Splitting Wood.

L.Fure

Well-known Member
Does anyone split their wood the old fashioned way with axes, or a splitting maul? I always enjoyed working on a pile of wood with a single bit axe. That was while I was young and didn't have arthritis in my back.
 

Yes I split 99% of my firewood by hand. Using
a Godevil or Splitting maul.. I do own a 20 ton
splitter. BUT!!! When I throw a chunk of fire
wood on one of the 10 WOOD WAGONS I use it will
also fit in my wood furnace. This is the reason
I don't use the splitter in the woods. Plus 95%
of the wood I do cut doesn't split bad. & I can
split it faster by hand than using the wood
splitter.. I split maybe 10 chunks, then load
for awhile. Each load on my wagons are at least
full cord, split & ranked chest high. I am known
in this area as the Guy With all the Wood
Wagons..!!
 
I split all that has to be split of 20-22 standard cords per year for
our boiler by hand. I don't split anything under 12" or so, because
it will fit through the door whole. I use an ax or a hatchet to split
kindling wood and slabs but I prefer a 12# wide angle maul for
heavier pieces. Splitting big pieces with the ax I would keep getting
it stuck in the wood and having to try to lever it out. I do like
splitting wood, it is satisfying to have it spring apart so suddenly.
Zach
 
'07 to '12 I did about 5 cord per year by hand, using a hammer and splitting maul, wedges etc. I the logs as its called, then stack in the open air, cover the top, then split what I needed for the stove, as needed. The work was good exercise, you go as far as you can, take a break or know you have enough for awhile, do some more later or another day. Maple, Black Cherry, most straight grain wood was tolerable, though there are always tough pieces in the mix. I did not split as much or as small, some were halved, some left whole, and those I would put on last in the evening, and though I think you get more btu's when split, these burn all night so, you get lower heat longer. It all seemed to work out ok, but the one shoulder will not tolerate the impact any more, so I decided it best to get a hydraulic splitter. I'll still do a few pieces here and there, and always use my hatchet to split kindling. The worst was elm, for obvious reasons, fresh or live cut, not the standing dead, which is easier if its punked a bit, or been bucked and left to dry for a few months, under cover. Its a chore with the log splitter, but still well worth processing.

When I was a kid, we never used the wood lot, just the hedgerows along the fields, taking deadfall, storm damage and similar, nothing really needed to be split, and I used this old C H & E saw rig to buck into stove length, it was a table saw powered with a 14 HP Kohler, used it like a buzz saw.

I liked splitting by hand enough that I never really minded doing it a little at a time, figuring out each piece, dealing with a stuck wedge, which was never for long. You learn how the grain works with splitting, as well as cracks and checks, at some point you master the skill, as well as learn the hazards, always wear safety glasses, hearing protection.
 
I use a 10 lb sledge and wedges. One triangular and one wedge shaped. Just take it easy and let the hammer weight do most of the work. Better a quiet day chopping wood and listening to nature than standing next to a noisy engine.
 
(quoted from post at 15:19:37 01/26/15)
Yes I split 99% of my firewood by hand. Using
a Godevil or Splitting maul.. I do own a 20 ton
splitter. BUT!!! When I throw a chunk of fire
wood on one of the 10 WOOD WAGONS I use it will
also fit in my wood furnace. This is the reason
I don't use the splitter in the woods. Plus 95%
of the wood I do cut doesn't split bad. & I can
split it faster by hand than using the wood
splitter.. I split maybe 10 chunks, then load
for awhile. Each load on my wagons are at least
full cord, split & ranked chest high. I am known
in this area as the Guy With all the Wood
Wagons..!!

I could split wood faster by hand than with a hydraulic splitter. I had a older gentleman teach my how to swing an axe many years ago. He was watching me split some of the chunks in his wood pile. Being a young sprout I thought it took brute force to split a chunk of wood. Each time I swung the axe my feet would nearly leave the ground. After awhile he stopped me and told me that I could split more wood without so much effort. After he gave me his lesson on splitting wood I could work longer and use less of my energy to split more wood than I ever could.
 
I prefer a splitting maul when ever possible. I have my sons splitting wood by hand and liking it. Now when you get into those knotty pieces, that's different.
 
If it's straight-grained Ash or Birch it's easier to
split it with a maul than put it in a splitter! I built
my splitter for Elm, we have lots of it.
 

One of the most important things I was taught was to split the wood in the direction it grew. When the blade of the axe enters the chunk give the handle a little twist. That will open the grain a lot better. When breaking up large junks work around the outside and work to the center. Again giving the handle a twist will separate the smaller piece from the large block with little effort.
 
I was taught by my grandpa how to split wood with a double bit
ax so I split a lot of oak (that has straight grain) with a double
bit ax. Occasionally I will get out the sledge and wedge but not
very often, if it's that bad I just get the splitter out.
 
(quoted from post at 17:13:25 01/26/15) Sounds like we must have the same teacher! I've got a good splitting axe I wouldn't trade for 10 mauls. I learned about 60 yrs ago.

I think it was 40 years ago when I got my lesson. He used Black Raven axes and nothing else. He did use a chain saw to fell a tree, but preferred to cut the limbs off with a double bit axe. He had rheumatoid arthritis in his hand ,and all his fingers were pushed to one side. But that didn't seem to stop him. He could lop off a oak limb 2"-3" thick with one swing. He wasn't a very big man either. I doubt if he weighed much over 140#. He sure was tough though.
 
I've split a couple of cords a year with a maul.
Last couple of years my neighbor brought his
hydraulic splitter over. Sure is easier on the
back and neck and shoulders!
 
I don't mind splitting wood by hand when it has a nice straight grain but around here the wood to burn is HEDGE and let me tell you that is some of the knarliest wood around. I finally broke down and bought a splitter this year
 
I split a little now and then but not much. I use a monster maul most of the time when I do split any.
 
When I learned Dad had tractor with drag saw on rear and bussaw on front, early 1950s. Fell with crosscut, limbed with axes while drag was cutting off blocks from the butt. I tried to teach my grandson how to flip the axe right at point on impact, he never has got the nack of it yet. The axe will not stick either. Jim
 
I split wood by hand when there was no other way. It just took one misplaced hammer blow to break the sludge handle. The plant I worked at tossed out a hydraulic trash compactor. I got permission to take it home. I made a splitter with the parts. It has a 5 hp motor and does a good job. I burn mostly eucalyptus which is a very hard wood. About the only thing here in my area of Ca. Stan
 
Split every thing with a regular single blade axe
till about 3 years ago when I bought a splitter on
a auction sale,$60.00 , couldn't pass it up. Still
like the axe better than the machine , but the
machine doesn't get tired. Bruce
 
I remember watching my grandpa back in the fifties. He had the ability to hit the same spot over and over, my main wood-cutting shortcoming.
 
All other things being equal, do you find it
easier to split from the top or from the bottom of
the piece?
 
I used a maul to split all the wood for heating our house in a cold Canadian prairie winter for almost 20 years. When it started taking me close to a day to straighten out my back after a day of splitting, I invested in a hydraulic splitter. Some of the best money I ever spent. While I miss the manual splitting exercise, I don't miss the crooked back.

As a kid, I used a maul and wedges splitting knotty beech for my dad. That stuff was not fun. I remember the day my dad made a brand new handle for the maul. I missed on the first swing and hit the handle on the piece of beechwood. Snapped the brand new handle in half. Lots of muttering under his breath as my dad went back to make another handle.
 
We used to split the big blocks with one guy on each side. Some of those blocks were 3ft.+ We cut a large curly maple a few yrs. back, My nephew brought his big Woodmizer down. We got the log on sawmill but would not go thru carrige so I ran chain saw full legnth of log, not even 1/2 way thru then cut wood wedges to split so we could cut lumber.
 
I split all my straight grain wood with a Chopper 1 axe and can split it faster than log splitter. I through knots and chuncks that I can't split by hand in a pile and when I get enough I put it through the 35 ton log splitter.
 
If you are spitting cold and strait blocks , it's quicker by hand than a splitter. Buuut , at the end of the day your tied with an axe and the splitter just keeps on running .

Larry -- Ontario
 
Yup, by hand for now. Just splitting for fireplace use, so it's not a lot. Like others, I use a splitting maul and make sure I'm doing dry wood.
 
old,

I too slung a monster maul back in the day my Dad burned wood for heat.

That all metal maul paid for itself in broken wooden handles of the other splitting axes.

I bet he still has it.

D.
 
You were taught the right way to split wood. You don't power through it but let the axe do the work for you. You also have to learn to read the grain of wood and the checks in the wood. Once you learn that splitting by hand is not all that bad. I'am 68 and still enjoy splitting by hand.
 
The wood I burned last winter was the first I did
not split by hand. A bad shoulder and other
complications of being 73 prompted me to
modernize, and I got a good deal on a 27-ton
splitter. It's really nice, but still lots of
work. I haven't really figured out the best way
to muscle a 30-inch round of red oak onto the
splitter, even in the upright position, so after
an afternoon of splitting I'm tired all over.
Last week half of one of those rounds tipped over
against my leg, knocking me over. I fell on my
bad shoulder, and my hip came down on the sharp
edge of a piece of firewood laying on the ground.
I dodged that bullet; could have had a broken
hip.
Untitled URL Link
 
If it is strait grain I use the maul, any other I
lay it on its side and use the chainsaw. It is quick
as long as the chain is sharp, and the saw is
already in hand.
 

I was splitting some wood by hand about 4 wks ago. A log fell over against my leg as I was setting up. Didn't knock me over or anything. Felt it sting as it scraped my shin (was wearing jeans, no long underwear). Next day, I noticed I had an abrasion about the size of a quarter on the front of my shin but didn't think much of it. Didn't even put a Band-Aid on it. Next day noticed it was getting inflamed and wife said it looked to be infected (she's an infectious disease nurse and knows her stuff). Put Neosporin on it and a bandaid. Finally healing up, still a little red. This is the 2nd time this has happened in 2 years (getting a scrape on my leg through my jeans) where I've ended up with infections. Previous time it took a trip to Urgent Care and some serious antibiotics to clear it up. Wife says it's all the bacteria that normally lives on our skin.
 
You should see if your splitter can handle a log lift or just halve them at least in the vertical position. The link below shows a log lift on common log splitter, looks reasonable to build, gives you a nice work tray/table when you don't need it, very seriously considering it for my 28 ton of the same brand.

One tool I like for larger blocks is the Lockhart log gripper from Bailey's. 30" is just a tad too large but many of the lesser diameter pieces, I can heft up and ride along my leg up onto the splitter. I don't really enjoy working bent over when its tilted up to the vertical position, so I mostly use it in the horizontal.

Worst case, I use the loader bucket on the tractor for a round of blocks to split, which I then place in gardenway carts or my old jackson wheelbarrows so I can just wheel to the stack without having to bend over and load them. I try to not work off the ground when the bigger logs are cut into blocks.

Lucky you did not get hurt, those darned larger pieces are certainly dangerous, roll, tip over, fall off etc. I've got some heavy 25" elm to deal with, soaked and now frozen, way to heavy to lift without assistance, and when on the ground I leave lots of room to work when possible, I spread things out and is why my driveway is clogged up with wood right now LOL !
Log Lift On 35 Ton Huskee
 
This is interesting, though I don't like as much as the previous one, as its on the opposite side, hydraulic, but everyone has a preference of their own, seems to work well for this guy. Probably a bunch of good ideas on you tube and the internet if you do a search.
22 ton Huskee with log lift
 
I split all of mine with an axe, sledge and wedge until 3 years ago. I still split the good straight logs by hand but there isn't much of that anymore. I've got a 22 ton splitter that will split anything that I've tried but it don't take out all the work. The big 2' diameter and bigger logs are still easier split with a sledge if the grain is straight.
 
I wear my chainsaw chaps when splitting. Me being a diabetic if I get a scrap I doctor it right away because if I don't I usually end up in hospital on IV antibiotics for 4 days (not fun).
 
I do have one of the smaller mauls also but prefer the monster maul. I do also have a few wedges and 3 double headed axes
 
(quoted from post at 18:17:50 01/26/15) All other things being equal, do you find it
easier to split from the top or from the bottom of
the piece?

If you mean which end of the chunk is up, it's the butt end up. That way you will be splitting in the direction the tree grew. The grains of the wood will open up easier when you do it this way.
 
I agree, the other one is wire rope/cable and does look neatly done, must have some kind of a pawl catch or something. The one on the 35 ton really sold me, and that piece they demonstrated was a tough one for sure! Neatly done, he must have changed the single spool open center valve to a 2 spool, plumbed it in to match up with the cylinder and just mounted it off the beam, which is drilled and tapped from the factory, for their log catcher tray offered as an extra on these. So you could add some more of those and make a strong cylinder mount off the web of the beam easily enough without welding. It does not seem complicated at all to add this kind of lift to one of these, and it does not take away from either position given the taller wedge. I just wonder if there was any issue of the speed of the lift, don't need a catapult LOL ! Perfect set up for difficult wood like the "Y" as they show and or twisted grain wood like Elm. Even Willow can bog mine down if I get a gnarly piece of it, which is surprising, but I processed a full F600 truck load of it a few years back.
 
I dont split much.But when I do I use a splitting
maul.Once in a long while I have to get the big
(16LB) sledge and wedge.
 
Might be the wood too, well if you have some embedded. I've seen people hospitalized over splinters when I worked in a local lumber yard, one of the contractors I knew and or was friendly with, I visited him in the hospital, he had his arm elevated and was fighting off an infection from a splinter. Human body sure does react harshly when it does not like some kind of foreign material in it.

I never realized how much damage can occur and your jeans, denim, dungaree material type pants don't rip. I climbed off the skirting when setting trusses on our barn and abraded a horse stall latch end while hugging the wall as I climbed down. Felt a little pressure, pulled up that pant leg and it looked like I got nailed with a chain saw, 1/2" jagged gouge about the same depth, same size as the latch end, all through the pants leg, no tear, just bunched up! Doctors assistant started telling me he cut wood on his days off and I should go see so and so at the saw shop for some chaps! Saw shop he referred me to is my neighbors place. He sure was convinced this wound was from a chainsaw. I should have taken the ladder down! I wanted to get to my other job, decided it was quicker to climb down where I was. I needed to secure the load on my farmers friend tandem sileage body before someone else did, being sawdust from a local mill sold as calve bedding, it was 30 miles there, then 6 miles to the mill, but I went and got that load on. I then went afterward to the E.R. for some quality time with the doc and her needle to numb this thing which was worse than anything. She tried to sew it but it was kind of hard to take, I should have just grunted through it, but it was so much better once it all numbed up, so I did in a sense as she poked and flooded it more and more til I could stand the suturing part of it. It took till February of '10 to heal up good, maybe March, it happened 12-15-09.

Before and after, you can see where it slid in, gouged and then scraped off close to the knee.
a180840.jpg

a180841.jpg
 
was waiting for someone to mention the ole "Chopper 1 " splitter. I have used them since they came out , I think back in late '70,s. Straight grain wood can be made into splinters for fire starting without breaking a sweat. Regular splitting without ever "sticking" in the wood. It either splits on first hit or pops back out. Very good invention.
 
Old, make sure you lay that monster down on it's side. Use to stand it up so as to be easier to grab. Rain down the handle , was using the monster later and the handle split off clean right at the weld at the base .So a monster can be broken.
 
Ya I have dumped water out of it more then once. Figure if it brakes I'll just weld it back up
 
I'm 73 and I split almost all my wood with a splitter now.
However, When I get a nice straight white ash. I will sometimes split with an axe or a light maul; it's really a little quicker.
As far as going to all the trouble of manhandling that big log over to his "elevator", I don't understand why he doesn't split in the vertical mode. I split a lot of big stuff that way; simply pick a nice piece to use as a seat and sit there 'til you finish one, then go get another.
Am I missing something?
 
Last Fall, bought my first splitter. Up until then, axe, maul, sledge hammer. I have to say that a splitter is so much nicer. Why'd I wait so long? What was I thinking?

I have to admit something that hangs in the back of my mind though. With all of the nice inventions, we aren't getting the exercise. However, we are living longer and longer though. So, exercise is bad for us?

Mark
 
had my monster mall welded up couple of years ago; still holding up. It's either 5 or 6 licks with a splitting mall or one lick with the Monster sometimes.
 
Lot of stuff I run into is hard to split unless I let it sit for a year to dry out. Hope to build a splitter so no more hard work Ya right cutting wood in any way is hard work
 

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