Splitting WOOD

[Frantic7]

:monkey: Well I guess I am just a dumb mule then. I prefer the good old maul and wedge route myself. I probably do around 12-16 cords a year. We have a wood stove as well as a fireplace. My son and I do all of the work, good for bonding. Although....he is getting rather large arms:jawdrop: Nah...he still can't take his old man!!!!!! :angry2: I am 6ft 4 and 300#'s he has a ways to go yet....lol!!!!

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Unless all the wood you will ever make up is fairly small diameter, a maul, sledge and a couple wedges will wind up in your tool kit anyway even if you do get a splitter. You need them to bust big blocks up to a size you can handle. Thus, the cost of the maul etc is not a waste.

You are absolutely right, Harry. Wish I'd said that.

 

[turnkey4099]

I would agree with the advice about trying it with a maul first and if it's too much get a splitter later on. How much extra time you have should be considered too. A splitter is a lot faster especially if you have 1 or 2 extra people to help you. If you plan on burning wood from here on out I'd recommend buying a splitter rather than renting one. That's what I did.

Turnkey4099 you are the man. I should be splitting by hand when I have the time too. Good for the body.

It does take a bit of will power to be out there swinging away, dripping sweat when there is a splitter sitting a few feet away. Speaking of physical condition. The right arm tends to be a lot stronger than the left in my case. I can set a wedge with the 10 pound sledge one handed right hand but not left.

Waiting for the season to begin to see how it will go. I noticed that at the end of the season last year (around 10-12 cord done) I wasn't putting much time at a stretch in.

Also trying something new. Splitting on the ground at home soon beats the area down to dust making for dirty work. I just bought one of those linked door mats built from recycled tires. I'll try using that to split on.

Time spent splitting a cord? Have no idea. I haul in about 1/2 to 2/3 cord per load and it gets split over the course of several days.

Harry K

 

[smcowboy1974]

Hand splitting

I'm almost 32 yrs. now, and I've been splitting by hand since the age of 12. In the last about 6-8 yrs. I've split about 12 or so FULL CORD once every year. I'm 6'2" and weigh about 170 lbs. So it's keeps me in shape. Never used a power splitter for the above EVER! So good luck getting in shape!

 

[RoosterBoy]

sm cowboy how long dose it take you to split 12 cords a year by hand?

Jason

 

[Obser]

Here’s from another “split ‘em by hand” guy (and gal). We split several cords per year by hand with “his and hers” mauls – and chainsaws. I’m sixty-six, 6’ and 200; she is forty, 5’7 and 135.

We both use six-pound mauls. Although we have several of various weights and shapes, we prefer ones we acquired from Harbor Freight a couple years ago that have a wide head with steep taper and a Fiberglas handle ($18 then).

It would be hard to say how long it takes to split a cord because we work at it when one or the other of us or both have a chance, feel like it, or need exercise – and the quality of the wood makes a lot of difference.

When we have a friend’s splitter available we do the “easy” stuff by hand and leave the gnarly pieces with knots and crotches for the splitter (maybe 5 or 10% of the total). The oaks (excluding live oak) are a delight to split – particularly Red Oak.

The splitter (an MTD 25 ton, 6hp Briggs), with about a 15 second cycle time, is pretty slow in good splitting wood and a waste of fuel. Either of us can split more rounds of any good splitting wood with a maul than the machine can do -- for an hour at a time. The splitter is wonderful and much appreciated for the tough pieces though.

 

[smcowboy1974]

I don't have a time frame either. The easy stuff splits fast. The gnarly stuff, takes a little time with a maul and wedge. FOr the really stubborn stuff, I just take the saw and cut it on it's side. Nice to see some curly fries once in a while.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I’m sixty-six, 6’ and 200; she is forty, 5’7 and 135.

You old cradle robber, you!


It's great, ain't it? Though I've only got 15 years on my wife...

 

[1CallLandscape]

I'm almost 32 yrs. now, and I've been splitting by hand since the age of 12. In the last about 6-8 yrs. I've split about 12 or so FULL CORD once every year. I'm 6'2" and weigh about 170 lbs. So it's keeps me in shape. Never used a power splitter for the above EVER! So good luck getting in shape!

i may seem lazy but when you climb and cut trees for a living it takes a toll on your body. The last thing im thinking about at the end of the day is more excersise nevermind on my days off!! LOL
I do 40+ cords per year cut split stacked and delivered. Ive used the maul since i was 8 years old with my dad split only a little then but now id just like to take it easy on my body. Plus i can do alot more wood quicker and easyier. try doing a forked oak stump or a black gum log with a maul, it really has made me appreciate the power of hydraulics!!!!!

 

[Gark]

As for splittin' mauls, I thought that a heavier maul would be better- but a 15-pounder I got doesn't do nearly as well as the 8-pound (fiberglass handle) one. Probably the 15 lbs. mass on the end of that iron pipe handle just can't be accelerated fast enough to wedge its edge into the end grain. The heavier one works better for a workout than serious splitting.

 

[Frantic7]

Yeah I find the good old 8 pounder works just fine. I did buy a 6 pound maul with a wedge face on it and it works great. I picked it up at Lowes for 20 I think. Good investment for me!!