OAK, easier to split green or seasoned ?

[LuDookie]

F that. Green oak goes to the splitter. I'll use small pieces of ash to play axe man. My back thanks me every time.
I'll get my work out in the gym. Kudos to you dedicated maul guys.

I hear you! I rarely find a nice patch of live oak that seems to want to come apart. I’ve given up plenty of times. Around here live oak is the wood to get and guys have to “Frankenstein” their hydraulic splitters with welding machines just so they hold up. Ash on the other hand splits nicely. Water Oak splits as easy as pine too.

 

[CUCV]

I can't say I've noticed a major difference dry or seasoned. No doubt that splitting frozen wood is easier IMO. As someone else said, splitting from the outside is key. If I don't make much progress in making the first split across the middle of the log in a couple of hits I will change to splitting off the outside of the log. So basically I make the round log a square log and work it up that way.

 

[Woody912]

Green & preferably frozen

usually splits read good at -10 or so

 

[jolj]

All I have used is a seven pound ax, a five pound ax & eight pound sledge hammer & wedge.
Never use a machine, we only cut about twenty loads a year, when I was in grade school.

 

[9050lx]

Different oaks are completely different animals. Water oak splits easy green or seasoned. Maybe that’s why they love to fall.
Live oak is one of the hardest splitting woods there is. It’s almost impossible to split with an axe green or seasoned. I can split it pretty good if it’s 40 to 50 years seasoned with some good cracks forming.

Yeah, I had some on the ground over 20 yrs,about 30 inch, termites would not touch it , easy to split,heavy as heck.

 

[CatMan Fetters]

GREEN ALWAYS

 

[Stihl User]

usually splits read good at -10 or so

Where is my venison jerky?

 

[delooper]

I get a lot of oak here. The "outside-in" method of splitting off outer chunks is the strategy I use.

When my neighbour has been particularly annoying I hammer in big steel wedges through the centre. But this is one of the least-efficient and most annoying ways to split oak. Do only if you are trying to entertain jerk neighbours. I've split wedges using this technique.

 

[Jimbo72]

I always split my oak green, an in 4' lengths, mostly 8" to 20" diameter. Always done it by hand with splitting axe and 8 lb maul/wedges, always will, God willing. Cut down and split 4-5 cord/year, mostly oak, but beech and black birch sometimes mixed in. 12" and under, if straight-grained, I can split a 4-footer oak standing up (after split in half on the ground), usually with one swing of the Fiskars splitting axe. That's the best fun one can have at 75 yrs old!

 

[Stihl User]

I always split my oak green, an in 4' lengths, mostly 8" to 20" diameter. Always done it by hand with splitting axe and 8 lb maul/wedges, always will, God willing. Cut down and split 4-5 cord/year, mostly oak, but beech and black birch sometimes mixed in. 12" and under, if straight-grained, I can split a 4-footer oak standing up (after split in half on the ground), usually with one swing of the Fiskars splitting axe. That's the best fun one can have at 75 yrs old!

We call this a 'tall splitting order'

 

[9050lx]

That Fiskers (X27?)with the long handle is hard to beat availability-wise when you can buy them in WallyWorld, at least I bought one there 10 yrs ago in Michigan.

 

[Stihl User]

That Fiskers (X27?)with the long handle is hard to beat availability-wise when you can buy them in WallyWorld, at least I bought one there 10 yrs ago in Michigan.

i just picked up two Fiskers up for my sons and they love it compared to the traditional 6lb maul - but i haven't tried it for myself yet
gotta keep them boys happy - haha
swing away

 

[Marine5068]

Like Neil said, lots of different growth in trees. Sometimes they're straight and some spots are twisty. I rarely split big stuff by hand anymore, maybe when I was in my 30's. I do split smaller stuff and kindling by axe though.
The 32 ton hydro splitter I own doesn't care if it's wet or dry, she splits whatever I throw at her.

 

[sawfarmer]

I prefer to split most species of oak seasoned!

 

[jjramrod]

Split seasoned it pops right apart

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I just brought home a couple truckloads of oak rounds up to 18 in in diameter. I do not have a functioning
splitter other than a maul, sledge and wedges and axe. On a green round about 15inches in in diameter, It took about eight good swings with an 8 pound maul to get it to split. ( three or four hits in the same groove ) I have been splitting wood for many decades and never came to any conclusions about this.
What are your opinions ? Since I am going to split at an old age manually, it is more important now.

i have split a lot of oak. bigger, fresh cut green can be hard to split even with a smaller hyd splitter. i have never had much success spitting the oak around here by hand. sometimes i have to cut the round in half first. and if real tuff, some gear oil on wedge and split point. that process is always a winner!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I prefer to split most species of oak seasoned!

me, too!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

F that. Green oak goes to the splitter. I'll use small pieces of ash to play axe man. My back thanks me every time.
I'll get my work out in the gym. Kudos to you dedicated maul guys.

right!

oak falls around my place like rain. i prefer the scrounges that are cut up, nicely sized... and sitting on the curb! lol... got one just the other day. few houses down... 2 1'2 mins to load. nice scrounge. will make an afternoon of fires...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Different oaks are completely different animals. Water oak splits easy green or seasoned. Maybe that’s why they love to fall.
Live oak is one of the hardest splitting woods there is. It’s almost impossible to split with an axe green or seasoned. I can split it pretty good if it’s 40 to 50 years seasoned with some good cracks forming.

this old oak feel in stormy winds just the other day. few houses down...

 

[jolj]

We split it green, because we burned it green, strike on a weather crack. I was splitting green oak in grade school with a five pound ax.
In truth seasoned oak maybe better, would not know.