Would You Rather Make Cake or Pie? (It's not what you think it is!)

[unclemoustache]

It's much easier to pick up a squared piece than a triangle. You have sharper edges to get your thumb and finger around.
Soon after, I realized how much better it would stack if you're careful.
However, one wants air flow passing through to dry it out, so I don't stack it carefully at all.

 

[spike60]

You guys all make some great points! Now we all have one more thing to think about.... cookies!
.

I do end up with some cookies from making test cuts, but I hate wasting them. I cut them 2" thick so they are a little more substantial when I put them in the stove.

Gonna try that cake method. What's the sequence after you halve the round?

 

[bfrazier]

What's the sequence after you halve the round?

Little is easier, so I do the two little outside pieces, then the deep center ones, and last I split them into what ever sizes I want. Need good clean wood to do this, so more often than not it's a "whatever looks easiest."

And then there's "the flick" method...

 

[bfrazier]

Here's something I picked up on youtube from a Canadian timber guy named "Buckin' Billy Ray."
It absolutely works great in clean in Dougas Fir, which is what he and I predominantly have available.

About 8 hits makes 9 easy pieces. Not pie, not cake... but Flick's. And you will feel like a real Brush Ape watching them bust. The flick part involves turning your axe just at impact and "flicking" the pieces off the core.

 

[grizz55chev]

Here's something I picked up on youtube from a Canadian timber guy named "Buckin' Billy Ray."
It absolutely works great in clean in Dougas Fir, which is what he and I predominantly have available.

8 hits makes 9 easy pieces. Not pie, not cake... but Flick's. And you will feel like a real Brush Ape watching them bust.

# 6 and # 9 need hit once more.

 

[bfrazier]

# 6 and # 9 need hit once more.

Now Grizz, I was going to ask you this yesterday. You mentioned the size of the piece. And here you've mentioned it again. I thought about Auburn California, and wondered if you were in the oaks or the pines, or a little of both. I've spent some time on the back side of Folsom - what fantastic country.

Here's the thing, while I will have Oak, Madrone, Oregon Ash, Douglas Fir and White fir, Red Cedar and Incense Cedar this year, some years I probably won't have anything but Douglas Fir. So, a BIG piece of Doug Fir becomes a night time log, and honestly, when we were out of power for ten days this year, that's what kept the house warm.

I am cutting some "cake" absolutely as big as two pieces will fit in the stove. In fact, that's why I cut "cake" at all - to get a better fit in the stove. Am I making a mistake? If I was using the Doug fir for daytime, and throwing on Oak and Ash at night then, yeah, these would be smaller for easier handling.

Seriously - I value your opinion - tell me more. That goes for all you all.

 

[unclemoustache]

I make various sizes. I use the smaller ones to get the fire going in the morning and the large ones for the overnight burn.

 

[grizz55chev]

Now Grizz, I was going to ask you this yesterday. You mentioned the size of the piece. And here you've mentioned it again. I thought about Auburn California, and wondered if you were in the oaks or the pines, or a little of both. I've spent some time on the back side of Folsom - what fantastic country.

Here's the thing, while I will have Oak, Madrone, Oregon Ash, Douglas Fir and White fir, Red Cedar and Incense Cedar this year, some years I probably won't have anything but Douglas Fir. So, a BIG piece of Doug Fir becomes a night time log, and honestly, when we were out of power for ten days this year, that's what kept the house warm.

I am cutting some "cake" absolutely as big as two pieces will fit in the stove. In fact, that's why I cut "cake" at all - to get a better fit in the stove. Am I making a mistake? If I was using the Doug fir for daytime, and throwing on Oak and Ash at night then, yeah, these would be smaller for easier handling.

Seriously - I value your opinion - tell me more. That goes for all you all.

I’m older now, so I do like one handed pieces. Doug fir is fine firewood, but doesn’t bank as good as oak. I burn mostly madrone during the cold months, with a good mix of black oak at night so there’s a good bed of coals in the morning. Any wood that burns and fits in the stove is good wood, you take what’s available where I come from. We heat our house with primarily wood, but in the really cold months, we also have a propane furnace that’s thermostatically controlled, set at 68*. The average winter sees us using 3 1/2 cords and 100 gallons of propane for our little 2 bedroom house.

 

[Be Stihl]

I’m older now, so I do like one handed pieces. Doug fir is fine firewood, but doesn’t bank as good as oak. I burn mostly madrone during the cold months, with a good mix of black oak at night so there’s a good bed of coals in the morning. Any wood that burns and fits in the stove is good wood, you take what’s available where I come from. We heat our house with primarily wood, but in the really cold months, we also have a propane furnace that’s thermostatically controlled, set at 68*. The average winter sees us using 3 1/2 cords and 100 gallons of propane for our little 2 bedroom house.

I live in KY but recently acquired some Black Oak, very yellow under the bark. I am used to other Red Oaks like Pin and such but was curious how well the Black Oak burns?


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[4seasons]

I am used to other Red Oaks like Pin and such but was curious how well the Black Oak burns?

If it is oak it will make good firewood. Some may smell horrible (water oak smells like cat pee in the wood shed) and most need over a year to dry good, but no one ever complained about any properly seasoned oak as firewood.

 

[grizz55chev]

I live in KY but recently acquired some Black Oak, very yellow under the bark. I am used to other Red Oaks like Pin and such but was curious how well the Black Oak burns?


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Our black oak is the most common firewood, it burns great and leaves a nice bed of coals, madrone burns hot and clean, not a lot of ash. They make a good mix.

 

[bfrazier]

I make various sizes. I use the smaller ones to get the fire going in the morning and the large ones for the overnight burn.

Uncle M,

I have Western Red Cedar for Kindling, so it gets cut real fine. Some of these "flicks" may get re-cut further on in the process. I'd like to use Douglas Fir for mid day heat for the most part, although if all I have is Doug fir the really big squares are intended for night time use. It's been a hard year on our woods, but it will be warm and cozy inside next winter.

Bob

 

[James Miller]

I do end up with some cookies from making test cuts, but I hate wasting them. I cut them 2" thick so they are a little more substantial when I put them in the stove.

Gonna try that cake method. What's the sequence after you halve the round?

Fastest way to make cake with bigger rounds. Flip them back on end and split away.

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

Cake. The wood seems to split the way I want it to more consistently.

 

[Chainmale]

Here's something I picked up on youtube from a Canadian timber guy named "Buckin' Billy Ray."
It absolutely works great in clean in Dougas Fir, which is what he and I predominantly have available.

About 8 hits makes 9 easy pieces. Not pie, not cake... but Flick's. And you will feel like a real Brush Ape watching them bust. The flick part involves turning your axe just at impact and "flicking" the pieces off the core.

This is the pattern I find easiest for stubborn/hard to split wood

 

[bfrazier]

View attachment 731587 Fastest way to make cake with bigger rounds. Flip them back on end and split away.

James! Man, what a sight - you made noodle-cake! Thank you for the picture - exactly what I do sometimes too. Nice pile of split wood you got there. Oak maybe?

 

[homemade]

Is this cake or pie?

 

[bfrazier]

Is this cake or pie?

That, sir is having your cake and pie and getting to eat both as well. My golly! What must it cost???

 

[bubmiller]

Here's something I picked up on youtube from a Canadian timber guy named "Buckin' Billy Ray."
It absolutely works great in clean in Dougas Fir, which is what he and I predominantly have available.

About 8 hits makes 9 easy pieces. Not pie, not cake... but Flick's. And you will feel like a real Brush Ape watching them bust. The flick part involves turning your axe just at impact and "flicking" the pieces off the core.

I do something similar, but in reverse when I use a hydraulic splitter and the wood is <12". By starting with a slab of the back side such as piece 2 in the pic. Then I rotate the bottom away from me and split a half slab, half triangle such as piece one. I continue around the diameter until I can split the last sections into cakes. By throwing the split with my left hand, I can run the valve with my right, and then use both to position the round for the next split before the wedge has time to travel more than 2 or 3 inches of clearance. Larger logs get split in half, then rotated through the splitter starting with the far edge. This way I only pick up a round once or twice to split.

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[James Miller]

James! Man, what a sight - you made noodle-cake! Thank you for the picture - exactly what I do sometimes too. Nice pile of split wood you got there. Oak maybe?

Yep oak. Around here (south central PA) oak is one of the easiest woods to get.