Wood explodes on splitter

[Jambx]

Ok guy - I am posting this since this never happened to me before and I need wood ID.

My tree guy dropped off a pretty decent load this weekend consisting mostly of Red Oak (my favorite) so I wanted to get to it right away - I remember him saying something about some of the wood was Silver Maple an he recommended I wait a while and spilt it over the winter (not sure he was talking about the Maple when he said that) - I was more concentrating an drooling on the 44 inch Oak rounds he jut unloaded….and just pass it off since my 25 Ton Speedco will split anything.

Well I became very complacent yesterday (although I error on the side of safety ALL the time - wear chain saw chaps even for one cut - chest and back protectors when I ride my motorcycle - safety glasses when I use my splitter etc). Always looking to mitigate a potential problem.

So, I proceed to cut up a log - didn’t look like Oak but I was heard and heavy.

Noodled the 20 inch round under the splitter and …hum….the splitter went in maybe 2 inches into the wood and immediately slowed down to a crawl….I proceeded to try and find another spot to cut into - although I was able to get some splits off it it was frigging difficult and stringy. I finally dropped the hammer and felt I will let the bypass kick in because I was determined to split this stuff - next thing I remember is I hear a loud pop and the round was flying at me.

I (don’t ask me why) I was also standing to the side of the splitter when the wood separated and a very large portion of the round shot out about 2 feet striking my shin (which by the way was protected with the standard issue Nike) also striking my knee. The noise was so loud that my girl friend who was in the house some 300 feet away heard it over the splitter motor - she looks out of the kitchen window and finds me falling to the ground. She almost had a heart attack running to my aid. I was in a lot of pain but wasn’t dead although she wanted to kill me.

I always thought my Speedco could split to China however I think it met its match and feel I was fortunate on the outcome. A lessoned was learned on the limits of the splitter and when to stop.

So the wood question for the day is - what is this stuff???...

 

[bobdog2o02]

Looks like maple to me..... And yea it pops when split.

 

[Jambx]

I have split maple before and it was never this hard to separate.

Is Silver Maple that much different than any other Maple to split green?

I never want to see this stuff again.

 

[HybridFyre]

Whatever it is I have some of the same stuff. I'm hand splitting it and each round takes me 10-15 minutes to split with a heavy maul and wedge. It just laughs at my X27.

 

[mark cline]

Silver maple is stringy and not easy to split , on the other hand the unsplit pieces look like white ash. Very straight grained and will pop when its split.

 

[gzecc]

Norway maple will split and shoot out sometimes.

 

[Soundchasm]

With only a 5-ton electric I'm not the least bit ashamed to pre-cut any decent sized round before splitting. A silver maple worked me to death earlier this year, but I didn't have any explosions. I did get quite a surprise from some ash last week, though. Boom goes the dynamite.

One tactic I've begun to use is flush cutting those boughs off the round. Limbs seem like wood's rebar, and just making it shorter seems to help the splitting. Hope the mark on your knee/shin is not permanent or too painful. Folks that never do anything will never get hurt!

 

[Jambx]

Ok from the sounds of it I believe it was the Silver Maple that knocked me out - so as you can imagine I have decided to put those aside for a spell and let them breath. I am just amazed how tough it was to get a 25 ton wedge through it. As for the shin - its still pretty swollen and sore - will get it check out if it doesn't get better by Tuesday.

 

[bobdog2o02]

Yep, i have a 5 ton electric by the stove for making kindling. My silver maple that was 3 yr seasoned was shooting across the room when it finally gave way. I pointed the splitter at the cinder block wall for safety....

 

[osagebow]

I had a hedge crotch boomerang out on me, close call. I study ugly pieces more carefully now when splitting.

 

[paul bunion]

It wasn't the species that got you. All it takes is a knot or a some twisted grain. Consider yourself learned. You'll never stand beside another split when it is on the beam.

 

[jdp1152]

A lot of kinetic energy waiting to be unleashed in a twisted tree. They don't grow that way If they can help it

 

[SawdustSA]

Looks very similar to the Eucalyptus I had some time ago. I did not have a splitter at the time and had to noodle all of it. Lots of petrol, noise and time.

 

[blades]

Norway Maple - some twisted grain in that piece so when it let go it went quick. I have run into that many times. I stage the pressur rather than just holding on all the time gives the split a little time to crack first rather than bursting apart.

 

[D8Chumley]

I sit on a round when I split (vertical) with the family jewels back from the leading edge and I keep my legs about 5 and 7 o'clock to the round I'm working. Those crotches and gnarly twisted pieces can hurt you like blades said, and you experienced.

 

[Andy S.]

I have some Bradford Pear uglies that look just like that. Glad you're ok!

 

[midwestcoast]

Looks more like Noway Maple to me.
Btw I have split plenty of Silver Maple and Sugar Maple by hand. It splits fine unless it's twisted or full of knots & crotches. You get more of that stuff in yard trees like what your tree guy deals in.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Yes Norway maple, mine would pop then go through the rest of the round to split it on my huskee 22, before I got the splitter I was wedge and sledging it. Knotty or twisted pieces are tough to split, especially if their in the 18-22" length range....but great wood that dries quickly......

 

[tymbee]

I always thought my Speedco could split to China however I think it met its match and feel I was fortunate on the outcome. A lessoned was learned on the limits of the splitter and when to stop.

ANY species of wood with large, twisted knots or branch sections where there is no straight grain at all can result in this kind of behavior. Never start to split a round with the wedge entering the knot first. If it splits at all it will be more of a "tear" than a split given there's no straight grain. Take that same piece and turn it around, starting the split from a section with straight grain then by the time the wedge gets through to the knot, it will still tear but there's much less chance of the pieces flying apart.

A "guy I know" (yeah, right) learned this the hard way many years ago.

 

[Charlie2]

Air in the system will cause the splits to be launched as well. If you run a little low on hydraulic fluid the pump will put air into the cylinder, the air acts like a coiled up spring, once the major part of the split is made with the hydraulics, the air (coiled spring) launches the splits. Pretty dangerous to be down range.

 

[Lyndenbrook Farm]

I am kinda new at this.

I have been splitting vertically and every time the wood does not split right away, I get up and move so the splitter is mostly between me and the wood.

A few good pops have convinced me to continue this practice

 

[Charlie2]

With the cylinder being vertical, any air that might get in the system is trapped at the top of the cylinder, I'd run some cycles horizontally occasionally to purge the air from the system. If the ram advances very quickly after a heavy strain is relieved, there is either air in the system or there is flex in the frame.

 

[hayrikki]

I just had this happen to me with California white oak, I believe. My leg was at 4 o'clock by accident and it hurt me bad. Gotta have the Doc look at it. I know better!

 

[blades]

About a year ago one got me. feet got tangled. up went down backwards hard on a pile of splits dislocated shoulder and had multiple new orifices oozing red stuff out on my back side.

 

[BIGChrisNH]

I've split tons of maple over the years but I've found that during every years processing there are a few rounds that will pop like that. Usually they don't jump too far, and I like to think I've gotten pretty good at reading a "poppy round" as soon as it's on the splitter so I can prepare for it. Still, there's always 1 or 2 that surprise me. I've had pine do that actually, with twisted grain. You don't realize there's pressure in there.