How are you guys manually splitting your wood?

[Biglurr54]

I have been felling, bucking, and splitting all my own wood. I cut 11 cord a year. Its a lot of splitting. Its all hard wood. 12-24 inch diameter logs and they are cut 24 inches long. I have an outdoor wood boiler so the size can be pretty big. Right now to split everything I am using an old Monster Maul my father gave me. I just saw a video of a Fiskars x27. Can that hang with the monster maul. I cant believe an axe or splitter that is that light can keep up with the maul? How are you guys manually splitting your wood.

 

[VTWoodchuck]

I have an OWB and use about 10-12 cord a year as well. I only split about 20% or so of my wood and do it with a fiskars x27. I still have my 6lb maul but don't use it much. I cut my wood shorter, about 18" or so if I intend to split it, makes it easier. Also- noodling is your friend.

 

[rob206]

I use a monster maul, but I don't split much of my wood. If a particular piece is too tough, I use a wedge and finally my saw if I have to. My OWB doesn't require small pieces.

 

[FLHX Storm]

Though technically I don't count because I'm using a smallish type Wood Stove, and have only been splitting wood for a couple of months now, I am using the Fiskars X27 too. But just because I have been splitting rounds 16 inches in length and upwards of 26 inches across doesn't quite disqualify me.

Just for giggles one day I did a vertical split of a 4 foot oak log about 25 inches across with the X27. I don't think I would want to do that on a regular basis, but I did do it! Now yesterday I had this thought, why not try doing the vertical split with a 6 or 8 foot log with the X27? I don't know for sure if I will or not, but it was a thought

N yeah, I should probably mention I'm a 61 year old female!

 

[Biglurr54]

I'll Noodle if i have something really knotty and the maul bounces off of it. I believe my maul weighs in around 15 lbs. It is, as the name suggests, a monster.

 

[sunfish]

I used a maul for over 30 years, splitting 10-15 cords a year. Split small for wood stove.

I tried most every maul out there including a monster maul and it was about the least efficient. Too heavy and too much wedge. I never tried a Fiskars, but finally found a slimmer 5lb maul that worked much better than the 6 & 8 pounders I was using.

I now use a Super split.

 

[FLHX Storm]

Forgot to add a picture for reference!

View attachment 271383

View attachment 271384​

 

[djones]

Though technically I don't count because I'm using a smallish type Wood Stove, and have only been splitting wood for a couple of months now, I am using the Fiskars X27 too. But just because I have been splitting rounds 16 inches in length and upwards of 26 inches across doesn't quite disqualify me.

Just for giggles one day I did a vertical split of a 4 foot oak log about 25 inches across with the X27. I don't think I would want to do that on a regular basis, but I did do it! Now yesterday I had this thought, why not try doing the vertical split with a 6 or 8 foot log with the X27? I don't know for sure if I will or not, but it was a thought

N yeah, I should probably mention I'm a 61 year old female!

You go girl !!

 

[mizzou]

I don't have an owb but I hand split wood with a Fiskars supersplit, the short handled one. Used a monster maul for many years and then a 6 pound maul until I got the supersplit. The super split is by far the best I have used even on the 20-24 inch long wood I generally cut. However, the last couple of years 90% of the wood I've cut has been hedge, so I've been using the hydaulic splitter more than hand splitting.

 

[Bob95065]

I split 10 cords this year and about 8 1/2 was split with a 8lb maul. The remaining 1 1/2 cords were done with a hydraulic log splitter. They were forks, had a lot of knots or in general couldnt be split with a maul.

I posted in a thread about the X27 here: http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/218180-2.htm#post4024738 They are too light for me. I like a 8lb maul better. It has the follow-through to get through the hard wood I like to burn.

Like I said in the post above I am 6'05" tall, 250 pounds at 40 years old. I lift weights in the gym at work ~4 days a week and consider splitting wood a workout. People at the gym ask my why I work out so hard and I tell them I am training to split wood. I get funny looks when I say that.

Bob

 

[Jere39]

I replaced a 6lb maul and wedges last year with a Fiskars x27. I split about 10 cord a year, and am lucky to be able to cut my own wood, so 90% of what I cut is nice straight grained Red Oak from standing dead trees on my property. The Fiskars is the fastest tool I know of for splitting it. Of course, I still run into a knotted piece, or a crotch piece occasionally, like those in the stack behind my tools, so the maul and wedges still have a use.

And just for chuckles, some of the splits are big:

View attachment 271387

 

[Morgan in AR]

My splitter is powered by eggs and oatmeal in the morning and beans and cornbread at night. I use a six pound maul mostly, have to use wedges on the uglies. Sometimes I noodle, but it seems to use a lot of fuel. I was using a 4.5 lb splitting ax, but it bounced off my truck a couple of weeks ago. I'm thinking that is an opportunity to go get a fiskars.

 

[stihlrookie]

6# Wesco splitting maul is pretty much all I use. I rarely split wood over 24", mostly in the 16" area and all cut to 16" length. I have found the trick for me on difficult or larger pieces is to over swing and nick the bark on the opposite side then short swing and nick the bark on the near side and then give it a good whack in the center, keeping in line with the previous two hits. Nicking the bark will allow the piece to break apart easier, the bark can act like a band holding the wood together until it is broken.

 

[El Quachito]

-3lb generic hardware store Michigan Axe
-6lb Mexican/Chinese steel maul
-Chainsaw
-MegaMaul only when I have to

 

[KyleOh]

X27 for most stuff. 35t hydro for the rest.

 

[Encore]

I use an x27 for a lot of the straight grained stuff. The rest I pull out the hydro splitter for. I cut my stuff about 20" long if it needs split. If it'll go right in the OWB I cut it about 25" long.

x27 is really good on stuff up to 18" in my experience. Faster than a hydro splitter. But on the longer stuff you'll still end up swinging quite a bit.

 

[andydodgegeek]

Pretty much all I split is red oak and it is usually pretty cold out when I do. The x27 busts it apart without having to swing really hard. I prefer it to a maul. If I have odd shaped pieces or crotches I rip it with the saw. I just put a portage and main outdoor wood burner in this last fall and am really liking being able to put in quite large pieces of wood.

 

[Fronty Owner]

not sure about everyone else. I use two sons that are 16 and 18 that would like to know the WIFI password... :msp_sleep::msp_biggrin:

 

[Cbird14]

not sure about everyone else. I use two sons that are 16 and 18 that would like to know the WIFI password... :msp_sleep::msp_biggrin:

i know how ur sons feel trust me. that was my job until i was 18 also. now i do it for myself and unless i have a decent size pile to split. i just use a 8# ludell splitting maul. i can go thru it much faster doing it by hand. and for u guys that get to split red oak... ur a bunch of lucky @$$ holes. just playing. if i have red oak to split i leave it til last cuz its like dessert after splitting red and piss elm.

 

[andydodgegeek]

I will not hand split piss elm.