beer and firewood splitting

[ttyR2]

I like power tools more than I like exercise.

 

[1project2many]

I split by hand for two years after back surgery. I was sore every day, and it seemed to last for months. Built a hydro and set the maul aside. The hammer and three wedges always go along when retrieving big pieces. This spring I read some threads about hand splitting, watched some videos of folks in Europe splitting 4' logs before storing, and got excited. I dragged the maul out again. I beat the snot out of some green Cottonwood, even managed to split a couple at 4'. Neat, but not productive. Split a bunch of big pieces of Ash, Pine, Maple, Oak over the summer with the maul, too. Didn't seem to hurt too bad if I kept the work to 45 minutes or less. Then I got to the wood I normally split and the maul went back into storage. I have piles of 1, 2, and 3" dia pieces that get stacked along with the big stuff. Standing those little pieces up and splitting them over and over puts more strain on my back than anything I could do at the hydro. Bend, stand log, stand up, split, repeat. Ow. And splitting anything below 2" by hand is just a pain so for the small stuff the hydro is way faster.

Beer? It's been 23 years since I had to put it down. I still miss it some days but I managed to do enough alcohol related stupid stuff to last a lifetime by the time I turned 21. Can't really say why I'm still here but I'm working on repaying a huge loan I took years ago from the Bank of Good Karma. But back when I did drink, it was real fun to spend the day splitting by hand in the hot sun for 5-6 hrs without hydrating then crack a cold one and get an instant buzz. That usually got me where I wanted to be a whole lot faster on those days. Hmmm... Some day I'll tell the story of how we had about 50 cases of 15 Oz cans of Busch Beer one summer.

 

[Whitespider]

Beer is too expensive...

I've heard that one before... it don't hold water.
Compare the average price-per-can of beer to soda pop, to your ready-to-drink ice tea... heck, compare it to bottled water. I just bought a 24 pack today of my favorite brand (Budweiser, which is one of the more expensive brands) for $10.99... that works out to less than 46¢ per can.
Expensive?? Compared to what??
*

 

[jhoff310]

I split both ways, Armstrong and a new fan dangled gas powered splitter. This year the gas splitter has been a life saver...I have been so crunched for time it isn't funny.

Jeff

 

[redfin]

I have never used a splitter. Someday I'm sure ill own one.

 

[woodchuck357]

I split by hand for two years after back surgery. I was sore every day, and it seemed to last for months. Built a hydro and set the maul aside. The hammer and three wedges always go along when retrieving big pieces. This spring I read some threads about hand splitting, watched some videos of folks in Europe splitting 4' logs before storing, and got excited. I dragged the maul out again. I beat the snot out of some green Cottonwood, even managed to split a couple at 4'. Neat, but not productive. Split a bunch of big pieces of Ash, Pine, Maple, Oak over the summer with the maul, too. Didn't seem to hurt too bad if I kept the work to 45 minutes or less. Then I got to the wood I normally split and the maul went back into storage. I have piles of 1, 2, and 3" dia pieces that get stacked along with the big stuff. Standing those little pieces up and splitting them over and over puts more strain on my back than anything I could do at the hydro. Bend, stand log, stand up, split, repeat. Ow. And splitting anything below 2" by hand is just a pain so for the small stuff the hydro is way faster.

Beer? It's been 23 years since I had to put it down. I still miss it some days but I managed to do enough alcohol related stupid stuff to last a lifetime by the time I turned 21. Can't really say why I'm still here but I'm working on repaying a huge loan I took years ago from the Bank of Good Karma. But back when I did drink, it was real fun to spend the day splitting by hand in the hot sun for 5-6 hrs without hydrating then crack a cold one and get an instant buzz. That usually got me where I wanted to be a whole lot faster on those days. Hmmm... Some day I'll tell the story of how we had about 50 cases of 15 Oz cans of Busch Beer one summer.

Try the tire ring for splitting with ax or maul.
I take a couple of old tires, cut the bead and about half the sidewall out, stack them and sew them together with bailing wire where the sidewalls touch. A heated nail or a soldering iron works as a good awl making the holes. Fill the ring with sticks or toss it over a round and split away without bending to much. I am getting a little old to be fast but I think I still can get more split with a maul than can be done with the average hydro splitter in the same amount of time. It takes less time to fill the ring than to put the sticks on the splitter. I only touch the round once in the splitting process. Using the splitter you only make one split per cycle, and have to reposition each round several times. I strike about every 2 seconds and most strikes produce a stove sized stick of wood.
I take more breaks now days, but still get more wood split in an afternoon than most do with a splitter.
A few years ago I was splitting with some friends, working up some hickory trees that were already cut into rounds, I worked along the trees, splitting the rounds where they lay after standing them up. The boys with the splitter, three of them, carried the rounds to the splitter and took turns carrying, positioning, and operating the splitter. By lunch time I was way ahead but by the time we quit and loaded the trucks they had caught up, almost.
The next weekend they left the splitter home and we had both trucks loaded before noon. This was before I was shown the tire ring splitting trick, I sure wish I had learned it 60 years sooner!

 

[CWME]

I've heard that one before... it don't hold water.
Compare the average price-per-can of beer to soda pop, to your ready-to-drink ice tea... heck, compare it to bottled water. I just bought a 24 pack today of my favorite brand (Budweiser, which is one of the more expensive brands) for $10.99... that works out to less than 46¢ per can.
Expensive?? Compared to what??
*

It was a joke...

 

[farmer steve]

OP. didn't see your age in your profile. iv'e been splitting for 40 +years. i'll take power over muscle any day but the 12 lb. maul goes to woods when i cut. cold beer anytime.

I have never used a splitter. Someday I'm sure ill own one.

Saw bigger wood John.

 

[Highbeam]

Life is too short to waste all that time and energy splitting wood by hand. It's the same reason you don't walk to work or bake bread. I only work up 5 cords a year but even doing that with a power splitter takes a lot of time away from my family.

Leave beer out of the discussion. Beer is awesome, especially homebrew. My current hand injury is from a glass carboy that fell apart in my hands.

 

[Marshy]

Armstong is the way to go. I think its one of those primal moves ingrained in our DNA, kind of like making love it just natural to swing a maul, the more you do it the better you get at it and the better it feels. I usually dont drink beer before or during the process because the carbon dioxide doesnt mix with me when Im exerting myself. I stick to water while working, however I will take a shot of whiskey on some days before starting. Its ususally when the wife has b*tched my ear off about something stupid I'll pull out the 100 proof and throw one back, go put on my work cloths (http://www.kandgcycles.com/Middle-Finger-T-Shirt-Black.html?gclid=CIiQ7f6f9cACFQxp7AodQH8Azg) and go smash some rounds and run saw. I call it chainsaw therapy.

 

[Chris-PA]

Almost 51 and I don't own a powered splitter. Splitting by hand is fast and keeps me in shape, and done properly does not cause me injury - injury usually happens from moving rounds that are too big, so I've learned to (mostly) avoid that. Then again, I don't own a 12lb maul and can't imagine trying to use one, as even the 8lb is only for tough jobs and I can feel myself losing steam with every swing. Most of my wood is split with an axe. Beyond that, I'd rather not stand next to a droning engine - it is quiet between swings.

Crotches and knots are noodled.

 

[Whitespider]

It was a joke...

Oh... sorry... sometimes I can be just a little bit slow to "catch-on"
*

 

[lindnova]

I have a gas splitter, but for time and to get thru the tough elm and bur oak. I cut a lot of pieces at 24-30" and armtronging doesn't work so well on those. It is a time thing for me as I need around 10 cords a year and time is a huge factor between long work hours and family. I do split large and maul down to stove size as I need it in the winter for exercise when I can allow another year for the large splits to dry. It's not that I can't physically hand split or don't like it. I don't like spending 10 minutes on one elm round with wedges buried in it when I can have it licked in less than a minute with the hydraulic.

As far as the beer, only after running equipment or mauls; I like my fingers and toes. A little buzz seems to make stacking go faster.

 

[troylee]

Running the saw tears me up enough. Have destroyed both shoulders and have a separated sternum = splitter.

 

[sunfish]

I split wood by hand for over 30 years, then bought a Super Split for fun...

 

[beerbelly]

I split wood by hand for over 30 years, then bought a Super Split for fun...

I have had an ad on craigslist for about 6 months looking for a used SS. Never got 1 response. But, I'll keep looking.

Until then it's Wife with the axe, me with the beer! Occasionally if I see one of the neighbors driving by, I run over and grab the axe from her hand and push her out of the way so it looks like I just split that cord of knotty oak! The locals all think I am quite the lumberman. I am a clever one!

 

[boxygen]

Armstrong here. I have a hard time with the slowness of a hydraulic splitter. I enjoy the excersize too. This year, my hands are starting to hurt doing a lot of manual work. I dont know if a splitter would help that a whole lot anyway. I think that is mostly handling the wood, grabbing and throwing.
That being said, I borrow my neighbors hydro to do the uglys or something like elm. Also, time becomes more precious all the time. I find myself cutting/splitting wood for others such as my mom, other family and neighbors. I dont have the stamina to do that volume. I see a superplit in my future. I also like tools and being able to help others. I enjoy the challenge of doing a lot of work in a short amount of time with a well organized plan. The supersplit is just one of those tools that allows that.

 

[SPDRMNKY]

OP. didn't see your age in your profile

I think I'm 36...close enough anyway...started splitting when I was 10...or was it 6? so...using common core math 10 - 36 - 6 = I've been splitting for -32 yrs...seems legit.

 

[VW Splitter]

For the first 10 or so years I split with a maul, sledge hammer, and several wedges. I can remember having 3 0r 4 wedges stuck in a not so round crotch of oak. I really enjoy the whole firewood thing. I decided if I was gonna burn wood all my life that I needed a splitter. I built one about 25 years ago and haven't looked back, hardly. Last year I did get a Fiskers x27 and a 22" tire, which work great on the small straight stuff, but most of my wood seems to be large oak crotches and knots. I can split a lot faster with the hydraulic splitter, and get plenty of excercise doing it. As for the beer, no thanks, you can just pour mine back into horse.

 

[stihly dan]

Saw A ss in action this weekend, man is it fast and easy. And that was 20 yr old one. That is on the wish list.