful. If its too knotty noodle it toss it. Not worth an injury.

- Switch to the lighter axe after the first break or two once its a manageable size. You'll be able to go a lot longer using the smaller axe.

- Learn your species of wood. Red oak splits like butter but elm or box elder will give you a heart attack. I can split a 36" red oak round in one swing but be unable to split a 16" box elder round in 20 swings. Save the tough ones for the splitter day.

- Buy one or borrow/rent a splitter for a day. Hand splitting is one of my favorite things to do but doing 3-5 cords a year adds up physically and it's time consuming. Even if you get a splitter you can still save a cord or however much for enjoyment/exercise but at the same time save your body in the long run.

Here are some big boy rounds I've split this week with my maul. Red oak, cherry, red maple. The oak took 1 swing and the cherry/maple 3 or 4.

 

[WoodScrounger]

There been lots of great advice , I’ll repeat what I learned from my Dad .
Don’t just hit it, hit through it. Sounds a bit crazy maybe but once you’ve learned your aim with that maul focus not just at contacting the top but on bringing it to the bottom of the piece. You could maybe call it follow through. Not sure how else to explain it but it helps

 

[ChadMc]

I split only by hand and did so growing up with my dad and brother. For as long as I can remember my dad would never let us load up a round with a sizable knot. All forks and crotches stayed in the woods. I live by that rule today. If you have a splitter you take it all! That’s the bigger lesson. Even huge rounds are easy to split, when their straight! Like everyone said on the big ones don’t go for the middle. Work the outsides but you don’t need be so close to the bark that you miss. Also from what I find fitness and strength only gets you endurance. You can split all day but Technique is what splits the wood. We have a neighbor who is an old time wood burner and is the skinniest most out of shape guy you’ll ever meet but he can swing a maul and split anything haha

 

[Solarguy3500]

A lot of good advice already shared on this thread.

As stated previously, starting toward the outside edge, maybe 3 or 4 inches in on big rounds will make a world of difference. Slab off the outside and make it a square. Once you have a square, just keep moving in toward the center. You'll have long rectangular pieces, then turn 90° and split those into square splits.

I was working up some big sugar maple this fall that had been down for about a year and a half and using that method, it split pretty nicely. This was the base of the log with a bit of the root flare.

Another tip if you're splitting big rounds is to put a bungee cord or ratchet strap around it, or put it inside an old tire. That way, you can split the whole round just walking around it and making your swings without having to keep bending over and picking up pieces and putting them back on the chopping block.


Also, if you plan to split by hand long term, do yourself a favor and invest in a good splitting axe like the Fiskars X 27 or if you have the budget for it a Gransfors Bruks large splitting axe. It makes a huge difference. You won't wear yourself out like you will using a maul and your accuracy will be better.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I used to split by hand and loved it, but the tough pieces got the chainsaw. I broke my back almost 20 years ago, so I have to be careful now.
I built a splitter and it has been great. I still split a little by hand, but most of it is on the splitter. We burn full time now and splitting all that by hand would be almost impossible for me, especially with the amount of crotchy/tough wood I bring home.

It sounds like you are getting into wood burning and need a splitter for at least the tough stuff.

 

[thunderhead]

Especially if beer is involved lol.

Best advice yet! Hah.

Do the wedges tend to get stuck? Need more than one?

Yup, you can get em stuck. In which case it sure helps to have a second.

Also i find its ok to miss to the side or short. The maul head buries itself in the dirt. Which might dull the tip slightly faster... a trivial concern. The fiskars 8lber is easy to sharpen with a flat file (which i have done just once in 9 cords so far).

Don't miss long... you'll hit the shaft and that will eventually fail.

 

[Caw]

Don't miss long... you'll hit the shaft and that will eventually fail.

And hurt like a son of a. Definitely do not miss long!

I love my Fiskars 36". It's a great tool for a reasonable price. It's my baby lol.

Also get yourself a pickaroon. It'll save you a lot of backache for like $30:

 

[shortys7777]

Caw - I drank plenty of those jacks abby copper legend this fall outside. It was probably my favorite oktoberfest beer this year. Also when you are splitting make sure your legs are spread that way if you do miss the maul is going into the ground not your leg. (I've seen some back videos of peoples stance on youtube). Use your entire body not just your arms and shoulders. I can swing my fiskars x27 really fast on the down swing using my legs and core. On the weekends when I can spend more than a half hour a few cold beers and some music work for me.

 

[Caw]

Caw - I drank plenty of those jacks abby copper legend this fall outside. It was probably my favorite oktoberfest beer this year. Also when you are splitting make sure your legs are spread that way if you do miss the maul is going into the ground not your leg. (I've seen some back videos of peoples stance on youtube). Use your entire body not just your arms and shoulders. I can swing my fiskars x27 really fast on the down swing using my legs and core. On the weekends when I can spend more than a half hour a few cold beers and some music work for me.

Agreed on all fronts. I was finishing a random 12 pack I found buried in the downstairs fridge. A pleasant surprise!