Splitting firewood

[Stein]

I generally split it whenever I cut it, rarely have rounds sitting around so don't really know what is best. I do cut a lot of dry wood, but have been cutting some green this year from the tornado in June.

Most of my wood is ash, mulberry and elm, plus lots of other unidentifiable wood as it is devoid of bark. In any case, in some cases is it better to split some kinds and condition of wood when it is completely frozen? I know that "it depends" but it appears some splits easier when frozen.

How about this:

Dry elm - frozen or not frozen? (stringy and tough to split unfrozen)
Dry Mulberry - frozen or unfrozen?
Green mulberry - frozen or unfrozen? - stringy when not frozen
Dry ash (seems pretty easy either way)
Green ash (haven't tried yet)
Burr oak-green and dry

I haven't cut any oak yet because the Craftsman wasn't up to it but the 361 will be tackling it. I have some green and dry up to whatever diameter I can handle. Probably limited to 20" or less due to handling and splitter capacity.

I am kind of bummed because I spent part of the day cutting up a dead 24" elm. Once I wrestled the first piece onto the splitter, I couldn't halve it or even chunk off a third, so I have 20' of rounds sitting there.

 

[willsaw4beer]

If you have a hydraulic splitter I don't see why it would matter to you. The only reason to split frozen and or dried wood is that it splits easier than non- frozen green wood...

 

[Stein]

I have a 22 ton splitter. My biggest concern is the elm which is a pain and larger ash and mulberry as the splitter struggles with it. The oak, only because I haven't done any yet and all of it is larger diameter.

 

[kyle1!]

The stringy stuff, elm etc, is much easier to split when frozen if you are splitting with a maul. If you have a splitter get to work. I would have been done yesterday if I had a splitter to use. The elm just wears me out but I have been working on technique with better strike placement. I got 2 24in dia x 16in rounds done the last time I was out

Brian

 

[KsWoodsMan]

The difference becomes more noticable when splitting by hand whether it is dry, wet or frozen. All those you mentioned except Elm are generally easily done by hand. When I think of Elm I have American Elm in mind. When it's green it can take some serious abuse before it yeilds. It gets better when dry or frozen but still a workout.

I don't know of any wood that isn't easier to split in sub-zero weather. The ice crystals inside the rounds increase the internal pressure as they expand. Kind'a nice warming your hands on an axe head in 0° weather after giving it a good workout. It's an even better feeling when you throw those especially tough ones on the fire.

 

[thejdman04]

It all seems to split better when cold, but can be don when warm even stringy stuff, sometimes it can be a real pain though

 

[Zodiac45]

I have a 22 ton splitter. My biggest concern is the elm which is a pain and larger ash and mulberry as the splitter struggles with it. The oak, only because I haven't done any yet and all of it is larger diameter.

Should be no problem once your splitter shifts down too second stage (pump). It's like low gear. You see it struggle and stop for a sec then the pump shifts too the 2nd stage and powers through.
With elm, I'm always very conscious of how I cut the rounds. Try too leave out as many branches /knots out of a given round as you can. Nice straight pieces with no limb areas split easiest.

 

[woodbooga]

I don't know of any wood that isn't easier to split in sub-zero weather. The ice crystals inside the rounds increase the internal pressure as they expand. Kind'a nice warming your hands on an axe head in 0° weather after giving it a good workout. It's an even better feeling when you throw those especially tough ones on the fire.

Water is the exception to the rule that heat expands and cold makes things contract. As water freezes, it takes up more volume. Within wood, frozen water does just as KsWoodsMan says.

About 2 weeks ago, I maul split a bunch of elm and some rock maple rounds that were very uncooperative back in September.

 

[Edmccabe]

Stein;

With reference to your problem splitting dead elm. I have burned a lot of it - for many years it was my standing reserve in the spring. I always had trouble splitting it with a mall or wedge until an old man, he was about the age I am now, told me that you need to peel elm instead of splitting it. What he meant was to slab of the round in sections around the circumference - instead of trying to halve & quarter it. He was right. I never had trouble with it again. Great wood to burn.

Ed

 

[habanero]

...What he meant was to slab of the round in sections around the circumference - instead of trying to halve & quarter it...

That's a good plan of attack on virtually any big wood (except for such things a straight-grained oak). Success at splitting by hand isn't about brute strength or this maul or that maul, it's about being able to read the wood and work with natural checks and around knots.

Having a big saw with a long bar ready to make cookies out of the nasty ones doesn't hurt either...

 

[kyle1!]

Stein;

With reference to your problem splitting dead elm. I have burned a lot of it - for many years it was my standing reserve in the spring. I always had trouble splitting it with a mall or wedge until an old man, he was about the age I am now, told me that you need to peel elm instead of splitting it. What he meant was to slab of the round in sections around the circumference - instead of trying to halve & quarter it. He was right. I never had trouble with it again. Great wood to burn.

Ed

:agree2: :agree2: You learn real quick elm rounds are not going to split in half with a maul. Slabbing it with strikes along the growth ring splits the round fairly fast. Some day I will get to split some of that easy wood

Brian

 

[Lloyd H]

"peeling it"

I'll second, I guess third it what Edmccabe and habanero said. Works especially well on large Sycamore. Just keep splitting slabs around the side of the round, avoid trying across the middle, when you get down to 6-8 inches throw it in the "all nighter burn pile". My dad always said stand rounds up like they grew to split. The slab off the side speeds up splitting with a log splitter as well, as habanero said "read the wood and use what you see instead of brute force, even if its hydraulic brute force"