# How long do you let your green rounds sit before splitting?



## nvrs (Nov 19, 2010)

Do you split them right away or do you let them sit a while to dry out a bit? 

I ask this since I have a ryobi electric splitter and it wont split most stuff when its wet(like pine but it does eucalyptus ok).

Curious as to what others think/do.:newbie:


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## burroak (Nov 19, 2010)

depends on the species. The easy to split woods like oak, ash, walnut I split whenever I feel like it, but Sycamore has to be split ASAP, otherwise it will break into pieces when split dry.


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## branchbuzzer (Nov 19, 2010)

nvrs said:


> Do you split them right away or do you let them sit a while to dry out a bit?
> 
> I ask this since I have a ryobi electric splitter and it wont split most stuff when its wet(like pine but it does eucalyptus ok).
> 
> Curious as to what others think/do.:newbie:



I let mine sit about 5 minutes, about long enough for me to get a drink of Mtn. Dew.

But then, I'm splitting mine by hand. How many tons is your splitter thingy...


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## nvrs (Nov 19, 2010)

branchbuzzer said:


> I let mine sit about 5 minutes, about long enough for me to get a drink of Mtn. Dew.
> 
> But then, I'm splitting mine by hand. How many tons is your splitter thingy...



I dunno.... think 5 maybe... nope just checked.... 4  man that thing needs to be replaced with something cool... think I might build a all electric one but don't know where to start(hmmn... new topic idea )


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## branchbuzzer (Nov 19, 2010)

nvrs said:


> I dunno.... think 5 maybe... nope just checked.... 4  man that thing needs to be replaced with something cool... think I might build a all electric one but don't know where to start(hmmn... new topic idea )



There's another thread on here that discusses electric vs. gas splitters.

We could maybe also debate your electric vs. my maul, eh? 

I did half a cord for a lady today in about 45 mins. 'Twas oak, so no biggie, but I wouldn't trade mine in for a splitter- at least not an electric. But that's just me, to each his own situation.


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## audible fart (Nov 19, 2010)

Remember what homer simpson said. "If something is hard, it's not worth doing." Out of the many, many cords of wood I've maul split, there are about 6-10 huge rounds I just let sit there. I could easily half or quarter them them w/ my 24" then split, but........who cares. If the wedge starts to get stuck or the round is just "fighting" I move on. I have too much wood to let one knotty round frustrate me. So it can just sit there.


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## biggenius29 (Nov 19, 2010)

My rounds get split when I get to it. Sometimes a year later (or more...) some times right after I'm done cutting.


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## Bruce 46 (Nov 19, 2010)

I try to split mine as soon as possible after cutting. (I split by hand, also)


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## HeX0rz (Nov 19, 2010)

I will not deal with anymore stringy wood. All the wood I will be getting will be paper birch, red fir, tamarack, or vine-maple. I think they are all straight grained woods except the vine-maple. But vine-maple is easy to split too. I have done almost 2 cords of paper birch now with mostly the maul. Real fun stuff to split. Bigger rounds need a noodle.

But to answer your question, I split mine right after they are bucked up. No need in wasting time letting it dry in rounds when you could get it to dry out quicker when split. Exceptions would be for the species that are pains to split. Like the stringy stuff. Don't really matter for me, as I have a 22ton hydraulic splitter and it will split anything I seem to put onto its cradle. :chainsawguy:


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## nvrs (Nov 19, 2010)

Is it just the pine that I may have been getting is tough? It seems like if its real heavy it doesnt want to split easy... have to let those sit for a while.

hmmn.... guess I just need a better splitter....


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## jhoff310 (Nov 19, 2010)

at most my rounds will sit around for a month or 2 before I split them. If I have a ton of them to do I fire up the splitter otherwise I breakout the maul and start swinging.

Jeff


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## dingeryote (Nov 20, 2010)

I stack rounds up around the splitter untill my back hurts from bucking and hauling rounds, then loosen the back up with some splitting exercises, and then go back to bucking and hauling to the pile.

I figure 2-3 weeks wait before splitting, but some rounds have been in that pile for over a year LOL!!
I'm getting to the point that I LIKE having a pile to jump on whenever the mood hits.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## goanin (Nov 20, 2010)

You probably use most of the species we use here. Our climates are next to identical. From my experience: 
*Pines *have to sit and get a few crackes before splitting (1-2 mths).
*Ceders* are rubbery and won't split well unless they've dried (2-3 mths). If you split ceders with a maul, make sure it's not sharp!
*Cypress *splits easily anyway (0-0.5 mths).
*Eucalyptus * isn't stubborn if it's not twisted, even when wet (0.5-2 mths).
Basically, all of the species above split easies the drier they are. If you cut them in the spring or summer, let them losse moisture before splitting. If you cut them in the wet winter you might wanna split them earlier so they dont rot (I don't have a lot of experience with rotting, and I don't know if that's the right approach).


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## Rudedog (Nov 20, 2010)

dingeryote said:


> I stack rounds up around the splitter untill my back hurts from bucking and hauling rounds, then loosen the back up with some splitting exercises, and then go back to bucking and hauling to the pile.
> 
> I figure 2-3 weeks wait before splitting, but some rounds have been in that pile for over a year LOL!!
> I'm getting to the point that I LIKE having a pile to jump on whenever the mood hits.
> ...



That is exactly what I do.


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## giXXer (Nov 20, 2010)

dingeryote said:


> I stack rounds up around the splitter untill my back hurts from bucking and hauling rounds, then loosen the back up with some splitting exercises, and then go back to bucking and hauling to the pile.
> 
> I figure 2-3 weeks wait before splitting, but some rounds have been in that pile for over a year LOL!!
> I'm getting to the point that I LIKE having a pile to jump on whenever the mood hits.
> ...



Same here. The knotty rounds and crotches never get split though. I usually leave them for two years and burn them whole, unless they're too big then I noodle them with the saw and burn 'em. I stock pile the nice, straight rounds and split them when I feel like it.


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## Fronty Owner (Nov 20, 2010)

mine sit around until I get the boys out there to split and stack it.

I cut and load, they split and stack.


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## logbutcher (Nov 20, 2010)

Routine has been to fell, buck, haul to a rounds pile (6-8 firewood cords) in winter for me to gaze at until.......

Later spring into summer, the rounds are split and stacked at my leisure. More gazing at the woodpiles. Until...

Later Fall into winter burning from thye previous winter's harvest.


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## Kensterfly (Nov 20, 2010)

I like to buck a tree, then split and stack before I move on. Virtually everything I do is oak of various kinds, and pignut hickory. The hickory gets a lot harder to split the longer it sits, so I try to do it right away. 
I split only by hand. Eight pound maul and a Fiskars SS.


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## logbutcher (Nov 21, 2010)

Kensterfly said:


> I like to buck a tree, then split and stack before I move on. Virtually *everything I do is oak of various kinds, and pignut hickory. * The hickory gets a lot harder to split the longer it sits, so I try to do it right away.
> I split only by hand. Eight pound maul and a Fiskars SS.



I have O.E. ( Oak Envy ). Why oh why is all the good firewood South ?:chainsawguy:


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## ks_osage_orange (Nov 21, 2010)

IMO greenwood splits best when frozen. The colder the better. But I agree with other posters it definately depends on species.


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## Wood Doctor (Nov 21, 2010)

Interesting thread. I guess few members here deal with elm, cottonwood, and birch. These have to sit in the round for several months. Then, when the bark starts to fall off and the ends are checked, only then will they split rather well. If you try to split them fresh green, forget it. You will then spend most of your time using a hatchet to break strings. Birch is less revealing than cottonwood or elm because the bark clings tightly.


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## Guido Salvage (Nov 21, 2010)

Meet my splitter.....







We have been together for about 25 years. I have never done the math, but with me weighing around 170 pounds there is not much tonnage produced when it hits the wood. 

I cut them into rounds and then split them and load them in the truck to be taken to the pile. Virtually all the wood I cut is a variety of oak (with an occasional hickory, maple or dead dogwood) and I find it easier to split immediately after cutting. For me, if the end gets weathered it seems to be harder to split.

I no longer fight ornery pieces of wood. If an occasional piece won't split (i.e. knot or fork) I cut it into "chunks" and feed that to the stove.


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## trailmaker (Nov 21, 2010)

I've started to cure my wood in the round, partly because I've got so much wood coming at me right now that it's all I can do to get it bucked and moved out of the forest. I cut short 14 inch rounds for North-South loading so they have a high enough ratio of end grain to cure in a reasonable time. The short rounds for N/S loading are also much easier to hand split than the 20+ in. rounds I would need for E/W loading. One nice thing about round curing is that the splits I bring down to the house are very clean, they haven't been collecting dust and debris during the drying process.


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