Splitting Hickory: Do you people do this by hand?

[FishZapper]

...sweet jesus, I am getting nowhere with this tree! :help:

This big guy I hacked up here:
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=57942

I went and bought a maul today, hacked through a bunch of poplar and sumac this morning...no sweat. When it came to chunking up this hickory, Im getting my but kicked.

Obviously I need to also purchase a wedge and use it, but is it even worth trying to do this by hand before it dries? I have hauled tons of the tree out by hand, but there are several pieces of 100+ pound blocks that I "could" move, but am probably just going to leave there til I can split it. Any tips? Im not new to splitting wood and Im not exactly small either. Its just tough!

 

[Stihlboy088]

Wedge the wench while its still green it will be even tougher when it dries. What's the temperature like down there?

 

[FishZapper]

Yep, sounds like hickory!

Some types of hickory may split by hand but even with a spitter some of it just kind of tears apart.

One of the best fuels though. Some kinds, anyway.

Get at least two wedges so you can get your stuck one out.

Yeah, it just kind of tears apart when I finally get it to crack. Pretty tough wood indeed.

I will buy a couple wedges. That's a good tip. It takes, really, alot of work to split one of these things. Its ridiculous.

The temp down here today is around 55.

 

[lilmonky47]

I think its a beech

I think its a beech...forget it I was wrong-Lee

 

[FishZapper]

I have a bunch of beech around and the bark is much smoother and lighter than what's on this tree. Also the leaves are different (smaller) but I suppose it could be a different brand of beech.

 

[smcowboy1974]

By the pics it's hickory. Can tell by the color after he cut it up. It splits a heck of a lot better when it's frozen. But down there I imagine it don't get to freeze that cold!

 

[Thekees]

Try a Fiskars axe. These axes will get through anything. Take a 2400 gram for splitting and a 1500 gram for splitting the final pieces.

 

[ericjeeper]

Hickory is gnarly wood.

Grain will tear apart.. But mercy is it heavy..
Beech has sort of a maple look to the grain.. Hickory will have streaks of chocolate brown in it.. If it has been down very long it will have bunches of pinholes in it as well.. At least around here the powder post beetles tear it up..
I would get a bunch of it blocked up and rent a splitter.

 

[Sprig]

Yuppers, I think Erics got the idea, couple of wedges and da ol' sledge, sounds like the last (and I really do mean LAST) big Am. willow I hacked up, what a flockin' nightmare! Heavy, nasty, stringy, and a bunch of bad words added. To add insult to sore wrists and back it turned out to be one of the worst woods I ever burned, but you'll be happy with the hickory I think, from what I've heard over the years its great for smokin' stuff too. If its a real bugger run some canola in the saw, cut the rounds, use it for cookin' (thats just me though, I loves hickory smoked sausages and ribs! Yum!)

Just blatherin' away at the end of my week, so its like 0.002$ worth.



Must be lonesome.....

 

[JBinKC]

Its 100% mockernut hickory. I have burned it last year and fortunately ran into more of it for this year. This wood is definitely worth that long trek.

Mockernut hickory will not shred when you split it and it is about the same as white oak in difficulty. Just wait and let it develop some cracks then use a sledgehammer with a wood grenade or an estwing wedge.

 

[computeruser]

+1 on the splitter! After getting a nice load of hickory from Caseyforrest last winter, ripping most of the rounds into halves and finally giving a third of it away, I bought a splitter this summer. Most of what I gave away was 20"+ and knotty as all getout.

Caseyforrest was even nice enough to come rip some of it for me!

Anyway, here's the trick: Take your 8lb maul and set it aside. You're wasting your time, this is what they make the 15lb mega maul for, and best of all it won't get stuck like the regular maul or wedges will. You are going to want to flake off chunks from the outside on anything larger than 8-10". These flakes will pry off easier than a half- or quarter-round will. Some of the larger pieces might want a bit of help from the saw or from a hatchet that can get in and sever fibers that are holding it together.

I've been burning the shagbark in my fireplace these past few weeks and it's been great - well worth the effort. Plus it makes the whole neighborhood smell great.

 

[FishZapper]

haha, well Im glad to know it's not just me who has trouble with the stuff. Definitely felt like I was wasting my time with the maul. Lifting that 15lb'er over my head numerous times doesnt sound like alot of fun either, but we'll see how it goes. May just rent a splitter when its all said and done with.
Probably what I'll do is pick up some wedges this weekend, give it another go, because I need to buy some anyway, and then when I fail I'll either rent the splitter or if I feel I can make progress with a big maul, maybe I'll go that route. Thanks for the info fellas.

 

[Log Splitter]

LOL! That's why I have so much hickory on my place. My grandfather did not think the effort to split hickory was worth the benefit of burning it.

Here's what you need - a splitter and a tractor to lift the heavy rounds up to the beam -

Here's what you end up with when you're done -

That was all last year's hickory, I'm working on this year's project now.

 

[lawson's tree s]

nicelooking pics log splitter. a splitter is the way to go .hickory is a mess to split hate to do it with a maul.

 

[habanero]

I had a couple dead standing hickorys on my property when I moved there this summer. One had been dead a while and the other seemed to have probably died just this year. I got through it all with my monster maul but I admit it was work. Those are the logs that are particularly satisfying to throw in the fire and watch burn!

 

[avalancher]

haha, well Im glad to know it's not just me who has trouble with the stuff. Definitely felt like I was wasting my time with the maul. Lifting that 15lb'er over my head numerous times doesnt sound like alot of fun either, but we'll see how it goes. May just rent a splitter when its all said and done with.
Probably what I'll do is pick up some wedges this weekend, give it another go, because I need to buy some anyway, and then when I fail I'll either rent the splitter or if I feel I can make progress with a big maul, maybe I'll go that route. Thanks for the info fellas.

Hey, I dont know where you are in TN, but if you are close by to Newport or Morristown, I would be glad to come on over with my splitter and give you a hand. I have a 27 ton, and it can handle even the nastiest hickory. Hickory is the best burning wood around here, and the number one reason I bought my splitter. PM me if you like.
Glad to help out any fellow woodcutter.

 

[JBinKC]

I don't know what the big deal is. A maul is clearly the improper tool to use for the job.

I have processed this particular species quite a few times before and had lots of success by waiting for the wood to check and use a wood grenade or estwing wedge and a sledgehammer then you know where the wood will likely give.

Processing it is on par with white oak in difficulty much easier than red maple and a 20 times easier than American elm or gum.

 

[Al Smith]

Oh pshaw,hickory isn't that bad.I split 4 cords by hand last year and I'm an old duffer.

The trick,if there is any is to wait until it gets cold outside then give it 'ell with the axe,mall,wedges and as a last resort rip it with a saw.Of course a hydraulic splitter will do all this providing you have one.

It isn't like you have to split the whole nine yards at once,non stop.A little here,a little there. Pretty soon all you have is a nice pile of the best wood for heat available .

 

[pacman]

I live in Columbia Tennessee 45 miles south of Nashville . I have a splitter and I would help you out if you would like .

 

[FishZapper]

No worries guys, I will get it done, but I sincerely appreciate the offers for help.