Splitting Elm Logs

[zoulas]

I may be doing something wrong, but I have some Elm trees that I cut down recently and I tried splitting some logs with a 5lb maul and I really cannot do it. The only way it can be done is to drive a wedge into it but this takes a lot longer. Is this wood especially difficult to split? Is there a better way? I am only interested in doing it by hand not not with a machine. Thanks

 

[woodbooga]

Elm's as tough as a sack of hammers. Around here if you want to hear an old yankee cuss a blue streak, ask 'em how elm splits. Stuff was real plentiful 40 years ago when the Dutch elm blight was at its peak.

My first experience with it was my 1st year heating with wood. Someone had dumped a load of elm rounds at the dump brushpile. Brought it home and nearly doinked myself on the forehead with the maulbutt when it bounced off from it.

Who knew, but Newton was right when he said every action has an equal and opposite reaction!

 

[wdchuck]

American Elm, generally pretty white in appearance has a cross grain structure, making it more difficult than other wood to split.

 

[Old Cane]

Finally, something I know about. We had some elm left from when I was a kid. My folks never used the fireplace so when I was home about 15 years ago I went to split some to burn. It was as tuff as when we cut it. I had to re-employ my old system. It's a secret but I can tell it involed and axe, a sledgehammer, six wedges, a chain and a 3/4 ton truck. I also added some new words to the english language.

You aren't doing anything wrong! But when you burn it be prepared for it to last for about 9 days in a burn......we had a lot of customers that bought 1 rick of dry mesquite or pecan for every 5 ricks of elm. Get a fire going and put some elm on and fa-get aboud it.

 

[Chris Crouse]

I recommend you cut the larger stuff in half, thirds, or quarters rather than try to split it. For the smaller pieces, they are splittable with some effort. If you let it dry out it splits easier, especially in cold weather.

I am burning mostly elm right now and it is strange stuff. I have taken all the bark off the wood but it still makes quite a bit of ash. I can't seem to get a raging fire with it but once my stove has been going for a while it will be a pure blue flame and really hot. The ashes all eventually burn down too, so just keep them stirred around.

Be very careful that your wood is not from a diseased tree. If the tree was infested or infected having the wood around WILL spread the problem. From what I've read, some places do let let you use elm for firewood and require it to be buried immediately once it is down.

 

[stint]

Saw an interesting firewood chart that listed all the characteristics of usual wood types

One column for "splitting " was mostly easy, moderate, hard, etccc

Under elm's splitting ease was two words : "it doesn't"

;-))))

 

[woodbooga]

I recommend you cut the larger stuff in half, thirds, or quarters rather than try to split it. For the smaller pieces, they are splittable with some effort. If you let it dry out it splits easier, especially in cold weather.

I had a charge of elm last winter that we're burning now. It did seem to spit easier in sub-freexing temps.


Also helps if you work the edges, whacking away around the perimeter. Once the surface tension (or whatever) of the round is broken, the whole of the hunk busts up easier.

Of course, 'easier' is a relative term.

 

[scotvl]

hows it burn vs oak or ash?

 

[Techstuf]

Standing dead elm, that's well seasoned, when cut into shorter rounds a foot long or so, will split with the Fiskars suprisingly well when worked, as Woodbooga says, at the edges. Usually, one or two strikes often gets a crack started, then flip the piece and meet up with the crack on the other side. Any way you slice it, it's more work than most other woods, depending on condition of the wood. I've berated some green firs harder than dry elm, a time or two.

I've had some dry elm split like ice cubes at zero degrees....just one pop after another and the pieces fly off like you were blowing stumps or something.

Well seasoned elm cut short enough, really ain't so bad, especially if you've got a Fiskars SS and a buddy to set pieces and switch off with.


Blessings in Yeshua

 

[mdotis]

The only good thing about splitting elm is that it makes all other wood seem to split easy as pie and it has very good heat once it is split.

Growing up dad never was very good about planning ahead and the DED trees would burn the same day you cut them so that is what I grew up on. Funny after I went off to collage he bought a splitter.

A wedge and maul is a lot of work but if you can split elm with it you can split anything.

Korey

 

[savageactor7]

We use to split all our wood by hand back in the day. Elm you have to shave off the sides much like you'd split a humongous round.

Sure you're not going to be happy with the smaller splits but at least you'll make production. Back in the 70's in was nothing to take a sledge and use it to pound in a maul to get a split...with today's Chinese mauls you have to worry about mushrooming and spraying shrapnel.

I still have that 6lb maul with at least 5k or more of maximum sledgehammer beats on it. Have replaced the handle so many times that I always buy 2 handles at a time...just like mower belts or other expendable item.

zoulas check out country house/yard sales for tools if you get a 50 yo maul you can at least save time dispensing with the wedges. Cause with a good maul you can bash with a sledge at least you can make some production on that elm.

 

[cjcocn]

Standing dead elm, that's well seasoned, when cut into shorter rounds a foot long or so, will split with the Fiskars suprisingly well when worked, as Woodbooga says, at the edges. Usually, one or two strikes often gets a crack started, then flip the piece and meet up with the crack on the other side. Any way you slice it, it's more work than most other woods, depending on condition of the wood. I've berated some green firs harder than dry elm, a time or two.

I've had some dry elm split like ice cubes at zero degrees....just one pop after another and the pieces fly off like you were blowing stumps or something.

Well seasoned elm cut short enough, really ain't so bad, especially if you've got a Fiskars SS and a buddy to set pieces and switch off with.


Blessings in Yeshua

I split mine last winter with my Fiskars SS and, it being the first time I had split elm, didn't see anything really tough about it. It was harder to split than what I usually burn, but not so hard that I would turn down any that came my way.

 

[logbutcher]

Except for American Elms that are antibiotic injected yearly for very big $$$, most have died long ago in the Northeast. Many towns have fund raised to afford the cost of preserving Maine St. Elms.

Elm is a heliotrope, growing following the sun. The grain is tough similar to Apple or Beech for splitting. Fun to give some to one of the newbie macho types to split....once this one.

So without Semtex , it can be split like WB says, from the outside in. It's called "slab" splitting, working around the periphery towards the center. You get irregular slabs rather than nice, uniform wedge-shaped logs. It will however still eat wedges. The core can be near impossible to split, in larger Elm butts up to 3'-6' DBH the heartwood can be a foot or more of SOB wood. Give it to your friends with open fireplaces, or wrap it up as a gift.

Elm is great for carving and 'log' furniture. The British sculptor Henry Moore used it for his famous reclining nudes (for the artistes around us). I once used large elm wood rounds for tables---pretty grain.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I split mine last winter with my Fiskars SS and, it being the first time I had split elm, didn't see anything really tough about it. It was harder to split than what I usually burn, but not so hard that I would turn down any that came my way.

Ya'll must have differant Elm up there than we do. Here is a pic of the last I tangled with, youd wear out that Fiskars on one round, LOL. Zoulas the only way I know to split out Elm by hand is to wait until it is zero or below, it helps a lot but it is still far from easy.

<IMG SRC=http://i30.tinypic.com/35mqus9.jpg>

 

[cjcocn]

Ya'll must have differant Elm up there than we do. Here is a pic of the last I tangled with, youd wear out that Fiskars on one round, LOL. Zoulas the only way I know to split out Elm by hand is to wait until it is zero or below, it helps a lot but it is still far from easy.

<IMG SRC=http://i30.tinypic.com/35mqus9.jpg>

I can't recall for sure, but I think I split about 1 1/2 cords. Now I could go to my shed and check, but I'm pretty sure that my Fiskars SS looks much the same as when I started.

The temps were probably about -25C (-13F) so that probably helped a bit.

I will see if I can't round up some more elm and I will have another go at it. Maybe I got lucky with that first batch.

 

[coog]

Ya'll must have differant Elm up there than we do. Here is a pic of the last I tangled with, youd wear out that Fiskars on one round, LOL. Zoulas the only way I know to split out Elm by hand is to wait until it is zero or below, it helps a lot but it is still far from easy.

<IMG SRC=http://i30.tinypic.com/35mqus9.jpg>

Brings back a lot of unpleasant memories.Sure starts nice, however, after it dries with all those strings.

 

[numnuts]

I can't imagine hand splitting Elm. I had my first go-round with some this spring using a gas splitter and that was tough enough.

 

[dingeryote]

You don't split Elm.

Elm Splits YOU!!!

The best you can hope for is to tear it in half like a Chicago phonebook.

That said, I dropped two this morning. They are gonna lay there a while.

There's too many green brier covered Red Oaks in a Poison Ivy patch to let rot, while fussing with that Elm.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[diznila]

I bet the Fiskars would split elm better than a maul cause it's sharp and cuts up the stringy fibers.

I can't recall for sure, but I think I split about 1 1/2 cords. Now I could go to my shed and check, but I'm pretty sure that my Fiskars SS looks much the same as when I started.

The temps were probably about -25C (-13F) so that probably helped a bit.

I will see if I can't round up some more elm and I will have another go at it. Maybe I got lucky with that first batch.

 

[freemind]

I burn dead standing elm almost exclusively.

I won't waste my time with a maul or the fiskars. I break out the speeco. Does a FINE job. The old timers who birned it long ago, when I was a shine in my dad's eye, said the ONLY way to split elm was by chipping off the outside. You are not going to split it like oak or ash.