Hydraulic firewood splitting

rusty6 · Mar 20, 2019

After we sawed up some of the bigger green logs we used the hydraulic splitter to split them in half, or quarters depending on the size. It works well. I spent plenty of time as a kid splitting firewood blocks with an axe. This way is a little easier.

Splitting Firewood

37chief · Mar 20, 2019

I split a lot of wood with a sludge hammer and wedges my self. I got tired of breaking hammer handles, and the slow process, since I heat my house with wood. I built a splitter, from a discarded paper hydraulic compactor from my work. That was about 40 years ago. Stan

rusty6 · Mar 20, 2019

(quoted from post at 20:08:54 03/20/19) I split a lot of wood with a sludge hammer and wedges my self. I got tired of breaking hammer handles, and the slow process, since I heat my house with wood. I built a splitter, from a discarded paper hydraulic compactor from my work. That was about 40 years ago. Stan

One thing we learned many years ago when hand splitting with an axe, it splits much easier in real frosty weather.

D beatty · Mar 20, 2019

I find that I can split straight grain wood with a splitting axe(chopper1). I use the log splitter snarley
and knotty wood.

D beatty · Mar 20, 2019

You guys split your wood a lot smaller than we do.About 90% of this load will be burnt just a it is and rest just big enough to get in stove.

JayinNY · Mar 21, 2019

I can't imagine splitting wood with a axe? I have a maul, if I have to split by hand, mostly use it to break stringy pieces off the wood splitters.

D beatty · Mar 21, 2019

I have used a maul like that one and they are tiresome to use because of their weight. If you use one of these axes you wouldn't go back. Stringy and knotty wood my 35 ton log splitter take care of it. I can split straight grain wood faster than a log splitter. You guys must be splitting for a fireplace. I cut mine to 18-20"long and pieces are 3 times bigger than what you have.

rusty6 · Mar 21, 2019

Maybe you have tougher wood there but splitting blocks by hand was not a hard job as I recall it. It was the only way I knew. Luckily I recorded this video way back about 25 years ago when I was still burning wood. That old kitchen stove had a short firebox so the blocks could not be too long or the lid would not fit back on the stove. Surprising how that cat made a guest appearance at the 15 second mark.
Axe Splitting

caterpillar guy · Mar 21, 2019

I find unless I have a lot of wood to split. By the time I get the tractor out splitter gong and all, I can split it faster by hand with either an axe or sledge and wedge. I split off the sides to get it to fit in the furnace. Much easier than trying to split through the middle.

fixerupper · Mar 21, 2019

I split a lot of ash and maple with a sledge and wedge when I was a kid. An axe wouldn’t split that stuff. Back in those days I remember watching an episode of Bonanza where Little Joe was splitting wood with an axe. One swing of the axe would do the job with the wood he was splitting. I thought maybe he should bring his axe to Iowa to split some of the stuff we have.

James Howell · Mar 21, 2019

"[b:654c4848f0][i:654c4848f0]I spent plenty of time as a kid splitting firewood blocks with an axe. This way is a little easier.[/i:654c4848f0][/b:654c4848f0]"

As I have matured over the years, I definitely agree.

Take a look at the "[i:654c4848f0]farmer tech[/i:654c4848f0]" splitter built in 2015.

The only wood that I split is oak.

Texasmark1 · Mar 21, 2019

I "used" a Maul too as an axe just got stuck in things like "Water Elm". One thing an old timer taught me when I first got here, is to split the way the tree grows....it grows up so turn the log upside down on your stump or the lower end against your wedge....I have a home built splitter and I have proven time and again....when you have a log that doesn't want to split, turn it around and away you go.

Adirondack case guy · Mar 21, 2019

At 72, I find it much easier to push or pull a lever than to swing a splitting maul. That is for the younger crowd. When you get older you work smarter, not harder.
It also helps to have a shop where you can build machines to make work easier.
Loren

Russ from MN · Mar 21, 2019

I built this splitter similar to yours in about 2009, to split elm with. We have a lot of black ash, it's almost easier to split with a maul.

Russ from MN · Mar 21, 2019

I forgot to mention this splitter, our birch splits so easy my wife splits it!

IHC pickups · Mar 21, 2019

I have found as the number of birthday candles grow on my birthday cake I like to use oil pressure to split wood.
I remember we burned wood at home and using sledges and splitting mauls you spent a lot of time digging the wedges out of knots and croutches.

rusty6 · Mar 21, 2019

(quoted from post at 07:05:14 03/21/19) I forgot to mention this splitter, our birch splits so easy my wife splits it!

Just curious Russ and none of my business, but is your wife left handed? From the photo I notice her left hand below her right on the axe handle. I always go the opposite and I am right handed. I have far more accuracy and splitting power when my dominant hand is on the lower part of the axe handle as seen in my video.

Brian G. NY · Mar 21, 2019

That reminds me of a time back in the early 60s when I was in my "early" 20s.
Half of a big maple had fallen into my yard in mid-summer.
So I was out there splitting it with an axe, sledge hammer and wedges. Sweatin' my a--- off.
An old guy drives by and yells out his window "boy, that would work up a lot easier in January".
I'll never forget that and of course he was right but I couldn't just leave it layin' there in my yard until January.
Pushin 78 now so I don't do much hand splitting nowadays.
I will say this, though, it is almost easier to split white ash with an axe or maul than to set up the splitter.
Ash is good firewood but nothing like oak or maple or my favorite, ironwood.
However, ash splits so nice and straight it makes a beautiful cord wood stack.

Hydraulic firewood splitting

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