any one still split by hand?

[Arbonaut]

I mostly like the maul ‘cause at 41 YO with a wife, three teenage daughters, an 11 yo boy (and a howling great Pyrenees every time I’m at the woodstack), I like to bludgeon things. But with all this reference to the axe, I will admit nurturing an interest in splitting firewood with the 6# Council Axe.

It’s time to awaken the White Spider.

In classical mechanics, the kinetic energy of a non-rotating object of mass m traveling at a speed v is ½ mv². Hopefully you can keep your axe as a non-rotating object. I love the feel of the axe handle. The Woodheat Warrior mentioned the axe in revolutionary times. Someone should add that it was particularly effective at splitting British skulls. And with many uses, every one had one around.

Back to kinetics. Getting a solid object through another solid object requires velocity. Look at the formula. If you increase the mass of your splitting tool, you first have to divide that in half before it’s even applied to the formula. If you increase the tool’s velocity, that increase gets squared. All this is what makes an aerodynamic, forward leveraged axe a sweet splitting tool.

Kyrugi excercises in martial arts require high speed striking of the hard object with your much softer striking tool, (hand or foot, elbow etc.) With the low mass of your hand, you can magnify the effect through increasing the velocity enough to break the object. You can multiply this with hip rotation.

It works for splitting wood, too. Some guys have an athletic gift and instinctively apply hip rotation. I don’t; I had to learn it.

If you can control an axe and have excellent concentration to do it safely, use an axe. I’ve not reached that plateau, so I’ll leave it hanging until I’m fifty or so unless I need it for a weapon.

 

[zogger]

Those of you splitting by hand are all invited over to my house where you can show me how good your axe's, mauls, ect are in my cottonwood and elm. Cottonwood is so soft it just absorbs the axes impact, and elm is so tough after 20 swings and its still laughing at you, I think you will see the light and get your revenge by placing the round on my hydro.

I split by hand when I had pine to split as it, like many other woods you guys split, is so easy to split you could split it just by farting hard!

I don't have any cottonwood that I am aware of, but we have some smaller elms and big sweetgum and also big sycamore. Those are hard to split but split a lot easier once dry.

Same with tulip poplar. We get some big ones here and when green, just absorb an axe or bounce off. Rubber wood. Wait until they are checked and they split like dry pine. Heck, willow is like that too, have to get that moisture out some first.

How long do you wait on your cottonwood before you try hand splitting it?

 

[BrokenToys]

Splitting my second truckload (well; quartering) of Hickory and; well...godd$#^$%%^U&.

 

[TreePointer]

In classical mechanics, the kinetic energy of a non-rotating object of mass m traveling at a speed v is ½ mv².

Back to kinetics. Getting a solid object through another solid object requires velocity. Look at the formula. If you increase the mass of your splitting tool, you first have to divide that in half before it’s even applied to the formula. If you increase the tool’s velocity, that increase gets squared. All this is what makes an aerodynamic, forward leveraged axe a sweet splitting tool.

Just tidying up one thing:

I know it's probably been a while for most of us, but recall the commutative property of multiplication: (½ * m) * v[SUP]2[/SUP] = (½ * v[SUP]2[/SUP]) * m

That is, it doesn't matter what order you perform the multiplication.

 

[Arbonaut]

Just tidying up one thing:

I know it's probably been a while for most of us, but recall the commutative property of multiplication: (½ * m) * v[SUP]2[/SUP] = (½ * v[SUP]2[/SUP]) * m

That is, it doesn't matter what order you perform the multiplication.

That is more tidy. Thanks.

What I'm saying is that an increase in club speed will square its effect on the energy delivered to the ball. An increase in the mass of the club head will still increase its energy, though not exponentially.

Actually, I'd say anything just as long as this guys thread lasts forever. It is my favorite topic. You have to make your own fun in the country.

 

[Chris-PA]

Those of you splitting by hand are all invited over to my house where you can show me how good your axe's, mauls, ect are in my cottonwood and elm. Cottonwood is so soft it just absorbs the axes impact, and elm is so tough after 20 swings and its still laughing at you, I think you will see the light and get your revenge by placing the round on my hydro.

I split by hand when I had pine to split as it, like many other woods you guys split, is so easy to split you could split it just by farting hard!

So we only split by hand because we have easy to split wood? Like black locust round 36" across? I will split anything, by hand. One of the reasons I have multiple tools is because different wood requires different tools and different techniques. You bring me some cottonwood and I'll split it.

 

[Arbonaut]

I won't burn cottonwood if someone dropped it right next to my unit. Cottonwood is a Poplar family wood though with a lot of good uses.

It makes me fart hard just thinking about picking up a piece of that sopping wet stuff.

 

[SPDRMNKY]

Hi SPDRMNKY:

In case your interested, you can get a little Ryobi 4 ton electric splitter for $299 from Home Depot. Don't let its diminutive size fool ya. This little sucker has split virtually everything I've thrown at it, including some 25" + rounds. I made a video of my splitter which you may find interesting.

http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/191891.htm

Don <><

Don, that's a good setup...looks like it works well for you.

I'm still young, dumb, and full of piss (well...mostly), and in straight wood like that, it wouldn't save me any time. The price is reasonable though, and might be a good option when I get old-n-broke. Thanks for pointing it out.

cheers!

 

[Preston]

I think you mean old n broke down. But then you may mean broke. When we old one were young we too were full of it, but that thinking caused us to do things that contributed to us breaking down when we got old. I used to walk with 300 lbs, now I couldn't get it moving on a down hill greased chute. But I think I'm still full of that yellow liquid too as many times as I get up to go every night. :msp_wink:

 

[genesis5521]

Don, that's a good setup...looks like it works well for you. I'm still young, dumb, and full of piss (well...mostly), and in straight wood like that, it wouldn't save me any time. The price is reasonable though, and might be a good option when I get old-n-broke. Thanks for pointing it out. cheers!

Hi Spdrmnky: I wanna get a Fiskars X27 and try it on my straight-grained wood. It probably will be faster than the splitter, and I'd like the exercise (if my shoulders can handle it). Problem is at 66 I sometimes think I'm still 26. And that always gets me in trouble.

Don <><

 

[chucker]

that question is one for reallity! of corse some of us still do split by hand ! it gits ride of all the extra inactivity that has gained over the winter months..... for me its about 20 pounds worth. lol

 

[Angelos]

Hand splitting for me.Never had a splitter ,never will.
I use my Fiskars X27, and for the big ones my chainsaw

 

[roger m]

6'2'' 350lbs with an 8lb maul if that doesn't work,30 ton hydraulic splitter,if that doesn't work then it gets the ms460 then it will go in the owb!!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[stihly dan]

Whats up with the fiskers X27? fiskers site has 3, at different prices but only 1 discription. Is there a difference? I have only seen 1 Type of X27 at the store.

 

[zogger]

Whats up with the fiskers X27? fiskers site has 3, at different prices but only 1 discription. Is there a difference? I have only seen 1 Type of X27 at the store.

I only see one on the official site for x27, that is with the 36" handle. the x25 has a 28" handle, and the x17 is 23.5". Then they get even smaller.

And only the 25 and 27 have the more "wedge" shaped heard, the rest are starting to spread out more into axe head configuration.

They no longer offer the traditional supersplitter full straight wedge head design. that's the one I have, with the 28" handle. I think that one is a true splitting wedge on a handle, all the rest now are axes with some spreader wings to differentiate the splitters from the choppers.

I have yet to use one of the new designs, although I have hefted them in the store.

I think I want the brush axe next anyway, more useful for me on my walks with the jackals when I am killing poison ivy and multiflora and assorted other noxious weeds. The machete is OK but lacks the beef to really do real woody stuff, and the little hatchet is better for light fast tree trimming of branches. Grab the branch with one hand, put a bend on it where it needs to come off, slice. Real good for that. The machete I have relegated to garden use, cornstalks, sunflowers, old okra stalks, chopping melons and extra greens, that sort of stuff.

edit: whoops, here's the link

Axes and Striking / Yard and Garden | Fiskars

 

[SPDRMNKY]

I think you mean old n broke down. But then you may mean broke. When we old one were young we too were full of it, but that thinking caused us to do things that contributed to us breaking down when we got old. I used to walk with 300 lbs, now I couldn't get it moving on a down hill greased chute. But I think I'm still full of that yellow liquid too as many times as I get up to go every night. :msp_wink:

yeah...I think the saying was old n broke down when I first heard it. somewhere in my subconcious, I changed it to old-n-broke so it would better apply to my future. it's just in my genes...grandpa in his 60's, could still keep up with my dad in his 30's. now, my dad in his 60's, can still keep up with me in my 30's. somewhere around 72, grandpa just broke. I think my dad will make it to 75 or so, and I'm guess-ta-matin' that I'll make it to closer to 80. we'll see?

please don't mistake the above for family bravado. working inefficiently has always been met with utter scorn amongst us. sure, in all out brute force, a 30 yr old will wup a 60 yr old...but work is seldom just about brute force.

i'm just hopin' that when i get old-n-broke, they've perfected exoskeletons...then I'll split rounds between my fingers...like crackin' peanuts!

 

[EXCALIBER]

So we only split by hand because we have easy to split wood? Like black locust round 36" across? I will split anything, by hand. One of the reasons I have multiple tools is because different wood requires different tools and different techniques. You bring me some cottonwood and I'll split it.

If you read what I wrote I said most the wood is easy to split, not all. Yes you could split anything by hand I guess. You could take about 8 12" long steel wedges and a 20 lb sledge and start forcing your way through a good wet 36 inch round of cottonwood. You would need at least that many to get it to hopefully split. To me this would be very silly and would take you several days of hard work just to split one round??? Kinda like saying we could cut all our wood without a chainsaw, and just use a bow saw. It can be done too, although I would not suggest it. I try to work smarter, not harder. I will agree with what you said "One of the reasons I have multiple tools is because different wood requires different tools and different techniques". So true, and for cotton wood the technique is rolling the round to the splitter, the tool is the hydro to bust it easily into 8 inch wedges.

 

[greendohn]

on very rare occasions i will split bigger rounds down small enough to get 'em on the truck with a 6# maul. it's rare i don't have the hydraulics on the rear bumper and HAVE to use the maul.
getting the wood home is enough work for me. back the wood haulin' beat rig up to the wood shed, fire up the hydraulics, lite up a smoke, pop the cap off a bottle of me favorite ale and spend the afternoon/evening making lil' ones outta big 'uns.
it all runs across the beam of the splitter. i love the sound of a 5.5 HP honda engine.

 

[pafire]

I split by hand when I want exercise or if it's easy to split wood usually with the Fiskars. If that won't do it I go to the 8lb splitting maul. For the big stuffits the 10lb slegde and wedges. For the real knarly stuff its the wood splitter, and if the wood splitter can't we go the chainsaw

 

[H 2 H]

Have I ever post what I use when the axe; maul and wedges dont work to split a piece of wood ?

:hmm3grin2orange: