Ash wood is almost impossible to split

[tla100]

That is some stringy ash....wow

 

[Jimbo209]

Those half split rounds look like most of my normal load, I'll post some that's stacked tomorrow

Also if/when the sweet gum comes down get it split asap and it shouldn't be too hard
I do find worth RH tough stuff take a small piece of the edge to release tension of the growth rings, rinse and repeat and I end up with a lot of thin pieces 15-40mm thick and width depends on size of the round

 

[Jimbo209]

Sweet gum is terrible. I split about 2/3 a cord with my 27 ton dht.

I won't take sweet gum again even if it's free and dropped off in my driveway already bucked to length.

If you can split it same day as cut down or 2-3days at max its not to bad, and with it if delivered free blocked up,

But I mostly deal with mine a lot later than that, too :busy:

 

[cre73]

Where are you located Weber?

 

[Coldfront]

White Ash splits easy, Black Ash is very stringy and hard splitting, but burns ok. Black Ash is almost impossible to split with a maul if it is green, even with a hydraulic splitter you still need to try and muscle the splits apart.

 

[flashhole]

It doesn't look like Ash to me. That's some heavy gnarly bark and it's pretty twisted and stringy.

 

[Dalmatian90]

I guess what I read is true, trees that are grown in front yards, with little to no competition between other trees....( like forest harvested ash ) , these trees grown.in the open develop very , very , very tight grain and close grain and are much harder to split that forest trees.....

Soil and water equal, the grain will be tightest in trees that grow in a thick stand...trees in a yard or pasture (or along a fencerow) will have more sunlight and put on more diameter.

The reason they are harder to split is all that sunlight encourages lots of side branches to form and grow and make big knots and cause twists in the grain. When they're growing in competition in the woods, they tend to shoot up straighter trying to reach sunlight.

I don't have experience with dead ash.

Some trees I know get easier after seasoning to split -- swamp maple I either want to split below 10 degrees or after it's been cut up for and seasoned all summer...otherwise it's a PITA. Others I hear get harder but I haven't experienced that

 

[Nickolas]

I'm in Northern Virginia and have a lot of standing dead ash in my yard and surrounding woods. I been cutting a lot the last month and I use a 22 ton splitter because after 3 back surgeries I can't do the maul or axe anymore. Anyway this wood splits very easy. Only a few pieces were a bit stringy and a little harder to split. Usually it just splits right open and I turn it and keep on splitting . Thanks to the EAB there are probably 30 or more ash trees to come down. I'd rather have my shade trees but on the other hand it is good wood to burn.

 

[lefturnfreek]

I broke my splitter on some dry Ash.

This is the end of the ram mount and I broke the main frame....grrrr

 

[haveawoody]

Try splitting on the round.
When I'm forced to use an electric splitter splitting on the round can even handle nasty elm rounds.

Splitting on the round is just splitting a piece of the side instead of trying to split the entire piece.
Position the round so your splitting of the side bark to bark, because its an odd position for the round it will need someone to hold it and someone to split.

Even on a very powerful gas hydro splitting on the round works wonders for crotch or very twisted pieces.

 

[jlromine76]

I had an Ash tree dropped off just like that from a tree service 2 years ago. It was stringy and the grain of the wood was really wavy and wouldn't produce a nice straight split for nothing. I had always heard Ash is the king of firewood just cut it split it and burn it. Not true with that tree I had. I have a Gravely 34 ton splitter and the only piece of wood that thing has ever hung up on was a piece of Ash. I have done everything from Hedge to Pine but that Ash was the toughest so far. Typically if it doesn't split it gets ripped into pieces then tossed in the boiler.

 

[WoodTick007]

Have you thought about soaking your vagina in a nice bubble bath with a glass of whine and then giving splitting another try? Good God Man. . . just suck it up and split the chit.

 

[johnnylabguy]

Lol that's not very nice woodtick 007 my good man! I did get a good chuckle though! In all seriousness though, I've handsplit at least 5 cords of ash in the last year and have seen a lot of variation in even the woods trees. Freezing weather definitely helped. I tried to fiskar split some 3 month rounds after the wet spring and finally had to break down and get out the 22 ton splitter. Mauls got stuck in the sponginess. Some has had knots and others a bit stringy grain. But most...a big whack or two with the fiskars on a 20" long 16" round and pop. No vijayjay bath needed! Whatever gets it in the firebox in the end!

 

[Greny]

If you have a tractor, try to borrow a cork screw splitter for it. Those things beat all other splitters on speed and power (if the tractor has 50 hp or more). I had the traditional hydraulique one for behind the tractor, there good but slow. http://www.hycrack.co.uk/log-splitter-video.htm


Envoyé de mon iPad en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[esshup]

Splitting on the round as posted above works well with lower tonnage splitters. I have a 5 or 7 ton electric and that's what I do with stubborn pieces. If that fails, I throw them for the 27t gasser to split. If it's crappy out I'll throw small rounds in the shed to split vs. splitting outside in the rain. If the little electric won't split them they get tossed back outside.

You can also rip part way thru the round then try splitting it where the saw cut is. Those stringy pieces don't look like normal ash that is around here.

 

[Coldfront]

Like I said common white ash splits easy it is the black ash that is a pita.

 

[chipper1]

View attachment 450879
Try splitting on the round.
When I'm forced to use an electric splitter splitting on the round can even handle nasty elm rounds.

Splitting on the round is just splitting a piece of the side instead of trying to split the entire piece.
Position the round so your splitting of the side bark to bark, because its an odd position for the round it will need someone to hold it and someone to split.

Even on a very powerful gas hydro splitting on the round works wonders for crotch or very twisted pieces.

Thats funny, I thought every piece I ever split I was splitting on the round.
Now come to find out some have been on the round and some normal (some might say thats the only normal thing I do).

 

[chipper1]

I broke my splitter on some dry Ash.

This is the end of the ram mount and I broke the main frame....grrrr

Doesn't look like the ash broke it, just finished of the damage/ weld(chicken scratch) that was already there.

 

[ropensaddle]

it all splits easy to me..

 

[chipper1]

Where are you located Weber?

I think this is a great question. Looking at the pictures I would guess he's in the same area we are, great lakes region. Up in these parts everybody and there brother has a splitter and I'm sure there is an AS member here that would be happy to drive over and give a hand.
The other option is to look on Craigslist and find someone renting them for $50 a day. I usually buy one split up a few cords and put it right back on Craigslist for what I payed or more. This way I don't have to worry about fuel going stale, oil changes, or wether the rental place will have it when I want it. This tip may suit others needs more than this individuals.
You could probably get them to come split it for you for that much easy. If I lived by you it would already be done.
Also judging by the way some are splitting it looks like your splitting them top down, which does not always work. Try flipping them around. In the first picture with the log on the splitter that end should be on the splitter head in the checking(big crack on the end).
You can noodle into some of them at the edge (following the cracks) just enough to get a wedge started. Use the wedge on the outside edge not in the middle.
Post your area and someone will be along to give hands on help if you can't get it.
Hope this is helpful.