Worst Wood to Split by Hand?
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hardy steve
ArboristSite Operative
Green pin oak for me
Elm is a bear, that's for sure. I prefer to split it when it's down around zero. A few hits with a maul will generally do the trick depending on the size.
I generally have better luck on hickory using an axe, again depending on the size. Same goes for Cherry and Ash. Around here, cherry splits pretty easy most of the time.
I've been cutting a lot of black locust this year, and an axe won't seem to even touch the smaller piecs. I dropped the trees back in Jan, and bucked a lot of them in the spring. They are now dried and checked, but the maul still has a hard time with the 18" rounds. So I bought an 064 and now I noodle them. A nice easy hit with about anything does the trick just fine now
No more beating my brains out with a maul. I"ll take a 15 pound saw to an 8 pound maul anyday :biggrinbounce2:
I generally have better luck on hickory using an axe, again depending on the size. Same goes for Cherry and Ash. Around here, cherry splits pretty easy most of the time.
I've been cutting a lot of black locust this year, and an axe won't seem to even touch the smaller piecs. I dropped the trees back in Jan, and bucked a lot of them in the spring. They are now dried and checked, but the maul still has a hard time with the 18" rounds. So I bought an 064 and now I noodle them. A nice easy hit with about anything does the trick just fine now
No more beating my brains out with a maul. I"ll take a 15 pound saw to an 8 pound maul anyday :biggrinbounce2:Firechief
ArboristSite Lurker
I'll have to agree with Swamp Yankee that Elm is a bear even with a splitter. Cherry here in Northern Indiana is a breeze to split, every time the wind blows they fall down.
I would put as a second worse to elm. Yellow birch can be a funny wood to split, sometimes it cracks open so easy that you wonder why you used two hands to swing the maul and other times it takes 3 or 4 swings to start developing a crack.
Thats just what I find. One piece will explode with one swing, the next will take a sledge/maul, and still take a dozen hits while grinning at you.
bsearcey
ArboristSite Operative
I think what makes it even worse is the BTU value of BG. At least with elm you are rewarded with a decent BTU value. BG not so good.
mooseracing
ArboristSite Operative
Add another to Elm. I haven't had any problems with anything else up here in MI. Elm always seems to be a PITA, sometimes I don't know if it's worth dinking with.
Even the splitter sometimes doesn't like it, or it will just slowly cut through all the grain.
Even the splitter sometimes doesn't like it, or it will just slowly cut through all the grain.
BlueRidgeMark
Addicted to ArboristSite
What is this "split by hand" you speak of...:monkey:
Yes, that's true. We certainly are. :agree2:
:hmm3grin2orange:
Oh, c'mon! You asked for it!
JBinKC
ArboristSite Operative
1.) Any Gum
2). American Elm
3). Sycamore
2). American Elm
3). Sycamore
BlueRidgeMark
Addicted to ArboristSite
Interesting differences here, folks. Black cherry is a piece of cake for me. Hickory too. Black locust? One of the easiest! Straight grained and just pops open!
I suspect we're calling different trees by the same names. Probably regional differences, coupled with the fact that most of us don't know how to ID trees as well as we think we do!
woodbooga
cords of mystic memory
Always good having a few elm rounds on hand. For when there's company.
Usually the gals like to talk amonsgt themselves. Us fellas usually head out to the barn or else to the woodpile. Even my non-woodheat friends like to mosey on out.
Gee, that's a lotta wood.
Yep. Split it with a maul. Like this. (Demolish an oak round by way of demonstration.). Here, you try. (put elm round on stump. Enjoy the free entertainment.)
Usually the gals like to talk amonsgt themselves. Us fellas usually head out to the barn or else to the woodpile. Even my non-woodheat friends like to mosey on out.
Gee, that's a lotta wood.
Yep. Split it with a maul. Like this. (Demolish an oak round by way of demonstration.). Here, you try. (put elm round on stump. Enjoy the free entertainment.)
pops21
Addicted to ArboristSite
Interesting differences here, folks. Black cherry is a piece of cake for me. Hickory too. Black locust? One of the easiest! Straight grained and just pops open!
I suspect we're calling different trees by the same names. Probably regional differences, coupled with the fact that most of us don't know how to ID trees as well as we think we do!
BL might be easier to split when dried but when green ive alwayse thought it was hard to split.
Swamp Yankee
Addicted to ArboristSite
BlueRidgeMark
Addicted to ArboristSite
BlueRidgeMark
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ah, that would make a difference. I haven't split any green.
By hand ? honestly it's been years . But I can say by hand or machine , Elm sucks ,followed shortly by Sweet Gum.
Elm.
Here are a couple pics of my elm experiment. Notice how small the log is. The wedge was swallowed by this elm round. It never did split.
Here are a couple pics of my elm experiment. Notice how small the log is. The wedge was swallowed by this elm round. It never did split.
avalancher
Arboristsite Raconteur
Elm.
Here are a couple pics of my elm experiment. Notice how small the log is. The wedge was swallowed by this elm round. It never did split.
It never split?So what did you do?Just throw the log and wedge in the fire?
It never split?So what did you do?Just throw the log and wedge in the fire?
The log didn't need split to begin with. It was a boring day last winter so I thought I would give it a try. I had to spread both ends to work my wedge loose. I thought the elm gave a good fight so I left it in tact.
