OAK, easier to split green or seasoned ?

[Stihl User]

With Oak i have found this to be true...............

Green or Dry does not matter
Straight Grain is the Key Factor
Swing that Maul Straight and True
Pieces will Fall all around You

Now stack that Wood and keep it Dry
When Winter comes You'll know Why

 

[Okie]

You say:

What are your opinions ? Since I am going to split at an old age manually, it is more important now.

old age manually huh?
If you are really old you might think about waiting until it get rotten so as to help reduce your up and coming pain.

 

[Hermio]

We have red, black and white oak here. Hard to split green, but easy to split after 2 years of weathering.

 

[Jere39]

I split between 12 and 16 cord of Red Oak every year. Most is between 18" and 32" diameter. I prefer to use my Fiskars x27, but I can't lift the biggest ones off the ground, so I usually halve or even quarter them with an old Craftsman maul first. I rarely get any green wood, maybe after a storm has blown one over. Otherwise, I am working on standing dead trees I've cut down in the woods. The Red Oak trunks tend to be very straight grained making splitting pretty easy. That said, when I get to the start of the crown there are often a few stubborn sections that earn a noodling attack.



In my experience, the colder the better - I can split all day in the 20°'s and make 18" long 2x4's from the center cuts




FWIW, and I don't count it for much - I'm 69 and holding there for a couple more years:

 

[Marine5068]

At my old age I lay them on their side & rip em with a saw, much easyer.

We call that 'noodling'

 

[Marine5068]

We have red, black and white oak here. Hard to split green, but easy to split after 2 years of weathering.

Black Oak is actually part of the Red Oak family.
So there's Red and White

 

[Marine5068]

I split between 12 and 16 cord of Red Oak every year. Most is between 18" and 32" diameter. I prefer to use my Fiskars x27, but I can't lift the biggest ones off the ground, so I usually halve or even quarter them with an old Craftsman maul first. I rarely get any green wood, maybe after a storm has blown one over. Otherwise, I am working on standing dead trees I've cut down in the woods. The Red Oak trunks tend to be very straight grained making splitting pretty easy. That said, when I get to the start of the crown there are often a few stubborn sections that earn a noodling attack.

View attachment 1010744

In my experience, the colder the better - I can split all day in the 20°'s and make 18" long 2x4's from the center cuts

View attachment 1010745


FWIW, and I don't count it for much - I'm 69 and holding there for a couple more years:

View attachment 1010746

Nice workout and playground. Where's the pup Jere? We lost our Great Dane Annie a month ago and I'm in pain every day over it. Wish they could stay healthy and alive for longer.

 

[Jere39]

Nice workout and playground. Where's the pup Jere? We lost our Great Dane Annie a month ago and I'm in pain every day over it. Wish they could stay healthy and alive for longer.

He's always with me. I tether him to a tree when I'm running saws, but he's there. Sometimes he's chasing chipmunks or sniffing fox tracks and wanders out of picture frame.

 

[Stihl User]

Black Oak is actually part of the Red Oak family.
So there's Red and White

Black Oak splits easier the Red over here in NJ

 

[cookies]

If its green take your saw and make a x cut across the round face deep enough to insert a wedge and it will pop apart or work from the outside edge taking a chip at a time, seasoning until the bark falls off makes it easy to split any way you hit it. Any section with strait grain is easiest, if you hit sections with branch roots your in for a real workout regardless of seasoning, moisture content or species. Moisture content plays a huge part in the ability to hand split, if cut in early spring or after weeks of rainy weather your in for a hard time, you will see water squeeze out. If someone gives you live oak you might as well burn it how its given or wait until its fully rotten to split it, the stuff has very wavy grains that require a splitter or cut into very short lengths.

 

[Lexx]

I split about 8 cords for winter a year. I maul it from time to time but due to space constraint I press thru with the 27 ton wedge. Makes not difference to me green or cured, the biggest issue is grain direction. Some limbs off the main trunk can be a nut. I loop of the does fight back to much and put the power saw on the rest or send it to the recycle center for chipping.

 

[Marine5068]

If its green take your saw and make a x cut across the round face deep enough to insert a wedge and it will pop apart or work from the outside edge taking a chip at a time, seasoning until the bark falls off makes it easy to split any way you hit it. Any section with strait grain is easiest, if you hit sections with branch roots your in for a real workout regardless of seasoning, moisture content or species. Moisture content plays a huge part in the ability to hand split, if cut in early spring or after weeks of rainy weather your in for a hard time, you will see water squeeze out. If someone gives you live oak you might as well burn it how its given or wait until its fully rotten to split it, the stuff has very wavy grains that require a splitter or cut into very short lengths.

That's the method I use for large rounds that need to be split.
Steel splitting wedge a sledge hammer.