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Thread: Split green wood or seasoned

  1. 09-07-2010, 07:10 AM #1
    Jensent
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    Question Split green wood or seasoned

    Do you find it easier to split wood with a splitting axe when it is green or when it has seasoned?
    Thanks
    Tom
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  2. 09-07-2010, 08:09 AM #2
    burroak
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    I've found ash and oak is easier to split by hand when seasoned.
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  3. 09-07-2010, 10:29 AM #3
    Mike PA
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    I think wood is generally easier to split when seasoned because the wood fibers break more easily when dry.
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  4. 09-07-2010, 11:32 AM #4
    Iska3
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    For many years we would always split our wood when it was fresh cut or when it was below zero for a week or more. I used an axe for many years and it seems like the oak would split best on the fresh cut side. There was a time when we would cut our wood 32 inches long and let them age for a year and later cut them to 16 inches so we had a fresh cut side. We just split about three cords of oak that was cut last year and I find it to be full of strings and harder to split even with the splitter.. The fresh cut oak pops right in half.. Some 30 years ago we ran a new fence for the cows; all our fence post were oak and most were split in two (by hand). All were fresh cut right out of the woods. just .02
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  5. 09-07-2010, 12:08 PM #5
    Laird
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    My personal experience leads me to believe that green wood is easier to split than seasoned. There is no doubt in my mind that green Hickory and Beech are easier to split than after they have dried even partially.
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  6. 09-07-2010, 08:41 PM #6
    angelo c
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    I find fresh oak, maple, ash and cherry to be easier when green. That's most of what we get round these parts. I split some by hand for Chits and Giggles and mostly w/my SuperSplit. The Super defintely prefers green. I find if the wood isn't splitting much the way I'm going I set that round off for a few weeks then come back at it and I get through it better. Something happens to the grains/knots.
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  7. 09-08-2010, 05:06 AM #7
    jhoff310
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    I split by hand, and I think its easier to split when its green. I do have access to a splitter if I run into a few bastard pieces but I havent had any problems splitting green wood.

    Jeff
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  8. 09-08-2010, 06:48 AM #8
    slofr8
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    I like it green.
    Iska3 said,
    "For many years we would always split our wood when it was fresh cut or when it was below zero for a week or more."
    And I have found this to be true. Even a couple nights of temps. in the teens can make a big difference.
    Dan.
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  9. 09-08-2010, 06:49 AM #9
    pipehead
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    Softwood can be difficult to split when it's green. It's like splitting a block of cheese.
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  10. 09-08-2010, 07:51 AM #10
    iowawoodcutter
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    I like to split my oak when it is green and when it is well below freezing...
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  11. 09-10-2010, 06:50 AM #11
    alleyyooper
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    Dry seasoned or green I like frozen best. Even the seasoned stuff has moinsture in it that freezes up and makes most hand spliting a easy chore.

    Al

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  12. 09-10-2010, 07:31 PM #12
    biggenius29
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    What about Elm, is easyer when it is dryed up for a year, or fresh?

    (I hope it is fine after it sat for about a year...) I have some that I havent had a chance to get at yet.
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  13. 09-10-2010, 07:38 PM #13
    ray benson
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    When splitting by hand it's nice to have natural cracks.
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  14. 09-11-2010, 05:08 AM #14
    savageactor7
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    Back when I was splitting by hand we'd split it all soon after it was cut into rounds. And that was that...whatever way split easier didn't make a difference.

    The overall plan to lessen the times you handled wood had 1st priority. Not say'en one way is better than the other that's just the way I was schooled.
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  15. 09-11-2010, 07:14 AM #15
    CTYank
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    Don't know what you mean by "splitting axe" because "axe" to me means a hardened (carbon) steel, acute angle _cutting_ tool. I've known very experienced woodmen to suffer horrible injury from axes, like when they hit on the near-side, pop right through, and hit the lower leg.
    A "maul" on the other hand, is a mild-steel, relatively fat-cheeked, _splitting_ tool, and evolved for that purpose over time. It is much more efficient at converting kinetic energy into spreading fibers.
    IMHO, 6 lb works best. Forks and knots may require prep with chainsaw.
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