Out of curiosity

[CTYank]

Worst in recent memory around here was a black cherry that was like glass-fiber-reinforced nylon to split. Well, almost. Just tougher by far than the rest. Broke out the "noodling tools." That took care of some spiral grain.

Nice fragrance when burned, but not that much heat output. :msp_thumbdn:

 

[blacklocst]

Knotty Sugar Maple or spiral grained Red Maple are the most stubborn in my neck of the woods.

 

[stihl sawing]

And by-the-way Storm, ya' got guts girl... askin' a bunch of guys about their hardest wood.
Talk about an opening that ain't been exploited... evidently ya' got more guts than the guys here do or they'd have jumped all over that!

Thinks it's more of respecting a lady firewooder that can probably out work most of us..:msp_thumbsup:

 

[Woody912]

Red elm for me but my ex's uncle who was an old timer from back in Mill Creek Holler south of Grange Corner told me black gum was by far the worst and I believe him, said it was like trying to split an eraser. My grandson is helping with spelling this morning and insisted on the figure at the end!:angry2::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[jrider]

Sweet gum or black gum- they both suck and are usually left whole for the owb

 

[Fifelaker]

Fifelaker, +- 80' nice and straight, no bark, standing dead...... sounds like red elm instead of red maple to me

Could have been. I was going by what the owner said. It wasen't stringy like any of the elm I have ever seen. I also remember it would make a spark now and again when hit with an 8# maul.

 

[walkerdogman85]

Last summer I had some cherry that was blown down and I brought my maul it was about 12" or so and the maul just bounced ! So I noodled it but soon after that I started my splitter build so hopefully it will take care of all my needs now! But I like to hand split some easy stuff once In A while

 

[lone wolf]

Any big base cut is always hard to split. Then you have knots those are tough! Is the Op looking for harder wood to split or staying away from it I wonder? :msp_confused: I just through it in the chipper if it is that difficult.

 

[Macman125]

I have a hard time with hackberry, and hedge. Both burn very hot though.

 

[Woody912]

I have a hard time with hackberry, and hedge. Both burn very hot though.

Hackberry, cherry, sycamore split best if you work around the perimeter, not worth a darn up the middle. Always thought hedge split fairly easy if not full of knots:msp_thumbup:uttahere2:

 

[Nosmo]

Either One Sweet Gum or Elm

The tree we call sweet gum here is a maple with the spikey balls about the size
of golf balls. The elms we have here all are about the same in splitting them.

Both Sweet Gum and Elm have the most twisted grain I know of. If I did not have
a splitter I could not or would not attempt to split either of them with a maul.

However since I do have a splitter I'll take all of either I can get for free.

Nosmo

 

[Blazin]

Thinks it's more of respecting a lady firewooder that can probably out work most of us..:msp_thumbsup:

Cool! I could use some extra help

 

[Woody912]

Honorable mention to a pecan on I worked on several yrs ago, one limb broke out made 2 big truckloads of wood, probably 40" diameter. Tough old tree, love to get it sawn into boards if it ever dies.

 

[stihl sawing]

Cool! I could use some extra help

I've seen pics of yer mug, You're way too ugly to pass for a lady.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[zogger]

Out of curiosity, what is the hardest wood y'all have ever split or tried to split. I have looked on some of those BTU charts but I really don't think they are very accurate when it comes to how well a chunk of whatever type of wood splits. For instance, on one it says Gum is easy to split, but I have seen posts that say it is damn near impossible.

And, when y'all put the hardest wood, if you wouldn't mind, put where it can be found too. That way when I get a wild hair up my butt, I can go find some n get some exercise. :msp_smile:

DUTCH !#&*&%$## ELM with a regular limbing/chopping axe. man o man o man did I learn my lesson on that crap. Burned great, thats it, everything else about it was the worst processing wood I ever touched. Huge big heavy pieces, incredibly hard to cut with bow saw or crosscut saw (all I had at the time), near impossible to split. Makes sweetgum look and feel like balsa wood. I bet it would make good lumber though. If you could ever find a near straight piece, it would out perform hickory for handles no doubt. Words cant describe it...just nasty twisted tough wood. Back then, the guys I knew with chainsaws and splitters didnt even mess with it. There were miles of the things croaked off all over new england, I bet 99% got burned at the dump or out in fields or just dumped way in the woods and left to rot.

I noodle everything like that now. Doesnt split easy, or at worst, medium, into the bummer pile, once in awhile drag a saw over and go nuts on it.

 

[trailmaker]

Coast Live Oak is the toughest splitting wood where I am on the West coast. It's not too bad if the round is green and straight, but they generally grow in a pretty tortuous shape.

 

[beerbelly]

I love noodling. Not the most efficient way to get fire wood, but being the wood 'ho that I am, I use it all! Just did a bunch of well seasoned knotty arse sugar maple & red oak. Maul just bounced, and splitter hit the relief valve. Couple of tanks of fuel, and a few hours of work, I now have a few weeks worth of nice small chunks of rock hard seasoned wood. It is HEAVY & dense...great for a long burn!

Now...bring on the beer.

 

[Fred Wright]

Sweetgum is the absolute worst. The grain is twisty and has a high resin content. It doesn't so much split as it tears. And it will fight all the way to the end of the ram stroke.

 

[lone wolf]

Sweetgum is the absolute worst. The grain is twisty and has a high resin content. It doesn't so much split as it tears. And it will fight all the way to the end of the ram stroke.

Good way to bend or break something on your splitter.

 

[beerbelly]

Good way to bend or break something on your splitter.

But if you break it, you get to fix it!