Splitting Elm Logs

[Cambium]

You don't split Elm.

Elm Splits YOU!!!

LMAO!

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

Zoulas - I been splitting Elm for the past month...let me give you some advice...rent a machine! The only ones I'm doing by hand is the 45 inch rounds. I need to make them small enough to manuever for the machine to split it.

believe me...I split by hand for past year. Always did 2 cords each winter. Took my time all year... but you dont mess with Elm.

I got 7 Cords of Elm.(2 Trees). I split 4 already. 3 more to go. Now 1 month in but I been taking my time. 8 total hours splitting. 3 total hours stacking.

 

[Nuzzy]

Elm is on the short list of things I truly hate.






:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Techstuf]

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.

Same here. The only maul with which I'd even remotely consider tackling elm, and we're talking the fresh cut standing dead stuff cut to short rounds, is the Fiskars SS.

Cut'em dead, and cut'em short, and you can giv'em Fiskars.

I have a hard and usually fast rule, if I can't get a good crack started in two swings, I'll rip it with old Betsy Stihl.


Blessings in Yeshua

 

[Woodcutteranon]

I remember being told when I was younger that I wasn't "stupid"...I was "special!"

All this talk about elms makes me want to show you what's good about elms. This is a picture of my 60 foot American Elm that greets me each morning when I look out my front window. To me the Elm is the most beautiful tree of all. Their tough splitting makes them "special." Lets all hold hands and sing Kum by Yah.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[rmount]

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>

That looks just like the elm we have here. Standing dead or green its a real pain, burns good though. Split just over a cord this spring. But its thanks to elm that I have 3 splitting wedges, had to buy a 3rd to split the first 2 out of the round they were buried in!

 

[Nuzzy]

But its thanks to elm that I have 3 splitting wedges, had to buy a 3rd to split the first 2 out of the round they were buried in!

Now THAT'S funny! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Dalmatian90]

Thank the Lord I've never seen an elm log in my life

Although the neighbor across the street from my woodlot is cutting the dead ones out on his hillside.

I actually never recognized them until I saw one written up in the paper (the Oakham Elm) and took a Sunday drive to see it one day. NOW I recognize the elms, of course at least two that I recognized after seeing one have now died of DED.

Most of the elms in my area died in the 50s and early 60s, gone before I was around. Remember being amazed at some of my grandfather's slides of what our town green USED to look like.

State Highway Department had an old gravel bank they used as a stump dump for the Elms. Caught fire one day. From what I was told, took about six months till it stopped smoking.

 

[Kydan]

It burns pretty good, My daddy had something called a ''piss elm switch.'' that was also hot.

 

[dingeryote]

Now THAT'S funny! :hmm3grin2orange:

Yep!!!

I seem to remember one round of Elm long ago, that was burned with the Wedge in it, in the brush pile, rather than lose another getting that one out.

You get a splitter yet?:hmm3grin2orange:

Got some standing stuff that needs to be one with the saw, and next week is looking good.

2 Splitters, a Tractor, 2 Trucks, a Quad with a winch, and the best 70cc Saws ever made should make short work of things and I figure about 8 Cords of Oak and Cherry.

Game on?


Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Cambium]

But its thanks to elm that I have 3 splitting wedges, had to buy a 3rd to split the first 2 out of the round they were buried in!

LMAO!! I almost went to get my 3rd for same reason. I didn't want to leave the wedges in there overnight because the water from Elm might rust them out so I grabbed the chainsaw and cheated to take them out.

They should use Elm as a defensive tool in wars. I.N.C.O.M.I.N.G!!!! get in the fort of Elm!!

 

[Steve NW WI]

Call me mentally imbalanced, wierd, or just plain crazy, but I love elm.

Full disclosure, I've never even THOUGHT about splitting it by hand!

It's about the only wood I have that makes my big ol' splitter feel useful. It's been said that Dutch Elm Disease was what started the hydraulic splitter industry, and I beleive them.

I'll shove an elm block into mine whichever direction it lands on the beam, if I'm feeling ornery, I'll aim straight down the middle of the knot. Good times!

For the OP, seriously dude, beg, borrow, rent, buy, or sell yourself into slavery to get your hands on a splitter for doing elm!

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[rmount]

Funny story about an elm. Twenty or so years ago when I first started to help look after the place which is now ours it belonged to my wifes uncle (been in the family since 1889). He was a stubborn, fiesty bachler who was almost blind and didn't hear too well. Anyway, he'd get me to do some brushhogging or ditch cleaning or whatever and everything was referenced to the big elm, which stood about a 1/3 mile down the field. Just past it, a bit before it, over to the west of it etc. Well I could never seem to do things right, he'd end up calling me every kind of an idiot he could think of. I'd go back and do it again and some how we ended up with a good relationship. Several years later, after the uncle had died, I was talking with my father in law one night and he started remembering the time in the late 60's he'd had to cut up the big elm after it died and how tough it was. Suddenly a light went on for me! I asked him where it had stood, he told me a few hundred feet ahead of the one that was there now. All of a sudden all those arguments and disagreements about where I was supposed to be working made sense.

 

[coog]

Call me mentally imbalanced, wierd, or just plain crazy, but I love elm.

Full disclosure, I've never even THOUGHT about splitting it by hand!

It's about the only wood I have that makes my big ol' splitter feel useful. It's been said that Dutch Elm Disease was what started the hydraulic splitter industry, and I beleive them.

I'll shove an elm block into mine whichever direction it lands on the beam, if I'm feeling ornery, I'll aim straight down the middle of the knot. Good times!

For the OP, seriously dude, beg, borrow, rent, buy, or sell yourself into slavery to get your hands on a splitter for doing elm!

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Steve, you need to get that splitter up in the air a bit.My back started screaming just watching that video.Looks like it works fine, though.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Coog, that's a project that moves higher up the list every year older I get. I'm actually working on a full redesign, with a crane log lift and enough hydraulic valves to run the lift and a conveyor off the back. Hope to git-r-done next summer. Also gonna run a chain drive with about a 3:2 ratio to get more ram speed with the same or less tractor rpms. Right now I'm thinking of scrapping about everything except the pump, ram, and the 1" valve that runs it, and pretty much remaking everything else the way I want it.

:arg: sorry!

 

[cableguy256]

Funny story about an elm. Twenty or so years ago when I first started to help look after the place which is now ours it belonged to my wifes uncle (been in the family since 1889). He was a stubborn, fiesty bachler who was almost blind and didn't hear too well. Anyway, he'd get me to do some brushhogging or ditch cleaning or whatever and everything was referenced to the big elm, which stood about a 1/3 mile down the field. Just past it, a bit before it, over to the west of it etc. Well I could never seem to do things right, he'd end up calling me every kind of an idiot he could think of. I'd go back and do it again and some how we ended up with a good relationship. Several years later, after the uncle had died, I was talking with my father in law one night and he started remembering the time in the late 60's he'd had to cut up the big elm after it died and how tough it was. Suddenly a light went on for me! I asked him where it had stood, he told me a few hundred feet ahead of the one that was there now. All of a sudden all those arguments and disagreements about where I was supposed to be working made sense.

:hmm3grin2orange: now THAT is funny!! sounds like something that would happen to some of my family.

onto the OP..... I actually was just splitting some large approx. 48"diam.) rounds yesterday with my huskee 22ton splitter.... let me tell you, that is the only logs I've come across that gave that thing a run for it's money.. no way I would try to split that crap by hand... stuff I have looks just like the splits in the pics posted by 'Butch'.

 

[Nuzzy]

Got some standing stuff that needs to be one with the saw, and next week is looking good.

2 Splitters, a Tractor, 2 Trucks, a Quad with a winch, and the best 70cc Saws ever made should make short work of things and I figure about 8 Cords of Oak and Cherry.

Game on?

Well we're slammed at work now after our black friday sale (about $24K worth of bumpers, sliders, and armor sold in the one day) that everyone wants before Christmas and there's only 3 of us :jawdrop:

But I'll see if I can't sneak a day in there. Would be more than happy to sling some sawdust with ya! :chainsawguy:

 

[machinest]

you don't split elm you just need a bigger stove so you can just toss it in unsplit

 

[cableguy256]

you don't split elm you just need a bigger stove so you can just toss it in unsplit

What is the box on top of the stove for?? thought maybe heat dist. but unless the legs are hollow that defeats that thought.....

 

[zoulas]

Thanks gents, I thought I needed a bigger hammer or axe.

 

[Nosmo]

Before and After

[/IMG]I've had a lot of Elms die in the last 2 or 3 years. But I had one that just became a nusiance because it kept dropping limbs during a windy day or night and was crowding out two nice pine trees. I don't mind using Elm for firewood but splitting them by hand is for a person who has plenty of free time to spend at it.

That is if a person wants to spend an afternoon pounding on one round. hah

Here are some pieces on that one I took out last spring. I left the rounds setting out in the sun all spring , summer and fall and split them a week or so ago.

Nosmo