Splitting by Hand

[jthornton]

I like the cannon, let's hear about that bad mama? A case of beer and that thing sounds like trouble for sure

It's 1/2 scale 6 pounder from Dixie Gun Works with 1 3/4 bore so we can shoot golf balls. I have a few photos of the construction of the cannon here.

 

[robespierre]

The guy splitting wood from the tire should have a big round underneath the log he is splitting so the ax doesn't touch ground.She also needs to swing harder and more accurate.

 

[Saddle Mander]

The guy splitting wood from the tire should have a big round underneath the log he is splitting so the ax doesn't touch ground.

Yeah. I usually use a round that comes almost up to my knee. Works well.

 

[woodchuck357]

It took me a while to get the hang of not twisting the X27 as I hit and where to best hit the round, but it is much more fun than the double bit axe for splitting. I can't wait for my splitter to be ready to run so I can use the X27 for odd jobs. In the mean time my wood crib is filling fast. Too bad it is full of wood that is not dry yet...

JT

Flipping the ax as it enters the wood works with any ax or maul. It's just easier with a double bit because of the weight above the axis of the handle. The flip also keeps the ax from hitting the ground. I often demonstrate splitting knotty oak rounds sitting on concrete using a razor sharp ax, just to show off.
If you use two tires stacked it is almost impossible to hit the ground and most people actually swing harder and split faster after switching to the tire method, wish I had learned it when I was a kid. That would have been over 60 years of working better.

 

[woodchuck357]

This is how it's done!


This isn't!

 

[Oliver1655]

Here are some videos using tire, bungees, & straps. I didn't see the videos using a semi & tractor tires but there are some.





I would think the tire would last a lot longer, especially when the guy using the strap came close to cutting the strap several times.

 

[jthornton]

Interesting videos... the tire looks ok but I think it might be better if it was just the tread of the tire so bark and bits could just fall out.

JT

 

[zogger]

Interesting videos... the tire looks ok but I think it might be better if it was just the tread of the tire so bark and bits could just fall out.

JT

You are correct and I need to do this to one of my junk splitting tires. They also collect water...yuuch.

 

[branchbuzzer]

I split just about everything with an X27, usually anywhere from 20-50 cords/yr. I have nothing against hydraulics, but that is just an un-neccessary expense for me. I can usually go just as fast anyway.

As for the tires and straps, those to me are just extra handling. With practice you can avoid many inefficient movements and steps that make splitting difficult. For example, setting the wood up with your feet or the tool keeps you from bending over, the wood doesn't have to be on a block or perfectly set up to be split and most of it can be done right in the pile without even touching it at all.

Experience will also tell you how to use a minimum level of force for the situation, i.e. one doesn't have to always swing hard. Reading the grain and knowing your local species' characteristics helps in that.

 

[lapeer20m]

Check out this video.

I find it interesting that he does not use a chopping block.

I bought a fiskars x27 but don't really think it lives up to the hype. It is lighter and tends to get stuck less than my other splitting mauls but I don't think it actually splits rounds any better than a traditional splitting maul. I even bought the sharpener for the fiskars. Don't get me wrong, when I split by hand I usually grab the fiskars, but my results are less fantastic than most of the reviews I've read.

 

[zogger]

I split just about everything with an X27, usually anywhere from 20-50 cords/yr. I have nothing against hydraulics, but that is just an un-neccessary expense for me. I can usually go just as fast anyway.

As for the tires and straps, those to me are just extra handling. With practice you can avoid many inefficient movements and steps that make splitting difficult. For example, setting the wood up with your feet or the tool keeps you from bending over, the wood doesn't have to be on a block or perfectly set up to be split and most of it can be done right in the pile without even touching it at all.

Experience will also tell you how to use a minimum level of force for the situation, i.e. one doesn't have to always swing hard. Reading the grain and knowing your local species' characteristics helps in that.

You got me beat, home brew! That's a lot by hand, but..thinking about it per week, not that much, 1/2 to 1 cord per week seems fairly easy, doing some every day.

 

[ReggieT]

Check out this video.

What a beast!

 

[zogger]

I find it interesting that he does not use a chopping block.

I bought a fiskars x27 but don't really think it lives up to the hype. It is lighter and tends to get stuck less than my other splitting mauls but I don't think it actually splits rounds any better than a traditional splitting maul. I even bought the sharpener for the fiskars. Don't get me wrong, when I split by hand I usually grab the fiskars, but my results are less fantastic than most of the reviews I've read.

These fiskars are lightweight, the only way they build up good kinetic force is to be able to swing them twice (whatever) as fast as a maul. 10% faster won't work, you'll be disappointed.

Takes some time to develop the muscle memory needed to switch from havy maul to lightweight splitting axe. I have found a fstraight overhand swing, feet apart straight in front of the round, is faster, rather than the one foot forward, off to the side maul swing I was using for years.

Depends on the wood, too. I have to use all my junk to split, just varies once I get into a group of rounds, some (90%) is fiskars bait, some is maul, some is sledge and wedge, and some, crotches, ultimate twisted gnarly, is chainsaw/noodle.

As I am getting older, I am trying to eliminate swinging the maul and sledge, and making all my wood fit into either fiskars or noodle. Just can't handle the 8lb maul all afternoon. I still use them, but....really trying not to.

The best thing for me with the fiskars is I don't get beat on/worn out. And I can motivate the speed easier than the brute grunt to swing the heavier maul. Just don't got the beef for that any more, not much anyway.

 

[branchbuzzer]

You got me beat, home brew! That's a lot by hand, but..thinking about it per week, not that much, 1/2 to 1 cord per week seems fairly easy, doing some every day.

Most I ever did in a day was roughly 5 full cords, but it was mostly easy stuff like oak, black birch, beech ,smallish red maple, and then some trickier stuff like sourwood. It was an all day session, I was going pretty much flat out and, yes, I was tired the next day. I'm a strapping young whipper-snapper though and a decent endurance athlete ( when I'm not eatin' like a hog... ) so it's all relative. I did it for the worst possible reason, just because I could....: ). Normally I try to split in the woods so it can come straight off the truck into the stack, so I usually don't have that much to do at once.

Impressive is doing something you aren't normally capable of, so I tip my hat to anyone that gives it a go even if it's one pick-up load a week.

 

[jthornton]

I find it interesting that he does not use a chopping block.

I bought a fiskars x27 but don't really think it lives up to the hype. It is lighter and tends to get stuck less than my other splitting mauls but I don't think it actually splits rounds any better than a traditional splitting maul. I even bought the sharpener for the fiskars. Don't get me wrong, when I split by hand I usually grab the fiskars, but my results are less fantastic than most of the reviews I've read.

One thing about the X27 vs any splitting maul is it doesn't weigh 8 pounds! While I have not put the X27 on my triple beam it feels the same weight as any of my double bit axes.

JT

 

[woodchuck357]

So I just saw this one and would love to try one. Anyone here have one or used one?

One of the best splitting tools I have used was just a splitting wedge with a loop of steel welded on the side for an ax handle.

 

[branchbuzzer]

I find it interesting that he does not use a chopping block.

I bought a fiskars x27 but don't really think it lives up to the hype. It is lighter and tends to get stuck less than my other splitting mauls but I don't think it actually splits rounds any better than a traditional splitting maul. I even bought the sharpener for the fiskars. Don't get me wrong, when I split by hand I usually grab the fiskars, but my results are less fantastic than most of the reviews I've read.

Side by side, splitting an average piece of wood one probably isn't going to notice a big difference in how it goes through the wood. There are times where the Fiskars does worse, like in stringy stuff like maple, locust, hickory, etc. where it tends to get stuck a bit more. But the effort involved on each swing is less, so the more you are doing at one time the easier it is on you. For me, I'd much rather have the Fiskars get stuck a few more times than the maul in trade for the lower effort, greater accuracy and increased agility the Fiskars provides.

You can also do some things with it that the maul can't or would be more effort than it's worth, like splitting small rounds laying flat on the ground or loose in a pile ( the maul is just going to act like a croquet mallet and send it a few feet down the road ) or hitting things on an angle. It also is very good on big rounds where you are slabbing chunks off the outside, 20 or so swings in 30 seconds would be pretty tough with a 6 lb-er. I use the tool to reach out and set the rounds or flip them around to where I need them- it's easier to do that with something that weighs less. That may seem a bit trivial, bit little things like that add up when you are doing it all day.

Most importantly, I get better gas mileage in my truck not carrying that extra iron around.

I believe me and Zogger had a discussion a couple years ago about the utter futility of the Fiskars sharpening tool, so welcome to the club on that one sucka! : ) If anyone has learned since then what, if anything, it can be used for please fill me in. It doesn't have to be that sharp to split ash anyway.

 

[blacklocst]

I believe me and Zogger had a discussion a couple years ago about the utter futility of the Fiskars sharpening tool, so welcome to the club on that one sucka! : ) If anyone has learned since then what, if anything, it can be used for please fill me in. It doesn't have to be that sharp to split ash anyway.

I still haven't used the one I bought about two years ago, and it still has the zip tie securing it to original packaging.

 

[blacklocst]

I believe me and Zogger had a discussion a couple years ago about the utter futility of the Fiskars sharpening tool, so welcome to the club on that one sucka! : ) If anyone has learned since then what, if anything, it can be used for please fill me in. It doesn't have to be that sharp to split ash anyway.

I still haven't used the one I bought about two years ago, and it still has the zip tie securing it to original packaging.

 

[blacklocst]

I believe me and Zogger had a discussion a couple years ago about the utter futility of the Fiskars sharpening tool, so welcome to the club on that one sucka! : ) If anyone has learned since then what, if anything, it can be used for please fill me in. It doesn't have to be that sharp to split ash anyway.

I still haven't used the one I bought about two years ago, and it still has the zip tie securing it to original packaging.