splitting black tupelo

[Firewood Myth Buster]

Nyssa sylvatica, black gum, tupelo, whatever you choose to call it, is a pain to split. I've heard the word impossible used and even hydraulic splitters just sort of rip it apart without really splitting it. But I found a trick that allowed me to split it using just a maul with only 3 or 4 swings. I cut down a 15 inch dia when the temp was around 40. The saw ripped through it like a hot knife through butter. Anything under 8 inches dia I cut to standard length, but the bigger stuff I cut to about 4 inches so it would fit in my stove. Some of the pieces were like manhole covers. The next week the temp was down around zero and the wood was frozen. I decided to try to split it and to my surprise it split. Some pieces flew apart with 1 swing while others required 3 or 4 swings. I was even able to split some of the longer pieces.

 

[sledge&wedge]

Nyssa sylvatica, black gum, tupelo, whatever you choose to call it, is a pain to split. I've heard the word impossible used and even hydraulic splitters just sort of rip it apart without really splitting it. But I found a trick that allowed me to split it using just a maul with only 3 or 4 swings. I cut down a 15 inch dia when the temp was around 40. The saw ripped through it like a hot knife through butter. Anything under 8 inches dia I cut to standard length, but the bigger stuff I cut to about 4 inches so it would fit in my stove. Some of the pieces were like manhole covers. The next week the temp was down around zero and the wood was frozen. I decided to try to split it and to my surprise it split. Some pieces flew apart with 1 swing while others required 3 or 4 swings. I was even able to split some of the longer pieces.

I've got two monster Black Gums growing in the fencerow behind my house. I'm talking 3' + DBH and they are some of the most gnarly trees I've ever seen. I don't think your trick would make a difference on these bad boys. However, I applaud you for working out a way to get it done with what you've got.

 

[jrider]

Black gum is THE worst hands down I've encountered and you have the right ideas. Hydraulics don't split it, they just tear it apart which is effective but slow and waiting until the wood is frozen allows it to pop when trying to split. Now that I have an OWB, I haven't split any of that stuff in 5 years - in it goes in the round.

 

[zogger]

I've got two monster Black Gums growing in the fencerow behind my house. I'm talking 3' + DBH and they are some of the most gnarly trees I've ever seen. I don't think your trick would make a difference on these bad boys. However, I applaud you for working out a way to get it done with what you've got.

Cutting fat cookies (and even waiting until they are good and cracked) works on gnarly stuff, you just get goofy splits. I am about to do this on the remnants of my triple leader sweetgum shortly when my new bar and chain show up. I will first cut them, get some pics then try and CL them as small table tops. If that doesn't work, I will fiskarize them into firewood. The smaller chunks (from the three leaders) are full size 16" and will get noodled small enough to fit into the smogger, then stacked. I don't have any tupelo on the property I have found yet, but I have done a lot of sweetgum like this.

 

[maplegrovetom]

Black Gum was once commonly used for flooring because of it's toughness and durability to wear, It had very little character in the grain however, and resembled birch.
I've seen it in many old houses and stores here in Michigan. It just doesn't have the wow factor of something like oak, hickory, cherry, or ash though.
The trees here don't grow to the size they do further south, 18" or so is the biggest I've seen in Michigan.

 

[StihlKicking]

I am way further south and I have never seen a black gum approach 3 feet DBH as stated above. An 18" black gum would be extremely large down here

 

[sledge&wedge]

I am way further south and I have never seen a black gum approach 3 feet DBH as stated above. An 18" black gum would be extremely large down here

I don't care enough to mess with pics so you'll just have to trust me...

 

[StihlKicking]

I don't care enough to mess with pics so you'll just have to trust me...

I believe you!

 

[Firewood Myth Buster]

I don't care enough to mess with pics so you'll just have to trust me...

I believe you too. I once cut down a 5 ft diameter black locust in Arlington VA. I had to buy a 32" bar for my stihl 066 and it barely cut halfway through. It took me almost a month but I did get paid 5 grand. I've never even seen another black locust over 2 ft dia.

 

[Fred Wright]

Black gum grows like weeds here. A few examples reside in the front yard. They drop little purplish berries in fall; the deer love those things.

When I was cutting wood I'd drop one every winter for shoulder season use. Similar to sweet gum, it is a bear to split green. If the rounds are left to set a few months they'll bust clean and smooth. Start by shaving or slabbing around the edges then attack the center.

These were forest trees, average around 18" diameter. Main stem split nicely, splits looked like they'd been planed smooth.