I was wondering if there is a preference for the type of wedge for splitting logs. Will a rubber/plastic type hold up over steel? I also see there is a funnel shaped with threads that is on the market. What would be the best type to get that does the job?
and for very good reason when you hit them with a chain saw they cut like wood and don't ruin your chain , clearly I have done that once or twice
it very much depends what your splitting more than 1 or 2 wedges if your doing big wood , keep working across
a collection of a few basic steel wedges a maul and a sledge
but honest if it is that difficult to split any more I Noodle it , this is cutting with the grain using the chain saw it makes long curly noodle like chips and doesn't load the saw very much keep the angle of the saw about
here is a video his technique isn't the greatest tip down a few degrees makes the chip drop better without clogging the clutch housing it also brakes the chip a little shorter , you get a feel for it after a while if you aren't pulling goos chip adjust till you are. the video lets you see when he is and isn't pulling good chip , the weight of the saw should be just about enough you don't need to muscle a chain saw.
It sounds like you are splitting by hand not a hydraulic splitter. When I was younger, I used to cut the logs into short lengths then used a Monster Maul to split them. One swat usually was all it took. I still have mine. Haven't used them in years since I got a hydraulic splitter.
To split wood like the guy in the video, your saw needs to be very sharp to cut with the grain like that. I've done that in the past on logs with a large diameter like he's doing. If the guy in the video had a Monster Maul, his splitting would be easier.
To split wood like the guy in the video, your saw needs to be very sharp to cut with the grain like that. I've done that in the past on logs with a large diameter like he's doing. If the guy in the video had a Monster Maul, his splitting would be easier.
the chain need be no sharper than when cutting cross grain , and if you own a file why would you cut with a dull chain ,that would be like skinning with a dull knife you often don't need to cut all the way either 3/4 and a tap with the maul and they typically split
if I am doing a bigger rounds cut down about 3/4 roll 90*cut about 3/4 hit it twice with the maul and have 4 rounds I can lift and toss in the truck
if you have more than a cord a year to do , then hydraulic splitter
with curly maple hydraulic is definitely the way to go if you have knot free then most anything will do often just a maul
When splitting by hand, Monster Maul. Used that for all of my splitting, until I cleared our property generating 38 cords worth of logs. I started splitting with the old Monster. My dad shook his head and left. Came back with a brand new hydraulic log splitter. Sure saved alot of time. Very rare when the monster maul can't split and I need to pull out the regular maul and wedges. Although I've hear good reports on the Fiskars too, just never used one.
To split wood like the guy in the video, your saw needs to be very sharp to cut with the grain like that. I've done that in the past on logs with a large diameter like he's doing. If the guy in the video had a Monster Maul, his splitting would be easier.
the chain need be no sharper than when cutting cross grain , and if you own a file why would you cut with a dull chain ,that would be like skinning with a dull knife you often don't need to cut all the way either 3/4 and a tap with the maul and they typically split
if I am doing a bigger rounds cut down about 3/4 roll 90*cut about 3/4 hit it twice with the maul and have 4 rounds I can lift and toss in the truck
if you have more than a cord a year to do , then hydraulic splitter
with curly maple hydraulic is definitely the way to go if you have knot free then most anything will do often just a maul
I had some large elm that I cut with the grain several years ago and some white oak. There was a big difference in cutting with the grain versus across the grain when I was blocking the logs. I use a bench sharpener. A semi-dull chain will cut across the grain way better than with it. At least, that's been my experience.
We have a lot of dead elm and ash here some of that stuff will eat a wedge, a gas splitter is a must and even with that I have to hold the handle to keep the valve from kicking out on the tough stuff.
Troybuilt makes these things called "log splitters". Put gas in, pull the string, have the kids put the log on it, push the lever and presto... Split wood. (the kids double as stackers too).
Some good advise and I appreciate it and the video, thanks. I agree with a slitter/gas operated but I'm in an area you couldn't get one up there. I was there today and cut and split with an axe but was wondering about a wedge also. I had wood down and cut and wanted to split when I got it sledded to the cabin. I might but a steel wedge and see how it works.
If you have to split by hand, some of the tougher to split wood like white oak and hickory are much easier if you take small splits from the edges first to kind of square it up into a block. Then use the maul or wedge to break it into larger chunks. The outer growth rings seem to act as a band that tries to hold the piece together.
I love splitting straight grained red oak ash and cherry, especially when it can be done with just an ax.
Elm is a bugger to split and has a twist in the grain that can turn many an axa handle into kindling. I try to avoid using elm for firewood. The axe head follows the grain and the handle does not and snaps clean half in two at the head.
I got a few mushroomed wedges I have been meaning to take and get the mushroomed edges torched off. Maybe get him to weld a bead or two around the wedge? Down here we go to a mall (maul) to shop. To split wood we use a go-devil. I have. 6 and 8 pounder. The 8 gets the tough stuff and the 6 the easy. Knots get the wedge.
If you are using a splitting wedge, be sure to wear safety glasses. A friend was using one once while his son was helping him. When he struck the wedge with the sledge hammer a shard from the wedge flew off and imbedded in his sons eye, he needed surgery to have it removed.
I hand split until last year. Here is a trick that I learned a few years back. I wish I would have known about it starting out.
Place the log in a spot that you can move around and swing your splitting maul 360 degrees. Before you start swinging, take a strap and place around the log. It needs to be snug, but not racheted. Start splitting with maul and rotate yourself around the log until you have it split to your preference. The strap prevents blow outs and tip-overs. If you never tried it, you got too!
I use this method on oak, ash, etc.. wood that I can split with a swing or two with the maul. I imagine you could use a wedge as well.
I split wood by hand with a maul and wedges for 50 years, 6 to 8 cord per year. This fall I got a splitter, best thing I ever did. Kid puts the pieces on the splitter and I run the handle.
I split wood by hand with a maul and wedges for 50 years, 6 to 8 cord per year. This fall I got a splitter, best thing I ever did. Kid puts the pieces on the splitter and I run the handle.
just make sure their fingers are out of the way It is my opinion that the only person with a finger near it while the ram is moving is the person who's other hand is operating the lever on the spool.
I found if I put the splitter next to the tail gate and went a kid up in the truck they could keep rolling the rounds to me and I could split them with no lifting just roll off the tail gate on to the log catcher. if you can set up near the pile and toss into the wheel barrow as you take splits off the splitter then no one needs bed over and some one can stack right away. 2 wheel barrows and you toss into the one they are not taking out of then you switch when they empty the first one and no one gets smashed fingers
Interesting. What I do on the larger rounds is let them dry for a week or 2, then chainsaw from the edge to the center thru the largest part with no checks. This gives the chunk room to split on the checks. For the medium size ones, 1-1/2 to 2 ft, I'll saw cut slots in a 4-6 pie wedge shape about 8" deep and they will split like a dream.
if it is big I cut rounds then noodle them into sizes that I can lift
my 2166 72cc saw with 24 inch bar is easier to lift up and set down and let the weight of the saw do the work than swinging a maul I also can't alwasy leave the rounds were they fell for a few weeks
did few maple last year that I had to cut from both sides with a 28 inch bar to drop them.
I could then lift the 4 quarters of a round one at a time probably 80-100 pounds each
they had a very curly twisted grain saved one log for milling
What I did was made a few oak wedges. I made a cut on the butt end and drove an axe in as far as I could go then used the oak wedges. I worked and they did a great job. I had ash, birch, pine, cedar and some cotton wood and seeded to do the job what I needed done.
Interesting. What I do on the larger rounds is let them dry for a week or 2, then chainsaw from the edge to the center thru the largest part with no checks. This gives the chunk room to split on the checks. For the medium size ones, 1-1/2 to 2 ft, I'll saw cut slots in a 4-6 pie wedge shape about 8" deep and they will split like a dream.
I basically did what you did then used the oak wedges. Worked very well.
What gryhkl said, work from the outside. Big rounds like in the video are no problem with a standard maul if you know how to work the piece down. Lop a piece off the outside edge. It should only take one stroke with most wood and will leave a protrusion that you can just lop off with another stroke. Repeat until the round is all split wood.
I burn wood daily for close to 6 months a year. I split everything by hand. I have a powered log splitter, but I get more satisfaction out of doing it the hard way. We have a lot of elm and hackberry which are notoriously hard to split. I went to a Halder maul and wedge, and have zero issues with anything I’ve faced. This includes knotty Y’s from tough old red elm. Here’s the link to their products. https://www.halderusa.com/Products/Hand-Tools/Forestry-Tools/SIMPLEX-splitting-maul
I split wood by hand with a maul and wedges for 50 years, 6 to 8 cord per year. This fall I got a splitter, best thing I ever did. Kid puts the pieces on the splitter and I run the handle.
Bet when the kid loses a finger, he'll lose 3 or 4 of them. This is a common accident waiting to happen.
I burn wood daily for close to 6 months a year. I split everything by hand. I have a powered log splitter, but I get more satisfaction out of doing it the hard way. We have a lot of elm and hackberry which are notoriously hard to split. I went to a Halder maul and wedge, and have zero issues with anything I’ve faced. This includes knotty Y’s from tough old red elm. Here’s the link to their products. https://www.halderusa.com/Products/Hand-Tools/Forestry-Tools/SIMPLEX-splitting-maul
That Halder combination looks like what I need. Axe and wedge is really all I need also and I also like the satisfaction and exercise doing the old fashion way. Thanks
burned wood all our life here and I will agree the monster maul will split it,as long as you can swing it.now when you go to a hydralic splitter its like cheating.
burned wood all our life here and I will agree the monster maul will split it,as long as you can swing it.now when you go to a hydralic splitter its like cheating.
Monster Maul makes two varieties. The original is the larger, heavy model. They also make the Ladies model which is lighter. I have both. At first I used the heavier one. As I got older, I bought a hydraulic splitter. I still took the Monster Maul in the woods to split the larger blocks so I could handle them. When that maul seemed too heavy, I bought the Ladies model which still splits very well, just a lighter version.
