splitting firewood

[bookwormom]

you young folks might not believe it, but I notice I can't chop firewood like I used to. I can, for a while, but then we really notice it, did not use to. soooo, what I am wondering, someone have a hydraulic logsplitter, the kind you either pump with your feet or with your arms? hubby complained that you have to pump several times for it to split, I told him today he had to hit the wedge several times, too. We need to simplify and make it easier on us, but we do not want to use other energy besides ours if it can be helped. what I am wondering, are those gizmos a real improvement over ax, wedge and maul?
appreciate your advice:)

[Shamrock1121]

We purchased a wood splitter from the Plow and Hearth for my dad (a seasoned veteran of many years of cutting his own wood). *He loved it. *

You can find it in their on-line catalog:

http://www.plowhearth.com/product.asp?section_id=0&department=0&search_type= normal&search_value=Log%20Splitter&cur_index=&pcod e=218

Was it perfect? *No, but it did much of the splitting he wanted to do. *A cousin would bring over his "industrial strength" splitter and do anything that was too big to do with the small, hand-use splitter.

As dad aged, swinging the ax wasn't safe anymore, and this splitter was safe and manageable.

-Karen *

[Matthew]

ALthough expensive, the gasoline powered hydraulic splitters are much safer than the maul/axe method in my opinion. They move fast enough to split efficiently, but slow enough not to send splinters in the air, or chop off your foot. They are pricey though.

If you have a tractor, I think they make some three-point hydraulic splitters.

[hunter63]

I also use to do my splitting with a splitting maul, using wedges when I got something stuck, or the "big ones". Getting older.

I agree that hand splitting isn't the safest, but it is good exercise.
I would think just as fast as the hand hydraulic splitters, if not faster.
I wouldn't buy one.

I have been using a electric, 4 ton splitter from Harbor Freight for the last three years.
Was $250 at the time, but I couldn't find it on their on line catalogue?

Anyway, DR sells both a 4 ton and a 6 ton, pretty pricey in my opinion.
But, I have used the little electric one on just about everything, works very well.

[commonsense]

I agree I am not what I once was as to splitting wood. so I do not split any, I have outdoor wood stove that takes 48 in pieces. If I can pick it up I use.

[Mysticdream44]

I did a search and here are two websites I came up with.
Northerntool.com and Become.com and just type in what you are looking for. Hope this helps.

[JAK]

I think a good option for a smaller place that uses less wood is a coppice type of woodlot. By harvesting the wood when it is about 2" around you can usually cut it with a bush-axe in one swing, and there is no need to split it. You would then bundle it up into faggots and move and store it that way. You can get higher yields per acre this way, by using species that grow back quickly from the roots. You can also use the 2" poles for fencing and such, and as nut trees also. Coppicing also works very well as hedrows. Annual sustained yield is at least 1 cord, perhaps 2 cord per acre, while still providing natural habitat. Of course you could do a combination of cordwood and coppicing also.

There are advantages and disadvantages to coppicing, but one advantage is that you do less chain saw work and less splitting, though more slashing and bundling.

[JAK]

p.s. I am not heating exclusively with wood now, more for pleasure, but if I went more towards wood I would first reduce my heating needs as much as possible and then use as efficient a wood stove as practical. This rules out outdoor wood boilers in my opinion. The more heat you need the more efficient it needs to be because the coldest days represent about 1% of your total heating demand, and 1% of 10,000 pounds of wood is 100 pounds a day on the coldest days, and that is alot of wood. If you are getting half the efficiency with an outdoor boiler, which are 40% at best, that is 200 pounds on the coldest days, and even more weight if you are burning it green. That's just crazy, even if the wood was free, which it never is. My goal would be to get my demand down to 2 cord per year, 3 cord if it was domestic hot water also, and to be able to do so with a $1000 stove, $1500 if it provided hot water also.

By 3 cord I mean about 10,000 pounds of hardwood at 20% moisture. At 80% efficiency that works out to 10,000 x 8000 x 80% x 80% = 51,000,000 BTU/year and about 500,000 BTU on the very coldest days of -30F. *A typical day at 20degF would require 250,000 BTU, and about 50 pounds of wood. I wouldn't mind if that took a morning and evening load, so a regular medium sized wood stove with a decent flue should do the job for $1000. Of that, 50 U.S. gallons of hot water represents about 40,000 BTU/day. If you want much more than that on mild days then retrofiting a regular wood stove is really not practical. Having a drain down solar hot water heater for summer days and mild winter days might make such a system more practical. Using less than 3 cords and having some electrical backup even if you don't need to use it usually enough to keep insurance companies from getting too stupid. The electrical backup, or some other backup is also a good idea for the really cold days, especially if you are out of town at the time. Passive solar is not as great as it sounds because it makes the coldest days even worse, unless you have a really decent system of thermal shutters.

I think I'm just a little off thread. :)

I think if I was to build a log splitter myself for doing 3 cord of hardwood every season, and still be able to deal with pine when it finds its way into the mix, I think I would build something that runs on electric, but uses a heavy flywheel instead of hydraulics. There would be a clutch and safety lock. So the flywheel would wind up as you grab a piece and put it in place, then you would stand back and release the clutch and safety lock. The motor would not have to be that big to keep up, but the flywheel would be very heavy.

[JAK]

That's a good point. Coppice wood was very popular in Eurupe in the middle ages when they got into a fuel shortage, but they had different stoves. 2" wood is a good size for a kitchen stove that is continuosly fed, and a good size for a Russian Masonry Stove that is burned fast and hot, but for a typical wood stove you would probable be better off with a combination of 2" and bigger stuff. Still 2" packs well enough if it is straight enough, which is might be with a well established coppice, and if it is a heavy hardwood, like rock maple, it will develop a bed of coals. I am not sure if any of the really heavy hardwoods are good for coppicing however. As far as the work involved, I think with good practice the coppice work can go pretty fast, but again it probably depends alot on how well established and straight the coppice is, so that you can bundle it up tight without a lot of fuss. Again, I think you would want to get your demand down to about 3 cord a year, and then I think you would still want a mix so that only one cord of that is coppice, two cord at the most. You could start of with a woodlot of 2 acres and use it mostly for cordwood, then use more coppice as it matures into a coppice woodlot.

[JAK]

Picking and choosing is a good method also, except you would still need to do something with the stuff you don't want, assuming a small woodlot. I think a combination is always best, and it is always easier to be fussy and flexible if you use less wood to begin with.

Here in New Brunswick it is mixed softwood and hardwood, mostly spruce, birch, and maple. There is cedar in areas that are not good for other trees and it is excellent kindling but slow growing and too valuable for shingles and so forth to be used as kindling, though there is always windfall. On a woodlot I would thin out *the spruce first to make way for more hardwood. The logs can be sappy but the thin dead branches are excellent kindling. The sappy logs I would dry and burn on the bottom under hardwood to the volatiles get burned as they come up through the fire. In this way I thing you can burn 50% softwood until the woodlot turns to hardwood. Any nice established pines I would leave to grow but on a small 2 acre woodlot there might only be one or two, if you are lucky to have them and smart enough to keep them. Birch and maple burn well, but the paper birch goes punky if you don't dry it out and burn it within a year, and the maple is just as likely to be soft maple as hard maple. Pound for pound it is just as good, but the hard maple is better for burning on the coldest nights and better for making sugar also. I think what I would ultimately strive for is a combination sugar bush and woodlot, but only enough maple sugar as a hobby of course. Birch syrup is also good if it is yellow birch. If there was some oak or ash growing I wouldn't discourage that either. Mountain ash is common also. Not the best fuel wood but it does tend to grow back as coppice. I guess I would learn and make things up as I went along, but again this is probably easier to do if you only need 2 cord and another cord of slash.

Most people that use wood as there primary fuel also use about 4-5 full cord minimum here, though I think 2-3 cord would be very possible in a small well insulated and reasonable tight place. Some of the wood piles I see are awefully scarey looking. Don't know too many people that keep up 6-8 cord for more than a year or two. That would mean a heck of a lot of wood on the coldest days. Traditionally people just let their back rooms get colder and stayed nearer the fire. Nowadays people usually fall back on oil or electricity on those coldest days, despite their best claims or intentions. *:)

[JAK]

Rightly so. Also it depends on what land you have and what you use it for. Small farmers here often have woodlots they use to sell cordwood on the side, delivering it already cut and split for about $150-$175 in what they call mostly maple. I would guess it averages 2700 pound per cord once dry (20% moisture) as the hardwood species are not all that heavy, and it tends to be not all that well stacked, or measured. It is also a sad fact that if you ask for a cord, they will try and give you just a face cord unless you specifically ask for the other half. Even then the two face cords tend to be something like 18-22" logs so enven then only add up to about 5/6 of a full cord, and so you are doing very well to get 2400 pounds out of a cord here once dried. However it's all in good fun for just a cord, and you can usually get a square deal if you are buying 4-5 cord, or if you are getting it from yourself. Even then you are never really sure. :)

[Txanne]

A 12 horse--35 tonner will throw out some wood.

The newer 12 horse has a faster recovery time---in other words between the time it split the wood until it rises and can come back down,

Used 9 hirse for years on a 40 tonner--loved it tho when the boss put electric start on them--made winter starting for work each morning so much easier.

For older folks--i recommend the eletric start.

I had a personal 35 tonner---hand crank---I could do it a few years ago----But its hard work! ;D

And slpit alot of short butts with my axe---split all my wood with an axe before I got the splitter.

Some of these hand-held or new gadgets are a pain in the behind,

You still have to mount them on something.

annie

[bookwormom]

well thanks guys.we saw one of those hydraulic splitters on sale at harbor freight, so we decided against it. it can only split 6" logs. for that I do not need a special gadget.
the coppicing sounds interesting, too. But I am afraid only the poplar would really take to that, and that is not exactly prime firewood. and we have so much oak down to last us a while. so have to tackle that first. Oaks are dying right and left and the storm blows them over.

[Mountaingirlnc]

Hi,
If you can not afford a log splitter, have you thought of renting one for a weekend. Make sure the weather is going to be dry, and if you can get some help, with a gas log splitter you can split a years worth of wood in one weekend if it is already cut into logs. Have done this in the past. Did not try to stack just split and pitched into a pile till after we took the log splitter back. You have to be careful if one is working the log splitter and one is loading, and make sure fingers are out of the way, but you work into a rhythm with it. Some of the logs we left big, and some we split smaller for starting the fires. One thing for sure the log splitter saved us days and days of work. Also found that the one that stands the logs on end worked faster than the one that you laid on the log splitter. Good luck with the wood

[ffd430]

we're not getting older the wood is just getting tougher.

[Nickathome]

I went through one season with a splitting maul. That was more than enough for me. Since I buy split hardwoods anyway, I only wanted something to do a final split of those pieces that are just a bit too big for the fireplace. I have been using one of those Ryobi 4 ton electric splitters from Home depot with much success. I can split more wood with that thing in a shorter time span than I ever could with the maul, and I'm not exhausted when I'm done. Its only fault I haven oticed is its very short, requiring me to kneel on one knee while using the controls. I am going to put the thing on an old picnic table I have to make it more ergonomic. Still, well worth the money IMO.

[bookwormom]

thanks all for replying. as it is now, I got a maul and at least I got to work off some of the excess calories. got it almost all split save a few pieces that resist the maul.

[JohnW]

Yip, there's always some wood that I can't split. I just cut it with the chain saw. Lay it on its side and cut it lengthwize.

[Nickathome]

The wood that I can't split is saved for our outdoor fireplace for those late summer campfires we like to have in the backyard. Its a good way to get rid of the narly crap wood that always seems to get buried in the middle of your wood order...

[WRTN]

Splitting sufficient amounts of firewood from large (30" to 24") logs in lengths of 24 to 28 inches can be done with a sledge hammer and wedge but after a few years of doing this, I just got tired of fooling with it. *

I ordered a gas powered hydraulic log splitter from Harbor Freight and it was some of the best money I ever spent. *

Many folks are not happy with their log splitter because they order the cheapee's with the "Briggs & Splattin'" *or Tehcumse engines. *I bought the 20 ton 5.5 hp model equipped with the Honda engine. *They are GREAT engines that start EVERYTIME. *Just store them with fuel treated with Stabil. *Robin/Subaru engines come it a very close 2nd to Honda engines.

The rest of the log splitter is pretty simple and can usually be repaired if any repairs needed purchasing parts locally at your TSC, Coop, or other farm stores. *

The hydraulic pump. hydraulic cylinder, and control valve are the usual suspects to go bad with the occasional hydraulic hose. *

There have been about 5 times my splitter would not split and piece of wood and these were really large and knotted. *Otherwise it has split everything I have put in it.

I have owned this log splitter for a little over 15 years and the only thing I have had to replace is the control valve. *

Just have to keep an eye out at Harbor Freight or local store to catch then on sale. *

[woodburner]

Generally I try to split all of my wood with an ax or a maul. The maul is a 16 pounder and the ax is very sharp. I swing the ax two or three times but for the big peices I use the maul, but on ly swing once. I f that swing does not help then I use the log splitter. Moral: easy by hand, hard by machine.
I used to rent a splitter for all of those tough splits once a year but now have a splitter. Get one with a good engine - mine has an 8 horse Honda, is 15 years old, and still starts the first pull.
The splitter is slower than by hand but for 2 foot diameter logs is the only way to go

[MadTripper]

I do mine by hand with an axe and spring loaded maul currently. I had a splitter my grandfather built that had a 14 hp Kohler and the cylinder off his old Cat bulldozer. My cousin had purchased it when we auctioned everything off so I had to give it up. I wished I had bought it though. Most of the time I manage with my hand tools. If not, I set the stubborn piece aside until the next time I split and hit it fresh.

Tripper

[machinemaker]

this year I built a log splitter from a bunch of materials that I had scrounged or picked up used, the best thing I've done for around the house in years. Someone gave me a bunch of used hydraulic power supplies when that business went bankrupt, inexchange for helping clean out the building. I needed a large hydraulic H style press and also a splitter. the smallest pump was a 3000 psi / 3 gpm on a 3 hp 3ph / 230 VAC motor and thats what I used, the rest ranged from 20 to 75 hp. i wish that it was 5 gpm so that it was faster, but hey it was free. I welded up a tank and two wheeled cart for the pump and put 3/4" quick disconects on the hoses. When I want to use the press, I wheel the pump over, or if I want to use the splitter I get out the extension cord and wheel it to the wood pile. The rest was steel that I had left over from other jobs. I found two 4" x 24" cylinders (one is a spare) for $50.00 at a salvage yard, so the valves and the disconnects were the most money. I get most of our wood for free by going into the city to the parks and recreation districts maintenance yard where they dump wood from their clean ups. Most is cotton wood or other hard wood which is better than all the pine in the forests around here. It is in usually 3-4' lenghts and I winch it up a incline conveyer with a el - cheap -o winch from harbor freight into the truck and flat bed trailer. Since it is a lot of dead stringy cotton wood, the splitter is the only way to go. I also put an extra 2" x 6"cylinder on a side lift so that I can roll a log onto the lift and then raise it up to the splitter.
kent

[Txanne]

Needed to add; we use mostly oak here---cottonwoods have a lazy cold fire--lots of smoke!!

Hickory is highly prized cooking wood as pecan is.

I cut my log butts into 20 in. lengths--had a 24 in firebox.

Some of the log butts were huge--my old 34 tonner would pop them easily and then i went from there.

When i used an axe to split wood--i found an old wheel/brake drum---used it as a base--slipping wood--sure takes it toll in shins!1 ;D


annie

[RangerRick]

http://i11.tinypic.com/7w9noes.gif

http://www.logsplitter.com/log_splitter_12_ton_hydraulic.htm

I bought one of these several years ago primarily because I didn't want one more damn infernal combustion engine to maintain. *I just hook it up to my 20 gal air compressor. *Works well and never breaks down or needs gas/oil/tune-up. *It works a little slower than an engine powered splitter - but so do I. Price is $350 but if a fella was just a little handy with an arc welder he could build it for $20 and buy the jack at Harbor Freight Tools for $60.

;D

[madmarine]

Alright now. I can't believe what i am reading here. My Aunt Geri, lost Uncle Dale couple years ago, still splits her wood (fir and tamarack} herself with a splitting maul. Oh by the way, did i mention that she is 73. She splits her wood daily herself and trust me, don't tell her you will do it for as she will tell you to leave her stuff alone.

[jott]

I’m a young guy yet so I split by hand when I do it. Mostly to help my grandfather or the locale historical association that can go thought about 5 cord in a weekend for there festival. I can split much more in a day by hand then I could with a splitter. One weekend I was helping them out and was using the splitter and that was the most sore I ever got, my back was killing me. It seems to use the thing you have to spend all day bent over since it sits low to the ground. If you raise it up then you have to lift all the logs up. I guess it is about the same work to set up a log to split in a vertical splitter as set up for hand. It mite be that with hand you arc your back on the back swing so it counters the bending forward I don’t know I just know I feel worse the next day when using a splitter.

[JBinKC]

Ways to make it easier:

1) Cut your wood to a shorter length and wait until the firewood checks to see where it will give 2)Cut more wood where it is too small in diameter to split 3) Avoid the difficult splitting species like elm and gum unless of course it is small enough to burn in round form 4)Use the right tools something you can easily handle. I use a 6 lb sledgehammer and an estwing wedge, twist wedge and/or wood grenade for tools.

[Cil]

We purchased a wood splitter from the Plow and Hearth for my dad (a seasoned veteran of many years of cutting his own wood). *He loved it. *

You can find it in their on-line catalog:

http://www.plowhearth.com/product.asp?section_id=0&department=0&search_type= normal&search_value=Log%20Splitter&cur_index=&pcod e=218

Was it perfect? *No, but it did much of the splitting he wanted to do. *A cousin would bring over his "industrial strength" splitter and do anything that was too big to do with the small, hand-use splitter.

As dad aged, swinging the ax wasn't safe anymore, and this splitter was safe and manageable.

-Karen *


I just checked it and they no longer carry this item. :(

[walls0stone]

I split mine by hand..Dad is 57, he still cuts with me each saturday. I always thought wood splitting was a job to keep kids out of trouble.