Jack Hammer wood splitting?

[boltboss]

Hello. New to this forum and looking forward to participating.

I have been heating with wood for three years and I cut and split all of our wood by hand using a 6# splitting maul. In most cases I do not miss having a log splitter as I feel it is easier to walk up to the logs and split them than it is to carry the logs to the splitter. I also think the maul is faster since the cycle time of most splitters appears to be rather slow.

This year we had to cut down a huge (42" across) white oak tree that was storm damaged and threatened to come down on our house. I killed me to cut down that beautiful old tree but we had no choice. I have been working around the rounds splitting away as much as I can but these rounds are just too much in some cases. If I purchase or rent a splitter (horizontal or vertical) I will still need to muscle the rounds to the splitter which leads to my question.

Has anyone here ever tried using an electric jack hammer to split large rounds of hardwood? I have read that the better jack hammers will break up 6" concrete so they are clearly serious tools but I wonder if they can split the wood using a wide chisel bit or will it just bury itself in the wood. The advantage of the jack hammer is that I could take it to the logs and split them where they lay. Since I deposited all of the rounds next to my pole barn using my loader I will have electricity available to power the jack hammer.

Any ideas, suggestions, experiences are welcome and helpful before I just go rent a jack hammer and try it.

Thanks!

JN

 

[Pulp Friction]

What a great idea! I'll be following this thread for sure!

Oh, and welcome to the board.

 

[mdotis]

I would use the saw to quarter them

I would lay them on there side and use the saw to cut them into quarters. This is called noodling. It works very well and is fun. Just watch so the saw does not get plugged with the long chips called noodles. If you do a search you will see many pictures and even a few videos of people doing this. You do not always have to cut all the way through them just part of the way then the maul will work better as well. Good luck and enjoy the heat. Oh and welcome to the forum.

 

[boltboss]

Korey,

Thank you for suggesting noodling. That's a great (and common sense) idea and I will definitely keep it in mind and likely use that technique. I'm still thinking of trying the jack hammer as well since I'm one of those that gets an idea in my head and can't let go. I'm hoping someone here has strong enough experience and reasons why it will or won't work that I won't have to experiment, but I probably will. :monkey:

Pulp fiction,

If we can't find someone here that has tried this (it seems to me someone must have) I'll just have to rent one and try it myself. Get ready for some amusing U-Tube videos.

JN

 

[mga]

interesting idea, but, you'd have to put a splitting wedge on the end. the narrow chisle of a jack hammer would most likely just sink into the wood.

 

[mdotis]

Video

I cannot Wait to see the video.

 

[taylor6400]

I used to run a jackhammer (well, air hammer) on a paving crew sometimes...talk about suck. I think it would be more work than swinging a maul. They are very heavy to lug around. Plus you either need to drag aorund a cord or an air hose (and have a huge compressor in that case). Its work...a lot of work to lug them around and take the beating that they give you. Worst job i ever did on a rain out day was to get into the bed of a dump truck in the Ohio heat and humidity and hammer out hardened asphalt. Probably lost 30 lbs in 30 minutes.

Other than that, i think if you get the largest bit you can it would work. Get something like a 3" spade, i would think the duller/more nicked up the better, and something called an asphalt wedge which will be narrower, but more wedge shaped. I just dont think thats the easy route at all...I would much rather noodle...

 

[Pulp Friction]

Anyone ever try an auger bit and then drop in an M80??:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[boltboss]

Taylor,

Thank you for that insight. I agree with you that bit would tend to stick in the log unless it is used to spiral around the outside of the log splitting off thin pieces much the same way one would go about splitting with a maul. I also agree that one will want to choose a wide angled bit. Maybe someone should consider marketing a log splitting bit (if there is a chance of developing a market for it).

You make a good point about the weight of the jack hammer itself. I have never used one so there is the novelty attraction at work here but I can understand how that could get old in a hurry. And you're also right that a jack hammer would not be practical up in the woods where there is nothing to plug into.

Noodling is sounding better and better here, but I may still need to exhibit how stubborn (my wife calls it stupid) I can be.

JN

 

[husky455rancher]

plus if you noodle it you have an excuse to buy a big ass saw for doing it!

 

[gandrimp]

plus if you noodle it you have an excuse to buy a big ass saw for doing it!

We have a winner,,,,,,,tell the man what he has won!!!!!!!!!

 

[gandrimp]

We have a winner,,,,,,,tell the man what he has won!!!!!!!!!

Oh yah I forgot to add I dont think it will work,,,,,,, but I would watch the video.

 

[Rudedog]

I wonder if a jackhammer would be effective in wood as it is in concrete. The wood would absorb the blow/cutting much better than concrete. You would probably be a YouTube first though.

 

[branchbuzzer]

What I want to know is, what happens if the bit sticks in the wood? I imagine a jackhammer has plenty of giddyup, and that force has to go somewhere, right? Would you get bounced up and down a la Wile E. Coyote in a Looney Tunes cartoon? Please enlighten me...

One nice thing about mauls - they usually ( black gum! ) only go one direction

 

[boltboss]

OK. Now I get the impression that you guys are going to stick around this thread strictly for the entertainment value. I've already confirmed that the wife will be busy attending to her craft show booth tomorrow, I've got rental prices from several companies, hmmmmm. I need to see if I can recruit some assistants at this short notice including a cameraman. Of course they are predicting rain tomorrow so there is that to consider.

There is still time for someone to talk me out of this madness, but I'm getting the feeling that most of you are salivating waiting to view the video.....

JN

Darn - wife just looked over my shoulder - she said 'no'. OK - that's one vote.

 

[cedarman]

Weld a wedge to the end of the chisel and I bet it WOULD work.

Jack hammer'n sucks though. I busted up a 40x40 concrete floor. not fun.

very loud. very heavy. hard work

 

[boltboss]

what happens if the bit sticks in the wood?

I guess I would have to return the log along with the jack hammer to the rental company.

JN

 

[cedarman]

I guess I would have to return the log along with the jack hammer to the rental company.

JN

buy a chisel and weld the wedge to it!!!!!!! the concrete chisel will burry in most cases.

im thinking it would work.

 

[boltboss]

I realize that a jack hammer is heavy and would not be fun to use all day long. I would be resorting to this only to work with the rounds that won't split easily with the maul. Once the big stuff is busted up I would go back to splitting normally. I understand what you are saying about the bit getting stuck and I'll need to check into purchasing a chisel to modify into a wedge.

JN

 

[taylor6400]

buy a chisel and weld the wedge to it!!!!!!! the concrete chisel will burry in most cases.

im thinking it would work.

The concrete chisel for sure wont do it. It will bury itself. The welded wedge idea would work for sure. But, I think the large spade or asphalt wedge would work un modified. I split a piece of wood with a spud bar once...why? Because I happened to have a round and a spud bar in one place once. It worked...with a lot more work than a maul. But now i can say i have done it. I think you should rent it and try it. For sure with video.

You just dont know how punishing a jackhammer is until you have used one...and especially on concrete. If you rent one of course make sure you can get the biggest you can (man-code), and not a sissy roto-hammer or demolision hammer! If nothing else running a jackhammer makes you feel like a man. Similar to large saws.