' Splittin Blocks '

[x595]

Hi everyone ,

I have tried various species of wood cut-offs and after a few rounds being
split on them , the splitting block , splits also ...

What does everyone use , and how tall ???

I have always thought a very dense , hard , rubber splittin block might work ,
but I don't know ... I don't think it would bounce enough to be a problem ...

What's your thought's ??? Thanks in advance ...

Later,x595

 

[Circle B MN]

a 20" or better round, perhaps 16 to 18" tall will sure does seem to last a long time for me.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

I would usually use a piece of the stumpwood for each tree I cut and split, then when all the rest is split this piece is the last to be split.

But now I use a splitter 99.999% of the time so I would have to say steel is the best splittin block goin.:biggrinbounce2:

 

[Farmall Guy]

I've got a 25" beach round with alot of knots in it, been going strong for about 5 years now, dosnt get used all the time but it has yet to split. I think any hard wood will due, but the best ones will have alot of knots and twisted grain that will keep them from spliting. I normally find a piece that I cant split by hand and use that.

For me about 16-20" tall works good but I'm 6'2 so for someone a little shorter that may be to high to be comfortable.

 

[TreePointer]

A big American elm round.

 

[husky455rancher]

so I would have to say steel is the best splittin block goin.:biggrinbounce2:[/QUOTE]

i could not agree more

 

[Northwind]

Use the one that you can hit 15 times and it doesn't even crack. A good knotty piece should do it. I have some of those for sale if your interested? Or just split in a tire on the ground. A taller tire will help keep the maul out of the dirt.

 

[Jon E]

About a 12 - 16" tall piece of very knotty white pine. About 24" diameter. Anything sufficiently full of knots will do. I put a tire on mine to hold the splits.

 

[VAJerry]

Hi everyone ,
I have always thought a very dense , hard , rubber splittin block might work ,
but I don't know ... I don't think it would bounce enough to be a problem ...
Later,x595

The rubber would absorb the impact of the splitting maul. Something rigid on firm ground I liked knee height but now use Honda power, or i just cut it short enough I don't have to split it at all. My OWB don't care.

 

[sdt7618]

I havre a large stump wood section it's certainly a soft wood but it's lasted te past 3 year and keep soaking up them hits! it about 16" tall

 

[howellhandmade]

Stump is good. I've got a big block I sawed out of an oak crotch, the grain goes about six different ways, no way is it going to split.

Jack

 

[x595]

Hi everyone ,

Thanks for all the replies ...

Turkeyslayer , I'm trying to refrain from getting a steel splitting block ( gas
involved ) , for 1.) I enjoy doing it by hand by a bonfire with beer , for 2.)
good exercise and for 3.) I only split about 3-4 cords a year ...

Farmall Guy , about 60% of my wood is Beach , I like it alot , I'll have to look
for a knotty chunk ...

I have an old Hedge Apple stump , that's been there for 30+ years , I could
cut a section out of it and try , it just does'nt want to rot , what'cha think ???

Later,x595

 

[unclemoustache]

I'm not sure what kind of wood my block is, (it might be maple) but it's about 30" across, and I prefer having it less than 12" high. I believe that I get more bang for my buck when swinging the maul - a few extra inches of force helps split the wood better. I've not had a problem with my blocks splitting on me after a short period of time - they always seem to last at least 2 seasons. I would think that the other comments are right on, though. Elm is hard splitting wood, and anything with knots will hold together.

Is your block sitting on dirt or concrete? Perhaps that's the problem. If it's on concrete, then the block is absorbing too much of the impact.

 

[duckman_04290]

i got a nice 30" round pine, works great. maul just gets stuck in it.

 

[chowdozer]

36" doug fir


how do you like your 595?

 

[howellhandmade]

The stump works best if you leave it in the ground. Most efficiency, least shock.

Jack

 

[outdoorlivin247]

Don't use a block for anything but kindling...That last 12-18" is where most of the energy in the maul is at...Nothing better than frozen ground and a 6 lb maul...

 

[KD57]

10" thick, 18" square glu-lam beam, but I only hand split kindling, but it still will last a lot longer than a stump round. It takes the weather well.

 

[x595]

I'm not sure what kind of wood my block is, (it might be maple) but it's about 30" across, and I prefer having it less than 12" high. I believe that I get more bang for my buck when swinging the maul - a few extra inches of force helps split the wood better. I've not had a problem with my blocks splitting on me after a short period of time - they always seem to last at least 2 seasons. I would think that the other comments are right on, though. Elm is hard splitting wood, and anything with knots will hold together.
Is your block sitting on dirt or concrete? Perhaps that's the problem. If it's on concrete, then the block is absorbing too much of the impact.

Hi Josh ,

I agree a shorter block , like 12" or so , also gives me more of a swing , but
at that size they seem to split quick ...

I do all my splitting in the grass/dirt ...

Later,x595

 

[4seasons]

When you get a 30 inch White Oak find the part where two limbs over 6 inches grow out of the trunk. Cut that piece perfectly square on both ends to the desired splitting height (16 inch for me.) Even if it is only 8 inch thick the grain goes too many ways to split.